2021 Cox Plate Hero Wins G1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes

Tara Madgwick - Wednesday June 15

Aussies had more reasons to celebrate after the second day of Royal Ascot overnight with the now Australian owned Starspangledbanner stallion State of Rest (IRE) capturing the Group I Prince of Wales’s Stakes (1m2f)  and it’ not the first time a Cox Plate winner has won the race with So You Think triumphant in 2012.

State of Rest is a Royal Ascot G1 winner - image Ascot Racecourse Twitter

Trained by Joseph O’Brien for an ownership group that includes Newgate Farm and partners, State of Rest improved from his last start third in the Group I Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh to lead all the way and win.

With a small field of five to run in the featured event and a tactical race anticipated, Shane Crosse took luck out of the equation when going to the front to dictate terms. He set an even tempo with race favourite Bay Bridge unable to catch State of Rest, who scored by a length.

“We take it race by race but we really wanted the lead today and we thought that if he got the lead we had a great chance to win,'' said Joseph O’Brien.

“He’s a very tough horse and he’s a very hard horse to go past. We knew he’d be fighting hard at the line. Shane executed it perfectly.”

State of Rest has now won four Group I races in four different countries – Australia (Cox Plate), USA (Saratoga Derby Invitational) and France (Prix Ganay).

Advertisement

With five wins and four placings from 12 starts, State of Rest is the best of 23 stakes-winners by Choisir’s champion son Starspangledbanner, who was also a Royal Ascot hero winning the Group I Golden Jubilee Stakes in 2010.

State of Rest is a half-brother to this year’s Group III winning 3YO filly Tranquil Lady from an international family packed with Black Type. His third dam is Champion US 3YO Filly It’s In The Air, who has spawned an impressive dynasty of stakes-winners.

Newgate Farm have a dazzling array of speed sires on their stallion roster headed by Extreme Choice, Capitalist and Deep Field, but in State of Rest have acquired a world class middle distance horse to add another string to their bow.

Given the past record of success enjoyed by Cox Plate winning sires So You Think, Shamus Award, Ocean Park and Savabeel, there must be great optimism surrounding the future stallion potential of State of Rest.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Thursday July 3
Here is the full list of 27 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Dubawi Colt from $US8million Mare Wins G1 Coral Eclipse for Coolmore
Blueblood Dubawi colt Delacroix was a beaten favourite in the Group I Epsom Derby when unplaced behind his stablemate Lambourn, but he found his time to shine overnight when scoring a miraculous last to first win in the Group I Coral Eclipse Stakes (1m2f) at Sandown.
Flemington Victory for Tarzino Mare
Quirky but talented mare Miss Tarzy has come from last win the Leilani Series Final (1400m) under a patient Jett Stanley ride.
Sword Poised to Strike
When the first crop yearlings by a young stallion are well received and go into the right stables that’s always a good sign and then a few months after that is when things start to get really interesting.
New Sprint Star for WA?
Oakland Park's veteran WA sire Sessions is rarely without a good horse to represent him, and the son of Lonhro now has his sixth stakes winner after exciting 3YO galloper Repossession spanked the older horses to win the Listed Beaufine Stakes at Pinjarra Park.
Sweet Redemption for Stable Favourite Jimmy the Bear
Patrick and Michelle Payne enjoyed a red letter day at Flemington on Saturday with their rising star Buccleuch winning the Listed VRC Taj Rossi Series Final and then later in the day stable favourite Jimmy the Bear won the Listed VRC Winter Championship Series Final (1600m).
Sires With Winners - Friday July 4
Here is the full list of 38 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Invincible 3YO Wins G3 Winx Guineas
The $300,000 Group III Winx Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday featured a big field of 16 up and comers and following the late scratching of favourite Mister Bianco, Angela Jones took luck out of the equation on I Am Invincible gelding The Three Hundred.
2026 Golden Slipper Entries – Sortable, Sale Mail – Find Out More
The new season is nearly upon us and that means all over the country a new crop of rising two year-olds are taking baby steps in the best stables in the land with the Australian Turf Club announcing this week they had received 1927 entries for the 2026 Golden Slipper, so who is in the race?
New Juvenile Stakes-Winner Wootton Bassett
A two year-old Wootton Bassett  colt bred to stay, Daytona made it two wins as many starts when scoring a dominant win in the Listed Pat Smullen Stakes (1m) at Naas in Ireland overnight.