With the end of 2025 fast approaching it’s time to turn our attention to the final G1 race of the Australian racing year, and the last of the “big three” at the Ascot Pinnacles carnival - so who can win?
From Kingston Town to Northerly, this is a race named for champions, read about them here.
Set to be contested for the 50th time this year, the $1.5 million Northerly Stakes is run over 1800m at WFA and has attracted a field of 17 with plenty of intrigue.
Western Empire (Iffraaj) was runner up as favourite to Regal Power back when it was still the Kingston Town in 2021!
He's just a class animal and seems to be back to his best.
Western Empire is one of three runners for Team Williams and is owned by them these days - the others being the impressive Railway winner Watch Me Rock (Awesome Rock) with whom he quinella-ed the race, and the 100/1 bolter and reigning Perth Cup winner Hemlock Stone.
Obviously the first two are well in the market, despite Watch Me Rock drawing very wide.
Watch Me Rock is attempting to become only the fifth horse in history to do the Railway / Northerly double and equal Better Loosen Up,Old Comrade, Modem and Sniper's Bullet.
He's going to need to be very, very good. But maybe he is!
Osipenko (Pierro) attempts to give Chris Waller a second Northerly Stakes following Moriarty's upset win in 2014.
His jockey Fred Kersley will have the chance to write a heartwarming chapter in WA racing history, by winning the race named to honour the champion his grandfather trained.
Osipenko was good and a tad unlucky in the Railway and is better suited this trip, but he's got the job ahead from barrier 17.
The Hayes boys have landed their talented comeback galloper Apulia (Fiorente) in Perth, and the family has a successful association with this race.
David Hayes trained Niconero to dual wins in 2006-08 and Credit Account in 1993, while patriarch Colin was successful with the mighty Better Loosen Up in 1989 and Military Plume in 1986.
It wouldn't feel like an Ascot G1 without a couple of Peters Investments bluebloods going around, and this year it's the Michael Grantham trained Diamond Scene (So You Think) and Cosmic Crusader (Maurice) doing the honours. Both horses are quality, in form and ideally suited up in trip - you wouldn't be surprised to see either of them in front at the winning post!
Down from the Goldfields is Sentimental Hero (Al Maher) who produced an epic performance to place in the Railway. This warhorse is used to winning with plenty of weight too, and has placed his only two starts at 1800m. Perhaps class is the query, but these Al Mahers - they can never be underestimated!
Likewise the Playing Gods, they can always pull out a big run when you least expect it, and thus his out of form son Zipaway cannot be entirely ruled out. He's got the blinkers on and the coveted barrier 1. He placed third in this race in 2023 and was unplaced last year.
His dad won this race twice and has also sired a winner in Kay Cee, and Neville Parnham knows the breed so well.
But Zipaway is at huge odds, as are Ginger Baker (Gingerbread Man), In Good Order (American Pharoah) and Admiration Express (My Admiration).
The talented Archibald trained Depth Of Character (Deep Field) has a little support, and had genuine excuses in the Railway.
Ciaron Maher has rocked up to the party in the west with his super genuine mare Vivy Air (Hellbent) in the best form of her career.
Finally, the three year olds! What an exciting pair they are.
Undefeated WA Guineas hero King Of Light (Earthlight) is, his champion trainer Dan Morton tells us, “the real deal “ If he wins the sky's the limit for this striking looking chestnut with an elite turn of foot. Willie Pike has chosen this guy over the Railway winner, which is compelling.
The classy WA Champion Fillies winner Pure Excess (Exceedance ) faces a stern task from barrier 15, but she has the featherweight of 50kg and she is stablemate to the favourite. The race has seen several fillies triumphant in recent years - but they have won the Guineas against the boys in the lead up.
Top Pick: VIVY AIR
Yarraman Park’s Hellbent is having a hell of a good season! with stakes winners popping up everywhere, taking him into the Top 10 on the Australian General Sires List by earnings.
One of the best is his super tough daughter Vivy Air, who arrives in Perth having taken out the $2million ATC Five Diamonds (1800m) at Rosehill, backing up from her second placing to G1 winner Gringotts in the $3million ATC Big Dance (1600m)
Vivy Air beat G1 winners Transatlantic and Militarize to win the Five Diamonds and that is outstanding form for this!
