Peters homebred Western Empire is the 11th Gr1 winner for Iffraaj winning Perth’s Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot.
A dominant win for Western Empire, poised to challenge into the home straight then accelerating clear for a comprehensive victory.
It is the seventh win from 12 starts for the Peters-homebred, winner of the WA Derby last season and the fourth consecutive winner of this race for owner / trainer and jockey.
The Grant and Alana Williams-trained Western Empire is one of 81 stakes winners for Iffraaj who also has Italian Gr.1 winner Benvenue with Mill Reef as his maternal grandsire, Mill Reef the sire of Western Empire’s maternal grandsire Marooned.
Western Empire has two strains of the Canadian Oaks winner Flaming Page through Nijinsky and The Minstrel and Iffraaj has enjoyed good success with mares carrying Nijinsky including Gr1 winners Western Empire and the New Zealand Derby winner Gingernuts.
Iffraaj has Gr2 Lancashire Oaks winner The Black Princess whose fourth dam is by Nijinsky while Canadian Gr2 winner Ikerrin Road is out of a mare by Fantastic Light and German Gr3 winner Only The Brave out of a mare by Hernando.
This Nijinsky influence is also being seen to good effect through Iffraaj’s Gr1 winning son Wootton Basset who has Gr1 winners Almanzor and Audarya out of mares carrying Green Dancer and Zellie whose maternal grandsire is Sky Classic.
Wootton Bassett also has this year’s Gr2 winner Royal Patronage whose maternal grandsire is Kahyasi and Gr3 winner Guildsman whose dam carries Green Dancer and Mill Reef.
Iffraaj has the Australian Gr3 winner Ayrton whose maternal grandsire is by Bakharoff, a son of The Minstrel.
Western Empire is a half-brother to the LR.Bunbury Stakes winner Western Temple (Dream Ahead) and to Perth winners Western Pride (Animal Kingdom) and Western King (Animal Kingdom).
Their dam Western Jewel (Jeune) is 4×4 Nijinsky and won the Gr2 Perth Cup, she a half-sister to LR Raconteur Stakes at Ascot winner Western Blaze.
The third-dam Timeless Action (Serheed) is a sister to Gr3 Strickland Stakes winner Timeless Action.
Much further back Western Empire descends from Hebrew Maid (Orion), third-dam of New Zealand Champion Beau Vite (Beau Pere) and ancestress of multiple Gr.1 winner and current successful sire Ocean Park (Thorn Park) among many other major winners.