The Royal Ascot meeting is done and dusted for another year, and our girl Joliestar can hold her head high after her immensely brave effort, now let's turn our attention to the sprinting mares here at home, as they tackle the final G1 of the Australian racing season!
The WFA Tatts Tiara for fillies and mares runs over 1400m at Eagle Farm and is worth $700,000 in 2026.
Granted, the Stradbroke winner Spicy Martini has gone to the paddock to rest up for some big spring targets - as has the fantastic Fangirl, a brilliant fourth in the Straddie with all odds against her.
The next mare home in the big G1 was Grahame Begg's Splash Back ( sixth) and she unsurprisingly is challenging for favouritism in this.
Another not lining up to vie for the coveted Tiara is the exciting She's Got Pizzazz (Zoustar), last start winner of the traditional lead up, the G2 Dane Ripper Stakes over 1300m.
Following that gutsy victory on a very testing track, trainers Moody and Coleman read the signs their talented four year old was giving them, and elected to give her a well-earned rest.
She's Got Pizzazz did a mighty job this prep to collect two wins and one placing, all at stakes level, in her three Queensland starts after the gifted daughter of Zoustar suffered a confidence-sapping fall in the Melbourne spring.
This leaves us with a particularly open affair for the 2026 Tiara, but there's no lack of quality on offer amongst the remaining contenders, and it makes for a fascinating betting race!
Known as the Winter Stakes upon its inception in 1989, the race has slowly but surely increased its prestige over the years.
The NZ-bred La Posette, a daughter of Imposing, won that inaugural running and interestingly, her half sister Anything Tudor by Taipan II is the grand dam of Western Australia's longtime reigning champion sire Playing God.
The Winter Stakes was a Listed race from 1992 to 1995, a G3 up to 2005, moved to G2 in 2006 and achieved the coveted G1 status in 2007.
2011 saw its first running as the Tattersalls Tiara.
Plenty of great mares have saluted through the years - Rich Pageantry, Miss Potential, Mamzelle Pedrille, Razor Blade, Mon Mekki, Charmview, La Sizeranne, Porto Roca, Nova Star, Melito, Absolut Glam and Melito all added their names to the honour roll up to 2010.
The magnificent Star Way daughter Bonanova remains the only dual winner with her victories in 1999/2000.
Of course, 1997 saw the great Dane Ripper win this race after winning the Stradbroke, and she collected the Cox Plate later that year.
Others to do the Stradbroke /Tiara double are Srikandi in 2015 and Tofane in 2021.
Retired champion Bella Nipotina just missed out - second in the 2024 Straddie to Stefi Magnetica before bolting in the Tiara. She had run in all four of the G1 Queensland sprints - won the Doomben 10,000, second in the Kingsford Smith, second in the Stradbroke and won the Tiara. The unforgettable Bella went on to win The Everest later in the year!
Others to win the Tiara since 2010 include Yosei, Pear Tart, Red Tracer, Cosmic Endeavour, Tycoon Tara, Prompt Response, Startantes, Invincibella and Pailaspan.
Last year the Peter Snowden trained Sebring mare Tashi strode to an impressive victory over Abounding. Following her well deserved G1 win, $1.05m earner Tashi was retired by owner/breeders Corumbene Stud and awaits an exciting first foal by Zoustar!
On the other hand, five year old Abounding is still going strong on the track, and Saturday will see the gallant daughter of Rich Enuff tackle her third Tiara, having run fourth to Bella in 2024 as a 3YO and second last year. A poor Stradbroke showing can be forgiven - Abounding loathes heavy tracks, and prior to that had been in top form winning the G3 BRC Stakes at Doomben.
The Waller trained Firestorm is back after a good run in this last year from a wide draw, and should get a better passage this time. Her stablemate Ahha Ahha is a daughter of Starspangledbanner, who was riding high at Royal Ascot - could she keep his hot streak of form going here?