Bred by OTI Racing, five year old Vivy Air had a change of ownership and trainer last year and is now in the powerful Maher stable.
She was twice G2 placed at three then endured a frustrating run of minor placings, but obviously appreciated stepping up in distance to 1800m for the first time.
Vivy Air has put together a record of four wins and 12 placings from 27 starts, with her prize money now topping $2.8million.
While multiple Group placed, she is not yet an official stakes winner as the Five Diamonds lacks that recognition, but she is G1 quality no doubt!
Vivy Air is a half sister to South African G2 winner New Predator and is one of seven winners from seven to race from the winning Fastnet Rock mare Head over Heels, a half sister to stakes winner Presently.
Head Over Heels has had no luck at stud in recent years and unfortunately has missed to Hellbent in the last two seasons.
The Hellbents just have the will to win - Vivy inherited that from her sire, and she is also bred x 2 to one of the toughest and most genuine racehorses to ever look through a bridle, the great Better Boy!
Vivy Air is bred
Danzig 5m,5m x 4m
Green Desert 4m,4m x
Better Boy x 5m,5f sex balanced
Better Boy famously “won” the Caulfield Cup of his own volition after losing his jockey at the start, beating home the hot favourite Redcraze. No pilot required!
His progeny inherited his beautiful temperament matched with his absolute inability to give anything less than 1000% every time he raced.
Better Boy’s two great sons were his masterpiece Century, and Tommy Woodcock’s beloved old stayer Reckless.
Vivy Air’s pedigree is basically a symphony of linebreeding to Better Boy’s sire My Babu.
She has further lines to him via Sir Tristram and Artaius (daughters) and son Crozier.
My Babu is from the family of Turn-To to whom she carries multiple lines including Sir Ivor (sex balanced) and Habitat, plus relatives Alycidon and Klairon.
Vivy Air’s ancestress Doretta was by Foxlaw, son of Alope (2f) and this pedigree boasts extensive duplication of family members Round Table and Aureole plus Atan, this being Fastnet Rock's tribe as well.
The icing on the cake - both Hellbent and Century, who sired Vivy Air's second damsire the great Centaine, descend from daughters of Talking, a VRC Derby winning son of the legendary stallion Magpie.
Talking's dam Society was by Absurd and Vivy Air's own ancestress Folly was Absurd's full sister
They were foaled by Absurdity a full sister to Doxa, the ancestress of the great American Blue Hen La Troienne.
She is so prominent in the pedigree of Green Desert through Lalun, by Djebel - not only My Babu's sire, but also of Targui who creates yet another turbocharged nick by appearing on Vivy Air's damline.
What a beautiful pedigree.
Vivy Air jumps from barrier 12, and jockey Ethan Brown is going for back to back wins in the Northerly Stakes having ridden Light Infantry Man to victory last year!
Next best: KING OF LIGHT
Undefeated three year old King Of Light has looked like something special from day one, but if he were to win this G1 WFA contest at just his sixth race start we might have to drop the “budding”’ off the superstar tag!
Dan Morton's striking chestnut son of Earthlight (Shamardal) is the hot fave and why not - this has long been a strong race for three year olds, who have produced 19 past Northerly Stakes winners, including six of the last 15.
Those to take the WA Guineas / Northerly double specifically are Amelia’s Jewel (2022), Arcadia Queen (2018), Ihtsahymn (2013), Playing God (2010), Megatic (2007), Old Nick (1998), Summer Beau (1996) and Importune (1984).
Military Plume, Bounty Hawk, Sovereign Red, Mighty Kingdom, Stormy Rex and the inaugural winner Family Of Man all saluted as three year olds.
There’s some great names on that list.
King Of Light did it the hard way in the Guineas but a brilliant ride by William Pike and the gelding's enormous will to win got him home. The horse had to make up six lengths in the straight to get the best of leader Heeza Phoenix (Grunt), the horse he ran down when they met at their previous start in the Fairetha Stakes - and he beat that quality colt by a length on the line!
