She was WA's champion juvenile of last season with her Gimcrack/ Karrakatta double, and Talkanco (I'm All The Talk) picked up right where she left off with a barnstorming win in the Max Simmonds Stakes on opening day at Ascot.
The Pearce stable's three year old issued an ominous warning to her rivals for upcoming carnival features, as she overcame a momentary check back in the field and unleashed a simply brilliant burst of speed to overhaul the leaders in the last stride of the 1000m thriller!
Talkanco carried more weight than any of her rivals and most punters assumed the distance would be too short, but class prevailed.
Making a run right beside the winner was Luana Miss (Bivouac).
Last season's upset Supremacy Stakes victress went very close to causing a boilover again first up at 23/1, but this time she fell just short.
Punters left it in the bag with odds on favourite, Simon Miller's undefeated Rommel gelding Twisted Steel.
Stepping up to stronger company for the first time, Twisted Steel was given a beautiful run from Willie Pike who was chasing his fourth win of the day, but to no avail - the favourite faded in the straight to finish sixth.
A long delay at the start due to Rostislav (Russian Revolution) needing the attention of the farrier didn't help Twisted Steel's chances as he was already very warm and became more so as time went on.
Rostislav on the other hand came out and ran a great race for the Gangemi camp, coming home strong for third, cementing the good impression he made at Pinjarra in May with a last to first victory - and marking himself as one for the carnival blackbook!
The ever-honest Snitzalatte (Snitzel) was again prominent in fourth place, Storm Away (Lucky Vega) was good in fifth - while Talkanco's great rival of last season Yes Queen (Yes Yes Yes) got well back and found the 1000m too short but was monstering the line late.
Talkanco was expertly piloted by regular partner Brad Parnham to this, her fourth win in six starts.
The star filly has never been unplaced, and her career earnings of $603,140 look set to rise significantly in the near future!
Talkanco will next appear in the Listed Belgravia Stakes 1200m at Ascot on the 25th October - with options open as to whether she tackles the Placid Ark Stakes or the WA Guineas.
“I've been having some conversations with Ian Riley, the breeder and he thinks on the breeding she probably shouldn't run a mile” said Ben Pearce in an interview during the week.
“As a three year old you probably can get away with it, but we'll take advice from jockeys along the way and pick our way through.”
Talkanco races for Riley under his Woodbridge Thoroughbreds banner for a group of co-owners which includes Pearce Racing.
She is the third foal and first daughter to race from the very speedy California Dane mare Calianco - representing a precocious and well-known Australian family.
All three of Calianco's progeny to date are winners and she has more in the pipeline having produced a colt by Marine One last spring and a filly to Rich Enuff on the 4th October.
The filly is a full sister to the talented Richanco - the five year old gelding also races out of the Pearce stable and has notched up six wins in eleven starts and $224,840 in stakes.
Talkanco is bred
Danehill 4m x 3m
Canny Lad 5f x 4f
Northern Dancer x 5m,5m
She is one of three stakes winners for her sadly short lived sire, the G3 Skyline Stakes winning I'm All The Talk by Golden Slipper hero Stratum.
Talkanco's broodmare sire California Dane passed a phenomenal turn of foot to his progeny like G1 winners Rebel Dane and Platinum Witness.
It's interesting that Rebel Dane is the sire of a stakes winner on a cross with Quiet American,who is second damsire of I'm All The Talk.
Talkanco's third dam stakes winning juvenile Balcanny is by the incredible Canny Lad, a stallion beginning to appear more and more often as a linebreeding subject in successful pedigrees - as he does here.
This successful pattern is of course often due to his presence on the damline of Redoute's Choice and his relatives!
Talkanco can count among her close relations multiple Group winning sprinter Blur and the classy colt Shrewd Rhythm.
He won a Blue Diamond Prelude and Vain Stakes and stood briefly at stud in WA before being shipped out of Australia.
That proved to be a massive loss to local breeders when his daughter Sky Rumba foaled the freakish sprinter and G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Portland Sky, from a WA bred mare,and his keenly anticipated first foals are 2YOs of the 25/26 season.
Shrewd Rhythm's full sister Dancescape was also a stakes winning juvenile and she is the dam of Hong Kong sprinter Flying Ace who has been a serious competitor at the top level in that tough jurisdiction.
This family traces direct tail female to arguably the most revered mare in the entire studbook, Selene. This branch of her female line comes through the mare New Moon most often present in Australasian pedigrees through her descendant Star Way, the damsire of Encosta de Lago.
Another line from New Moon produced the brilliant juvenile son of Hussonet, Husson Lightning, another sold to overseas breeding interests after standing for a number of seasons in WA with limited success.
It's another proven pattern for precocious speed duplicated in Talkanco's pedigree.
Talkanco is one of a handful of elite fillies to complete the Gimcrack / Karrakatta double, the last being the future champion Amelia's Jewel in 2022.
Her impressive return indicates Talkanco was no one season wonder - she’s back and she means business!
