Sunrays shines with Doomben win to make family proud

Unbeaten filly Sunrays, the great granddaughter of a Group 1 placegetter, is forging her own promising career after a powerful win at Doomben on Saturday.

Two-year-old filly Sunrays (right) maintains her unbeaten record with an impressive win at Doomben. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

Staging once gave the legendary galloper Chief De Beers a run for his money in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 and now her great granddaughter has emerged as a young filly on the rise in Queensland.

Staging, who finished second in the 1998 Doomben 10,000 won by Chief De Beers, was raced by Queenslanders Peter and Wendy Moran and all of her foals were bred by the Morans.

Staging was the mother of gallopers such as Duporth, Excites and Tickets and further down the family tree Sunrays is now staking her claim as a highly promising two-year-old.

The Kelly Schweida-trained filly made it a pair of consecutive wins to kick-off her career when she produced a powerful late burst to score the QTIS 2YO Handicap (1110m) under jockey Cejay Graham.

Sunrays was strongly backed from $3.60 to $3.10 favourite and didn’t let her backers down.

Peter Moran said a trip to the Sydney spring carnival could now be a chance for Sunrays, who races in the same colours as Staging.

☀️ Sunrays makes it two from two and wins the first at Doomben for @CejayGraham1 and @schweidaracing!@BrisRacingClubpic.twitter.com/YWRHCHYWKO

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) February 8, 2025

“She is the great granddaughter of Staging,” a proud Moran said.

“One disappointment with Staging was when she raced in the Doomben 10,000 – Chief De Beers won the race but General Nediym (who ran third) knocked into my mare and split her leg open and she still ran second.

“I gave up horses about four years ago, I moved up north and went fishing, but then I got a bit bored.

“I have Sunrays because she is out of the (Staging) family, I always kept one mare out of the family.

“The main aim will probably be in Queensland winter carnival but if she has got another run in her this campaign, it might be nice to take her to the Sweet Embrace Stakes (in Sydney) but we will see how she pulls up and I will talk to Kelly.”

Sunrays races away to win at Doomben. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

It was the start of a good day for Schweida, whose colt Grafterburners finished fourth in the $2m Inglis Millennium in Sydney and banked an $88,000 prizemoney cheque for connections.

Meanwhile, one-time Victorian trainer Maureen Harry scored her first Doomben win with Arizona Dreaming prevailing in the BM70 Handicap over 2200m.

Harry, who now trains at Deagon, used to put the polish on grand Victorian performer Bomber Bill when she trained out of Warrnambool.

“I’ve been up here in Brisbane almost three years,” Harry said.

“I’ve only got the one horse in work, he’s my boy.

“This horse has been a bit of work, he’s had really bad feet which I had to keep on top of.

“I have won a Group 3 race in Melbourne (in 2006) with Bomber Bill, but this is the first city winner I’ve had here (in Brisbane).

Originally published as Sunrays shines with Doomben win to make family proud