It was simply awesome, and an emphatic domination of what was widely considered to be one of the strongest Guineas fields seen in years.
King Of Light was five from five, had notched up his third consecutive stakes win and boosted his career earnings to $586,680.
And now for the ultimate question.
Can the brilliant King Of Light, with his exhilarating turn of foot run out the 1800m? Will he make that massive leap to open WFA G1 level at start number six?
Let’s check out what clues his pedigree can give!
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 (IRE) 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 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.
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 and to me that’s a huge indicator of his potential ability to get over a bit of ground
His damsire Dalghar by Anabaa is half brother to the great racehorses and champion sires Daylami and Dalakhani.
Dalghar’s 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 stakes winners 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 1982 Epsom Derby winner Golden Fleece.
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 to Riverman - another great stamina influence - through his daughters.
Lalun's family (19-b) is that to which Earthlight’s damsire New Approach belongs.
King Of Light also has two lines to Classic supersire Vagiely Noble and to that stallion's Blue Hen ancestress Belle Sauvage, via Galileo.
And you've got an Oaks winning Seeking The Gold mare as his third dam.
I mean if you saw a Derby winner with this pedigree you wouldn’t be saying wow, how did that happen.
We all know what's on the pedigree page is no guarantee of anything at all, but still, it's a pretty handy guidebook - and everything points to King Of Light getting this distance if he's still got the juice in the tank.
That's the other unknown, but 52kg certainly helps and William Pike has chosen to stick with the star three year old. The champion jockey has the uncanny intuition to assess these things.
If Pikey thinks the horse is ready to take on this challenge, chances are King Of Light is going to rip off another barnstorming finish that will have us all on the edge of our seats!
Pike and King Of Light race for G1 glory from barrier 8.
Roughie: DEPTH OF CHARACTER
Annabel and Rob Archibald pulled off a coup with roughie Libertad in the G1 Winterbottom Stakes. Can they do it again here? Well, I think their four year old son of Deep Field, stepping up to this trip for the first time, is a better chance than his odds suggest.
The Railway - let's just put a line through it. From the hopeless barrier he sat four wide the whole trip, but was making late ground - it was a good run under the circumstances. This time Depth Of Character has drawn perfectly.
The 2024 G2 Queensland Guineas winner joined a pretty impressive honour roll with that victory - recent winners include the subsequent champs Kolding and Private Eye, and their fellow G1 winners Kovalica, Sizzling and Pear Tart.
It’s always been a good horse's race - Yippyio, Cole Diesel, Paris Lane, Planet Ruler, Vite Cheval and Camarena are just a few of the topliners to have kicked off their careers in the QLD Guineas!
Depth Of Character is one of 38 stakes winners for Deep Field and is aiming to become his 5th G1 winner here.
Though his progeny are primarily sprinter milers, the retired Deep Field can get a good horse over a middle distance trip - his HK champion Voyage Bubble and this year’s 2400m QLD Cup winning mare Walsh Bay are two examples.
The Deep Fields love fast ground, and he is already the sire of several stakes winners in Perth - notable too is the fact his full brother Shooting To Win sired the classy 2021 winner of this very race, Dom To Shoot.
Depth Of Character's pedigree is one to love if you’re a fan of linebreeding to Blue Hen Eight Carat, and who isn’t?
An ever increasing number of stakes winners carry duplications of that mighty matriarch. Not only that, Depth Of Character hails from one of NZ's most prolific families.
Depth Of Character was a $180,000 purchase for his trainers from The Chase draft at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
He was bred by China Horse Club, and is the second winner from as many foals for the Power (GB) mare Caricature, placed in the G3 Hawkes Bay Lowland Stakes and fourth in the G1 New Zealand Oaks.
Caricature has a yearling filly by Zoustar which made $475,000 to Matthew Smith Racing/ Randwick Bloodstock Agency at Inglis Easter. Named Tokiriki, she is yet to race.
Caricature foaled a colt by Libertad's sire Russian Revolution last year, and produced another filly to Zoustar this spring.
China Horse Club shelled out $600,000 to secure Caricature at the 2016 NZB Premier Yearling Sale at Karaka from the draft of Cambridge Stud..