The well named Savagery Vibe, daughter of the equally well named tough O'Reilly son Brutal, has impressed everyone with her take-no- prisoners attitude and was a great third in the Dane Ripper, seems over the odds.
The pride of Perth Super Smink is a high quality mare capable of turning things around in this company.
Midnight In Tokyo is a half sister to star sprinting mare Generosity, while the talented Tuileries and Gerringong are duelling for favouritism with Splash Back.
Bjorn Baker's Within The Law is the only filly in the race this year, bringing a different formline out of the Gunsynd Classic at 1600m where she was a brave second to Skyhook. Blinkers go on and you never count this girl out of anything she contests.
Favourites don't have the greatest record in this event at the best of times, so a very good case can be made for many of the 17 runners this year.
At time of writing the track is rated Soft 5 with light showers forecast on and off through to, and including Saturday, so a Soft5 / 6 surface is my guess!
Top Pick: MANAAL
She is the only G1 winner in this field, and four year old Manaal gets a red hot chance to peak again.
The daughter of Tassort seeks to add a second major to her impressive record - but it's a record where she hasn't quite been able to match her dynamic juvenile season, in which she beat the boys in the G1 ATC Sires Produce Stakes.
The Michael Freedman trained Manaal has added four G2 victories to her CV since then ( including over 1400m) but has just come up a little short in a couple of big G1s against the likes of Lady Shenandoah, Lady Of Camelot, Stefi Magnetica and Lazzura. There appears to be nothing in this field of that class, with no disrespect to these good mares.
Additionally, Manaal drops back to mares company after a great first up third in the G2 Moreton Cup to G1 winner and 5 x G1 placed sprinter Uncommon James and G2 winner Oak Hill, with her second up stats and soft track record promising further improvement.
Manaal is a homebred for Emirates Park, who have claimed some big G1s in the last season or so with
fillies / mares from their breeding program - G1 winners Marhoona and Charm Stone, with Ameena ( also by Tassort) G1 placed.
Manaal boasts 20 career starts for 6 wins and 6 placings, which have netted herccareer earnings just a whisker under $2.2 million to date.
She is the best of three winners from four foals to race from the imported stakes winning Midshipman mare Red Lodge (USA), purchased by Emirates Park at the Keeneland November Breeding Sale for AU $750,000 in 2018.
Manaal's younger half sister Rajwa, by Tassort's grandsire I Am Invincible, was a winner and only twice unplaced in six starts. She sold for $370,000 to SR Doyle Racing and Breeding at the 2026 MM National Broodmare Sale.
The first foal from Red Lodge was the gelded Fightertown by Snitzel, who won a single race.
Her 2023 Zoustar filly sadly died at two years, and her 2024 Justify colt sold for $400,000 to Kennewell Racing / Group One Bloodstock / Ridgeport at this year's Magic Millions Gold Coast sale.
After missing to Tassort and Extreme Choice, the mare is currently in foal to Newgate Farm's Golden Slipper winning son of Extreme Choice, Stay Inside.
The sire of Red Lodge, Midshipman, (Unbridled's Song) won the G1 Breeders Cup Juvenile and is a highly sought after broodmare sire in the States. He shares the same grand dam Fleet Lady ( Avenue Of Flags) as triple G1 winner and successful sire Frosted.
The dam of Red Lodge was the unraced Star Silver by Aldeberan (2003 Eclipse Champion Sprinter by Mr Prospector) a half brother to Good Journey (Nureyev) who was a successful sire in Australia and a close relative of another by that great son of Northern Dancer in Spinning World, the sire of Thorn Park - they all descend from the Best In Show daughter Minnie Hauk.
Star Silver produced six winners, two stakes winners and was a daughter of the fine mare Memories Of Silver by the Roberto son Silver Hawk - a G1 winner and multiple stakes producer - her daughter Winter Memories ( El Prado) also won twice at the highest level.
