Playing God Quinella in Belgravia Stakes

Mark Smith - Sunday October 27

Last week, the 8-year-old Playing God gelding Comfort Me earned a belated stakes win in the Group III WATC Eurythmic Stakes at Ascot, and few horses were more worthy.

The Rhys Radford-trained gelding had paid his dues with placings in the Group 1 Railway Stakes (twice), Group II  Lee Steere Stakes, Group III Gold Rush (twice), and Group III Eurythmic Stakes.

At Ascot on Saturday, the lightly raced West Star led home a Playing God quinella in the Listed MacMahon Belgravia Stakes (1200m).

Advertisement

West Star holds on (image Western Racepix)

Ridden by Chris Parnham for Simon Miller, West Star raced handily. Striking the front at the 200m, West Star was all out to hold the fast-finishing Playing God colt September Born, who was making his first start since winning at Belmont on debut in June.

The Exceedance gelding  Exceed The Planet was the longest shot in the race and was just over a length from the winner in third.

A $175,000 by for his trainer from the Western Breeders Alliance draft at the 2023 Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale, West Star advances his record to three wins, a second, and a third from five starts with earnings of $317,780.

West Star a $175,000 Perth Magic Millions yearling

Bred by Clive Atwell, West Star is the best of two winners from four to race for the winning Patronize mare Jester Derriere, a sister to stakes-placed Jestpatim, and a half-sister to the Listed Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic and Listed Perth Stakes winner The River (Magnus), and a half to stakes-placed Souncheck (Your Song).

West Star is the 20th stakes-winner for Playing God and is the final foal of  Jester Derriere, who has been retired. 

Advertisment

Race Result - Macmahon Belgravia Stakes LR 1200m

Ascot Track: Good(4) Time: 1:10.38
1
West Star
- 3g Playing God (AUS) x Jester Derriere (AUS) (Patronize (AUS))
Tnr: Simon Miller Rdr: Chris Parnham 56.5
2
0.3
September Born
- 3c Playing God (AUS) x Flirt 'n' Hope (AUS) (Mcflirt (NZ))
Tnr: N D Parnham Rdr: B Parnham 56
3
1
Exceed The Planet
- 3g Exceedance (AUS) x Awesome Planet (AUS) (Giant's Causeway (USA))
Tnr: Sue Olive Rdr: P Carbery 55
Exceedance
4
1.5
Horcrux
- 3g Rommel (AUS) x Magic And Danger (AUS) (Stratum (AUS))
Tnr: Simon Miller Rdr: Jordan Turner 56
5
2
Sir Dreamalot
- 3g A Lot (USA) x Dreaming A Dream (AUS) (Oratorio (AUS))
Tnr: Joshua Krispyn Rdr: S Mc Gruddy 57
6
2.3
Siren Assault
- 3f Rich Enuff (AUS) x Rebel Assault (IRE) (Excelebration (IRE))
Tnr: S & J Casey Rdr: W Pike 56
7
3.2
Street Band
- 3c Lucky Street (AUS) x Snuglet (AUS) (Scenic (IRE))
Tnr: T M Andrews Rdr: J Whiting 56.5
8
3.7
Madhi Girl
- 3f Winning Rupert (AUS) x Very Angry Gal (AUS) (Gingerbread Man (AUS))
Tnr: Simon Miller Rdr: S Parnham 54.5
9
5
Big Shots
- 3g Sizzling (AUS) x Pintupi (AUS) (Alert (ARG))
Tnr: Luke Fernie Rdr: C Johnston-Porter 59
10
5.4
Angels Impact
- 3g I'm All The Talk (AUS) x Angel Sky (AUS) (Hurricane Sky (AUS))
Tnr: M Santich Rdr: Luke Campbell 56
11
6.3
Sniper's Son
- 3g Snippetson (AUS) x Get The Vibe (AUS) (Demerit (AUS))
Tnr: Josh Brown Rdr: Joseph Azzopardi 55
12
7.2
Bondi Bay
- 3g Bondi (AUS) x Bellay (AUS) (Al Samer (AUS))
Tnr: Ms S L Miller Rdr: T Turner 56
13
9.7
Onemoretwomany
- 3g Tassort (AUS) x Hazlebrook (AUS) (Hinchinbrook (AUS))
Tnr: N D Parnham Rdr: Laqdar Ramoly 57
More Reading...
Melbourne Cup Dreaming for Kiwi Stayer
Peter and Shaun McKay are dreaming of a Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) tilt with their quality stayer Wolfgang, and he will start his journey towards the iconic feature at Wanganui on Saturday.
Spring Trial Watch – Everest Contenders on Show
The Rosehill trials on Thursday morning featured a couple of key Everest contenders with Private Harry winning easily over speedy 3YO North England, while Lady Shenandoah was under a tight grip to finish third in a later heat.
Sir Stanley Goosman’s Impact on the National Yearling Sale
Karaka 2026 will mark the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand, and a prominent buyer during the history of the Sale was Stanley Goosman (later Sir Stanley).  He was a key player at the Sale during the World War II era, and headed the list of winning owners in New Zealand on 10 occasions.
Sires With Winners - Wednesday August 27
Here is the full list of 42 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Tara Talks Racing – Stallion Parades, Old Legends and a Weekend Tip
We’re back in podcast land as the spring unfolds with plenty to talk about following our recent run of visits to the stallion parades, so what stallions did we like?
Sire Power Highlights Quality MM Horses in Training Catalogue
An incredible selection of the country's best proven and hottest young sires will feature at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Horses in Training Sale in October.
Promising Winner and a Star on the Rise
One of the bargain priced sires on the Newgate Farm roster, Cosmic Force has never lacked for company covering 100 plus books of mares in each of his five seasons at stud so far totalling nearly 700 mares.
Sires With Winners - Thursday August 28
Here is the full list of 33 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
G1 Plan for Kiwi Sprinter Niance
Six-year-old mare Niance will kick off a new campaign when she lines up in the Gr.1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at The Valley on Saturday week.
Up and Coming Well Named - So Who Are These Guys?
The $250,000 Group III ATC Up and Coming Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday is a race well named with a field of eight colts and geldings set to line up and while none are stakes-winners yet, one of them will be after the weekend.