She is a half-sister to G2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes winner Pussy Willow (O’Reilly), Listed winner Inside Agent (Stravinsky), and Listed Winner Pussy O’Reilly (O’Reilly) who was runner-up in the G1 Makfi Challenge Stakes and is the dam of the G3 Adelaide Fillies Classic winner and G1 New Zealand Oaks runner-up Positivity (Almanzor)
They are all daughters of the memorably named Octagonal daughter Octapussy, G1 placed in a Doomben Cup and a fantastic producer from a long and consistent line of them.
Her G2 winning dam Dopff by the influential Nijinsky son Tights produced eight winners, including Octapussy’s half sisters the G2 winner and stakes producer Irion (Danroad), Pineau (Carnegie) the dam of three stakes winners, and Riesling (Last Tycoon) - her daughter Valpolicella (Red Ransom) produced the super talented Celebrity Dream, the best mare in Western Australia through 2017-19.
Dopff was a half sister to classy and durable stayers Rizon (Zabeel) and Ready To Lift (More Than Ready)
This is the immediate family of stakes winners Ascending, Sir Clive, Currigee Pearl Of Alsace, Vavasour, Vilanova, He Who Dares, Dancers's Tale, Travimyfriend and Shezzacatch.
This fantastic family just churns out the black type. It goes back to the WRC Cuddle Stakes winner Lavender Hill by the mighty Sovereign Edition.
Her dam Rosehill was sired by Test Case - the full brother to Eight Carat's grand dam Courtessa.
This female line, a branch of 14-b goes back to the mare Miramonde, a half sister to the legendary Pretty Polly and other elite producers from taproot ancestress Admiration.
Depth Of Character's dam has many lines of this classic blood notably through Foxbridge and Test Case on her damline, while both her sire Power and his sire Oasis Dream descend from daughters of Crepello, a tail male line of Pretty Polly's descendant Donatello. That sire is also duplicated numerous times through his daughters.
There's more Classic influences piled on with relatives Mill Reef and Blushing Groom through Rainbow Quest, Nijinsky x 3 and of course - Zabeel!
A perfect foil for Deep Field's scintillating brand of speed!
Depth Of Character is bred
Sir Tristram 5m x 5m
Mr Prospector 5m.5m x
Depth Of Character has depth of pedigree.
His linebreeding to Eight Carat and Courtessa (sex balanced) meets with the tail male line of Royal Charger (brother to Courtessa's dam Tessa Gillian) and Turn-To, particularly through sex balanced duplications of Sir Ivor - but in fact this is a very intensely inbred pedigree to the related sires Turn-To, Klairon, My Babu, Borealis and Alycidon.
Equally prominent in key positions are duplications of Round Table, Grey Sovereign, Raise A Native, Herbager and Sir Tristram's relative Mossborough.
Plus of course the related sires Fairy King, Nureyev, Lorenzaccio, Val de Loir and Northern Meteor himself.
Depth Of Character's pedigree holds an arsenal of Blue Hen firepower - Eight Carat, Courtessa, Selene, Somethingroyal, Myrtlewood, Special and Lalun, that’s not the end of it!
It’s not overly concerning that Depth Of Character is deep into his preparation. This breed are as tough as old boots and they thrive on racing. It is however, somewhat concerning that he hasn't won since that QLD Guineas triumph - but he has been racing against the absolute cream!
From 19 starts Depth Of Character has earned more than $1million, so he's no second-rate conveyance.
Depth Of Character has performed creditably against the likes of Autumn Glow, Evaporate, Linebacker, - sometimes without much luck. He is not explosive, but he does have a turn of foot and can carry weight too.
So if he gets a nice economical run - preferably possied up midfield or better - and can be on the scene at the right time, I think he will run the 1800m strongly.
I wonder if this was his main mission all along, rather than the Railway?
Another plus - Chris Parnham takes the reins. The youngest Parnham rides this race well, having won it in 2020 (on 16/1 Truly Great, his first G1 winner), a nose second in 2021 (Valour Road) and 3rd in 2017 /2018.
Depth Of Character and Chris Parnham will jump from barrier 2.