Memories Of Silver was the best foal from her dam All My Memories by Sea Bird's Belmont/Preakness hero Little Current and the line goes back through the stakes winning and producing Graustark daughter Java Moon to the American Blue Hen Golden Trail - a daughter of Hasty Road, she became a foundation mare for Darby Dan Farms in Kentucky who stood Graustark, Roberto and His Majesty. She is the ancestress of Roberto's great son Dynaformer and of another in Brian's Time who stood in Japan, but we see him for example in the pedigree of Supido.
This is a branch of family 4 r which descends from Miss Obstinate, the seventh dam of mighty Nearco via her daughter Kitty Clark by Glencoe.
Manaal's line comes through a half sister to Kitty Clark, Mary Morris by Medoc.
Manaal's dam Red Lodge carries duplications of Roberto, Amerigo, Bold Ruler, Mr Prospector, Hail To Reason and descends from a Graustark mare - she has a pedigree packed with broodmare-sire power to say the very least!
Manaal’s sire, the lightly raced but gifted Tassort is living up to his pedigree as a getter of elite fillies. A half brother by dual G1 winner and Royal Ascot runner up Brazen Beau to G1 winners Astern and Alizee out of Blue Hen Essaouira (Exceed And Excel) he descends from an unbroken line of female excellence descending from the great champion Triscay (Marscay).
Manaal is bred
Danzig 6m 5m,5m x
Roberto x 5f,5m sex balanced
This pedigree brings together the half brothers Seattle Slew and Lomond with duplications of their relative Mr Prospector.
It brings together the full brothers His Majesty and Graustark ( Ribot)
Linebreeding to La Troienne abounds, specifically vis sires inbred to her daughter Baby League - Private Account sex balances Glamour, whose son Poker is the damsire of Seattle Slew / Lomond - their second damsire Jet Action is out of her full sister Busher, while Private Account's Best In Show damline provides her full brother Mr Busher. Add in a heap of family members Buckpasser and Bimelech on both sides of the pedigree!
The 4-r family / Nearco nick - Tassort's sire Brazen Beau is bred x 2 sex balanced to his son Nearctic through his dam Sansadee - who is linebred to her own ancestress Windy Answer - a daughter of stallion Teddy Wrack (like Nearco / Manaal he is a descendant of Miss Obstinate) and this linebreeding comes through the three quarter sisters Ciboulette and Prize Answer who sex balance Chop Chop, the male line coming via his son Choperion - a half brother to Nearctic!
Through Unbridled's Song comes family member Fortino and importantly he is both a distant relative of Marscay and a descendant of a mare sired by By Jimminy, a close relation to Blue Hen Bee Mac, x 2 in Marscay.
Unbridled's Song also balances out all the Turn-To male lines with his Royal Charger daughter. Meanwhile, Little Current's grandsire Dan Cupid and Marscay descend from three quarter sisters who were both bred x 2 to their family's matriarch Maggie BB.
This pedigree also features a multitude of sex balanced linebreeding to My Babu and his relative Turn-To, while Little Current and Exclusive Native on either side of the pedigree sex balance Native Dancer’s sire Polynesian. Obviously Danehill's double of Native Dancer's best daughter Natalma is key!
Manaal is also linebred to Round Table, Bold Ruler, Relic, and more.
This is such a powerful pedigree, and completely befitting of an individual you'd expect will found her own commercially successful family as time goes by.
Can Manaal add another G1 to the Emirates Park honour roll?
Manaal and Ben Melham will take up a prominent position and run for glory from barrier 9.
Next best: SPLASH BACK (FR)
It was a super genuine run for sixth in the Straddie from this lovely French-bred six year old mare on ground that was probably a touch heavier than she would have preferred.
The well named Splash Back does like to get her toe in though, and won the G2 Victory Stakes comfortably on a Heavy 8, then ran on nicely in the Kingsford Smith to finish just behind the placegetters.
