A look into the background of Saturday’s Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes winner.

Cliff Brown registered his first Group 1 success since returning from Singapore in Saturday's Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and it could not have come with a more fitting galloper.

Sepals, the four-year-old who prevailed in an eventful 1400m handicap at Caulfield, is a product of a horse that Brown trained in Singapore.

Brown prepared Casino Prince mare What's New to win six races, including a Stewards' Cup (1600m) and Silver Bowl (1400m), to earn recognition as Singapore's Champion 4YO & Older Female in 2019.

When he saw her colt by Calyx at the 2023 Inglis Classic Sale, Brown was happy to go to $80,000 to secure him and renowned breeder Greg Perry, who bred both What's New and Sepals, was thrilled to see him succeed.

"The story goes back a long way, which is what makes it so special," Perry said.

"I had the granddam Pussycat Dream and she rated really well with Casino Prince so I sent her to him and she foaled a filly called What's New.

"At the time Cliff Brown had said that he'd love to give a couple of fillies a chance in Singapore, so What's New went there and she won two Stakes races and almost won the Triple Crown for four-year-olds.

"In her maiden season, she matched up really well with first season sire Calyx, who was brilliantly-fast himself. It was 4x4 inbreeding to Hope…the symmetry is magnificent.

"So, I duly sent her to Calyx and the result was Sepals.

"Cliff Brown had the inside knowledge when he saw him at the Classic Sale, having trained What's New, and it's pretty special to see it come full circle like this."

Sepals was the first Group 1 winner for Calyx, a son of Kingman who stood two seasons – 2020 and 2021 – at Coolmore in New South Wales.

He is the first foal from What's New, whose granddam The Cat's Whiskers is a daughter of former Kiwi mare Good Faith, who was a Group 1-winning two-year-old in New Zealand.

Sepals has now won five of his seven starts with Saturday's success his second at Black Type level, having scored a dominant win in the Group 3 C S Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington earlier this year.