Black Felix emerged as one of the rising stars of Western Australian racing when he cruised home in Saturday’s listed Placid Ark Stakes (1200m) at Ascot.

Prepared by former champion Perth jockey Stephen Miller, Black Felix took the step to stakes grade in his stride and continued his winning streak in style.

In winning, Black Felix made it a feature race double for his sire Blackfriars and he also turned the attention to his yearling full brother who is being prepared for February’s 2011 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.

Connections of Black Felix have always had a big opinion of their three-year-old and he justified those thoughts when he backed up after winning last Saturday to score at his first stakes race start in emphatic style.

“I won this race a number of years back on a mare called Ellicorsam,” a delighted Stephen Miller said. “I rated her as one of the best horses I’d ridden.”

“I’m not saying this horse is in the same class as her but he’s a very good horse,” he added.

“He’s still a very immature horse. I know he will be well placed – we’ll be looking after him.”

“I just hope and pray that everything goes right with the horse.”

Miller said Black Felix could have one more break before he is sent for a well deserved break so he can mature further.

“He’ll probably run next over 1400 metres – that’s dependent on the horse. We’ve got a couple of weeks to decide – but he’ll have a spell after that race if we go there.”

The highly promising three-year-old has already earned over $155,000 (plus a $20,000 bonus) from just five starts – four of them winning runs.

That’s not bad considering just $30,000 was needed to buy him at last year’s Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.

At the post Black Felix ($4.60) held a length and a half margin over the last start stakes winner Even Astar ($3.50 fav).

Proud Hero ($21) was a similar margin back in third place – a nose in front of Sound System ($20) who came from last in an eye catching performance.

The yearling full brother to Black Felix heading to the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale has been catalogued as lot number 332 and a bay colt who is Westspeed eligible.

The youngster is the latest yearling from the twice winning Royal Abjar mare Catch the Cat.

She is a daughter of the Burgess Queen Stakes runner-up Pic Light – an Is It True daughter of Edge of Darkness.

The family is backed with Western Australian based stakes winners – they include Crimson Medal, Platinum Medal, Lawmaker, Hardrada and Storm Alert.

Blackfriars, the sire of Black Felix, is the hottest sire in the country with a stakes double over the past two weeks – with four individual gallopers – at distances ranging from 1200 to 2100 metres.

“No sire is in better form anywhere,” Magic Millions Perth Manager Murray Tillett said. “The Blackfriars progeny are flying and Black Felix looks one of the most promising young horses in the state.”

The 2011 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale will be held at the Belmont Park sales complex over four sessions from February 9 to 13.

Winner: Black Felix (Blackfriars-Catch the Cat)
Race: WATC Placid Ark Stakes LR (1200m)
Passed for: $24,000
Sale: 2009 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale
Vendor: L Rogers
Reserve: $30,000
Earnings: $155,200
Owner(s): LP Rogers, J Whyte, TK Sanders, RV Wilson, KA Gould, JH Moran, TW Warrick, A Leggat, P Bennet & AA Hunt
Trainer: Stephen Miller (Lark Hill)