18 July 2018 | Paul Courts
SATURDAY night’s Southern Cross heats at Globe Derby shape as another family affair for the descendants of broodmare gem Lifeline.
Already responsible as the dam, grand dam and great grand dam of five Southern Cross champions, the unraced Lifeline will be represented by three members of her family during the weekend’s qualifiers.
Heading the charge is Thats Perfect, which is back to defend the title he won last season.
Thats Perfect is by Art Major from Perfect Life, which also produced Perfect Look to capture the 2017 Three-Year-Old Fillies’ Final on the same night as Thats Perfect’s Group Two triumph.
Thats Perfect will begin from barrier six in the second heat for three-year-old colts and geldings.
A grand daughter of Lifeline, Perfect Life is a half-sister to dual Southern Cross winner, Beauty Secret.
Successful in the 2011 and ’12 editions of the futurity, Beauty Secret will be chasing her ‘third’ win as the dam of Best Of Beauty
Set to contest the same division as Thats Perfect, Best Of Beauty has also drawn six in the third heat.
Shes Fine rounds out the Lifeline connection, with the daughter of Shadow Play and Arts Image – a daughter Lifeline – to come from gate three.
Shes Fine made her debut with a soft win at Kilmore on June.
Lifeline, which is also responsible for Southern Cross winners Punch Line and Lovelist, is closely-related to another pair of Southern Cross stars – Our Celebrity and Rocknroll Magic.
The family traces back to broodmare wonder Larrakeyah Lady, which boasts nine winners from 10 starters, including Safe And Sound, Massarua, Gold Rocket and The Good Times.
Record-breaking horsewoman Emma Stewart prepared each of the Southern Cross winners in the clan and is the trainer of Thats Perfect, Best Of Beauty and Shes Fine.
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