The 2025 LR Fairetha Stakes for WA Guineas hopefuls was run at Ascot yesterday, boasting one of the best fields of three-year olds assembled in recent seasons - and the much anticipated contest lived right up to expectations!
Three highly progressive and undefeated gallopers headed the market.
The favourite was the Morton stable's exciting gelding King Of Light (Earthlight), a dynamic first up winner of the Belgravia Stakes and shooting for his fourth straight win.
Dan and Ben Pearce's well bred gelding Rock Fest (Awesome Rock) - a half brother to stakes winners Red Sun Sensation and Chili Is Hot - was a near six length winner on debut, and followed that up with an easy 1400m win at Belmont in September before being freshened for a Guineas campaign.
Mitchell Pateman saddled up the ovely looking colt Heeza Phoenix (Grunt) another who remained unbeaten from two starts. This grandson of the stakes winning Flying Spur daughter Okaylah from the immediate family of stakeswinners The Big Chill, Coldplay and Savacool is clearly blessed with plenty of ability.
The quality certainly didn't end there!
Steve Wolfe's Testy Pharoah (American Pharoah) was unbeaten until striking a soft track in the Belgravia and looked to bounce back here, while two talented sons of Maurice in Mardusa (a fast finishing third on the Belgravia) and Streamlined (stepping quickly to stakes grade after an impressive debut win at the 1400m) had support amongst punters looking for an upset result.
The talented Statewide (Tassort), Deltason (I'm All The Talk), likely improvers Country God and Heaven Specified (both by Playing God) and rank outsider Radiant Light (Rommel) rounded out the Fairetha Stakes Field.
Would Earthlight with William Pike on board unleash the breathtaking powers of acceleration he had shown at each of his three race starts, second up?
When the field jumped, Statewide missed the kick badly while Heaven Specified, Deltason, Streamlined and Heeza Phoenix all began well and went forward.
On settling it was Heeza Phoenix (Lucy Fiore) who strode out to lead from Streamlined while a fired up Deltason raced keenly in third.
King Of Light ended up worse than midfield on the rails, and a nervous watch for favourite backers looked to be on the cards.
Rock Fest was back second last at the 800m with only the tardy Statewide behind him.
Heeza Phoenix was rolling along ears pricked under and went out by a length from Streamlined travelling sweetly and Heaven Specified.
As the field swung into the straight Earthlight was still many lengths in arrears of Heeza Phoenix, as the big colt slipped away from the field and powered for home!
Heeza Phoenix shot three lengths clear with 200m to go and it looked like game over - but King Of Light had clear air and the afterburners were fully lit!
Only 150m to go and King Of Light had to call on every ounce of his ability to run down Heeza Phoenix as the crowd roared encouragement to the favourite.
The powerful chestnut came on relentlessly, drawing level with his rival in the shadows of the post and lunging in the last stride to get up and record another thrilling victory - and confirm his status as WA racing's new excitement machine!
Heeza Phoenix was under half a length away in second and Rock Fest (Chris Parnham) flew with a monster late run to take third, looking like the 1600m of the Guineas will be very much to his liking.
Madusa stuck on for fourth from the recalcitrant Deltason who raced ungenerously throughout and then came Statewide - a good run considering he had begun so poorly.
It seemed like a gutbuster for King Of Light but he came back to the enclosure literally prancing, absolutely not a care in the world, could have gone around again by the looks of it.
This boy knows he is special!
“He had a real task in front of him I thought, at the top of the straight” said a relieved Dan Morton after the race.
" Mitch's horse (Heeza Phoenix) is obviously very good, but this horse is exciting. He's as exciting a horse as I've had this early.
"He looks like he's got all the attributes to go that way (the 1600m Guineas and possibly the G1 Northerly Stakes1800m) - there's still improvement to come.
"He's a very, very laid back customer and he's probably still carrying a bit of condition but that said, he's getting the job done so we don't need to overtax him, it's just maintenance between now and the Guineas.”
Willie Pike was also relieved, and impressed.
“ I was very nervous (back on the rail) considering the way the track has been playing so far” admitted the champion hoop.
“But generally when the better horses step out track patterns take a back seat. Credit to the defeated horses there, they were very hard to get past.
" I had a lovely run in transit so I’m looking forward to the Guineas, but we've still got to earn it.
"It took him a while to hit his straps. If he was a human he'd be a surfer this horse, he's such a cool dude but he attacked right through the line. I thought he was going to peak on his run - but the good horses find a way.”
King Of Light now has four wins from four starts and is a dual stakes winner with earnings of $312,680.
