One month to the day since he first set foot on a racecourse, So You Think’s three year old son Opportunistic remains undefeated from three starts, is a dual stakes winner with earnings of $200,250 to his name, and is WA's new rising star of the turf.
Opportunistic put a quality field to the sword in running away with the Listed Belmont Guineas at Pinjarra, in an absolutely arrogant display of pure class.
It was a dream day for his jockey Clint Johnston-Porter who booted home five winners on the card, and the talented hoop pulled out one of his best rides to guide Opportunistic home in the 1600m feature.
The gelding settled back in the ruck with his main rival and race favourite the filly Storyville (Overshare) just ahead of him and only Triple Missile (Smart Missile) behind him.
Last season's brilliant Placid Ark Stakes winner Wind And The Lion (Written By) was attempting the mile for the first time and had shot to the lead on jumping. Back on a good surface he was bowling along at a good clip while 2024’s Gimcrack / Karrakatta Plate placed filly Earthsong (Calyx) was also prominent.
The field of 12 runners strung out a little behind these two with Redback Flyer (Playing God), Showlas (Showtime) and roughie Impressive Jewel (Playing God) all well positioned to make their runs if good enough.
On the turn Wind And The Lion led them for home ears pricked still travelling like the winner!
Willie Pike and Storyville pulled out smoothly and last season's WA Guineas / Champion Fillies heroine moved up to challenge.
The leader gave a good kick in the straight but Storyville had his measure - she was about to be hailed the victor when Opportunistic, who had been weaving through the pack with the effortlessly powerful turn of foot that is fast becoming his trademark, ripped off a final furlong of pure brilliance!
He stormed away from them and was probably four lengths in front a couple of strides past the post. Storyville - even with a 5kg weight advantage and back on her preferred surface - had no answer, and the gallant filly had to settle for second to her rival once more.
Elite Missile meanwhile had again got into the slipstream of Opportunistic and come home from last to finish an impressive third, with Redback Flyer in fourth. Wind And The Lion hung on grimly for fifth despite stopping badly in the shadows of the post and finding the mile a touch too far for his liking.
Opprtunistic's owner Bob Peters was on hand alongside trainer Michael Grantham at Pinjarra to watch his exciting young horse in action.
“I was worried he wouldnt get a run through, but he was very good. He really looked the part today and I said to Michael, fitness won't beat us today” said the typically understated WA industry legend.
“We will wait and see about the Aquanita ( LR 2000m run in two weeks time). We don't need to go there but we'll discuss it in a couple of days. This horse, he looks like at least a 2,000m horse to me.”
Michael Grantham has had a stellar season and adds to his recent Belmont Guineas domination with the win of Opportunistic, having been successful last year with Luvnwar and with Devoted in 2022.
It's also been a banner season for Opportunistic's sire So You Think!
Coolmore's great son of High Chaparral finishes the 2024/25 season with nine stakes winners including his G1 ATC Oaks placed /G1 Queensland Oaks winner You Wahng (Casino Prince), G2 PB Lawrence Stakes winner and G1 Memsie Stakes placed Gentleman Roy (Last Tycoon) and G2 Avondale Guineas winner and G1 NZ Derby runner up Thedoctoroflove (Rebel Raider) leading the charge.
Having met his stern Belmont Guineas test with consummate ease Opportunistic looks another genuine star in the making and we will be hearing a lot more about this excitement machine!
A $200,000 Perth MM buy by John Chalmers Bloodstock the 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 excellent young 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.
High Chaparral's 10 x Group One winner and brilliant sire So You Think stands at Coolmore NSW, at a fee of $44,000.
