A look into the background of last Saturday’s Behemoth Stakes winner

Saturday's Group 3 Behemoth Stakes win wasn't the biggest of Queman's career, but it was a reminder of the fascinating backstory to the Shane and Cassie Oxlade-trained gelding.

Last year's Group 1 Oakleigh Plate victor is the lone Group winner for American stallion Mint Lane out of a Clangalang mare whose only win in seven starts came in a Strathalbyn maiden.

Queman was the first live foal from Langreen, whose only two other foals – a three-year-old Denman filly called Tinkatron and an unnamed Peltzer yearling – are yet to race.

Langreen was bred and raced by 'Boof' Smith, who made the decision to send her to Mint Lane when her racing came to a close after a bowed tendon.

Queman is a member of the third-last Australian crop of the son of Maria's Mon whose biggest win on the track came in the Grade 2 Dwyer Stakes over 1700m.

He served 26 mares at South Australia's Willow Grove Stud in 2017, his biggest book since covering 46 mares in his third Australian season, after serving 60 and 42 in his first two seasons.

Mint Lane stood those first two seasons at $6600 but was available at just $2200 the year Smith sent Langreen to him.

Sixteen of Mint Lane's 2018 foals got the stage of being named, 13 of which raced for five individual winners.

Queman is by far the best of them and Saturday's success – which was the first by a son or daughter of Mint Lane in 2025 – was Queman's 10th from 24 starts and swelled his earnings to $1,011,455.

That is more than double Mint Lane's next highest prizemoney earner, 2018 Listed Albury Cup winner Willi Willi ($471,550), who is Mint Lane's only other Stakes winner.