Let there be Light

The pedigree of Lights Of Heaven, a seven-length debut winner on Sunday at Cranbourne, is a wonderful blend of speed and stamina, but also traces to a famous, much-loved filly.

Lights Of Heaven, trained by Peter Moody, is by champion sire Zabeel from the very smart racemare I’m In Heaven, a daughter of the top-class New Zealand stallion Volksraad (GB) (by Green Desert (USA)) from Cent From Heaven, a daughter of the exceptional broodmare sire Centaine.

It is this “zippy” female line that gives Lights In Heaven the pace to skip over 1200m metres well clear of her rivals when most Zabeels are only getting warmed up at twice the trip.

But there is more depth to the pedigree when you research back a few generations. The sixth dam of the filly is the famous mare Chicquita (br m 1946, Blank (GB)-Starr Faithfull, by Equator (GB)).

Chicquita was a darling of the post-war period in Melbourne, winning in the 1949 spring all the major races for 3YO fillies – the VRC Oaks, Thousand Guineas, Wakeful Stakes and Edward Manifold Stakes. She returned as a spring 4YO mare to win the Craiglee Stakes and Feehan Stakes, and the following year she won another Craiglee Stakes, a Liston Stakes and an Alister Clark Stakes. She also finished second to Comic Court in the 1950 Melbourne Cup.

Chicquita was one mare who didn’t leave all her class on the racetrack. As a broodmare, she produced the sensational juvenile Eskimo Prince (by Todman), winner of the 1964 Golden Slipper, one of his seven Stakes wins before he was sold by owner Perc Galea to race in America. Chicquita also produced the quality stayer Comicquita (by her Melbourne Cup conqueror Comic Court), who finished second behind Even Stevens in the 1962 Melbourne Cup, and the handy galloper King Nero (by Empyrean (GB)), winner of the Herbert Power Handicap.

Chicquita left only three fillies, although it was the two daughters by Star Kingdom (IRE) who have left their mark and carried Chicquita’s legacy to beyond the famous signature stables, Chicquita Lodge – now occupied by trainer Mike Moroney – named after her along the back of the Flemington racetrack.

Sirikit (1960) is the granddam of the South Australian Derby winner Vacuum (by Agricola (GB)), while Starquita (1959) produced the New Zealand Derby winner Mansingh (by Wilkes) and the brilliant filly With Respect (by Rego). It is through Starquita’s daughter Ciquita (by Oncidium (GB)) that we get to Lights Of Heaven. Chicquita’s final foal, a filly by Dies (GB) named Dittani, left only two foals of little consequence – that line to Chicquita has long been extinct.

Lights Of Heaven comes from the Zabeel-Danzig cross that has produced Group 1 winners Maldivian, Zabrasive, Vengeance Of Rain, Fiumicino and Dizelle.

Volksraad has been an outstanding sire in New Zealand – a six-time champion sire of 45 Stakes winners – particularly of fillies. He is expected to be a good broodmare sire and he has 13 daughters who have produced Stakes winners, but surprisingly only Zarzuela (Group 2 Great Northern Guineas winner) is by his fellow headliner Zabeel.

PHOTO: I’m In Heaven’s yearling filly, by Darci Brahma, selling as lot 920, at the 2011 Karaka Select Yearling Sale early next month.