D’Argento Filly Takes WA Classic Winter Stakes Double

The stylish grey filly Ladies Pro is rapidly garnering herself a devoted following, and the daughter of D’Argento rewarded them again with a pulsating win the Listed Belmont Classic (2200m) on Saturday.

Often referred to as Perth’s “Winter Derby” the race offers an opportunity for a quality filly to take on the boys and claim a valuable stakes double after the 2000m Belmont Oaks runs a fortnight earlier.

Ladies Pro is the latest to achieve this double following on from Ihts Closing In (Sessions) in 2023, and Chantrea (Puissance De Lune) in 2020.

After a spectacular Oaks win, in which she demonstrated her superior brand of acceleration to breathtaking effect, punters considered that the Grant and Alana Williams trained Ladies Pro had the measure of the fillies and faced only one real danger among the males – that being the Peters Investments owned Westbound.

The son of Toronado out of Bob Peter’s Perth Cup winning mare Western Jewel had been just as impressive in winning his lead up the Aquanita Stakes, and a good old fashioned match race was on the cards!

No other runner in the small field started under double figures, with the Oaks runner up Pony Up (Dirty Work) at 20/1 and the Aquanita runner up Special Counsel ( Star Witness) at 15/1 the best of them.

The market had struggled to separate Ladies Pro and Westbound all week, but punters unloaded on the filly in the hours leading up to the race and she went to the start a $1.55 favourite with Willie Pike in the saddle.

Westbound stayed strong at $2.60 and had the services of Clint Johnston- Porter. The stage was set for a great battle!

The battle didn’t disappoint. It was tactical and it was on early, as neither Johnston – Porter and Westbound on the rail, or Pike on Ladies Pro who began well, wanted to lead.

Billed as a match race, 3yo D'Argento filly Ladies Pro got the better of Westbound in the run to the line to record consecutive stakes victories, winning the Listed Belmont Classic @PerthRacing for @williamsracing6 🍾🥂@BownessBoss @mmsnippets @shbloodstock @anz_news @breednet pic.twitter.com/DgQuQBu8rR

— Bowness Stud & Watershed Farm (@BownessStud) July 18, 2026

It was up to Royal Guardian to take up the running and lead them past the post first time at a dawdling pace on the slow 7 rated track.

Westbound was racing a little fiercely with Pony Up just ahead of him in second and Ladies Pro at his quarters in fourth.

The pace continued to be farcical until a sudden mid-race move from Holly Watson on the Savabeel filly Savienne who had been marooned out the back last.

Suddenly she whipped around them at lightning speed and the big girl strode out by three lengths in the lead, count on a Kiwi to make a race into a proper staying test!

The pace was genuine as they went down the back of the track and approached the home turn. Pony Up moved up to challenge Savienne, Westbound was starting to stoke up with Pike on Ladies Pro stalking his every move.

Pony Up got the better of Savienne and took the lead, but at the 400m she was collared by Westbound! Punters shouted encouragement to Ladies Pro who was right on his hammer, and the little filly rallied to the call.

At the 200m she had drawn level with Westbound and the two star gallopers dug in for the fight. They were in their own race, everything else was many lengths behind them and both horses gave their all.There was literally nothing between them!

Until, right on the line, Ladies Pro got her head down to win by a short neck.

Westbound was super brave. Eight and a half lengths away Pony Up came home tiredly in third, Special Counsel miles behind her and the rest were in another postcode.

Pike was all praise for the daughter of D’Argento after the race.

“It was a good, fun tactical race. Obviously, I came out on top and it’s always more enjoyable that way!” he said.

“But just the nature of this horse, she allows you to adapt in the run, which is not that easy to do.

“We were stop-start and then all of a sudden, the pace was injected. Every time you ask a question of her, she’s, ‘yep I can do that.

“It was a nice little match race with tactics galore,” said Pike.

“CJ poked up a bit early and almost looked like he was going to lead for a stride, and then he reverse parked and popped off (the inside),

“At first, I tried to contest it, but it’s not in her nature to be wanting to get in a battle so early.

“(In the straight) I poked my head in front quite easily, but then we did have to grind it out. The cerise-and-white (Peters Investments silks) never go away – they’re always up for a challenge – and it was nice to get over them this time.”

Despite the tough win, Pike is unconvinced that Ladies Pro is a true stayer.

