Playing God is back on top of the WA sires’ table two months after claiming his first premiership for Darling View Thoroughbreds.
His 4yo mare Baby Paris was instrumental in the takeover on Saturday winning the LR Black Heart Bart Stakes (1200m) at Belmont. Wearing a distinctive black brow-band with Peter Knuckey aboard, she had a head to spare over Phanta (Gingerbread Man).
Baby Paris (Photo / Western Racepix) signed off September as the 13th individual black-type winner by Playing God. It was also a month to remember for Darling View with its first-season stallion Lightsaber (Zoustar) getting 6 of the first 7 mares he covered in foal.
Trainer Colin Webster will set Baby Paris for the $1.5 million G1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) at Ascot in December. “We had this race picked out and now we’re going for the Winterbottom,” he said.
“She disappointed first-up in the Jolly Beggar Stakes after getting upset in the mounting yard and playing up in the barriers.
“We got permission from stewards to take her out early today and go around with the clerk of the course before the race. She went straight into the barriers and once she jumped I knew she had a good chance.”
Baby Paris (4m Playing God – War In Paris by War Chant) is an orphan foal. Her dam died shortly after delivery and she was bottle-fed and then fostered on to another mare.
Coming to hand quickly as an autumn 2yo, she was runner-up to Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni) in last year’s G2 Karrakatta Plate (1200m) and landed her biggest pay-day as a 3yo earlier this year in the $200,000 The Joey (1200m).
All up, she has won 6 of her 11 starts earning $616,000 including Westspeed Bonuses of $151,250 for Kalgoorlie-based owner-breeder Gary Bowen.
Playing God (Blackfriars) passed another milestone on Thursday when Hieronymus Bosch came from last to win the Elders Maiden (1600m) at Northam. Trained by Trevor Andrews for Mungrup Pty Ltd, he is the 100th individual winner by Playing God and they have arrived at a remarkable 66% strike-rate.
Darling View stands Playing God for $33,000 alongside Splintex ($11,000) and Lightsaber ($6,600). Service fees (inc GST).
