Darling View Thoroughbreds stallion Playing God has won his fourth WA Sires’ Premiership in a row with 81 winners of 133 races for earnings of $7,515,470.
Playing God (Blackfriars) sired a career best six individual Stakes winners headed by leading earner Rope Them In with prizemoney of $569,200 in 2025-26. The Steve Wolfe part-owned and trained sprinter was also chief earner last season after winning the $370,000 Bluff Knoll (1099m) in Albany.
Rope Them In (Photo / Western Racepix) won the LR Crawford Stakes (1200m) in the spring and G3 Roma Cup (1100m) in April and other multiple feature winners included Almighty Class (LR Cyril Flower Stakes), Rissoles (LR Sheila Gwynne Classic), Wonderfully Made (G3 WA Oaks), Playin’It Sweet (LR Burgess Queen Stakes) and Vatican Storm (LR Raconteur Stakes).
Vatican Storm defeated unbeaten filly Hot And High (Too Darn Hot) in a duel that signalled they’re both bound for summer carnival campaigns.
The Raconteur result took Playing God’s black-type tally to 28 individual winners of 49 races and it left Ascot trainer Stefan Vahala singing the praises of Western Australia’s reigning champion sire.
“He’s by Playing God and they’re tough and versatile,” Vahala declared. “He’s awesome with Group 1 ability and will keep growing in confidence in his next prep.”
Playing God commenced 2025-26 with Who’s Your Mama a Carnarvon winner for trainer Ray Malpass on the opening day of the season. The 7yo mare led home a Playing God quinella from 10 year-old gelding Lacevinsky.
Sense Of Power was his 81st and final individual winner on the penultimate day of the season at Bunbury on Thursday. He’s a Darling View homebred for Clive, Trish and Brent Atwell and it sparked premiership drinks all round at Mundijong on Friday.
Ridgeport Farm stallion Rommel (Commands) claimed his second WA 2YO Sires’ title with progeny earnings of $833,110. The best of his five individual winners was Maria Lucia in the RL Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) and it was the first-leg of a Rommel feature double at Pinjarra filled out by Twisted Steel in the RL Magic Millions WA 3YO Trophy (1200m).
Maria Lucia was bred and sold by Mogumber Park for $105,000 at the 2025 Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale. Over and above a major portion of the $250,000 purse, her owner Maureen Daly also collected a $60,000 Magic Millions WA Racing Women’s Bonus.
Darling View freshman Splintex (Snitzel) finished third behind Rommel and Gingerbread Man (Shamardal) to claim WA First-Season honours with earnings of $476,410.. He had 28 individual starters which bettered the prior high of 20 starters by Rommel in 2020-21.
Oratorio (Stravinsky) won his fifth WA Broodmare Sires’ premiership in the last six seasons with 43 winners of 84 races for prizemoney of $4.22 million. Playing God filly Playin’it Sweet was top of the dial with $549,980. The former Mungrup Stud Champion won five WA 2yo titles between 2008-09 and 2014-15.
Peters Investments ruled the Leading WA Breeders table once again with its NZ-bred gelding Cosmic Crusader (Maurice) a Group 1 winner of the Northerly Stakes (1800m) at Ascot in December.
He also won the MRC Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Group 3 level as did the Peters Investments NZ-bred gelding Western Empire (Iffraaj) in the Belmont Stakes (1200m), Hyperion Stakes (1600m) and Strickland Stakes (2000m).
Diamond Scene (So You Think) was the first of their 2025-26 Group 3 winners in the Eurythmic Stakes (2000m) at Ascot in October.
The Peters Investments strike-rate in Listed events included Sentimental Hero (Al Maher) – Kalgoorlie and Boulder Cups, London’s Image (Headwater) – Pinjarra Classic, NZ-bred Arcadia Park (Ocean Park) – Bunbury Cup and Westbound (Toronado) – Aquanita Stakes.
