Unbeaten So You Think 3YO Wins Raconteur Stakes

Kat Webster - Saturday June 14

The So You Think's are absolutely flying with no less than 33 winners in the past 30 days highlighted by his daughter You Wahng’s emphatic victory in the G1 Queensland Oaks and now another exciting three year old has appeared!

Becoming the 63rd stakes winner for his sire, Opportunistic stormed home this afternoon to win the Listed Raconteur Stakes over 1400m at Bunbury at just his second career start.

Opportunistc wins the Listed Raconteur Stakes - image Western Racepix

You know you've got a good one when a horse toys with his rivals on debut then finishes over the top of a high quality field to earn black type at start two.\

 That’s the happy circumstance the connections of Opportunistic find themselves in. The youngster is yet another likely topliner for the leviathan Peters Investments operation and is trained by Michael Grantham. He has been partnered at each of his starts by regular stable jockey Clint Johnston-Porter.

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Since his debut Pinjarra win, Opportunistic has been gelded and today he faced a field of high quality which included the firm favourite, WA Guineas / Champion Fillies heroine Storyville (Overshare) and Placid Ark winner Wind And The Lion(Written By).

On jumping Opportunistic settled back in the field as he had on debut at Pinjarra, with a good pace set by the leaders, Storyville perfectly placed just off the speed.

When the field turned for home Willie Pike on Storyville quickly burned off the leaders and she looked home, but again Opportunistic produced a barnstorming finish to swoop on the filly and claim the lead with 50m to go. Hot on his heels was Elite Missile (Smart Missile) who flew from last but was held out by half a length, with Storyville gallant but well beaten in third.

Opportunistic was a $200,000 Magic Millions Perth purchase.perth 

A $200,000 Perth MM buy by John Chalmers Bloodstock the exciting three year old is the second living foal of the durable and talented Bletchley Park mare I Feel Lucky, a G3 winner of the WATC La Trice Classic 1800m and a multiple stakes placed performer counting 11 victories from her 41  lifetime starts.

The mare's  two to race are both winners and she is now a black type producer with the promise of more to come.

I'm Feeling Lucky was bred,  owned and raced by the Van Heemst family of Lynward Park Stud who retained the mare upon her retirement and have bred all her foals.

She is a half sister to three other stakes winners, two of them fillies - Baronova by Fiorente ( WATC Listed Belmont Classic 2200m), and

Petrouchka  by More Than Ready, winner of the WATC 2024 Listed Belmont Oaks 2000m.

 Their half brother is iron horse Utgard Loki (Frost Giant) winner of the  Listed Pinjarra Bull and Bush Tavern Cup  2219m, and multiple metro placed at stakes level - 6 wins from 58 starts for earnings of $539,850.

The quartet are out of the great producer and Danehill daughter Twinkle Toes who died last year.

Unraced, Twinkle Toes was dam of nine named foals, eight of whom raced for seven winners led by her four stakes winners. 

She was a royally bred mare out of Band Of Angels by Alzao, an unraced half sister to the extremely successful racers and sires Dr Devious, Archway, Royal Court and Shinko King.

Twinkle Toes was three quarter sister to Sumora by Danehill, dam of European  Champion 2YO filly Maybe by Galileo, in turn the dam of G1 winner and sire Saxon Warrior at stud in Australia.

This is the immediate family of leading WA stallion Awesome Rock and the European G1 winning fillies Even So (Irish Oaks) and champion Dancing Rain (The Oaks G1, dam of Magic Lily, Champion Older Female Miler UAE), Champion 3YO stayer of Europe Continuous,Japanese G1 winner and sire Suzuka Phoenix, and many more stakes winners and performers.

The unraced matriarch of this very illustrious family is Rose Of Jericho by the mighty Alleged out of the Northern Dancer mare Rose Red.

Her line traces back to the Irish Oaks winner Djebellica.

I'm Feeling Lucky's first foal in 2018 was the gelding Lucky Landing by the Flying Spur son Mahuta -  a 3 x winner still racing who has earned $108,036 to date.

Since then the mare has visited some of the best, her breeders showing faith in both the quality of her female line and that of her sire Bletchley Park as a distaff influence.

I'm Feeling Lucky has a yearling filly by Wootton Bassett, a weanling colt by Pierro and is due to foal to Pinatubo this spring. 

Opportunistic is bred to Northern Dancer 4m,5m x 5m,5m, to

Nijinsky 4m x 4m and to Round Table 5f x5f.

His Raconteur Stakes win advances Opportunistic's earnings to $109,750 from his two starts.

High Chaparral's 10 x Group One winner and brilliant sire So You Think stands at Coolmore at a fee of $44,000

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Race Result - Raconteur Stakes LR 1400m

Bunbury Track: Soft(5) Time: 1:25.63
1
Opportunistic
- 3g So You Think (NZ) x I'm Feeling Lucky (AUS) (Bletchley Park (IRE))
Tnr: Michael Grantham Rdr: C Johnston-Porter 55
So You Think
2
0.3
Elite Missile
- 3g Smart Missile (AUS) x Frenchs Forest (AUS) (French Deputy (USA))
Tnr: S J Miller Rdr: B Parnham 56.5
Smart Missile
3
2.5
Storyville
- 3f Overshare (AUS) x New Orleans (AUS) (Time Thief (AUS))
Tnr: G & A Williams Rdr: W Pike 58
4
2.5
Patron Express
- 3g Patronize (AUS) x Comme Ci (AUS) (Verglas (IRE))
Tnr: J F Miller Rdr: Brayden Gaerth 55
5
3
Wind And The Lion
- 3g Written By (AUS) x Mandalong Sera (AUS) (Sebring (AUS))
Tnr: S & J Casey Rdr: Jarrad Noske 59
6
3.2
Pond Master
- 3g Saxon Warrior (JPN) x Caerlina's Spirit (IRE) (Charm Spirit (IRE))
Tnr: Takahide Ikenushi Rdr: Lucy Fiore 56.5
7
3.6
King Hit
- 3g Magna Grecia (IRE) x Sucker Punch (AUS) (Encosta De Lago (AUS))
Tnr: T M Andrews Rdr: S Parnham 55
8
3.9
Awesome Boy
- 3g Awesome Rock (AUS) x Double Jester (AUS) (Not A Single Doubt (AUS))
Tnr: B M Kay Rdr: Brandon Louis 56
9
4.7
Precious God
- 3f Playing God (AUS) x Precious Cargo (AUS) (Trade Fair (GB))
Tnr: Ms P Wagg Rdr: Luke Campbell 53
10
5
God's Gate
- 3c Playing God (AUS) x Death Knock (AUS) (Lonhro (AUS))
Tnr: N D Parnham Rdr: Laqdar Ramoly 55
11
6.3
More Heroic
- 3g Pierro (AUS) x Sookie (AUS) (Casino Prince (AUS))
Tnr: Michael Grantham Rdr: P Carbery 55
12
12.8
Ripper Farooq
- 3g Vert De Grece (IRE) x Promiscuous Miss (AUS) (Oratorio (AUS))
Tnr: Luke Fernie Rdr: Jade Mc Naught 55
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