Unbeaten Testa Rossa mare Enticing Star has taken a crucial step towards Perth’s summer carnival with a comeback win at Ascot.

The Bob Peters homebred was resuming last Saturday after being sidelined since July 2017.  Given all the favours by champion jockey Willie Pike, she didn’t go around a horse for a two-length victory in the Belmont City of Opportunity Hcp (1000m).

Enticing Star had won her first two starts by a combined 8 lengths but escaped her racecourse stall at Belmont and sustained injuries to the abdomen, ribs and legs.  “Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that she had that time off,” Peters said this week.  “Hopefully, she will progress through the grades and get to feature races.”

Perth’s leading owner-breeder has won black-type with Testa Rossa geldings Ranger (Lee-Steere Stakes Gr.2) and Dark Alert (Pinjarra Cup LR).

“Even though there are big wraps on her, I thought she would be a bit vulnerable first-up over 1000m today,” trainer Adam Durrant revealed.  “But I knew she had the quality to be in the mix and there’s certainly a good race in her.”

Enticing Star (4m Testa Tossa – Favourite Star by More Than Ready) is closely related to Group 2 winners Perfect Jewel (WA Guineas) and Star Exhibit (Perth Cup).  Peters bought into the family at the 2001 Inglis Easter yearling sale when he purchased their second dam Lady Ashford (Royal Academy) for $130,000 from Vinery.

Testa Rossa is in semi-retirement at Vinery after maintaining a tremendous 73% winning strike-rate throughout his stud career.

There are three yearlings from his penultimate crop catalogued for the Magic Millions National Sale next month.  Among them is Baramul Stud’s filly from Tsutsumi (Lot 2074) who is a half-sister to Light Up The World (AJC Challenge Stakes Gr.2) and the dams of Group 1 winners Bentley Biscuit and Thorn Park.