Roma Cup Day at Ascot is a celebration of equine speed with the three feature races all run over 1100m and Street Boss (USA) provided the star of the show in The Boss Lady, who has been tonight announced to fill the $5million Quokka slot for Peters Investments.
After WA's best juveniles had thrilled the crowd in their final lead ups to the Karrakatta Plate it was time for the older sprinters to take the stage, and with two remaining slots to be filled in the upcoming five million dollar Quokka the stakes could not have been higher for connections hoping for a last minute call up to the great race.
The weight for age G3 Roma Cup has always been a “good horse's race”, its honour roll in recent years boasting the likes of Amelia's Jewel, Elite Street, Vega Magic, Lucky Gray, Rock Magic, Grand Nirvana and El Presidente to name a few.
Previously part of Perth's winter sprint series run at Belmont in May over 1200m, the distance and venue changed in 2023 to be run over 1100m at Ascot on 1st April. This year the date changed again to coincide with the Championships Day 2 in Sydney and to position the event as an ideal lead in to horses targeting the Quokka/Joey as well as those being aimed towards the upcoming stakes races at the Belmont course.
Favourites Jokers Grin (Maschino) for Bernie Miller and Rope Them In ( Playing God) for the Steve Wolfe stable were already confirmed Quokka runners and as such were expected to dominate the race, but there was good late market support for progressive Bunbury mare The Boss Lady (Street Boss) trained by Michael Lane and the Miller stable's promising mare Generosity (Divine Prophet) who boasted a win over Jokers Grin.
Up against the exciting younger brigade were seasoned performers at this level, Comfort Me and Saloon Bar - while Luke Fernie's exciting speedball Bravo Centurion (National Defense) hadn’t faired well at the barrier draw and jockey Jarrad Noske faced the daunting task of crossing the classy field and finding the rail at all costs.
Earlier in the week Wolfe had commented in the media that Rope Them In had plenty of improvement to come and would be primed to peak third up in the Quokka, sounding a subtle note of caution that didn't prevent punters from sending him out a warm second favourite.
For WA's boom sprinter Jokers Grin, so impressive in his career to date it was a moment of truth as he stepped out for the first time at WFA against a class of rival he hadn't yet met.
Likewise The Boss Lady, resuming after a stellar breakout season last year in which she earned her first black type victory in the Jungle Dawn Classic over 1400m, was in previously uncharted territory.
When the gates opened Bravo Centurion as expected rocketed across the face of the field and took up the running.
Patrick Catbery had Jokers Grin nicely positioned midfield and Generosity (Lucy Fiore) found a good spot on the fence in fourth.
The Boss Lady under Brad Parnham was saving ground midfield on the rail while Rope Them In and Shaun McGruddy had drifted right back to be well off the pace near the rear.
Meanwhile at the head of proceedings Troy Turner on Baby Paris had made a move at the turn, pouncing on Bravo Centurion who was immediately under extreme pressure.
The effort was telling and seemingly not the horse he was last season, the freerunning galloper had no answer and quickly faded out of contention.
Jokers Grin had peeled three wide on the turn and now moved up smoothly to hit the lead at the 150m from the tiring Baby Paris, but coming even wider was The Boss Lady to issue her challenge.
Neck and neck they drove to the post locked together. Dead heat!
The judge couldn't separate them. The high drama rolled on when Lane and Parnham fired in a protest alleging interference in the closing stages.
Perusal of the stewards vision did reveal that Jokers Grin had bored out under pressure and whilst not making contact with the mare, had noticeably intimidated her off her line and that in combination with the lack of a margin was enough for the stewards to award the outright victory to The Boss Lady.
Superstar filly Amelia's Jewel won the race in 2023 but the last mare to win the Roma Cup was Magnifisio in 2014.
Rope Them In never really got going and was unsighted, but gets his chance to redeem himself in the Quokka.
The Boss Lady is a home bred for her proud trainer Michael Lane and Canal Enterprises, who was jubilant to see his faith in the mare rewarded and late on Monday the mare was announced as the Quokka runner for Peters Investments.
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The four year old Street Boss mare isn't overly big in stature but she has a lot of heart and an impressive motor.
Her Roma Cup win advances her career earnings to $664,290 from 17 starts which have yielded 10 wins.
Her dam is the stakes placed Star Witness mare Top Of The Class and she is the second of three named foals from the mare, both winners.
The globetrotting Star Witness is a champion sire and is rapidly becoming a broodmare sire of real significance.
He is the damsire of two genuine queens of the turf in sprinting marvel Bella Nipotina and the imperiously talented filly Aeliana who last week made a one act affair of the ATC Derby, highlighting his remarkable versatility.
Darley’s magnificent Street Boss needs no introduction - the son of breedshaper Street Cry already has nine Australian stakes winners to his name this season alone, two of them G1 winners - and his daughter Tempted is arguably the best juvenile filly in the land at this time - she's certainly the toughest.
One of his best nicks has been with Fastnet Rock, whose broodmare sire the speed influence Royal Academy, is the sire of The Boss Lady's second dam.
Top Of The Class hails from a female line well known for consistently getting runners and more importantly, winners.
The history of the family in Australasia all comes back to one special mare - the 1867 VRC Oaks winner Sylvia.
She was one of only 36 foals sired by the dual Ascot Gold Cup winner Fisherman, a veteran of 120 starts for 70 wins before his importation to Australia. Sadly this remarkable horse was short lived, but his quality was passed on. Sylvia became the dam of champion racers and sires of their time, Martini Henry and Goldsborough.
Equalling their stature in the present day is the mighty So You Think, who descends tail female from Sylvia.
The Boss Lady’s branch of this illustrious tribe comes through Sylvia's descendant Midwise, a filly able to win an AJC Gimcrack Stakes and finish runner up in the AJC St Leger the following season.
The brothers Full On Aces (Golden Slipper) and Top Of The Pack were descendants of Midwise, as is the G1 winning Lonhro son Impending, who is out of the champion filly Mnemosyne.
It's a family characterised by toughness, soundness and the will to win.
Lane purchased Top Of The Class for $10,000 at the 2014 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale and that was one astute purchase by the talented trainer.
Top Of The Class has a 2021 Long Leaf colt named Longway To The Top who has trialled but is yet to race.
She slipped to Universal Ruler in 22/23 then successfully foaled a colt by that sire in 2024 and was covered again by him.
