Steel City provides first stakes winner for Ascot hero Merchant Navy

After suffering a horror run in last month's Blue Diamond Stakes, the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Steel City bounced back to win Saturday's Group 3 Magic Night Stakes at Rosehill and in the process awarded her sire Merchant Navy with his first stakes winner. 

Ridden by Reagan Bayliss, Steel City broke impressively from barrier one and was sent straight into the lead. After rounding the turn, Bayliss asked the filly to increase the tempo and she responded in fine style, skipping away easily to beat Blanc De Blanc  by two and three-quarter lengths, while August Bloom was a further quarter of a length away in third.

Prior to her run in the Blue Diamond, Steel City had performed well at stakes level, finishing second on debut at Rosehill, a performance she followed up with a second place finish in the Widden Stakes. 

Co-trainer Maher was reluctant to make raceday plans, but said if the filly came out of the race in good order she would likely return to Rosehill for the Golden Slipper Stakes next weekend and should she take that path she will be looking to become the seventh filly to land the double, with Godolphin’s 2018 Golden Slipper winner Kiamichi the most recent horse to take out the Group 3 en route to glory in the Group 1. 

"I was hoping that would happen last start but anyway, we'll take it today," Maher said. "That happens sometimes in racing, hopefully it was all for the better, she pulls up well and we can make amends next week." 

Purchased by her trainer and co-owners Best Bloodstock for A$700,000 (£383,000/€433,000) at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2022, Steel City becomes the third winner from three runners out of the Group 3 winner Pittsburgh Flyer (by Street Cry), making her a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner September Run.

Pittsburgh Flyer herself was bought by Paul Moroney and Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock for A$500,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and in 2021 she produced a colt by Exceed And Excel and after slipping to that stallion the following, the mare was covered by I Am Invincible last September. 

A winner of the 2017 Coolmore Stud Stakes for Aaron Purcell, who was appointed the interim trainer while Maher served a ban, Merchant Navy was then transferred to Irish champion trainer Aidan O’Brien for whom he won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2018 after which he retired to Coolmore Stud in the Hunter Valley. 

The son of Fastnet Rock has produced 22 winners and he stood for a fee of A$27,500 (inc GST) in 2022.  

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