Written by Bren O'Brien
The final stakes race of the Australian racing season, the Listed Lightning S. at Morphettville, will present talented-but-quirky filly Parlophone (I Am Invincible) with a rare opportunity to become the first dual winner of the race in 41 years.
The Lightning S. is an interesting end-of-season race in that it is open to both two and 3-year-olds, and it has produced some quality winners over its 50-year history.
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, it was won by Group 1-winning sprinters such as Redelva (Romantic Hope), Clay Hero (Proud Hero) and Street Ruffian (Raffindale {GB}), while in recent years subsequent Group 1 winners Viddora (I Am Invincible) and Nature Strip (Nicconi) have added their names to the honour board early in their brilliant careers.
The 2018 edition saw then 3-year-old Nature Strip thrash 2-year-old filly Sunlight (Zoustar) by nearly 6l, and in the intervening years they have won a combined nine Group 1 races between them.
It is doubtful that such future success will visit the 13 runners engaged at Morphettville on Saturday, but the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Parlophone gets her shot at emulating Oenjay Star (Royal Yacht {GB}) (1979-1980) and Eastern Court (John's Court {GB}) (1970-1971) as multiple winners of the race.
The enigmatic filly looked a future star when she blitzed her rivals by 3l in the race last year, but a combination of bad luck and bad manners has seen her fail to register another victory since.
Co-trainer Michael Kent Jnr is as confident as he can be that the stable has got Parlophone ready to make an impression on the spring, starting with Saturday.
"We couldn't be more happy with the way she has come up this time in. She's had a really solid prep. She's been back in work for three-and-a-half-months which tells you where she is at," Kent Jnr told TDN AusNZ.
"She's had three jump-outs and her behaviour has been exemplary. She looks great and the physio has been really happy with her. As far as everything we have done to this point, we can't get her any fitter without getting her to the races."
"She's (Parlophone) had three jump-outs and her behaviour has been exemplary. She looks great and the physio has been really happy with her." - Michael Kent Jnr
While she is a filly of undoubted talent, Parlophone has bucked on three previous occasions coming out of the barriers as a younger horse. She also failed to perform at her best through a three-run summer campaign.
"She's extremely quirky. It's up to her now to show us her best. We have done everything we can for her," he said.
Michael Kent Jnr
Kent Jnr said Parlophone has undergone notable physical development ahead of this campaign.
"She's put on more weight, but it's through her chest and her hip. She's not a tall, leggy filly, she's got a lot of strength though."
The co-trainer feels this edition of the Lightning S. is stronger than it was 12 months ago, and while he does harbour concerns about her effectiveness on a significantly rain-affected track, he said it was the right race to kick her off in to see if she can add to her already considerable residual value as a broodmare.
A family on the rise
Bred and raced by a syndicate led by Geoff Walsh and Lindsay Maxsted and raced in the same colours as Group 1 winners such as Inference and Align, Parlophone hails from a family that has grown significantly in stature in the previous few years.
Her dam, Roulettes (Flying Spur), was also bred by the same connections, and has produced four winners from four to the track. Among them is Group 3-winning son of Zoustar, Sun City, who is about to serve his second season at Telemon Stud, while another son, Spin (I Am Invincible), was stakes placed in Australia before being sold to Singapore.
A further measure of the value of the family is the fact that the unraced 2-year-old Mars Mission (Deep Field) was purchased for $800,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2020 by Alan Bell, with Walsh, Maxsted and partners remaining in the ownership.
Mars Mission as a yearling
Bell recently told TDN AusNZ that expectations are strong for Mars Mission, who is with Team Hawkes, and he is expected to debut in the coming weeks, with the colt holding a nomination for the G1 Golden Rose S. in September.
That puts a slightly different complexion on the commercial value of Parlophone as a broodmare, something Kent Jnr is very much aware of.
"We are extremely fortunate that we were given her to train. She would have fetched a good price in the yearling sales (ring) and by gaining that black type she has got that extra value and she will be a very good broodmare in the future," he said.
"She's what the market craves. She's got early speed and is very gifted. Knowing how much talent she has, I'm sure when the time comes, we’d love to train her offspring. She should do a great job in the breeding barn."
"She's (Parlophone) got early speed and is very gifted. Knowing how much talent she has, I'm sure when the time comes, we’d love to train her offspring." - Michael Kent Jnr
That aspect of her career is still on hold, with Kent Jnr hoping that she can still prove herself on the racetrack.
"I really hope she puts her best foot forward. She has had a really good prep. Everything has gone to plan and nothing has gone wrong. There are no more barrier issues with her, her jump-outs have been very good and her gallops have been super," he said.
"She's clean in the wind, she's sound and she's as good as we can have her."
