Testa Rossa sired another late season black-type winner when Mighty Rossa captured the Listed Belmont Guineas in Perth on Saturday.  The gelding was sent to the front by leading rider Shaun O’Donnell and repelled several challenges to win the $75,000 feature by a half-length from Tranquility and Bridgestone.

Mighty Rossa (3g Testa Rossa – No Mystery by El Qahira) had been placed at his previous 7 starts without winning even though connections had taken him a far afield as Narrogin for an easy kill.  “I have always had plenty of faith in this horse,” trainer Michael Grant said.  “He had a wind problem early on but is over that now.”

Mighty Rossa is from the final Testa Rossa crop conceived at Yallambee Stud before he was transferred to Vinery in the Hunter Valley.  His stakes winning honour-roll this season is headed by the Group 1 mares Ortensia and Rostova.  He came within a whisker of siring another elite winner when Red Colossus was narrowly beaten by Kidnapped in the G1 South Australian Derby.

Other Testa Rossa stakes winners bred in the Super VOBIS State this season include Sublimity (Listed MVRC Arrow Services St) and Tio Rossa (Listed TRC Strutt Stakes).  Overall, there have been 15 stakes performers among his 123 winners to date in Australia this season.  He is third behind Commands and Redoute’s Choice on the individual winners’ premiership.

Mighty Rossa was bred by Tim Stewart & DHK Investments and was sold to Perth agent John Chalmers for $55,000 when part of the Yallambee Stud draft at the 2008 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.  

His dam No Mystery won four races at Moonee Valley and was stakes placed in Adelaide.  Her earlier winners include No Fanfare (Mister C), No Trouble (Dangerous), Captanpauli (Hemingway) and No Dispute (King of Prussia).   No Mystery has a 2yo filly (Our Saint Mary) and a yearling colt by Swettenham Stud sire Keep The Faith.