On a massive day of racing across the nation, Ascot hosted the return of a number of upcoming WA summer carnival contenders in two feature races yesterday.
Hot and High was the first to make a statement , read about her here.
Next up on the Ascot card was the G3 Eurythmic Stakes over 1400m and there was a buzz on course as Dan Morton's big chestnut strode around the parade ring. The pre-post G1 Railway favourite King Of Light (Earthlight) had come on significantly after his impressive winning return in the Listed Idyllic Stakes in August, before a little hiccup meant that plans for an eastern states mission had to be shelved - for now.
Last season King Of Light went undefeated in his first five race starts, the string of victories culminating with an electrifying win in the G2 WA Guineas at the Ascot Carnival, a win which exempted him from the ballot for the upcoming Railway Stakes.
Dan Morton stepped his three year old up to G1 WFA company and 1800m next start, but it was a bridge too far at that stage.
As Peters Investment's future superstar Cosmic Crusader romped away with the G1 chocolates, King Of Light was well back throughout and subsequently went to the paddock for some recharging time.
Yesterday King Of Light was tested again against older established Carnival horses, and showed his true ability with a devastating win.
Due to the suspension of Grant and Alana Williams, their stable stars Western Empire (Iffraaj) and reigning Railway champion Watch Me Rock (Awesome Rock) were stepping out for their new trainer Jason Pateman.
Nine year old Western Empire dominated three of the winter features at Belmont, and the ageless son of Iffraaj always has plenty of supporters. The marvel was chasing his fourth consecutive stakes win!
Watch Me Rock was resuming after an unsuccessful two start raid on the 2026 Melbourne Autumn carnival, and was sent out at 6/1 with the very good Maschino mare Bonjoy also the subject of some support at 7/1.
King Of Light carried 58.5kg, with his two G1 winning older rivals burdened with just 1 kg more.
Willie Pike was in Melbourne chasing history on Cosmic Crusader in the Caulfield Cup, so Jason Lyon was aboard Western Empire for the first time. Brad Parnham was aboard Watch Me Rock while Lucy Fiore took the reins on King Of Light ( also ridden by Pike at each of his race starts)
$2.40 favourite King Of Light jumped well, but Watch Me Rock got away best. No one was overly keen to lead so it was Chloe Azzopardi on West Star who obliged and took the 10/1 shot to the front.
The big baldy face of King Of Light's stablemate In Good Order was up there in second outside the leader as Watch Me Rock dropped in third on the rail, and 60/1 roughie Let's Galahvant in fourth.
Western Empire had gone back to a clear last and King Of Light was only just ahead of him. The pace was muddling as the field made their way down the riverside - how would these backmarkers go?
West Star brought the Eurythmic Stakes field towards the home turn as Western Empire in his usual fashion hooked out wide to rattle home.
Fiore on On King of Light went to the rail looking for the gaps to open up as the field fanned into the straight.
West Star and In Good Order had done their dash, but Watch Me Rock bailed up on the fence had something to offer. Bonjoy was making a move and King Of Light had speared through the pack, come around heels and was on the scene with his electric turn of foot!
King Of Light flew to the line and was too brilliant for them. The winning margin was a short neck from Bonjoy and the old boy Let's Galahvant, with Watch Me Rock right there in a blanket finish for fourth and Zipaway alongside him.
King Of Light confirms himself as the one to watch in the Railway Stakes after winning the G3 Eurythmic Stakes! https://t.co/A1KafiJdgV
— Racing WA TV (@RacingWATV) October 17, 2026
King Of Light's outstanding record now reads 8-7-0-0 for $764,780 in stakes.
The big bold gelding certainly confirmed his status as Railway favourite, to the delight of trainer Dan Morton.
“He really is some horse, he's exciting,” he said.
“With some big races coming up, the big guns are in now, I'm very mindful of it and I didn't want him to be in a smash up derby forward. I said to Lucy, just cool his jets and reel them in if you can. He's an exceptional horse.
“He'll take good benefit out of the gallop today I would have thought, and now it's just a nice progression into it ( Railway Stakes).”
Lucy made the most of her opportunity to jump aboard the star.
“That was a lot of fun, he's a nice pick up ride! He's a beautiful horse, a very cool dude and he was very chill in his prelim. The main thing was not to give him a gut buster - so I'm very happy with that result.”
A $120,000 Magic Millions Perth purchase from the Amelia Park Racing and Breeding draft for his trainer, King Of Light is the second stakes winner for Earthlight (IRE) in Australia and is the image of his sire with the same distinctive markings including an unusual broken blaze.
Earthlight (IRE) by breedshaper Shamardal was undefeated at two and won seven of nine starts, two of them G1 races, setting a race record in the Middle Park Stakes.
Earthlight is a three quarter brother to the exciting young sire Shadow Of Light (Lope De Vega) who was also a champion juvenile and now stands at Darley Europe.
Their dam Winters Moon (New Approach) won once in seven starts but she has already produced French and European Champion 2YO colts for Godolphin!
As a son of Shamardal, Earthlight faced fierce competition for mares from Blue Point, Pinatubo and Victor Ludorum with whom he shared the Darley roster and his younger sibling has replaced him.
King Of Light is the fourth of five foals from winning NZ bred mare Queen's Parade (Dalghar)- all have raced and four have won for her.
Queen's Parade produced a Manhattan Rain colt in 2023 - purchased for $35,000 at the 2025 MM Perth by BK Racing, from the draft of Nuimara Farm. Named Blue Sparx, he has won and twice placed in four starts.
The mare produced a filly to Shamardal's champion Blue Point in 2024, and another daughter by Pierata last season.
This spring's foal is a grey-brown colt by Cylinder!
King Of Light's second dam Press Leak ( Rock Of Gibraltar) won over a mile in the USA and her six winners include the Savabeel filly Spirit Bird (G3 Tibbie Stakes and 2nd in the G2 WA Guineas)
Press Leak was a daughter of stakes winner Sneaky Quiet by Seeking The Gold, who won a Florida Oaks and placed in a G1 Kentucky Oaks.
It's the immediate family of the current top class Hong Kong galloper Ensued ( runner up in a G1 HK Gold Cup) - and G1 Goodwood Hcp winning colt Reserve Bank by Capitalist ( now at stud) is also from this damline, which goes back to stakes winner Treasure Chest - a full sister to the champion 2YO My Dear Girl who became dam of the great sire In Reality.
King Of Light is bred:
Mr Prospector 5m x5m,5m
Danzig x 4m,5m
He has two lines to Mr Prospector's best broodmare sire son Miswaki.
His damsire Dalghar by Anabaa is half brother to the great racehorses and champion sires Daylami and Dalakhani.
His full sister Daltaya was G1 placed and is dam of French Champion Older Female Dalkala, by Giant's Causeway - Earthlight's tail male line. Dalghar is sire of six stakes winners including the 2025 Perth Cup winner Hemlock Stone.
He certainly has the breeding to impart immense Classic ability as a broodmare sire!
A great feature of King Of Light's ancestry is his linebreeding to the amazing mare Rare Treat by Stymie, who raced 101 times from ages two to seven!
She collected five stakes races and imparted her brilliance and incredible toughness to her progeny.
Put to speed sire Tudor Minstrel Rare Treat produced her great filly What A Treat, dam of Be My Guest.
Her daughter Exotic Treat by Vaguely Noble is the ancestress of Earthlight and his brother Shadow Of Light and also of 1982 Epsom Derby winner Golden Fleece.
Venetian Sun, current dual G1 winning sprint filly in GB is a member of King Of Light's immediate family.
Rare Treat was bred 4 x 4 x 5 to Man O’ War and 5 x 5 to Broomstick, the great American broodmare sires.
She is from the same female line as mighty Storm Cat, Earthlight's tail male ancestor and thus his pedigree is topped and tailed by this great family.
King Of Light is bred many times to the Blue Hen Lalun through her sons Never Bend and Bold Reason and is x 2 Riverman through his daughters.
Lalun's family (19-b) is that to which Earthlight’s damsire New Approach belongs.
He has two lines to Classic supersire Vagiely Noble and to that stallion's Blue Hen ancestress Belle Sauvage, via Galileo.
What a fantastic blend of stamina and speed!
