The Romance of Racing – Cox Plate Day Review

James MacDonald celebrates Romantic Warrior’s Cox Plate victory

It was a long afternoon at Moonee Valley Racecourse last Saturday as I arrived at the track much earlier than I normally would in order to grab a position on the fence.

The weather on the day was overcast with strong winds, which is hell for contact lens wearers of which I am one. However I did remember to wear sunglasses which provide protection from motes of dust that have a tendency to get under the lens and disrupt one’s view, not to mention being somewhat painful to suffer until they are wept out.

Catching my usual mode of transport, the 510 (Ivanhoe to Essendon) bus I arrived at Moonee Valley around 12.30pm and was able, after finding my friend Rebecca, to get some photo practice in Race 2, the Inglis Banner, a Listed race over 1000 metres for two year olds.

It was won by Bold Bastille who led from the start, beating Hayasugi by three lengths with Chosen Legend a further length behind running third.

Bold Bastille bounds up the straight to win the Inglis Banner

Race 3 was the Group 3 Tesio Stakes, run over 1600 metres. Hot favourite Wishlor Lass also led from go to woah and won easily by over a length from Thalassophile and Osmose.

Wishlor Lass on her way to the barriers

The rather more interesting Crockett Stakes was next up and Sheva started as favourite and finished third behind the winner Gumdrops and second placed Saltaire.

Gumdrops tackles Sheva as they gallop  to the finishing post

A Group 2 race over 1600 metres, the Crystal Mile was next to run and resulted in a win for Prowess, who just beat Antino with race leader Tuvalu holding on for a close third.

Crystal Mile finish – Prowess (yellow silks) prevails over Antino and Tuvalu

Prowess on her way to the barriers

Antino – a handsome beast - on his way to the barriers

Tuvalu on his way to the barriers

Race 6, the Group 2 Fillies Classic, also run over 1600 metres, resulted in another close finish with Skybird sustaining a long run from the back of the field to pip Grizinger Belle at the post.

Skybird about to overtake Grizinger Belle as they thunder up the straight

Skybird on her way to the barriers

As the first of the Group 1 races was the Manikato Stakes, scheduled as Race 8, there was only one more race before it was run.

This was the Group 2 Drummond Golf Vase, won by Apulia by two lengths from Verdad, with Air Assault running third.

Apulia holds off  Verdad to win the Drummond Golf Vase

In the dim distant past the Manikato Stakes used to be the first Group 1 race of the Spring Racing Season run in mid September, and the only race meeting I attended back in the early 2000s. I saw Miss Andretti win it in 2006 and Gold Edition win it in 2007 and do recall Spark of Life victorious on two occasions in 2004 and 2005.

The 2023 edition of the race is newly added to the Cox Plate daytime meeting, it previously being run on Friday night since 2012.

Star New Zealand mare Imperatriz was the major attraction on Cox Plate day, set to run in the Manikato Stakes, and she didn’t disappoint, winning easily by over three lengths from fellow mare I Am Me with Uncommon James running third.

Imperatriz wins the Manikato Stakes with ease

By winning the 2023 Manikato Stakes, she accomplished a rare feat, being  the first horse to win the three Group 1 Moonee Valley sprints – William Reid Stakes, Moir Stakes and Manikato Stakes – in a calendar year.

Imperatriz parades up the straight after winning the Manikato Stakes

I Am Me

Uncommon James

After the gratifying result of the Manikato Stakes, the Cox Plate could have been underwhelming, but of course it never is being, as the sign said, it is Australia’s Best Race.

And my favourite race.

The twelve runners represented a classy field that included the tried and true such as Mr Brightside, Zaaki , Alligator Blood, Gold Trip and Duais against Internationals Romantic Warrior and Victoria Road, and three year old light weighted contenders Militarise and King Colorado – in a word an intriguing mix of runners.

There was a bit of pomp and ceremony as usual with a bandstand being set up and the National Anthem was sung before singer James Johnson launched into Horses, the large crowd singing along to words that they knew.

Hong Kong star Romantic Warrior was the hot  favourite, though there was plenty of support for Alligator Blood.

As the race panned out, King Colorado and Zaaki were the front runners with Mr Brightside, Alligator Blood and Romantic Warrior all handy in third or fourth position. It was a frantic finish with Mr Brightside stealing the lead close to the post, but Romantic Warrior, running wide won the race by the narrowest of margins (a photo finish)  to claim the prize for Hong Kong. Mr Brightside hung on for second and Alligator Blood ran third.

Cox Plate finish – Romantic Warrior (no 1) overtaking the leaders

Romantic Warrior in the winners rug with elated connections

The afternoon remained fine throughout, the stiff wind a tad chill at times, but warm when the sun broke free of the clouds.

And so ended another Cox Plate, after which I headed home- catching a tram at Moonee Valley Junction to the 510 Bus Stop, where there was a bit of a wait for it to arrive.

Next Saturday is Derby Day at Flemington, which I’ll probably attend.

