The race as we know it now, began in 1994 when it was renamed to honour the great Danehill and moved to its current September timelot. That year it was ironically won by I Love Sydney.

The honour roll includes some of Australia’s best stallions, including Rory’s Jester (1985), Umatilla and Danehill’s son Fastnet Rock, plus champion sprinters like Sepoy, Black Caviar and Falvelon.

Rory’s Jester features this year as the broodmare sire of Jukebox – who has some big wraps on him!

1. SUMMER PASSAGE (SNIZTEL x Subsequent [ENCOSTA DE LAGO])

*An $800,000 purchase at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale by Wexford Stables from Ron Gilbert’s Highgrove Stud draft

*A LR and G1 winner in NZ – ran 2nd in G1 Inglis Sires’ Produce at Randwick in April

*Dam Subsequent was also bred by Ron Gilbert – she was passed in at the 2010 Easter Sale, he retained her, raced her 5 times before retiring her to broodmare duties

*Subsequent is a close relation to 3 LR winners, she’s a full to dual LR winner ORDER OF THE SUN, a 3/4 sister to RISK AVERSION and a 1/2 to GET TO WORK

*SUMMER PASSAGE is the second foal for his dam, who has also had a SEBRING colt (2015), SNITZEL filly (2016) and was covered again by SNITZEL last season

*2nd dam Sequin is a 1/2 sis SHANIA DANE, RISK AVERSION and SCINTILLATION

*Family of NORTHWEST PASSGAGE, EXCITABLE BOY, MAN FROM UNCLE

(Summer Passage as a yearling)

2. JUKEBOX (SNITZEL x JESTATUNE [RORY’S JESTER])

*Boom colt – bred by Oakland Park Stud in WA

*A $200,000 buy for Ciaron Maher Racing at the 2016 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale

*JUKEBOX has won the Inglis Premier and G3 Vain Stakes

*Dam JESTATUNE won 3 times as a 2yo including the LR WA Gimcrack Stakes and the MM Perth 2yo Classic, she also ran 3rd in the G2 Karrakatta Plate

*JESTATUNE is by Golden Slipper winner RORY’S JESTER – and is a 1/2 sister to G1 Kingston Town Classic winner IHTSAHYMN

*2nd dam UMATUNE was a LR winner of the WATC Crystal Slipper, it’s also the family of CATAPULTED

*Dam has had a 2016 filly by NOT A SINGLE DOUBT and wasn’t covered last season

(Jukebox as a yearling)

3. AZAZEL (SNITZEL x Allariza (IRE) [LINAMIX (FR)])

*Another one by SNITZEL – AZAZEL was bought by trainer Tony McEvoy for $310,000 at the 2016 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale

*Won the RL Inglis Banner at Moonee Valley on debut – becoming the 44th stakes winner for his sire

*AZAZEL was bred at Arrowfield Stud, and is a product of a joint venture with the Aga Khan Studs

*Dam Allariza is an unraced daughter of LINAMIX (where he gets the grey from) – champion sire in France and she was sent to Australia in 2009 as a maiden

*Allariza and her own dam Alharir were bought by HH The Aga Khan from the estate of breeder Jean-Luc Lagardere in 2005

*Dam Allariza is a full sister to ALNAMARA, who in turn produced French G3 winner and G1 placed ALNADANA

*Dam foaled a colt by OLYMPIC GLORY on 29/08/17

*3rd dam THAWAKIB was a G2 winner at Royal Ascot and produced champion SAKHEE, a winner of the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

 

 

(Azazel as a yearling)

4. TAKING AIM (CHOISIR x GIRL HUSSLER [Hussonet])

*TAKING AIM was purchased by China Horse Club and Winstar Farm at 2016 Inglis Easter for $520,000

*Dam GIRL HUSSLER was the LR BRC Daybreak Lover and resident broodmare at Segenhoe Stud

*The chestnut colt won the G3 Ken Russell Memorial on the Gold Coast – before placing in Sires’ Produce and G1 J.J. Atkins

*Carries a double cross of SNIPPETS’ sire LUNCHTIME (3x4)

*Both foals from the mare are winners and have been up and running 2yo’s – with Commands colt Manual also recording 4th in a VRC Maribyrnong Trial Stakes

*GIRL HUSSLER was covered by FASTNET ROCK last season and produced an EXCEED AND EXCEL colt in 2016

*Choisir has sired 84 stakes winners as of 23/08/17

 

 

(Taking Aim as a yearling)

