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Classy Sydney mare Shumookh and her impressive three-year-old stablemate Thinkin’ Big made Saturday’s Caulfield Cup meeting a special day for a number of connections.

Shumookh, a home bred mare for the Hunter Valley’s Emirates Park, recorded her second stakes win in the G2 Tristarc Stakes with the goal to now see her emulate her dam Shamekha with a G1 win.

Shumookh continues a fine 2018 for Emirates Park after the stud notched its second Golden Slipper winner with the home-bred Estijaab and Santos proving one the best colts of his generation by capturing the G2 Skyline Stakes.

The Gai Waterhouse/Adrian Bott-trained Shumookh has won three of her nine outings with a further four placings. She recorded her first stakes victory in the G2 Golden Pendant at Rosehill on September 22.

Her big goal is the G1 Empire Rose Classic over 1600m at November 3 where a win would add huge valuje to her outstanding pedigree.

One of 10 individual stakes winners by Emirates Park resident Dream Ahead, Shumookh is out of the Secret Savings mare Shamekha, a 3-time G1 winner of $1.9 million.

Emirates Park raced both Secret Savings and Shamekha, the dam of five other winners including G2 placed Shahad.

Shamekha, recently covered by Zoustar, has an unraced 2YO Shuwaamekh in work with Waterhouse and Bott.

Shamkeha is from Lifetime Story (Don’t Say Halo), a half sister to G2 winner and sire Brave Warrior (Cossack Warrior) and the G2-placed Al Faaris (Cossack Warrior).

Dream Ahead’s 10 individual stakes winners include European G1 winner Al Wukair and G2 winners Dark Vision and Donjuan Triumphant and Queensland G3 winner Dreams Aplenty.

July Cup winner Dream Ahead remains in Emirates Park ownership and has had five stakes winners in Australia.

The Emirates Park property at Murrurundi at the top end of the Hunter Valley was leased by the Fung family’s Aquis Farm last year with the deal including Dream Ahead and other members of the stallion roster.

Aquis Farm is now standing 14 stallions split between its Queensland base near the Gold Coast and Emirates Park.

Owned by the Fung family, Aquis has had nearly 100 wins this year including six Group winners and two G1 placegetters.

High Chaparral colt Thinkin’ Big is a firm favourite for the Victoria Derby after his dominant victory at Caulfield in the G3 Ladbrokes Stakes.

Thinkin’ Big had won the G3 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Rosehill before his third in the G1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) on a heavy track at Randwick.

Waterhouse said the wet track at Randwick hindered the colt’s performance in the Spring Champion Stakes.

“He’s such a talented colt. The other day he just got bogged down,” she said.

The homebred Thinkin’ Big (High Chaparral x Nothin' Leica Cat by Tale Of The Cat) has won four of his six starts with two thirdss for prize money of $487,845. He is a brother to his Listed-winning stablemate Stampede, being out of the G1 Queensland Oaks placed mare Nothin’ Leica Cat (Tale Of The Cat).

Thinkin’ Big’s pedigree includes the G2 winner I Am A Ripper (Mukaddamah) and G3 winner Murphy’s Blu Boy (Blu Tusmani).

The champion mare Dane Ripper (Danehill) descends from his fifth dam Princess Ripa (Test Case).

Nothin’ Leica Cat has a two-year-old three-quarter brother by So You Think in training with Waterhouse and Bott and a yearling filly by the same sire. She produced a colt by American Pharoah this month.

Thinkin’ Big is one of 120 stakes winners by the late shuttle sire High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells).