A two-time Group winner last season at two, quality I Am Invincible filly Queen of the Ball franked the strong form of the recent Group III ATC Silver Shadow Stakes when scoring a sizzling front running victory in the Group III MVRC Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
Queen of the Ball leads all the way - image Grant Courtney
The Michael Freedman trained filly resumed from a spell in the Silver Shadow finishing fourth behind Zougotcha, In Secret and North Star Lass, with all three of those fillies coming out to win Group races at their next start.
Given that formline, Queen of the Ball always looked well placed in this assignment and was ridden a heady race by Blake Shinn, crossing quickly to the fence to take up the lead and controlling the race throughout.
She sped clear to win by more than a length over last start stakes-winner Troach taking her overall record to three wins from seven starts with prizemoney topping $420,000.
“She’s a really talented filly, high speed, tenacious, ran in the Slipper and trained on at three which is great to see,” said Blake Shinn.
“We owned the race from the start, used her speed and once I got control of the front I knew she’d be hard to run down.
“She has a good fighting spirit and was strong at 1200m. Who knows where she might end up, Michael (Freedman) might go to a Coolmore with her or might aim a little bit lower, but I think she is a filly of high quality.”
Queen of the Ball is a homebred for Go Bloodstock - image Grant Courtney
A homebred for Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock that was foaled and raised at Newgate Farm, Queen of the Ball is the first foal from stakes-winning Fastnet Rock mare Miss Debutante, who was also raced by Go Bloodstock and was bought as a yearling from the Kia Ora draft at Inglis Easter in 2015 for $430,000.
Miss Debutante is from imported Group II winning More Than Ready mare More than Real (USA), whose dam and grand-dam are also stakes-winners, so Queen of the Ball has a Black Type direct female lineage to be proud of.
Miss Debutante has a two year-old filly by Zoustar that was sold at Magic Millions for $620,000 to Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott/Kestrel Thoroughbreds, She has been named Platinum Jubilee and won her first barrier trial at the official trials at Randwick on Monday. Read about her here.
Miss Debutante has a yearling filly by Written Tycoon and is due to foal to Flying Artie.
Queen of the Ball is the third Australian stakes-winner of the new season for Yarraman Park’s reigning champion sire I Am Invincible, who has the favourite In Secret in the $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose on Saturday.
