The open juvenile event at Ascot in Perth on Saturday was won by the Fred Kersley trained first starter Russell Road, a half-brother by King’s Best (USA) to last season’s champion West Australian Two Year Old, Roman Time.

Russell Road led all the way in scoring an impressive win and could well follow in the footsteps of Roman Time, with whom Fred Kersley won both the Group Two WATC Karrakatta Plate and Group Three WATC Sires Produce Stakes last season.

Russell Road and Roman Time are from the smart producer True Roman, whose yearling colt by Xaar (GB) was also snapped up by Fred Kersley for $50,000 at the recent Magic Millions Sale in Perth.

A ten year-old mare by Is It True (USA) True Roman is a half-sister to stakes-winners Grey Man and Tolo Harbour, her grand-dam being champion mare Maybe Mahal.

The mare was secured by Anton Koolman Bloodstock for a Shanghai based client while in foal to Xaar (GB) and was subsequently covered by the young Danehill (USA) stallion Bearcat, a full brother to Golden Slipper winner and highly successful sire Catbird.

The resulting filly produced last spring is a three-quarter sister to Roman Time, who is by Danehill’s ill-fated sire son Danetime (IRE). She will be offered at Perth Magic Millions next year and True Roman is back in foal to Bearcat again.

Bearcat stands at Taunton Vale Stud near Bunbury in WA in the care of Kent and Nina Johnston and has been extremely popular in covering 81 mares in his first season and 120 last spring at an introductory fee of $4,400.

Such has been his popularity with WA breeders that Bearcat (pictured left) will have a slight fee increase for 2008 going to $5,500.