Veteran sprinter Acromantula turned back the clock with a display of low level flying to record an unexpected victory in the Listed Miss Andretti Stakes at Ascot.
The powerful eight year old son of Written Tycoon was rated beautifully by Lucy Fiore as he absolutely flew over the 1100m to lead all the way and notch up his second stakes win - his first race victory since October 2024.
It was the Dan and Ben Pearce trained sprinter's first success at 1100m, and he stopped the clock at 1.02.96, just a breath outside the Ascot course record!
The talented Acromantula has mixed it with some of the best sprinters in the land during his long and fruitful career.
He won the 2023 Carlyon Stakes at The Valley - another run in near record time - beating the G1 Oakleigh Plate runner up Hypothetical.
He won a race on Cox Plate day 2024, and back in Perth he placed to the champion Amelia's Jewel in the 2023 G3 Roma Cup.
The high quality gelding has raced against the likes of the great mare Imperatriz and G1 winner Mornington Glory, and it was good to see him back to his brilliant best.
With his Miss Andretti Stakes victory Acromantula advances his record to 10 wins and 11 placings from 44 career starts for $808,377 in prize money.
He started at odds of 12/1 in the Listed feature, with punters keen to back the in-form mares and Listed Summer Scorcher quinella Madhi Girl (Winning Rupert) and Jaz Session (Sessions), the latter starting favourite.
Also well in the market were Acromantula's stablemates Richanco (Rich Enuff) and Sinful Living (Safeguard) - but it was the old boy who would bring home the chockies for the stable on the day!
He did it in great style. Frequently his own worst enemy at the start, this time Acromantula fairly flew from the barriers with Sinful Living (Natasha Faithfull) also straight into stride.
The stablemates were well in front with Cut The Talk (Oratorio) and Richanco also pushing forward.
Jaz Session and Madhi Girl settled midfield but they were soon facing a task, because Acromantula had put the afterburners on!
He was out by three lengths and travelling strongly as the field approached the home turn. Sinful Living was flat out trying to keep up, Jaz Session and Madhi Girl were eight lengths off the tearaway leader and had it all to do.
At the 200m Acromantula was charging to the line full bore. Sinful Living could do no more as Cut The Talk under Laqdar Ramoly got a second wind and started to pick up, Jaz Session and Madhi Girl were making their runs together but too late!
Acromantula was too strong and maintained his hectic speed all the way to the post to win by half a length from a brave Cut The Talk.
Jaz Session, honest as ever, got her nose in the frame for third over Sinful Living, with Madhi Girl and Richanco close up behind them.
Pearce Racing stable foreman Taylor Fitzgerald was delighted to oversee the return of the high octane sprinter to winning form.
“It's very pleasing. It's been a while since we've seen the old Acromantula. I think he's getting quieter as he's gotten older.. .I was happy to see him jump today, which he hasn't done in previous starts.”
With the Pearce brothers absent from the track it was an all-female effort to get the win for the stable.
“He jumped really well, even though he was being naughty in the gates” said jockey Lucy Fiore.
“As soon as he jumped and put the pace on early I was pretty confident. We know that's the way to ride him but he doesn't make it easy for anybody at the start!
"He was really happy within himself today."
A homebred for Alan Olive of Gold Front Thoroughbreds, Acromantula is the best of seven winners from eight to race for the stakes winning Bletchley Park daughter For Your Eyes Only.
The quality race mare won ten times from 1000 - 1800m and was G2/G3 placed as well as a Listed winner at two in the Gimcrack Stakes and a dual Listed victress of the Ascot One Thousand Guineas and Beaufine Stakes.
Her winning dam Communique by the excellent Success Express son Key Business left four winners from five foals and For Your Eyes Only was her only daughter to breed on.
She herself was one of only two foals from the Fimiston mare Send Your Regards, the other being the stakes placed Dead Eye Dick.
This female line is a branch of the famed Chelandry family descending from her daughter Pennula, the great matriarch’s only foal by the champion sire Sunstar.
Pennula had a daughter named Winters Dream by an Ascot Gold Cup winner who was imported into Australia in 1929 and she became the dam of the legendary jumper Winterset - but Acromantula's line descends from another daughter Kilmeny by the breedshaper Son- In- Law.
Kilmeny became the ancestress of Star Kingdom's Flight Stakes / 1,000 Guineas winning filly Reveille who was sold to the USA and became an important broodmare for Claiborne Farm. Her daughter Breakfast Bell by Buckpasser foaled the G1 Classic winner Believe It (damsire of Real Quiet).
Acromantula is bred
Northern Dancer 5m x 5m
He is linebred (sex balanced to both Star Kingdom and his sire Stardust.
His pedigree contains many duplications of the Alope (2f) family - Round Table (sex balanced), Aureole, Alcide and Foxlaw.
Most strikingly he is linebred to Blue Hens Myrobella (dam of Big Game) the immortal La Troienne, and carries many descendants of the vast Chelandry tribe which is his own.
Acromantula's dam For Your Eyes Only is still breeding. Her latest foal is a colt by the very fast dual G3 winner Ingratiating (Frosted) who stood his first season at Oakland Park stud in 2024.
Gold Front will offer their For Your Eyes Only colt by Darling View's young Snitzel son Splintex as Lot 350 at the upcoming Magic Millions Perth Yearling.
Two daughters of For Your Eyes Only also have yearlings catalogued.
Gold Front present Lot 170, a colt by exciting young stallion Aysar (G1 Caulfield Guineas placed half brother to G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Home Affairs) from the winning Blackfriars mare Eye Of The Day. This is her first foal.
Lot 277 is a colt from the Rangeview Stud draft by WA's champion sire Playing God. He is the fifth foal from the twice winning Snitzel mare Snitz ‘N’ Giggles, and a full brother to four times winning filly Rissoles.
Nine time Champion Victorian Sire and leading sire of sires Written Tycoon stands at Yulong Stud on a private fee.
