Neville Parnham trained Playing God to win the Kingston Town Classic in 2010 and 2011 so it was fitting he would have the honour of training Playing God’s first Group 1 winner and it just happened to come in the 2019 edition of the final Group 1 of the year.
The lone 3-year-old filly in the race, Kay Cee used her 9kg pull in the weight to overhaul a gallant Gailo Chop (FR) (Deportivo) by half a length with Godolphin’s luckless Best Of Days (GB) (Azamour) the same distance back in third.
It was a fourth win in the race for Parnham’s son Steven who was in the saddle in both wins by Playing God.
“It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had on a racetrack,” Steve Parnham said.
“I’ve worked so hard for this. It’s probable the biggest challenge I’ve had in racing to get my weight down.
“Playing God was my first Group 1 and it was a very special moment as it was also dad’s first Group 1 and to win the same race on one of his progeny is unbelievable.
“She (Kay Cee) is as tough as they come and she has just improved and cops everything that has been thrown at her.”
Neville Parnham said training the first Group 1 winner by Playing God made the victory all the more sweeter.
“It’s a very big thrill to win with a horse I think a lot of,” he said.
“And she’s by Playing God so it’s a really big thrill.
“Steve is a great form student and he does things right. I knew he had a plan.
“Steven came up with an interesting stat, there has never been a horse to run past her in a race, that’s how much form he does.
“It’s great to win with a daughter of Playing God. I believed in that horse. We didn’t geld him because we though he was not mature enough in the early days. At three he just kept on winning. We took him east and he ran four or five Group 1 placings there, Australian Guineas, Australia Cup, Turnbull Stakes, all the good races the came home to win another Kingston Town.
“It’s great to have him in Western Australia. We need a good stallion and he is by Blackfriars who has sadly passed on so I hope he can fill that void.”
Winner of the Listed Burgess Queen Stakes at Ascot on November 5, Kay Cee advances her record to 4 wins, 2 seconds and 1 third from 9 starts with earnings of $925,200.
A homebred for the Edwards family, Kay Cee is the only winner from two to race out of the lightly raced McFlirt mare Flirt ‘N’ Hope who is a daughter of the popular racemare Lizzy Long Legs whose nine wins included the Group III WATC AJ Scahill Stakes.
Remarkably, Playing God struggled for patronage in his first three seasons but he covered a career high 75 mares last season despite having his fee increased from $4,400 to $11,000 at Mungrup Stud.
