Off the back of a last start third in the Group 3 MVRC Tesio Stakes (2040m) when slightly unlucky, the Brad Widdup trained Sunset Park (GB) enjoyed the expansive Flemington circuit to find the lead and prove impossible to run down, winning the $300,000 Group 2 VRC Matriarch Stakes (2000m).
Considerable shorter odds than her 70/1 price offered last time out, the 5yo daughter of Sea The Stars (IRE) jumped away well from barrier 9, with Melbourne Cup winning jockey Jamie Melham allowing the mare to slowly cross the field, finding herself in front with about 1400m to run.
Race favourite She’s A Hustler (NZ), who had won the Tesio Stakes, tracked along in fourth position on the outside of Jennilala while another of the favoured runners Alalcane (GB) for the Waterhouse/Bott yard was in sixth.
As they turned into the home straight and race caller Matt Hill said “it’s going to be an arduous 400m,” Melham stayed the closest to the rail, and while those runners behind her were struggling to make up ground, Sunset Park glided across the rain affected going, pulling clear in the run to the line to score by a length and a quarter from She’s A Hustler.
A further four lengths back in third was Alalcance just ahead of 6yo grey mare Sea What I See (GB), also a daughter of Sea The Stars.
“t’s great to be down here,” enthused Widdup post-race. “She came down here for the race at Moonee Valley and was dead stiff there, so we decided to keep her here for this.
“It was a great win. She was very fit and has had a bit of racing, but her pedigree comes into play.
“Full credit to her owner Adrian Whittingham. He found her in the UK and she’s really starting to get a good record.”
“I think she’s going to get a lot further than this. I thought it was a bit early for her in her career, but she’s really lapped it up since coming down here.
“It took a while to get her to this point. When I trialled her she trialled enormous and she hurt of leg in the float on the way home, of course and we had to wait.
“Did I think she could do this so early, no, but you never know if you don’t have a go and have a crack.”
Having been stabled with Mick Kent since her run at Moone Valley a few weeks back, Widdup was very thankful.
“The owner has raced a lot of horses with Mick, and I’ve brought horses down in the past so a big thank you to him and his team.”
Melham went into the race with a plan of wanting to be forward.
“I wanted to be positive on her but was happy to let anything go if there was too much pressure, but she jumped so well and without getting too excited, I thought ‘geez, I’m home here’. She was just motoring away from them. I never had to let her off the bit until the 300 (metres) and she was very, very dominant in the end.”
“I’m excited I’m not in the next and I can go and have a warm shower.”
“My last winner was probably the easiest winner you could have on Cup Week but that one was even easier.
“At the 600 (metre mark) I thought we were home. The way she travelled, I didn’t really want to lead, I just wanted to go forward but she just jumped so well and got to about the 600 and she had lengths left to give.
“That was very impressive.
“Brad said last start she needs a 1400m wind-up. It was a good run, but you can see she can’t sit-and-sprint.”
Taking her overall record to four wins and three placed efforts from 11 starts with earnings of $317,570, it was the first black type victory for Sunset Park, with the imported daughter of Sea The Stars being one of three winners, and first at black type level from six to the races out of the Manduro mare Hand Puppet.
Bred by Godolphin, Sunset Park was offered at the 2023 Tattersalls December Mare Sale where she was secured for GNS 60,000 by Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock on behalf of Adrian Whittingham’s Cross Park Stud.
From an impressive international black type family, Hand Puppet's close relations include the likes of Street Cry and Shamardal as well as Territories, all Group 1 winners on the track and off the track as stallions.
It is also the family of local stakes winners Paximadia (Commands) and Cosmic Fire (Cosmic Force).
Sunset Park became the 143rd stakes winner for Juddmonte’s Sea The Stars, who overnight had his 2026 stallion fee announced, with the rising 20-year-old half-brother to Galileo (IRE) set to stand for €300,000 after standing for €250,000 the season prior.
