At long last, Radstar has broken through for a thoroughly deserved maiden win at Ballarat, giving the team their first homebred winner.
The mare's dam, Radazz, is a half-sister to Monique's retired galloper Transfer Allowance, who won 11 races from 83 starts.
Monique purchased Radazz and sent her to Adelaide in late 2017, with Radstar the result of that union.
She first hit the track in January 2023, and her debut fifth at Pakenham implied that she wouldn't long be stuck in the maiden ranks for long.
But 18 months, 14 starts and seven placings later, Radstar was still yet to break her duck, despite placing in five of her six most recent runs.
However, with Johnny Allen aboard, a distinct lack of pace on paper and several 'Best Of The Day' labels next to Radstar in the form guides, it looked like it could be the day.
And the gutsy mare did not let the team down, surging straight to the front and never looking in danger once straightening, striding out to give Tommy and Monique a comfortable, heartfelt victory.
"My wife bred this horse, so this is the first winner we've bred, the first horse we've bred together actually," Thomas told racing.com.
"Monique bought the mare; she is a half-sister to Transfer Allowance, who she owned. We sent her to Adelaide, and this is the only foal from her so far, but she's a winner!"
"My wife's my assistant, my second-in-command… maybe more my commander. We wouldn't be here without her. I think she shed a couple of tears, it's great for her, great for us, great for the horse, and thanks to Johnny."
Jokes about Irish connections aside, it can be a different ballgame when J. Allen gets in the saddle, and Carberry was delighted to see the star hoop get the best out of Radstar.
"To get him at Ballarat Synthetic, obviously he's a local man so it's not that big a deal, but he's a class act and a very nice guy to boot," he said.