The Grahame Begg trained Splash Back is tough. She is super fit for her fifth start of the prep ( in the spring she dropped from winning the G2 1500m Stocks Stakes fourth up from her Tiara rival Abounding, only to be beaten by that mare next start at 1400m in the Tristarc Stakes). This time though, she stays at what seems to be a pet trip, and I'm trusting there is a genuine pace on, as this is key to her hopes.
Purchased for €100,000 from the 2021 Arqana October Yearling Sale by Arthur Hoyeau and John Foote, Splash Back never raced in her homeland.
She had her first start in Australia for owners the Ronball syndicate as a four year old, and was initially trained as a mile / middle distance type, for this is what her pedigree indicates - but it turned out a mile is absolutely as far as the classy daughter of Le Havre wants to go.
From 22 starts her record stands at 8 wins and 4 placings for earnings of $775,170.
Splash Back is a half sister to the G2 GB Park Hill Stakes (14.5f) winning Galileo daughter Into The Magic - who has produced her own winner of the race, Nakheel (Dubawi)
They are daughters of the G2 winning, multiple G1 placed Danehill Dancer mare Tamazirte.
Her dam Tanami Desert was by the G1 Middle Park Stakes winning Mr Prospector son Lycius, who shuttled to Australia for one season in 1999, out of Tanami ( Green Desert) a half sister to G1 producer Wannabe ( Shirley Heights) out of Propensity by Habitat.
Next dam Kalamac ( Kalamoun) was a daughter of the US- bred Tarmac by Native Dancer's little-seen son Takawalk, a half brother to Blue Hen Sly Pola - ancestress of Green Dancer, Soviet Lad, Makfi, Authorised, Alhaarth and Grey Dawn - out of the Hyperion mare Scarlet Oak.
This regal and Classic family traces to Woodlark ( Bois Roussel), daughter of studbook matriarch Aurora by Hyperion ( family 1-w)
Woodlark is half sister to the legendary quartet of half brothers and breedshaping broodmare sires Alycidon, Borealis, Agricola and Acropolis.
Splash Back is bred
Northern Dancer 4f x 5m,6m, 5m sex balanced
Danzig x 4m,5m
Her G1 winning sire Le Havre died in 2022, just weeks after being retired from stud duties.
An Irish-bred son of Blushing Groom's champion Noverre ( three quarter brother to Arazi), Le Havre's dam was a half sister to the great sprinter Polar Falcon, sire of Pivotal.
Le Havre's damline is that of Blue Hen Barley Corn (8-c), ancestress of Arc hero Sassafras and a half sister to the ancestress of Last Tycoon.
Le Havre was a most elegant near black horse and Splash Back is like him in type, but is “splashed” with far more white than her sire, who carried just a coronet band.
Her grandsire Noverre was a top class miler, placing in nine G1 races and winning one of them, the Sussex Stakes.
His son Le Havre was bred to be a great filly sire, and so he proved to be.
Although a G1 Classic winner, the stallion wasn't seen as a particularly commercial stud prospect - Noverre had failed to live up to lofty expectations in that department, and ended up being shipped out to India.
Le Havre's first crop produced the dual G1 winner Avenir Certain and she was followed by Villa Marina, Quisisana and La Cressonniere, all French Classic winners.
In all, Le Havre left 15 stakes winners, five of them G1.
Apart from the above fillies there was Wonderful Tonight, winner of the 2020 British Champion Fillies and Mares Stakes and another Prix de l’Opera for her sire, and the Shadwell Turf Mile winner Suedois.
Le Havre's progeny have been seen to advantage in Australia, with sons Auvray, Harbour Views and Eliyass winning multiple stakes races here.
Splash Back is his first black type winning daughter in Australia.
She carries the familiar linebreeding to Blue Hen Almahmoud via Danehill and Halo.
Native Dancer is sex balanced in Noverre's dam, and he descends from a daughter of Raise A Native.
Danehill provides the double of Native Dancer's greatest daughter Natalma, while Danehill Dancer's dam carried two Native Dancer sons, Atan and Dancer's Image.