A $120,000 Magic Millions Perth purchase from the Amelia Park Racing and Breeding draft for his trainer, King Of Light is the second stakes winner for Earthlight in Australia.
The powerfully built gelding is the image of his sire with the same distinctive markings including an unusual broken blaze - and it looks like he has inherited a stack of his ability as well!
Earthlight (IRE) by breedshaper Shamardal was undefeated at two and won seven of nine starts, two of them G1 races, setting a race record in the Middle Park Stakes.
Earthlight is a three quarter brother to the exciting dual G1 winner Shadow Of Light (Lope De Vega) who was also a champion juvenile.
Their dam Winters Moon (New Approach) won once in seven starts but she has already produced French and European Champion 2YO colts for Godolphin!
As a son of Shamardal, Earthlight has faced fierce competition for mares from Blue Point, Pinatubo and Victor Ludorum with whom he shares the Darley roster.
The handsome stallion's best progeny in his young stud career to date is the gifted filly Daylight, a G3 winner and twice G1 placed.
Earthlight’s first Australian runners are now three year-olds. His speedy filly Petite Artiste won the Listed Without Fear Stakes 1050m at Morphettville last season to become her sire's first Aussie black type winner.
King Of Light is the fourth foal of winning NZ bred mare Queen's Parade (Dalghar)- all have raced and three have won for her - all are still racing.
Queen's Parade produced a Manhattan Rain colt in 2023 - purchased for $35,000 at the 2025 MM Perth by BK Racing, from the draft of Nuimara Farm.
The mare produced a filly to Shamardal's champion Blue Point in 2024, and another daughter by Pierata this season.
King Of Light's second dam Press Leak ( Rock Of Gibraltar) won over a mile in the USA and her six winners include Savabeel filly Spirit Bird ( won G3 Tibbie Stakes and note 2nd in the G2 WA Guineas!)
Press Leak was a daughter of stakes winner Sneaky Quiet by Seeking The Gold, who won a Florida Oaks and placed in a G1 Kentucky Oaks.
It's the immediate family of the current top class Hong Kong galloper Ensued ( runner up in a G1 HK Gold Cup) - while this year's exciting G1 Goodwood Hcp winning colt Reserve Bank by Capitalist is also from this damline, which goes back to stakes winner Treasure Chest - a full sister to the champion 2YO My Dear Girl who became dam of the great sire In Reality.
King Of Light is bred:
Mr Prospector 5m x5m,5m
Danzig x 4m,5m
He has two lines to Mr Prospector's best broodmare sire son Miswaki.
His damsire Dalghar by Anabaa is half brother to the great racehorses and champion sires Daylami and Dalakhani.
His full sister Daltaya was G1 placed and is dam of French Champion Older Female Dalkala, by Giant's Causeway - Earthlight's tail male line. Dalghar is sire of six stakeswinners including the 2025 Perth Cup winner Hemlock Stone.
He certainly has the breeding to impart immense Classic ability as a broodmare sire!
A great feature of King Of Light's ancestry is his linebreeding to the amazing mare Rare Treat by Stymie, who raced 101 times from ages two to seven!
She collected five stakes races and imparted her brilliance and incredible toughness to her progeny.
Put to speed sire Tudor Minstrel Rare Treat produced her great filly What A Treat, dam of Be My Guest.
Her daughter Exotic Treat by Vaguely Noble is the ancestress of Earthlight and his brother Shadow Of Light and also of of 1982 Epsom Derby winner Golden Fleece.
Unbeaten Group winning 2YO filly Venetian Sun (Starman) who won at Royal Ascot this year shares the same third dam as Earthlight.
Rare Treat was bred 4 x 4 x 5 to Man O’ War and 5 x 5 to Broomstick, the great American broodmare sires.
She is from the same female line as mighty Storm Cat, Earthlight's tail male ancestor and thus his pedigree is topped and tailed by this great family.
King Of Light's pedigree creates the proven nick between Mr Prospector and his close relative Seattle Slew. This is also the family of Earthlight's second damsire Darshaan.
King Of Light is bred many times to the Blue Hen Lalun through her sons Never Bend and Bold Reason and is x 2 Riverman through his daughters.
Lalun's family (19-b) is that to which Earthlight’s damsire New Approach belongs.
He has two lines to Classic supersire Vagiely Noble and to that stallion's Blue Hen ancestress Belle Sauvage, via Galileo.
What a fantastic blend of stamina and speed.
It's going to be a ripper of a Guineas in 2025!
Earthlight has made a promising start to his stud career. The son of Shamardal stands at Darley Europe, and no plans have been announced for his return to Australia.