Without A Fight- Caulfield Cup Review

Caulfield Cup  – Without A Fight & West Wind Blows battle to the finish

Despite the support card for Caulfield Cup meeting not being that interesting, the feature event offered an intriguing conundrum with the large field composed of  several International runners and seasoned familiar stayers.

So forth I went last Saturday to take in some racing action at the track, arriving around 2.00 pm.

The Caulfield Cup was scheduled for 5.15pm so it wasn’t a terribly long sojourn.

A big crowd was in  attendance, so it was hard to get a position on the fence to practice photography, but after finally tracking down my friend Rebecca we settled in a spot not too far from the finishing post.

We even managed to get to the stalls area, though didn’t come across the runners we were interested in other than Gold Trip who was the Caulfield Cup favourite.

 
Gold Trip in his stall

Returning trackside, we were back on the fence for the running of Race 5, the  Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude, a race for three year old fillies over 1400 metres.

Coeur Volante was the winner, beating Vivi Air by a bit over a length, with Zourion snagging third place from Moesha.

Coeur Volante on her way to winning the Thousand Guineas Prelude

Vivi Air on her way to barriers

Race 6 was the Group 2 McCafe Sprint, a 1000 metre dash down the straight that resulted in a win for Doull, who defeated Spacewalk and Generation.

Doull (red silks) outguns Spacewalk to win the McCafe Sprint

Skew Whiff started as favourite for Race 7, the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes, but Wrote to Arataki who led from the start, held on to win from Shuffle Dancer and Call Di.

 
Wrote to Arataki wins the Tristarc Stakes

After the running of the Tristarc Stakes, there was only one more race to run before the Caulfield Cup.

This was the Group 3 Moonga Stakes and Buffalo River, race favourite, led field from the start and won easily from Climbing Star.

Buffalo River on his way to winning the Moonga Stakes

A big field of eighteen runners faced the starter in the Caulfield Cup, so I suppose it was really no surprise that International runners West Wind Blows (the favourite) and Without A Fight ended up running the quinella with top weight Gold Trip finishing third.

Without A Fight (no 2) about to overtake West Wind Blows in the Caulfield Cup

With the Caulfield Cup run and won, I headed for the station and home.

Next Saturday is Cox Plate Day, so hopefully it will be a more interesting afternoon at the races than Caulfield Cup Day.

Break Dancing, Rappers and Racing – Caulfield Guineas Day

Griff wins the Caulfield Guineas from Veight

You may wonder at the connection between break dancing, rapping and racing, but my Saturday afternoon’s jaunt to the Caulfield Guineas meeting actually involved all three activities.

As the race I most wanted to see was scheduled as the last of ten, I took my time getting to the track and arrived as Race 4, the Northwood Plume Stakes was in progress. I watched it on a big screen and noted that She Dances was the winner.

After that race I headed trackside – a longish walk - to locate my friend Rebecca, who I found as usual near the finishing post.

A visit to stalls area was then in order to see if Amelia’s Jewel had arrived yet.

However, even though Amelia’s Jewel was not in her stall we did come across the Caulfield Guineas favourite Militarize in his stall. At his previous starts he had won the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes, the Group 1 Champagne Stakes and the Group 1 Golden Rose in Sydney.

Militarize in his stall

Whilst we were out the back, we checked out the on course entertainment, which amusingly was some kind of Break Dance/Hip Hop competition.

The B Boys face off before demonstrating their skills as break dancers

The guy in red went first with his opponent watching from the sidelines

The guy in blue takes his turn

While all this happened the band on stage (electric organ/commentary and a drummer) played breakdance music rather loudly.

We returned trackside before Race 5 , the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes, a sprint over 1100 metres, was set to run,  and squeezed in on the fence closest to the finish line.

Asfoora led from the start to the finish and won by over 3 lengths from Uncommon James, with Chain of Lightning running third.

Asfoora burns up the straight unopposed

Uncommon James (no 2) and Chain of Lightning running second and third

The weather bureau had predicted a rainy afternoon, but apart from the occasional speck, it surprisingly remained dry though windy, and was even sunny every so often.

The Weekend Hussler, a listed race over 1400 metres, was up next and was won by Ayrton from Stageman and Rubamos.

Ayrton wins the Weekend Hussler

Formerly called the Caulfield Stakes, the Might and Power was the first of the Group 1 races to run and Alligator Blood, second favourite to Irish horse Just Fine, proved he was back to his best with  a determined win, defeating 2019 Melbourne Cup winner, Vow and Declare by two lengths with Duais running third.

 
Alligator Blood on his way to winning the Might and Power

Alligator Blood returns to scale with the clerk of course

Vow and Declare (no 2) and Duais vie for second place

We killed time before the next race by heading back to the stalls to see if Amelia’s Jewel had arrived, which she had.

Amelia’s Jewel in her stall

There was one more race before the Caulfield Guineas was set to run. This was the Group 3 Catanach’s Jewellers Vase, for mares,  run over 1600 metres.

Wishlor Lass, one of the few favourites to win on the day, didn’t disappoint her backers, leading all the way to narrowly win from Barbie’s Fox.

