The Grant and Alana Williams bred and trained Storyville led all the way in a bold change of tactics from champion hoop Willie Pike, which paid off brilliantly when the classy daughter of Overshare was able to hold off all challengers and post the fourth stakes win of her career in the Listed Starstruck Classic.
The 1600m feature is the final leg of the Mares Series at The Pinnacles carnival and it is named to honour the great West Aussie mare Starstruck, who won the G1 Australian Cup of 1995.
And if you are a yearling shopper who dreams of winning that historic WFA Autumn prize, take a look at Lot 625 at the upcoming Karaka 2026 Sale from Rich Hill Stud!
By the mighty Shocking who won the 2011 Australian Cup, he is a grandson of a WA Oaks placed half sister to Starstruck - and is a full brother to G3 BRC Rough Habit / G2 Waikato Guineas winner Shocking Luck.
While it’s doubtful we’ll see Storyville go round in an Australian Cup, the quality four year old daughter of Overshare certainly excels at the Ascot mile.
Her Starstruck win was her third stakes success at the course and distance following her Champion Fillies / WA Guineas double triumph of last season, and her second of this preparation following on from her G3 RJ Peters defeat of Demolish (Rich Enuff) and subsequent carnival star Cosmic Crusader (Maurice) in the RJ Peters Stakes.
Storyville carried equal topweight of 60kg on a sweltering hot afternoon to this gutsy win, an impost she shared with the returning WA Oaks/ Derby heroine of last season Machine Gun Gracie. (Maschino)
The Justine Erkelens trained Gracie's much anticipated return to the track has been hampered by a few setbacks, and it was great to finally have the big girl back at the races again!
Punters had installed glamour girl Machine Gun Gracie as favourite over Peters Investments Luvnwar (War Decree) and were lukewarm on Storyville's chances, sending her out at 6/1.
Stablemate to Luvnwar, Noteworthy (by Charm Spirit out of Bob Peter's fine staying mare Neverland) was kept safe, as were Bonjoy (Maschino) and Zephyra (Demerit).
On jumping Pike was decisive on Storyville, driving her forward to head proceedings as the field settled into stride.
Longshots Secret Attraction (Savabeel) for Lucy Fiore and Madame Magic (Real Impact) for Natasha Faithfull also began smartly to take up second and third respectively, with another roughie Impressive Jewel (Playing God) behind them.
Shaun O'Donell had Machine Gun Gracie midfield on the rail with Zephyra, Noteworthy Luvnwar and Bonjoy all well back in the field.
Pike put the brakes on as the field went down the river side to give Storyville a little breather and she was out by three quarters of a length at the 800m with Gracie and the backmarkers biding their time.
The field turned for home with Storyville, ears pricked, going strongly. Secret Attraction moved up to eyeball her as Madame Magic began to struggle on the fence.
Machine Gun Gracie was suddenly on the scene and looming large!
Halfway down the straight and Storyville kicked strongly to get the better of Secret Attraction with Gracie winding up but the winning post was near!
Pike threw everything he had at Storyville and the super fit, tough mare was up for the challenge crossing the line just under half a length clear from Secret Attraction who never gave up trying for Lucy.
From last, Luvnwar and Clint Johnston-Porter had come with a monstrous run to flash home for third ahead of Machine Gun Gracie who just felt it a little late first up from such a long time off at 1600m.
It was a most encouraging return from the big daughter of Maschino but all honours were with brave Storyville and the genius of William Pike!
Alana Williams was as surprised as anyone by the hoop’s snap decision to lead all the way on the mare.
“We had a chat before the race and I said, well it would be nice to be up fourth or fifth and he said, well I prefer riding her a bit quieter than that…next thing he's in front!” said one half of the state's heavyweight training partnership.
" She's led before and won over 1200m so she can do it, but we thought she'd be suspect at a mile leading.
" She's obviously got a lot stronger and she's had a really good prep.
"She's a big strong girl and she pretty much tells the jockey what to do…but she's talented, that's for sure. She's got resilience, she's hard to get past when she is there (leading) and it was a really good win” said a proud Alana.
An Autumn trip to Melbourne is on the cards for the four year old, as star stablemate Watch Me Rock (Awesome Rock) is heading east.
“We've been thinking about taking her east - we need to take a partner for Watch Me Rock” revealed the trainer.
“Grant's toying with the idea, provided she comes through this run well - but she's a pretty tough mare so I'd say she will!”
Pike showed brilliant initiative to take Storyville to the front on a day where it was difficult to make ground on the fast Ascot track ,rewarding his avid band of punting followers yet again!
Her Starstruck Classic win advances Storyville's impressive record to 16 starts for 6 wins and 3 placings and $726,340 in prize money.
The Team Williams homebred is a half-sister to stakes-placed winners Crescent City (Fiorente) and Axeman's Jazz (Dundeel), Storyville was bred by Grant and Alana and is the fourth winner from five to race for the unraced Time Thief mare New Orleans, a half-sister to seven-time stakes winner Battle Hero (Stratum).
New Orleans has produced three fillies in a row since foaling Storyville in 2021.
In 2023 came a full sister to Storyville by Overshare, followed by a 2022 Toronado daughter and a Pride Of Dubai filly this season.
There could be some exciting times ahead with those girls!
Storyville's second dam is the NZ bred O'Reilly mare Fromm, grand dam of the WA Guineas winning filly Treasured Star (Toronado) - that mare is owned by Peters Investments and had her first foal this spring by superstar Anamoe - guess what, it's a filly!
This classy female line goes back to the stakes winning Pakistan daughter Georgina Belle (a branch of 7-d) and its taproot mare is the imported Eleusis (GB) - Storyville descends from her VRC Oaks winning daughter Eleusive.
Storyville is very closely related to 4x G1 winner and champion mare Probabeel and to G1 Flight Stakes winning / Spring Champion Stakes runner up Never Been Kissed.
What a family!
Storyville is bred
Danzig 5m, 5m x 5m
Danehill 4m x 4m,5m
Redoute's Choice 3f x 3m sex balanced
Canny Lad 4f,5f x 5f
And this is the kind of intense inbreeding/linebreeding that works with a damline of this quality.
Overshare's G1 winning daughter Lady Laguna ( sold for $2.5 million at Magic Millions National Broodmare this year ) was an exceptional mare in open G1 company,
Storyville hasn’t graduated to that level yet with two unplaced finishes in her G1 starts, but she's still only four years old.
The royally bred Overshare won at G3 level but like his sire I Am Invincible, he has gone on to sire far better performers than himself, and primarily fillies.
Overshare was exported to Indonesia in June 2025.
