Ninth Perth Cup Is Perfect Result For Peters

Mississippi Delta wins the Group Two Perth Cup (Western Racepix)

 

With close seconds in the two races leading into Saturday’s Group Three Mrs Mac’s La Trice Classic over 1800m at Ascot, Perth’s leviathan owner/breeder, Bob Peters, wasn’t inclined to think it was going to be his day.

After all, his sole runner in the La Trice – Perfect Jewel – had been out of the winners’ enclosure since capturing the Group Two WA Guineas in November 2017, while the free wheeling, Taxagano, and last start stakes winner, Spiritual Warrior, were sure to provide plenty of competition to Peters trio in the Group Two TAB Touch Perth Cup.

However, the Peters cerise and white would again rule the day with Perfect Jewel duly saluting in the La Trice and Mississippi Delta producing a barnstorming finish to give Bob, and wife Sandra, their ninth Perth Cup success.

Not surprisingly, Peters was delighted with his day at the office: “That La Trice was one of the fastest 1800m races in Perth for a long time and suited Perfect Jewel right down to the ground.

“As for Mississippi Delta, I was watching my other two runners (Star Exhibit and Royal Command) and then I saw her flashing down the outside.

“Really, to get that far back over 2400m and win is a huge effort.”

Peters previous Perth Cup winners were Field Officer (1993), Crown Prosecutor (2005), Lords Ransom (2010), Western Jewel (2012), Real Love (2015), Delicacy (2016) and Star Exhibit (2017, 19).

Peters was undecided as to race plans for his two most recent Group winners, but Mississippi Delta is likely to be aimed at some winter weight for age races in Perth following a deserved spell.

Mississippi Delta’s Perth Cup victory takes the 6YO mare’s record to 10 wins and three seconds from 19 starts for $707,565 in stakes.

Mississippi Delta is among 129 stakes winners for the late and very great, High Chaparral, while the Perth Cup star is one of seven winners (from seven to race) for the Marooned mare, Mississippi Belle – a Perth winner also bred by Peters.

Indeed, Peters would likewise bred Mississippi Delta’s granddam – the multiple winning Haulpak mare, Bonus – from the imported, So Stunning, who would, in turn, go on to leave seven winners including Group One winner, Old Nick, plus stakes winners Lady Belvedere and Lady Belgrave.

Bonus, meanwhile, would produce four winners – notably the Group winner Mogul, multiple Group placed Springtime Gold and the dam of Group Two WA Guineas winner Clueless Angel – while, just for good measure, Mississippi Belle is the dam of Peters Group One Railway winner, Elite Belle and dual stakes winner Battle Emblem.

All up, the three mares have left 18 winners from 19 to race and, remarkably, each of the seven stakes winners is by a different sire.

“She (So Stunning) was a simply phenomenal mare and is one of the half a dozen or so families we really concentrate on,” Peter reveals. “So Stunning was imported by Robert Holmes a’ Court and after he passed away, I had bought quite a few of Robert’s Heytesbury Stud mares … although So Stunning wasn’t one of them.

“As it turned out though, I was selling a few mares myself at a mixed winter sale in Perth some time later and she (So Stunning) was part of the Heytesbury draft which was stabled just across from us.

“I kept on going across to have a look and in the end I bought her. Pretty glad now that I did!”

Peters would ultimately sell Mississippi Belle at the 2014 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale for $130,000, where she would again be offered a year later – in foal to Testa Rossa – and knocked down to Belmont Bloodstock for $72,000.

Mississippi Belle is now firmly ensconced at Colin Brown and Fiona Lacey’s Mogumber Park at Bullsbrook in Western Australia where the couple stand Commands’ multiple Group winning sprinter/miler, Rommel, Exceed And Excel stallion, Safeguard (a Group winner at two and three) and 5-time Group Two winner, Natural Blitz.

“It’s all pretty exciting to have a mare like Mississippi Belle on farm,” Brown enthused. “We sold her Safeguard colt last year for $150,000 and they’ve named him Saving Memphis. He’s trialling on Monday, while the mare is back in foal to Safeguard.

“Unfortunately we lost her Rommel yearling colt, but we’re selling 10 of Rommel’s first crop sons and daughters at the Perth Magic Millions.”

With 331 youngsters catalogued, the 2020 Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale will be held on 17-18 February, and Mogumber Park will field a team of 18 for the sale.

The Power of Passion

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