Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Thursday September 5

Group 1 racing at Moonee Valley on Saturday with the $750,000 Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes (1000m) backed by three Listed stakes, while Randwick features three Group II stakes worth $300,000, a $200,000 Listed event and the Group III Southern Cross Group Concorde Stakes (1000m) with a $1,000,000 prize.

Moonee Valley hosts the Listed Musk Creek Farm Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) for 3-year-old fillies.

With Ameena making the trip north for the Group II Furious Stakes at Randwick, Silmarillion heads south in the hope of shedding Australia's best maiden tag.

The daughter of Too Darn Hot (GB) has three seconds and a third from five starts and most recently separated the Tassort fillies Ameena and Manaal in the Group II Silver Shadow Stakes at Randwick.

The Godolphin homebred went down narrowly to Erno's Cube in the Group II Reisling stakes at Randwick in March.

Silmarillion is the eighth foal of Godolphin's prized broodmare Yavanna.

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The daughter of Rdoute's Choice started five times for wins at Cranbourne and Sandown and was second at Mornington.

Close but no cigar (image Steve Hart)

The first foal of Yavanna was the Listed Lonhro Plate winner and Group 1 ATC Sires' Produce Stakes runner-up Telperion (Street Cry).

The second foal was the top-class racehorse, but stud dud, Kemenari. The striking son of Lonhro defeated Pierata and Trapeze Artist in the Group 1 ATC Randwick Guineas in 2018 after defeating Pierata and D'argento in the Hobartville Stakes.

From the family of the peerless Denise's Joy, Yavanna is also the dam of the stakes-placegetters Valaquenta (Street Boss) and Palurien (Reset).

A winner at Randwick and Newcastle in seven starts, Palurien finished her career on the track with a second in the Listed Twilight Glow Stakes at Randwick.

Palurien, the first of Yavanna's fillies, has a 2-year-old colt and yearling filly by Street Boss (USA) and was covered last year by Brazen Beau.

Yavanna is the daughter of the dual Group III winner Wild Queen (Loup Sauvage), who Darley purchased as a yearling for $260,000.

Wild Queen is a half-sister to Group II VRC Edward Manifold Stakes, Group II Ascot Vale Stakes winner So Gorgeous (Brief Truce), and Group III winner Cumbria (Lake Coniston).

Silmarillion is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Kementari (image Steve Hart)

So Gorgeous is the dam of Group II STC Tulloch Stakes winner Tipungwuti (Fusaichi Pegasus).

Few families can match this for consistently belting out stakes winners.

Wild Queen's dam, Jewel In The Crown (Bletchingly), won the Listed VATC Heath Stakes and is a three-quarter sister to Group II STC Pago Pago Stakes winner Christmas Tree (Biscay) and half-sister to the Group 1 AJC Champagne Stakes winner Euphoria (Marauding).

Yavanna has a yearling filly by Pinatubo and visited Too Darn Hot (IRE) last spring.

The reigning Champion First Season Stallion, Too Darn Hot (GB), remained at Dalham Hall Stud this year after four seasons of shuttling.

Silmarillion vyes to become his 13th stakes-winner worldwide for the son of Dubawi and the second in Australia after his Group 1 ATC Champagne Stakes and Group 1 BRC JJ Atkins Stakes hero Broadsiding whose dam Speedway is a daughter of Street Cry (IRE) out of a Redoute's Choice mare. 

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