Epaulette's good week gets even better as Meryl gains a first stakes success

Epaulette was represented by a first stakes winner when the Lee Curtis-trained Meryl came with a storming late run to win the Group 3 Magic Millions BJ McLachlan Stakes at Doomben on Saturday.

The two-year-old, who was having only her second career start, was kept handy in the opening stages of the race before picking up in the home straight to win by three-quarters of a length.

Purchased from this year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for A$150,000 by Randwick Bloodstock and Mystery Downs from the Riversdale Stud draft, Meryl is out of the winning Made Of Gold mare Academy Idol. She is a half-sister to the Listed-placed pair Chosen Idol and Miss Idyllic with Academy Idol in turn a half-sister to the Group 3 winner Cosmic Strike.

A breakthrough stakes success for Epaulette comes just a week after supplying his first winner in the southern hemisphere when Katy's Daughter struck at the Gold Coast for Steven O'Dea.

The dual Group 1 hero, who will stand the 2018 breeding season at Kildangan Stud at a fee of €7,000, has supplied 23 winners in Europe in 2017.

The best of his winners in Britain and Ireland is the Ger Lyons-trained Mcmunigal who was last seen finishing second in the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown in October.

If you enjoyed this, you should read

From new starters to stalwarts, the price is right for these 20 sires

Round-up of 2018 prices for sires in Britain and Ireland

For complete coverage of racing and bloodstock in Australia and New Zealand, download ANZ Bloodstock News every day