5. OVERSHARE (I AM INVINCIBLE x Savannah’s Choice [REDOUTE’S CHOICE])

*Sold for $320,000 to Spendthrift Australia at 2016 Inglis Easter

*Won LR McKenzie Stakes second up

*Dam G3 placed and a 1/2 sis to G1 American Oaks winner CESARIO, who has also produced Japan Cup champion EPIPHANEIA and champion 2yo colt of Japan LEONTES

*Also family of GOTHENBERG, a stakes winner in Italy and Germany

 *Further down: G1 winners FASCINATING ROCK and ANNA PAVLOVA

*Foaled a colt by MORE THAN READY on 10/08/17

 

 

(Overshare as a yearling)

6. CATCHY (FASTNET ROCK x CATS WHISKER [FUSAICHI PEGASUS (USA)])

*A $220,000 purchase for Dorrington Farm (Crabtree family) at 2016 Inglis Easter, offered by Coolmore Stud

*G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner, 2nd in the G3 Quezette to Crown Witness first up

*Dam CATS WHISKER was a 3x Group winner from just 13 starts, including G2 Rose of Kingston and G2 Let’s Elope Stakes, she was a runner-up in the G1 Thousand Guineas to GALLICA

*Dam was covered by PIERRO last season, the first time she hasn’t visited FASTNET ROCK since her first season at stud in 2010

*2nd dam Perfect Halo was LR and G3 placed

 

 

(Catchy as a yearling)

7. Al Passem (AL MAHER X Ruby Bre [RUBITON])

*Bred by Churchill Lodge – the colt was sold to trainer Ken Keys for $55,000 at the 2016 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale

*Ken Keys won this race with RICH ENUFF in 2014

*The late RUBITON has become a top broodmare sire – with his daughters producing the likes of FLYING ARTIE, REDZEL, GOD HAS SPOKEN, PLAYING GOD, DASH FOR CASH, MAYBE BETTER, KING OF DANES and DIVINE CALLING

*Dam missed several times, with Al Passem only her second foal on record, plus his full sister Rubycue a winner at 1350m

*Ruby Bre visited TURFFONTEIN and FIORENTE the last two seasons – no record of offspring and she was dropped from official record this season

*3rd dam SCARLET CROWN was a winner of the G3 Merson Cooper and LR Talindert Stakes

 

 

(Al Passem as a yearling)

8. Plutocracy (SEBRING X DEMETRIA [Conatus])

*Not offered at a sale

*Demetria is a 1/2 sister to SAMAREADY and NIGHT WAR

*Demetria has since produced a FOXWEDGE filly (2015) and was covered by HALLOWED CROWN last season

*2nd dam Samar – who in 2013 – also produced G2 placed Samartested and was a 1/2 sister to 3x G1 winning stayer COUNTY TYRONE

*Runner-up to JUKEBOX in the G3 Vain Stakes

*Conatus is the sire of two stakes winners and the broodmare sire of one = TELEPATHIC

 

 

(Plutocracy)

9. Esperance (BERNARDINI X SYCOPHANT [COMMANDS])

*Godolphin bred gelding

*1/2 sister to G2 and G3 winner OBSEQUIOUS

*Dam has since foaled a 2015 filly by DENMAN and was covered by KERMADEC last season

*The late COMMANDS is the broodmare sire of 10 stakes winners to date, including POLITENESS, CONTENTMENT and RUNWAY STAR

*BERNARDINI has sired 57 stakes winners so far, led by BOBAN, ZANBAGH in Australia

 

 

(Esperance)

10. LIMESTONE (HELMET x Limerock [CHARGE FORWARD]

*LIMESTONE is a homebred for David Moodie’s Hesket Bloodstock

*Winner of G3 Blue Diamond Fillies Preview

*Dam Limerock was a $40,000 purchase from Inglis Easter – and is a 1/2 sister to LR winner WARPATH

*Dam has since produced a 2015 filly by AL MAHER, a 2016 colt by ZOFFANY before missing to SEBRING last year

*2nd dam Only Vanda is by LINAMIX – with others in the family including THE KEY RAINBOW, HONORIA, DESTINED FOR GLORY, MAXIMOVA

*HELMET has sired 7 stakes winners so far including LIMESTONE plus ARCHIVES and THUNDER SNOW in Europe

 

 

(Limestone as a yearling)

11. Booker (WRITTEN TYCOON X Noondie [FLYING SPUR])

*$230,000 purchase from the Mill Park draft at the 2016 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale

*Twice a G3 runner-up

*First foal for the mare, who is herself a 3/4 sister to TRANQUILITY a WA LR winner

*2nd dam CREATRIX was a LR winner in WA as well

*Dam foaled a colt by STARSPANGLEDBANNER on 13/08/17, plus a 2015 colt by HELMET followed by a full brother to Booker in 2016

 

 

(Booker as a yearling)