Perth Racing are continually looking for ways to recognise and acknowledge the champions of our sport and the legacy they have left on racing in Western Australia.
Whether this be acknowledgement of the equine stars on the track or the many industry participants who have left a footprint on the sport we know and love. One form of this acknowledgement comes in the form of race naming, a process which is intended to pay homage to some of the stars of yesteryear.
Perth Racing, in conjunction with Racing WA and the Australian Trainers’ Association are pleased to announce that the A.T.A. Stakes, run at Ascot each year in mid-December, will be renamed the Colin Webster A.T.A. Stakes. This is of course in honour of the man who dedicated so much of his life to the betterment of thoroughbred racing not only in Western Australia, but across the country.
Colin – best known as Mr Web to those that knew him on the racecourse, or simply ‘Boss’ to the thirty five apprentices and hundreds of strappers and staff that passed through his stables in a career spanning six decades – was not only regarded as an outstanding trainer of horses, but an exceptional human being, whose positive influence on the sport he loved will resonate for years to come.
Equine Stars Honoured
Further to the re-naming of the A.T.A Stakes to the Colin Webster A.T.A Stakes, we acknowledge three star equine performers of yesteryear, DELICACY, PLAYING GOD and SCENIC SHOT; who will also be honoured with race names at Ascot.
DELICACY
DELICACY was an elite Australian Thoroughbred mare, owned by Peters Investments, renowned for winning 12 of her 19 starts and over $2.15 million in prizemoney. A 2015 WA Horse of the Year and 3YO Filly of the Year, she is most famous for her rare 2015 Oaks-Derby double in Western Australia and South Australia. She won a Perth Cup under 59kgs, a record weight-carrying performance for a mare.
She also won the Ascot 1000 Guineas, the race that is now renamed in her honour.
PLAYING GOD
An elite racehorse in his time on the track, PLAYING GOD won the WA Guineas and two G1 Kingston Town Classics (now the G1 Northerly Stakes) as well as placing at the highest level on the east coast, in the G1 CF Orr Stakes and the G1 Turnbull Stakes. Playing God won four Group Races and amassed over $1.6 million in prizemoney. He has become the dominant WA stallion of his generation, standing at Darling View Stud.
SCENIC SHOT
Scenic Shot was a tough, high-class West Australian weight-for-age gelding who raced successfully from sprint trips through to staying distances. He became especially effective in Queensland, winning the Doomben Cup twice and completing the Doomben Cup–Brisbane Cup double in 2009, taking his career earnings to in excess of $3.1 million in prize money. His Mackinnon Stakes win at Flemington confirmed him as a genuine national-level Group 1 horse.
The amendments to race names are summarised below:
| 2026/7 Date | Current Name | Class | Dist. | Age | C/F | New Name |
| 16-Dec | A.T.A STAKES | LR | 2200 | 3UP | COLIN WEBSTER- A.T.A STAKES | |
| 16-Jan | CELEBRATION OF LIFE DAY TROPHY | OT | 1500 | 2UP | PLAYING GOD STAKES | |
| 7-Mar | ASCOT 1000 GUINEAS | LR | 1800 | 3YO | (F) | DELICACY STAKES |
| 20-Mar | GRANDSTAND CUP | LR | 1500 | 2UP | SCENIC SHOT STAKES |
Belmont Park – Corporate Suites Renamed
Additionally, as part of the major renovation project undertaken at Belmont Park Racecourse, Perth Racing has chosen to rename some of the upgraded corporate suites to recognise horses that achieved particular success at the track – HARDRADA, IDYLLIC PRINCE, MATERIAL MAN and GRAND NIRVANA.
MATERIAL MAN made Belmont Park a happy hunting ground, winning two Strickland Stakes, a Hyperion Stakes and a Belmont Sprint as part of eight victories at the track. He also created history when saluting in the 2018 Perth Cup at Ascot for father-daughter combination of Justin and Lucy Warwick (now Lucy Fiore).
IDYLLIC PRINCE won four consecutive Goodwood Sprint at Belmont between 2008 and 2011 for his trainer Jim Taylor, and the race was renamed in his honour in 2015. He retired after winning the 2011 edition (beating the now Champion WA Sire PLAYING GOD). He also won a G2 Lee Steere Stakes, two G3 Prince of Wales Stakes and the G3 Asian Beau Stakes.
Trained by the legendary Fred Kersley, GRAND NIRVANA had a love affair with Belmont Park, winning two Belmont Sprints, two HG Bolton Sprints, two Roma Cups and a Belmont Guineas at the track. He competed at ‘black type’ level (the highest level of thoroughbred racing) in every one of his 51 starts, an incredible achievement.
HARDRADA holds a unique record in the history of Belmont Park, having won both the G1 Railway Stakes and the Winterbottom Stakes at the track for trainer Lou Luciani and jockey Jason Whiting, when they were held here in 2003, whilst Ascot’s track was undergoing a rebuild. He also won the Winterbottom Stakes in 2002, when it was held at Ascot.