Splash Back's damlines to Mr Prospector son Lycius, who sex balances Raise A Native, and to the little known Native Dancer son Takawalk - a classy short course sprinter in France who ended up at stud in Japan - are key.
The Tom Fool son Tompion sired Le Havre's third damsire Blue Tom (also a G1 winning sprinter in France) from the family of Ben Brush - the broodmare sireline of War Admiral, also carried by Native Dancer and doubled in Natalma - with yet another line added by Danzig.
Green Desert and Habitat are important here, with the first directly tracing to a War Admiral daughter and the second inbred to the family through his dam.
This also ties in beautifully with Blushing Groom's close relation Khaled, who sired champion Swaps - his daughter Iron Reward was by Beau Pere out of Iron Maiden by War Admiral - Green Desert descends from Tulle, by War Admiral out of Iron Reward's half sister Judy Rae by Beau Pere.
The dam of Splash Black is linebred to Blue Hen Khara via half sisters Savage Beauty, grand dam of Habitat and Little Sphinx grand dam of Dancer's Image. Khara is from the family of Nearco, and his daughter Noorani was the dam of Charlottesville who appears in the damlines of Le Havre.
Le Havre also has the influential Nijinsky son Isle De Bourbon tucked away in further removes and he is a relation of Lycius carried by Splash Back's dam - as well he carries the great German sire Dschingus Khan (multiple lines of the 4-r family) - his second damsire Allgau was by Ortello - another of his sons was Torbido, and his daughter Sylvan is Splash Back's direct ancestress.
Jordy Childs is back aboard Splashy for this G1 assignment. This - not the Stradbroke - is the race the trainer has set her to peak for, and the dynamic duo will hope to complete the mission from barrier 6.
Roughie: BLINDEDBYTHELIGHT
An interesting and somewhat enigmatic four year old daughter of Shamus Award with stacks of ability on her day. The noseroll comes off and the Blinkers go on as she drops back from three okay but unplaced starts at a mile, following a highly impressive first up second to G1 winner Idle Flyer in the Emancipation Stakes on a soft track.
Previously, the Moody / Coleman trained Blindedbythelight had won at 1300, 1600 and 1700m and rounded out a spring campaign with an unlucky G3 second in the Summoned Stakes.
I don't know if barrier 1 is going to help or hinder her cause, but suspect the latter given her racing style and she certainly has performed well in the past on soft tracks.
A veteran of just 12 starts, Blindedbythelight has won 3 races and placed in 3 more for earnings of $278,075.
Blindedbythelight is a homebred for Rosemount Stud and did not race at two years.
She is the final foal from the US bred import Lady's Light who was retired from breeding in 2022 having produced eleven named foals, including the SAF G1 sprint winning filly Alboran Sea by Rock Of Gibraltar who had a full sister exported to GB.
A winning filly by Fastnet Rock, Light Express, was exported to NZ and other progeny went to Hong Kong.
Lady's Light produced a winning daughter to I Am Invincible named Iskander and she is owned by Arrowfield, for whom she has produced fillies by Dundeel and Castelvecchio.
Lady's Light was sired by Toolightoquit, a grandson of Dixieland Band, and foaled by Lady's Answer - her sire Northern Answer was a half brother to Ciboulette and three quarter brother to champion sire Night Shift and to Blue Hen Fanfreluche, ancestress of Flying Spur, Encosta etc.
Lady's Answer was a half sister to the dam of the 1998 G1 Breeders Cup Juvenile hero Answer Lively, and they were daughters of Sweet Lady Briar by the mighty Round Table, dam of champion racer and sire Briartic.
Now the next dam on the female line is of special interest! She was the US Acorn Stakes winner Parading Lady, foaled in 1949 and sired by none other than Queensland's great export and Australian turf icon Bernborough, one of only three stakes winners got by the great horse and his only black type winning filly.
