A second Group 3 success in as many runs has seen Va Pensiero become the highest rated son of his Golden Slipper winning sire Stratum.

Stratum’s top line success to this point has come via his daughters, Crystal Lily and Streama.

Crystal Lily, from Stratum’s first crop, was rated 122 by Timeform after winning the 2010 Golden Slipper, the performance making her Timeform’s Champion Australian Juvenile in 2009/10.

She was followed in the second crop by Streama who was handy at two but stamped herself as a smart filly at three, her best performance, when winning the 2011 Flight Stakes by 6.5 lengths, also returning a figure of 122.

That second crop also produced the 114 rated juvenile Running Tall, who on the back of his 2011 VRC Sires success held the title of highest rated son of Stratum right up until Va Pensiero jumped to the front and made all the running in last weekends Run To The Rose.

Va Pensiero had run to 109 winning a messy renewal of the San Domenico on resuming but stepped right up on that form winning the Run To The Rose, a rating of 115 the highest recorded by a son of Stratum.

The Gary Portelli-trained I’m All The Talk, who is set to make his seasonal bow this weekend, sits equal second on that list after a juvenile campaign which saw him win the Group 3 Skyline Stakes and finish 10th (one place in-front of Va Pensiero) in the Golden Slipper.

Stratum has also sired a Group One winner in New Zealand, last season’s Levin Classic winner Southern Lord, but his form is well short of that shown by Va Pensiero.