“I think she got today’s distance because she’s willing and relaxes so well – but I think that sprint can be utilised in other places,” said the hoop.

Ladies Pro advances her record to 9 starts for five wins and a second which have earned her $275,685 in stakes

The filly was a modest $45,000 purchase for Williams Racing WA / Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) from the draft of her breeder Bowness Stud at the MM Adelaide Yearling Sale.

She races for a big group of owners and has shown ability from day one, winning on debut over 1000m at Belmont last October and running fourth in the G2 WA Guineas at just her third career start.

Bowness Stud stand her sire, So You Think’s G1 Rosehill Guineas winner D’Argento, and bred her from their winning Pierro daughter Il Professionale.

Ladies Pro was the first foal and first to the races from the mare who has made a brilliant start to her breeding career!

Bowness Stud offered her second foal at the 2025 Magic Millions National yearling sale – a colt by Newhaven Park’s Cool Aza Beel. He sold for $45,000 before realising $210,000 at the NZB Ready To Run Sale.

Il Professionale’s current yearling by Profiteer sold for $50,000 earlier this year to Wilson Racing at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale

She is due to foal this season to D’Argento and will be covered by the handsome grey again this spring.

The dam of Il Professionale, O’Perfect One by mighty Danehill won two races and began her breeding career for John Singleton’s Strawberry Hill Stud.

Il Professionelle is one of four winning daughters from the mare, who was initially sent to the USA, where she produced two foals by the Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown.

Her dam Biscay Bird ( Bluebird) was that rare unicorn, a dual G1 producer.

Her son Universal Prince ( Scenic) was a star of the early 2000s with wins in the G1 Canterbury Guineas, Spring Champion, ATC Derby, and at WFA in the Ranvet Stakes at four.

His full sister Universal Queen, like her brother had a brilliant turn of foot, and won the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes among her four black type sprint victories. She was a half sister to four stakes producers, all daughters of the Bluebird mare Biscay Bird.

Biscay Bird was herself a half sister to the dual G1 winner and G1 sire Blevic by Scenic, who would also become an excellent broodmare sire. Their dam Blooms ( Biscay) was the only stakes winner from the Irish-bred Queen’s Garden, a regally bred daughter of Mill Reef and half sister to the fine stayer Meadowville (GB Great Voltigeur Stakes)

This damline traces to Woodlark, a half sister to the legendary quartet of sires Alycidon, Agricola, Acropolis and Borealis, all progeny of Hyperion’s famous Blue Hen Aurora ( family 1-w)

Interestingly, So You Think’s champion mile/middle distance performer and three time G1 winner Think It Over is a close relation of Ladies Pro, being out of Biscay Bird’s daughter Personal Service (Zabeel).

Ladies Pro is bred

Danehill 4m x 3f sex bal

Sadlers Wells 4m x 5f sex balanced

She is linebred and sex balanced to Blue Hen Special via Sadlers Wells and Nureyev, and to the Mill Reef son Shirley Heights.

Blue Hen Lalun via her sons Never Bend and Bold Reason – both High Chaparral and Pierro carry the Sadlers/ Mill Reef cross which brings the brothers together. Pierro also contributes a key Never Bend daughter and another Mill Reef son in Doyoun. Because Ladies Pro descends directly from a Mill Reef mare, this is the big linebreeding factor in her pedigree, supported by:

Sir Ivor sex balanced via Sir Tristram, Storm Bird and Redoutes Choice – his tail male line of Turn-To is family 1-w via Blue Hen Perfume.

So You Think descends from a daughter of Marco Polo, half brother to linebreeding subject My Babu, relation of Klairon carried by Octagonal and of Turn-To.

These sires all descend from Marchetta, a half sister to Rose Red the dam of Ladies Pro ancestress Aurora.

Pierro descends from a daughter of Roberto by Turn-To’s son Hail To Reason, sire of Sadler’s Wells damsire Bold Reason.

Other notable duplications in this pedigree are Round Table, Biscay and Big Game, all sex balanced.

Ladies Pro is one of two stakes winners and ten stakes performers to date sired by D’Argento, who was G1 placed at a mile and as well as being a G1 Guineas winner at three. The G1 SAJC Derby runner-up Statuario is his top money earner to date.

D’Argento stands at Bowness Stud on a fee of $16,500 in 2026.