A lot of people would say it is bananas ( or something far less polite) to surmise that Blindedbythelight’s descent from a daughter of Bernborough gives her any advantage whatsoever over her rivals in a race run at Eagle Farm in the year 2026 - but I reckon it somehow, in a completely non-scientific and unprovable way, just does.
This very interesting damline is family A24 and descends from The Saltram Mare.
Blindedbythelight's ancestress is Susette out of the Saltram Mare's daughter Jenny Cockracy and sired by the Saltram Mare’s grandson Aratus. When the Saltram Mare was mated to the foundational “ Godolphin Arabian of America” Sir Archy, she produçed the legendary racehorse and sire Timoleon.
Timoleon was “The Pride Of Virginia”. His champion son Boston in turn sired the breedshaper Lexington.
Lexington was inbred 3x4 to the great American sire Sir Archy and 4x4x5 to Sir Archy's sire Diomed, winner of the first Derby Stakes (1880) in England and a great stallion in the early years of the United States.
Blindedbythelight is bred
Northern Dancer 6m,6m 7m x 5m,4m
Going back to Lexington - Durbar, who sired Flambette, the ancestress of Success Express, descended from a daughter of Lexington and was bred 4f x 3f to him.
His damsire Dancing Champ descended from another Lexington mare and was bred 5f,5f x 5f to him. The stallion Lovely Night, also carried by Success Express, had yet more Lexington mare genetics .
Lexington's son Kentucky was a short-lived but successful sire - he plays a hugely important sex balancing role in this pedigree as the third damsire of Ben Brush ( x 2 in Native Dancer, carried by Northern Dancer, Bull Page and more in Snitzel)
Fappiano is important because he is out of a mare by Dr Fager, tail male descendant of Himyar ( ex Lexington mare) and sex balanced to that sire, while his ancestress Marguerite De Valois by Teddy was a full sister to Sir Gallahad and Bull Dog - most of the abovementioned Lexington - loaded individuals carry one or both of those brothers.
Blindedbythelight's damsire Toolightoquit brings a second line of Dr Fager.
Blindedbythelight is sex balanced to Princequillo, Traffic Judge and Nijinsky, and linebred to daughters of Alsab and Polymelian.
In the spring, when Blindedbythelight dropped back from two unplaced efforts at 2000m at her fourth and fifth runs of the preparation, she produced a big run to go down narrowly in the Summoned Stakes at a mile.
Therefore I'm thinking she is entirely capable of dropping from her three runs at 1600m this time in, to show something over this shorter journey especially with Blinkers going on - that's my theory anyway!
Blindedbythelight and Billy Egan will hope to dazzle us all and they launch from barrier 1.
Blowout: SOFT LOVE
Tackling both 1400m and G1 company for the first time is a big ask, but the Yulong-owned blueblood Soft Love appeals as an outsider with a genuine hope.
The four year old daughter of Pierata kicked off her career in the Matt Laurie stable as a short course specialist, winning her first three starts and claiming her first black type placing with a fighting second to multiple G1 placed Stretan Angel in the 1100m Alinghi Stakes last spring.
This superfit and consistent mare has been campaigning since late February, with a month off following a Caulfield win in mid-April. Since coming to Queensland she has shown great form - motoring home from last when runner up in the Listed Chief De Beers to the gifted local speedster Flying Destiny, then again making up a heap of ground in the Dane Ripper from near last at her first try beyond 1200m in testing conditions.
Her only poor runs have been on really firm tracks. Soft Love is a soft lover! She will get an ideal surface here and being a swooper by trade, the big track suits.
Purchased for $250,000 by Chatsworth ( Yulong's Chatsworth Farm enterprise) as an Inglis Easter yearling from the draft of Widden Stud, Soft Love has now raced 14 times for 4 wins, 4 placings and $353,150 in earnings.
I honestly can't see how 1400m can be anything but an advantage to this patiently handled mare at this point of her career.
