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Classy youngster Defcon stakes a big claim for the Golden Slipper Stakes when he easily won the G3 Black Opal Stakes in Canberra to become the 72nd stakes winner for his noted sire Choisir.

Defcon’s Black Opal win also makes the colt the fifth stakes winner this season by Coolmore’s dual hemisphere stallion led by his G1 winer Japonisme.

Defcon (Chosir x Nuclear Force by Encosta De Lago) was wining at his third race start for the Peter and Paul Snowden stable after showing exciting potrential in trials at the start of the season.

He was placed twice before Sunday’s win which has cemented his place in the Golden Slipper field at Rosehill on Saturday week as his earnings from his three starts have risen to $245,000.

Defcon was the most expensive Choisir yearling to go under the hammer last year when he sold for $340,000 to James Harron Bloodstock in Melbourne.

Bred by Kevin Wacey, he is the first foal out of the six-time winner Nuclear Force, a half-sister to two winners from Nuclear Dance (Geiger Counter).

Nuclear Dancer is a winning half-sister to G3 winner New Smyrna (Rancho Ruler).

Nuclear Force has a yearling filly by Excelebration who sold for $100,000 at the recent Melbourne sale.

The mare also has a filly foal by Wanted and was covered last spring by Foxwedge.

• GAI Waterhouse claimed her fourth win in the Listed Canberra Cup on Sunday when her High Chaparral stayer Hippopus made all the running for an easy win.

It was the second Listed win for Hipopus after his victory in the VRC St Leger in 2013.

The 6YO gelding is now the winner of nine of his 29 starts and $440,470 in prize-money.

Hippopus (High Chaparral x Straight Eight by Danske) was purchased by Waterhouse for NZ$350,000 out of the 2011 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale at Karaka.

He is a brother to the winners High Harmony (High Chaparral) and Hi Flo (High Chaparral) and a half-brother to the Group-placed Mapmaker (Volksraad).

They are out of the Listed-placed Straight Eight, a winning half-sister to G3 winner The Big Bopper (Zabeel).

Straight Eight died recently. Her yearling filly by Rip Van Winkle sold for NZ$80,000 at the recent New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale.

• The David Van Dyke-trained Cosmic Cube (Dehere x So Keen by Jade Hunter) provided his late sire Dehere with his 79th stakes winner when won Sunday’s Listed National Sprint at Canberra.

Dehere died in 2014 aged 23 when standing at stud in Turkey.

• Godolphin filly Italy (Domesday x Retail Therapy by Flying Spur) added to a successful weekend for her sire Domesday when she became his 11th stakes winner with her win in the Listed Canberra Guineas.

It was the second stakes winner in 24 hours for Domesday after Heart Starter won the Listed Lex Piper Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.