The spotlight is on Morphettville on Saturday with the running of the Group 1 Saroa Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m), where defending champion Instant Celebrity and 2020 heroine Bella Bella attempt to thwart a powerful eastern states invasion.
Instant Celebrity is gorgeous (image Natasha Morello/Racing Photos)
Instant Celebrity has a storied history in South Australia, dating back to her sixth dam Big Sioux, a sister to Little Papoose.
In season 1972-73, a young John Hawkes had a couple of outstanding three-year-old fillies in Toltrice and Little Papoose.
A daughter of the outstanding stallion Sobig, Little Papoose defeated a top-class filly, Analie, in the Group 1 South Australian Oaks.
In 1973, Analie won the AJC Oaks, QTC Queensland Derby, QTC Queensland Oaks, AJC Doncaster Handicap, and AJC The Metropolitan, so a decent scalp to claim.
However, Little Papoose was not in the class of her stalemate Toltrice. At the top of her game at the Melbourne Spring Carnival, Toltrice claimed the One Thousand Guineas, Wakeful Stakes, and gave John Hawkes the quinella in the VRC Oaks when defeating Little Papoose in the VRC Oaks.
Little Papoose was not as precocious as her year older sister Big Sioux who won four of her seven starts at two highlighted by the Group II South Australian Bloodhorse Breeders' Stakes.
She was unplaced in the Blue Diamond Stakes won by Tolerance before rounding out a busy season when fourth in the Group II Bloodhorse Breeders' Plate won by the future AJC Oaks, VRC Craiglee Stakes, and Kewney Stakes heroine Gossiper.
Big Sioux and Little Papoose went on to produce stakes winners. As did their half-sister Indhira (Taipan), dam of Champion Older Female Sprinter in NZ in 1996-97, Waihora's Lass, the dam of Group II Sandown Guineas winner Legible, in turn, the dam of multiple Group II winner Trusting who placed in five Group 1s.
Big Sioux's daughter Teton (Matrice), granddaughter Teton Moss (Twig Moss), and great-granddaughter Jovan kept the stakes run going.
A daughter of the stamina influence Nassipour (Blushing Groom), Jovan left three stakes-winners, Kablammo (Marauding) and the flying sisters Northeast Sheila and Dashing Granada, daughter of Keltrice.
Dashing Granada quickly became a darling of the sales ring.
Her first foal, Albaicin, a stakes-placed daughter of Redoute's Choice, was a $700,000 yearling purchase for Darley. She is the dam of the multiple stakes-winner and $873,000 earner Generalife.
Alhambra, a sister to Albaicin, was an $800,000 yearling purchase for Woodlands. She won her only start at Hawkesbury.
A stunning chestnut Starcraft filly out of Dashing Granada was bought by Mark Kavanagh, on behalf of Trevor Robertson, for $500,000 from the Yarraman Park draft at the 2010 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Named Celebrity Girl, she won on debut at Sandown, then added the Listed Cap D'Antibes Stakes at Flemington at her second start.
In a 10-start career, the daughter of Starcraft would later win the Listed Redelva Stakes at Morphettville and place in the Group II Manifold Stakes.
The first two foals of Celebrity Girl to reach the track, Pirapala (Sepoy), an $850,000 yearling purchase for China Horse Club, and the $300,000 I Am Invincible colt The Hand, were talented.
Not A Single Doubt (image Mark Smith)
Robertson elected to race the Not A Single Doubt filly, Instant Celebrity, before consigning Celebrity Girl to the 2019 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. Carrying a positive test to Pierro, Celebrity Girl was a $280,000 purchase for Aquis Farm. Sadly, her colt foal by Pierro died after birth.
Further misfortune followed when Celebrity Girl missed to Santos in 2019 before leaving a Pierata filly in December 2020 and was not covered that year.
Trained by Phillip Stokes, Instant Celebrity made an auspicious career debut to win by nearly two lengths over 1050m at Morphettville in June 2020.
The daughter of Not a Single Doubt took the step up to Listed company in her stride at Morphettville in the Oaklands Plate (1400m) to complete her 2yo season.
She made it three on the trot on resumption at Morphettville before keeping her unbeaten record intact in Caulfield's Group II Thousand Guineas Prelude (Tranquil Star Stakes).
After losing her unbeaten record when third in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas, Instant Celebrity was a Group 1 winner three starts later in last year's Robert Sangster Stakes before separating Savatoxl and Gytrash in the Group 1 Goodwood.
Instant Celebrity lost her way a bit in Melbourne last spring. But she showed there is still something left in the tank with an encouraging second behind Bella Vella at her most recent start in the Group III RN Irwin Stakes at Morphettville.
