Behind a wall of runners at the 200-metre mark of Wednesday’s Listed Ramornie Handicap at Grafton, Jeff Penza needed an ounce of luck on Signore Fox.
When he saw light between Haunted and Jonker, Signore Fox pounced and quickly put the race to bed, defeating Haunted (Lonhro) by half a length with Jonker (Spirit Of Boom) a long-neck back in third.
The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained son of Exceed And Excel has come a long way since being a Breednet One To Watch when breaking his maiden at Hawkesbury in August 2018.
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Ramornie was his third Listed win after the ATC Razor Sharp Handicap and BRC Daybreak Lover Stakes while advancing his record to 8 wins and 2 seconds from 25 starts with earnings of $528,385.
Purchased by Snowden racing for $3000,000 out of the Coolmore Stud draft at the 2017 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Signore Fox is raced by Joe, Michael and Frank Stambe.
At the time he went through the ring at Easter, Signore Fox’s year-older half sister Oh Susannah has made just one start in South Africa. The daughter of Street Cry (IRE) would go on to prove the best of her generation with four Group One wins while honoured as the Horse of the Year in South Africa in 2017-18.
They are out of the imported Touch Gold mare Sharp Susan (USA) who was a Grade II winner at Saratoga and Grade 1 placed at Belmont.
Before her importation Sharp Susan (USA) foaled the AP Indy colt Indiano Jones who was a multiple Group placed winner of seven races in Canada.
Sharp Susan (USA) hit the headlines at the 2012 Inglis Australian Easter Broodmare Sale when she was knocked down to Badger’s Bloodstock on behalf of Gaynor Rupert’s Drakenstein Stud for $1,050,000 having originally been purchased in the US in 2008 by Tyreel Stud for US$2 million.
After producing a Fastnet Rock filly named Fast Susan, Sharp Susan (USA) was on the move again being exported to Ireland in November 2016.
Fast Susan was unraced and visited No Nay Never (USA) last spring.
A half-sister to Group One winners Spring At Last and Sharp Lisa (the dam of Group 1 ATC Metropolitan Stakes winner Foundry and Irish Group III winner and Group 1 placed Housesofparliament), Sharp Susan (USA) has a 2yo Galileo filly and a Frankel yearling colt.