We've become accustomed to seeing Zabeel x 2 in stakes winning pedigrees, well in a pattern that will please all fellow breeding nerds out there, Soft Love boasts three lines to the Cambridge Stud legend.
Her sire Pierata represents the great progenitor’s tail male line, now in its fifth generation, and was himself a descendant of the excellent Zabeel daughter November Song from the family of Golden Slipper heroine Century Miss.
Yulong purchased Pierata in 2023 during his first sales season, and the stallion has been a bit of a slow burner - but is now on a steady rise with his best most certainly to come.
A G1 winning sprinter with an absolutely elite turn of foot, Pierata currently sits within the top 10 third season sires by both prizemoney and number of winners for the season.
His top priced colt and filly in 2026 were the Yulong bred and offered half brother to champion mare Imperatriz (a $400,000 David Ellis buy) and his daughter of G1 ATC Oaks winner Unforgotten, secured by Waterhouse / Bott for $450,000.
Pierata's unraced half sister Mischief Night ( Shamardal) is the dam of G1 Blue Diamond Stakes hero Devil Night by Extreme Choice, another brilliant sprinter for the family.
Devil placed in the G1 William Reid and G2 Arrowfield Sprint this season before his retirement was announced by Yulong, who purchased him at the Gold Coast MM for $1.4 million from Kingstar Farm.
Soft Love's dam Tigress Lily by the great Snitzel, was a daughter of Zabeel's regally bred Empress Lily.
Though no superstar, Tigress Lily was a tough race mare, posting wins from 1200 - 1900m and unlucky not to nab at least a place in one of the eight stakes races she contested. Like a number of very well bred Snitzel daughters, Tigress Lily as a producer far exceeded her deeds on the track!
Before her death in September last year, Tigress Lily produced two stakes winners the best of them her G2 Stocks Stakes / G3 Ethereal Stakes winning daughter Daisies (Sebring) who is now in the Yulong broodmare band, as is her winning full sister Motown Lil - dam of this season's Listed placed 2YO filly Marsept (Written Tycoon) .
Another winning full sister Passionate Lass is also at stud in Victoria, and Soft Love is the only other filly out of the mare.
Tigress Lily also produced stakes winning son Zou Tiger ( Zoustar) and the promising Written In Wrath (Written Tycoon) who has won both trials and his only start to date. Her only other to race was a winner too - Talladega Knight by Sebring.
Her two year old son by So You Think named Psyches is unraced,and her last foal was a 2025 colt by Zousain.
Tigress Lily's regally bred dam Empress Lily ( Zabeel) won over 1400m as a juvenile and trained on to place in a G2 Edward Manifold Stakes and G1 VRC Oaks. Eight of her nine to race were winners and she was a half sister to G1 placed stakes Estee ( Redoute's Choice) who bred on successfully, and to the dam of multiple stakes winners Ygritte and My Sister Lil ( both by Snitzel) all produced by Last Tycoon's great daughter Tycoon Lil.
The 1997/98 NZ Champion 3YO and NZ HOTY, the fabulous “Lil” won the G1 NZ 1,000 Guineas and was runner up in the 2,000 Guineas before bolting in the NZ Oaks in her homeland, major highlights in a three year old season that was well nigh unstoppable.
It culminated with an Australian assault which saw Lil take the G1 Canterbury Guineas and beat all but champion Tie The Knot in the G1 Rosehill Guineas.
At four she was back bigger and stronger, running second In the G1 George Main before the bold going mare, who loved to lead, was overhauled by none other than Might And Power in the G1 Yalumba Stakes in Melbourne.
Next stop the Cox Plate, where “Mighty” smashed the track record as he careered away to victory. Lil couldn't match that - what horse could? - but she stayed on gamely to claim third in a historic rendition of the great race.
The bonny mare returned home and won the G2 Auckland Breeders Stakes before she was sent to tackle the Hong Kong Cup, but it was a bridge too far, and a subsequent injury ended her stellar career.