 
Wishlor Lass (pink silks)  battles out the finish with Barbie’s Fox

Militarize was the hot favourite for the Caulfield Guineas, but he missed the start and stymied his chances, but the winner Griff led from the start and held off a challenge from Veight to score by 1.75 lengths. Steparty finished third.

Griff on his way to the barriers

Veight on his way to the barriers

Steparty on his way to the barriers

The Caulfield Guineas trifecta paid a fortune, well over $1.500, with Griff paying $36.80 for the win.

We were obliged to wait for another 40 minutes for Amelia’s Jewel’s race, the Group 1 Toorak Handicap which proved disappointing, Amelia’s Jewel failing to run a place.

The finish was a battle between Attrition and Antino with the former winning narrowly in the end. Banker’s Choice snagged third spot.

The trifecta paid an even bigger dividend than the Caulfield Guineas.

Attrition & Antino battle to the finish line in the Toorak Handicap

All was not lost however as I managed to snap some nice photos of Amelia’s Jewel as she was on her way to the barriers.

Amelia’s Jewel

The main race in Sydney was of course The Everest which we watched on the big screen at Caulfield.  Think About It won the bickies from I Wish I Win with Private Eye running third.

Next Saturday is Caulfield Cup Day. Let’s hope the weather is alright, i.e. not raining or too windy.

On the way home from the races, on the Hurstbridge train, I was astounded to see and hear a young rapper doing his stuff in the same carriage as myself.

Who would have thought that after watching the break dancers at Caulfield, a rapper would distract me on the way home.

A strange coincidence!

In the Mood for Romance – Turnbull Stakes Day Review

Gold Trip wins the 2023 Turnbull Stakes

Though it was not the most exciting race meeting, I decided to attend Turnbull Stakes Day at Flemington last Saturday, ostensibly to see the hyped Hong Kong runner Romantic Warrior.

I also wanted to remember my photographer friend George who had  passed away suddenly on 3rd October 2023.

He was an amiable soul with a mischievous sense of humour – one of the good guys - and an excellent photographer who will be greatly  missed.

You can check out his horse racing photos on this Facebook page.

I’m sure if George was still with us he would have attended the Turnbull Stakes, as he was always interested in the unusual or quirky side of the sport and would probably have attended to see Romantic Warrior.

Anyway, back to my afternoon at the races, I arrived at the track around 2.00 pm and headed to the stalls area to see if I could get a photo of Romantic Warrior. He wasn’t in his stall (no 86), but I caught sight of him walking around the parade ring, and noted that he looked a classy animal.

In the Stall 87, was the English horse West Wind Blows.

West Wind Blows

I hung around a bit and eventually Romantic Warrior was brought back to his stall.

Romantic Warrior

After visiting the stalls area I headed back trackside to practice photography on Race 5, the Danehill Stakes, a Group 2 event run over 1,000 metres.

Archo Nacho was the starting favourite, but he finished unplaced, a narrow victory going to 3 year old filly Stretan Angel who outgunned second favourite I Am Unstoppable.

Stretan Angel wins the Danehill Stakes

I Am Unstoppable

The afternoon was overcast for the main and the rail was out by 9 metres, so I’m surprised my photos turned out better than I imagined they would.

Race 6. the Group 2 Rose of Kingston Stakes was one for the mares and run over 1400 metres.  American mare Princess Grace was the favourite, but she was beaten by Life Lessons, and Wrote to Arataki ran third, the first three home all racing on the pace.

Life Lessons wins the Rose of Kingston Stakes from Princess Grace

Life Lessons on her way to the barriers

Princess Grace on her way to the barriers

Wrote to Arataki on her way to the barriers

The Bart Cummings, a race over 2520 metres, was of interest due to the winner being exempt from ballot for the Melbourne Cup.

A huge field of 16 runners were competing in the event, with First Immortal being the starting favourite, but he was relegated to second by the winner Future History. Serpentine finished third.

Future History wins the Bart Cummings from First Immortal

Future History returns to scale

The feature Group 1 race, the Turnbull Stakes (2000 metres) was the next to run. It has been won in the past by first class horses, notably by  Winx in 2017 and 2018. Verry Elleegant won in 2020. Last year Smokin’ Romans won the money.

This year’s edition had a classy field and Romantic Warrior was the warm favourite. However, last year’s Melbourne Cup winner, Gold Trip, who raced towards the back of the field zoomed up the straight and outclassed all and sundry to win by 1.75 metres from West Wind Blows and Soulcombe. Romantic Warrior managed to run fourth, his colours somewhat lowered.

Gold Trip on his way to the barriers

West Wind Blows on his way to the barriers

Soulcombe on his way to the barriers

Romantic Warrior on his way to the barriers – thankfully a reasonable photo

With the Turnbull Stakes done and dusted I headed home, not staying for the Gilgai Stakes which was won by Star Patrol.

Next Saturday is Caulfield Guineas Day which features three Group 1 races – Caulfield Guineas, Toorak Handicap (starring Amelia’s Jewel) and the Might and Power – a much more interesting race meeting than last Saturday’s offerings.