A rare combination of pedigree, conformation and performance makes A Time For Julia a better bet than most to leave a mark at stud.
It looked promising when her first foal by Medaglia d'Oro (USA) made $750,000 at the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Optimistically named Famous, he sold for one per cent of that online last year, although he has returned over $104,000 with four wins and five placings.
The second foal of A Time For Julia, the unraced Lonhro filly Antibes, was sent to Great Britain last year.
This brings us to the third foal, As Time Goes By, which aims to break her maiden status in Saturday's Group II Racing And Sports Wakeful Stakes on Derby Day at Flemington.
Carrying the colours of her breeder John Camilleri's Fairways Thoroughbreds, As Time Goes By is a daughter of the Japanese breed-shaper, Deep Impact (JPN).
Trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman, As Time Goes By was highly enough regarded to make her career debut in the Group III David Coles AM Stakes at Morphettville in May, finishing a plodding fifth.
Next seen sixteen weeks later over 1300m at Sandown, As Time Goes By was a promising second to the I Am Invincible filly Tajneed, who was ahead of her again in the Group II Edward Manifold Stakes. However, both had to bow to She's Licketysplit (Turn Me Loose) and Typhoon Titmus, with the former set to contest the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) on Saturday.
As Time Goes By's dam, A Time For Julia, also carried the Fairways Thoroughbred silks with distinction.
Trained by Peter Moody, the daughter of Redoute's Choice won four and placed in six of her 18 starts while banking $444,750.
The highlights came in a pair of Group IIIs, the Bellmaine Stakes at Caulfield and the Wenona Girl Stakes at Randwick, and five of her six placings came in Group races. A Time For Julia was beaten just over two lengths when fourth in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic behind Steps In Time, Sweet Idea and Catkins and ahead of Royal Descent, Dear Demi, and Lucia Valentina.
This line has been a feature here lately, going back to Rainbird, who won the Wakeful in 1994 and the Melbourne Cup a year later.
Rainbird's great-granddaughter, Don Story's beautiful Vain filly Rainbeam, is the granddam of the blue hen Procrastinate.
Bred by the O'Donnell family's Pine Lodge Thoroughbreds, Procrastinate was a more than handy racemare winning six races, including the Group III MRC Tristarc Stakes, defeating Arborea.
A daughter of the Woodlands shuttler Jade Hunter (USA), Procrastinate took little time in making her mark as a broodmare.
Her first foal, Laisserfaire (Danehill), was the most expensive filly at Inglis Easter in 1998 when bought by James Bester on behalf of Sabine Plattner for $575,000.
Among her 12 wins in South Africa were five Group I races. Procrastinate would ultimately take her stakes tally to five.
The Listed MRC Zeditave Stakes winner, Time Thief, a brother to A Time For Julia, was purchased by Darley as a yearling for $2 million.
Foreplay (Danehill), a $625,000 yearling, captured the Listed MRC JRA Stakes.
The $650,000 Galileo (IRE) filly Personify won the Listed SAJC Queen Adelaide Stakes. She would later sell as a broodmare for $2 million and is the dam of the Group 1 VRC Oaks heroine Personal who finished second in the 2020 Wakeful.
Fairway Thoroughbreds purchased Procrastinate in 2007 for $660,000 at the Inglis Broodmare Sale and retained A Time for Julia (Redoute's Choice).
Procrastinate had 16 foals before she passed away at 29 at Segenhoe Stud in February 2019.
Three of her daughters have produced stakes-winners. Here's hoping it's four on Saturday.