Blowout: ADMIRATION EXPRESS
She was my Railway blowout and I’m not jumping off the genuine little grey.
Admiration Express finished eighth, three and a half lengths off Watch Me Rock, making some late ground - that's a pass mark..
She is much better suited at WFA / this distance and lest we forget - the daughter of My Admiration nearly caused a massive boilover in this race last year, when she charged home at odds of 100/1 in for second behind Victorian raider Light Infantry Man!
And she did that off similarly unremarkable lead up form.
Now a six year old, the 2023 WA Champion Fillies / 1,000 Guineas heroine went without another stakes win until winter this year, when she made light work of the Heavy 9 conditions to comfortably win the G3 Strickland Stakes over 2000m at Pinjarra Park.
She has only had 27 starts, has won 4 and placed in 10 for earnings of $919,580.
Not a bad return on investment for her trainer Jason Miller, who purchased the appealing grey for just $60,000 from the Namerik Thoroughbreds draft at the 2021 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale,
Admiration Express is a daughter of the 5-time winning Verglas mare Comme Ci who has been an excellent producer.
She is her dam's only stakes winner to date, but Comme Ci has also foaled the stakes placegetters Fred Dag to Patronize and Janaura to Safeguard.
The venerable Comme Ci is still breeding, and this spring she produced a grey/black colt to her first cover by WA's champion sire Playing God!
She has her 2023 filly by Splintex (Snitzel) - a grey like mum - still to race, and her son Patron Express ( Patronize) is currently racing successfully with Miller.
This is such a tough and prolific family.
Comme Ci is out of the 7 x winning sprinter Residual by the mighty Zeditave, a three quarter sister to two stakes winners and dam of five winners including Comme Ci's stakes placed full sister Versarc (producer) and G2 placed Subsequential, dam of six winners including Tasmanian Guineas winner Moving Money (Artie Schiller)
Another daughter of Residual, Weaponess foaled Old Comrade Stakes winner Weaponson to the stallion Oratorio (a relative of Verglas)
There is a little bit of Australian turf infamy attached to this family!
The third dam of Admiration Express, Miss Personality, was also the dam of the good galloper Bold Personality, the famous “ring-in” horse for the (vastly less talented) Fine Cotton in an Eagle Farm betting plunge gone awry - the resulting scandal sent shockwaves through the sport in the 1980s.
Miss Personality was a top race mare having won the AJC Reginald Allen and STC Fillies And Mares Classic - now the G1 Coolmore Classic
This family traces to the mare Beauty Of Bath by Nimbus, Grey Sovereign's Derby winning three quarter brother - so little wonder the tail male line of Grey Sovereign through Verglas has brought about good results!
Admiration Express is bred
Northern Dancer 4m x 5m
Mr Prospector 5f x 5f
The excellent miler Verglas sired Australian G1 winner and sire Glass Harmonium and French G1 winner The Monarch among his best.
His West Australian bred daughters also include stakes winners Spirited One, Ma Chienne and Royal Devotion.
Admiration Express is one of two stakes-winners for the Encosta De Lago stallion My Admiration,( the other is the dual Listed winning mare Cryptic Love)
The classy sprinter miler was twice G2 placed in Hong Kong, and is bred on the same cross as WA's boom sire Maschino, being by Encosta out of a Redoute's Choice mare.
My Admiration's stakes winning dam Provence is a full sister to stakes winner Lucky Unicorn and half sister to G1 Hong Kong Sprint winner Inspiration (Flying Spur) and to G1 Australian Guineas winner and sire Wandjina (Snitzel).
It’s worth noting the mare’s regular jockey Lucy Fiore is not on board - Admiration Express will be ridden by Brad Rawiller, who owns a special piece of history in this race - he rode that grand old galloper Niconero to his dual wins in 2006/ 2008!
More recently Rawiller booted 60/1 shot Ironclad to finish runner up to Amelia's Jewel in 2022, and piloted Best Of Days who ran third in 2019.
Lucy rides the mare a treat, but sometimes a change just wakes them up a bit.
Admiration Express and Brad have drawn to get a positive run from barrier 3.
