Four of Kermadec's seven stakes-winners have achieved success at the elite level, which advances to five from seven if Lim's Kosciuszko, a multiple Group 1 winner in Singapore, is counted.
Included in the select group is the MRC Toorak Handicap winner Tuvalu who will need to hump 58kgs to claim a second Group 1 in Saturday's $1,500,000 Furphy - Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot.
Trained by Lindsey Smith, Tuvalu has been off the board in three of his 20 starts. The 6-year-old gelding rarely strays away from the top level, with five starts at Group 1 and four at Group II.
He began his autumn campaign with a fourth in the Group II P.B. Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield, third in the Group II John F. Feehan Stakes at Moonee Valley, second to Alligator Blood in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield, and third, beaten less than half a length in the Group II Crystal Mile at Moonee Valley.
Bred by Merricks Station, Tuvalu was a $200,000 purchase by Boomer Bloodstock (FBAA) / Lindsey Smith out of the Merricks Station draft at the 2019 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
At the same sale five years earlier, Craig Rounsefell's Boomer Bloodstock and Lindsey Smith paid $180,000 for a Not A Single Doubt colt named Scales Of Justice.
Tuvalu will carry the colours made famous by the 2016 WATC Railway Stakes winner, Scales Of Justice, who also won the Group 1 Memsie Stakes in a memorable career in which he banked $2,311,600.
Tuvalu is, by some way, the best of two winners from four to race for the Exceed And Excel mare Hangin' Tough, whose highlight on the track in a seven-start career came when second in a maiden at Pakenham.
Hangin' Tough stakes-placed dam Ancelin (Sadler's Wells) boasts some influential siblings, which includes the Group III Park Hill stakes winner Anna Of Saxony.
A daughter of Ela Mana Mou (IRE), Anna Of Saxony is the dam of the Group III winner Anna Palariva (Caerleon), the dam of Group III winner and Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas runner up Anna Salai (Dubawi), whose son Adayar (Frankel) won the 2021 Epsom Derby and King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Anna Of Saxony's unraced daughter Angel Falls (Kingmambo) is the dam of Widden Stud's short-lived shuttler National Defense (Invincible Spirit) winner of the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.
Ancelin's half-sister Anna Of Kiev (Salse) is the dam of the Group 1 Premio Vittorio di Capua winner Anna Monda (GER). Still, another half-sister has made a giant mark in Australia.
Accessories (GB) never made it to the track, but she is a jewel for the Godolphin empire.
When Pericles won the Group II Autumn Classic (1800m) at Sandown-Lakeside in February, he became the fifth stakes-winner for Godolphin's blue hen.
The son of Street Boss (USA) subsequently won the Group II ATC Tramway Handicap, and it took the high-class Japanese visitor Obamburumai (JPN) to deny Pericles a victory in the $10 million Golden Eagle.
Pericles is a half-brother to triple Group 1 winner Helmet, dual Group 1 winner Epaulette, Group II winner Pearls, and Group III winner Bullbars, the sire of 4-time Group 1 winner Mr Brightside.
Accessories (GB) has a yearling colt by Microphone named Lavalier.
After missing in 2021, the 20-year-old daughter of Singspiel foaled a filly by Ghaiyyath (IRE) on October 24.
Hangin' Tough has a 2yo colt by Impending, a $40,000 buy for Tony Noonan from the Merricks Station draft at the 2023 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
After foaling a Capitalist colt last spring, Hangin' Tough missed to Home Affairs.