Lil was purchased in foal to Zabeel by Katsumi Yoshida and spent her breeding life at Arrowfield Stud.
Tycoon Lil's dam Imposing Bloom ( Imposing) placed in the G1 SAJC Oaks and was a multiple black type producer descending from the fine Solferino mare Limelight, fourth dam of Bart Cumming's legendary galloper Galilee who not only won the 1966 Caulfield / Melbourne Cup double but the Toorak Hcp, Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Sydney Cup, Memsie and Turnbull Stakes!
Another pretty handy type to descend from a half sister to Limelight - four time Cox Plate heroine Winx. This is an esteemed branch of family 5-b which goes back to the imported Tomboy mare The Giggler foaled in 1837.
The taproot mare of this tribe is Grey Skim, whose son Young Gohanna sired Gift, ancestress of studbook matriarch Queen Mary ( taproot mare of family 10-a) while her daughter Castanea became the taproot mare of family 5-d.
Soft Love is bred
Zabeel 5m x 4f, 3f
Danehill 4m x 4m
She is linebred to these Blue Hens
Special - sex balanced via Zabeel's three lines of her son Nureyev and Pierro's line of Sadler's Wells from her daughter Fairy Bridge
Lalun - her son Never Bend is sex balanced in Pierro, and he carries two sons of her champion Mill Reef - Doyoun and Shirley Heights, as well as Never Bend's half brother Bold Reason.
Last Tycoon sex balances Mill Reef and his ancestress Schiaparelli is sex balanced by Masthead, sire of Matrice, whose daughter Gay Chorus left Pierata's Golden Slipper winning fifth dam Century Miss, the source of much of his speed.
The damsire of Snippets, Grand Chaudiere, is from the family of Lalun.
Felucca - second dam of Hermes by Aureole (carried by Lonhro), fourth dam of Sea Anchor carried by Tigress Lily, and Sea Anchor was sired by Aureole's close relation Alcide. Alcide was a grandson of Donatello via Alycidon, also damsire of Mellay, the next sire along on Soft Love's damline. Aureole was out of a Donatello mare.
Vielle Maison - the French bred daughter of Finglas is the dam of Vieux Manoir, such an important influence in Zabeel's pedigree through his son Val De Loir. Pierro sex balances this Blue Hen with his line to her daughter Vielle Pierre, grand dam of the great grey racehorse and leading sire Crystal Palace carried by Daylami.
Grey Flight is sex balanced via son Misty Day by Nasrullah in Snippets and daughter Misty Morn by Nasrullah's “supernick” Princequillo, in Lonhro. Misty Morn appears via daughter Bold Consort by Nasrullah son Bold Ruler.
Frizette - ancestress of the sex balanced Mr Prospector, and of Tourbillon, sire of Djebel.
Djebel carries multiple lines of the 10-a family to which Soft Love's damline is genetically linked.
His son My Babu is sex balanced in this pedigree, Lalun was sired by son Djeddah ( 4f x 3f to Frizette daughters and full sisters Durban and Heldifaan)
Daylami descends from Astana by the Djebel son Arbar who was a relative of her own dam and bred on the cross (Tourbillon) - this very much ties in with the bloodlines of Zabeel's x 2 duplication of Sunny Boy, while Octagonal's Eight Carat damline brings Djebel's son Klairon, close relation of My Babu.
Djebel son Emperor is also super important appearing via Pierata's line to Kaoru Star and very inbred to the 10-a tribe.
Diseuse- grand dam of the great Le Filou carried by Lonhro - by Vatellor ex Fileuse he was a full brother to Zabeel's ancestress Vaneuse.
Flying Spur contributes his all - important sex balancing Northern Dancer, Sir Ivor and Mr Prospector daughters, vastly boosted by Soft Love's two lines of Best In Show especially thatccoming through Redoute's Choice.
Could Soft Love become the first G1 winner for Pierata?
She has Dan Stackhouse aboard and they'll be steaming home from barrier 8.
