First Stakes Winner for Playing God

Mark Smith - Sunday April 29

Trainer Steve Wolfe was rendered almost speechless when his 2-year-old gelding Lordhelpmerun clung to a rapidly diminishing half-head victory over the favourite Lady Cosmology in Saturday's the Group III WA Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Ascot.

Given a peach of a ride by Shaun McGruddy, Lordhelpmerun camped on the early speed before McGruddy made his move and set up a winning break.

Longshot, Platoon was third ahead of the Karrakatta Plate winner Valour Road in fourth.

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It advances the record of Lordhelpmerun to two wins, one second and one third from four starts with earnings of $262,800.

When he won at his second attempt at Ascot on March 24, Lordhelpmerun became the first winner for the Blackfriars stallion Playing God (pictured ) and he now becomes the first stakes-winner for the Mungrup Stud stallion.


Wolfe said he was wearing sunglasses to hide the tears.

"He's just been a lovely horse," Wolfe told The West Australian.

"We'll put him out and I think the Guineas will be on our radar.

"There are some great stories behind him. One of the owners, Steve Smedley, won $50,000 on a quaddie and bought a 10 percent share in him.

"I'd never met him before but that's what racing's about – getting those sort of blokes in the game."

A $25,000 purchase by Commercial Bloodstock Services out of the Toreby Park draft at the 2017 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, Lordhelpmerun is the first foal of the Snippetson mare Pure Heaven.

A daughter of the Listed WATC Gimcrack Stakes winner Magic Heaven (Magic Ring), Pure Heaven was herself a $20,000 purchase by Neville Parnham out of the same sale ring in 2010 before proving more than useful on the track winning five in Perth.

Pure Heaven has a weanling filly by Playing God and was bred back to him again last spring.

Winner of the Group 1 Kingston Town Classic in 2010 and 2011, Playing God moves in to fifth spot on the first season sire table.

The brother to multiple Group winner God Has Spoken becomes the seventh first season stallion to sire a stakes-winner.

Playing God covered 57 mares at Mungrup Stud last season at a fee of $4,400.

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