Farnan, the 2020 Golden Slipper winner, made his mark as a sire on Sunday when his progeny dominated the Black Opal Stakes at Canberra. His sons, King Of Pop and Farcited, ran first and second in the Group 3 feature over 1200 metres.
King Of Pop’s victory extended the dominance of colts and geldings in the race, with the gelding becoming the 39th male horse to claim the title since the event’s inception in 1973.
“I have had him down as a Golden Slipper horse,” said co-trainer Gerald Ryan, who is hoping King Of Pop has earned enough prize money to secure a spot in the prestigious two-year-old race.
For jockey Zac Lloyd, the win marked his first success in the Black Opal Stakes, while Ryan notched his fourth victory in the event, with his first dating back to 1996 when Paint took out the race.
“Paint came off winning the Blue Diamond, Trapeze Artist won it at his second race, and I think he (King Of Pop) is as good as any of them,” Ryan said of his promising two-year-old, who had previously won on debut at Warwick Farm.
Lloyd praised King Of Pop’s professionalism, saying, “He jumped well, he settled nicely and is still learning but he is a nice horse going forward.”
Farcited, who won the Black Opal Preview, set a strong pace before being caught late, finishing a neck behind his stablemate, while stablemate Sanctified ($11) completed the Ryan & Alexiou-trained trifecta in third.
“The third horse went super,” Ryan said. “He worked so well last Saturday that I said to Sterling that we might as well throw him in the race as well.”
Earlier in the day, Snow In May ($2.70) secured another feature win for trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton in the Canberra Guineas (1400m), following Linebacker’s victory in the Randwick Guineas. Meanwhile, Tim Clark guided Palmetto ($3.50) to victory in the Canberra Cup (2000m), claiming his fifth win in the race.