Golden Slipper Day at Rosehill & Vale BLU

Extreme Choice parades in the mounting yard after the Blue Diamond Stakes

There are no race meetings in Melbourne this coming Saturday, but the keen Victorian racing fan will be more than compensated watching the action from Rosehill on TV or computer.

The feature  is of course the world’s  richest two year old race, the Group 1 Golden Slipper.

It is run over 1200 metres and has a full field of 16 acceptors, comprised of nine colts and seven fillies. The top two contenders as far as I’m concerned are the Blue Diamond winner and runner up, Extreme Choice and Flying Artie.

It’s probably a better quality field than the Blue Diamond Stakes and others with the credentials to win are colts Kiss and Make Up, Defcon, Astern, Capitalist and fillies Scarlet Rain and Calliope.

As well as the Golden Slipper, there are four other Group 1 races, the George Ryder Stakes, Ranvet Stakes, Rosehill Guineas and Galaxy, all with quaility fields.

Winx will be gunning for her fifth Group 1 win in the George Ryder Stakes (1500 metres).  She faces old rival First Seal, New Zealand wonder horse Turn Me Loose, and her stablemates Press Statement and Kermadec.

The Ranvet Stakes is run over 2000 metres and has attracted a good field of nine runners. Criterion is the class horse. He has an excellent record over the distance and at the track, so is the one to beat. Mongolian Khan may give him a run for the money, as could Hauraki, Dibayani and The United States, backing up after running second last Saturday at Flemington.

The Rosehill Guineas, for three year olds, is also run over 2000 metres. Victoria Derby winner Tarzino and Randwick Guineas winner Le Romain are the main chances, though sole filly Jameka, who beat Tarzino on Cox Plate day last spring, with her light weight could spring a surprise. She proved with her Crown Oaks win that she handles soft going, which is the likely track rating for Rosehill on Saturday.

No quality raceday would be complete without a Group 1 sprint, and the Galaxy fits the bill.  A full field of fourteen runners have accepted.

I’ll be barracking for Fell Swoop who narrowly missed out on winning his first Group 1, beaten by Flamberge, in the Oakleigh Plate.  He has won over the distance (1100 metres) and at Rosehill on soft going previously, albeit against lesser opposition.

Flamberge shares top weight with Terravista, who is the one to beat, though his record on soft tracks is iffy. Gai Waterhouse trained filly, English, who ran second in the Golden Slipper last year, and won her only start so far this autumn, is also worth consideration.

Rest In Peace Better Loosen Up

Better Loosen Up at Flemington – Australian Cup Day 2015

Living Legends announced this morning that Better Loosen Up had passed away the previous night after suffering a sudden heart problem. He was eased away in his paddock surrounded by his friends.

He was 30 years old, a good age for a horse, and had spent his retirement lovingly attended at Living Legends, being a particular favourite of CEO and Chief Vet, Dr Andrew Clarke.  Better Loosen Up was affectionately known as Blu and was a legend of the turf in the early 1990s winning the 1990 Cox Plate, Mackinnon Stakes and Japan Cup, and the 1991 Australian Cup.

I’m pleased I had the chance to see him couple of times; at Flemington on Australian Cup day in 2015 and at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day, where he led the field out.

Update Sunday – The Results

I watched the racing action at Rosehill on TV this week, though it felt unfamiliar after spending the last few months of Saturdays at the track.

At least, watching the races on television you get to see them in more detail.

Anyway, there were a few surprises and the cream rose to the top in other cases.

The United States, backing up from running in the Blamey Stakes the week before won his first Group 1 race in the Ranvet Stakes. Hauraki ran second and Criterion finished third.

Winx proved that she is a star and the best horse in Australia by comfortably winning the George Ryder Stakes from her stablemates Kermadec and Press Statement. Turn Me Loose took off like a rocket and led for most of the race, but was a spent force at the finish, overracing proving his downfall.

The Rosehill Guineas was Tarzino’s for the taking, which he did with style. Montaigne ran second and the brave Jameka hung on for third.

Magic Millions Two Year Old Classic winner, Capitalist proved he wasn’t a one hit wonder, winning the Golden Slipper from Yankee Rose and Flying Artie. Extreme Choice missed the start and had a torrid time trying to catch up, and was unlucky all round.

And the Galaxy was taken out by the long shot Griante with outsiders Shiraz and Dothraki filling the minor places. The trifecta must have paid a fortune.

The Wow Factor–Winx & Chautauqua

Winx parades along the rail after winning the Cox Plate

Up until last weekend, the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival seemed to be  somewhat underwhelming, lacking what I call the WOW factor.  There have been few dominant performances and the Group 1 races were won by various horses in blanket finishes most of the time.

It is remarkable that the Moonee Valley mini carnival held over a night and day delivered what we racing fans crave, the emergence of two equine super stars, one a sprinter, the other a stayer.

I did not attend the Manikato Stakes night meeting on the eve of the Cox Plate, but I watched the feature race on my computer and was suitably wowed by Chautaqua’s  last to first win.  He raced at the tail of the field and at the turn into the straight muscled himself into the race and quickly overtook Srikandi, sailing on to win by two lengths. Srikandi hung on for second, a nose in front of Rebel Dane. It was a stunning performance by the grey speedster, admittedly not all that surprising after witnessing his first two runs this Spring.

Winx became only the eighth filly/mare to win the Cox Plate in its 93 year history and her win was just as spectacular as that of Chautauqua. She comprehensively blitzed the field to win by over four lengths, breaking the course record set by Might and Power in 1998.

On to my day at the Cox Plate.

Because the bus I catch to Moonee Valley was overdue by an hour – ironically delayed by the traffic at the racecourse - I reached Moonee Valley much later than I originally anticipated, shortly after 3.00 pm, so it was a relatively short afternoon at the races, though it took me two hours to get home.

I’d just missed Race 5, so I spent some time checking out the stalls area before finding a spot on the public lawn to watch the next race.

The first Cox Plate runner I came across was Fawkner…

Fawkner in his stall

…then found the three International entrants side by side in Stalls 104 to 106.

Arod – Ireland

Highland Reel – chewing on his lead – from Ireland

Gailo Chop – France

And more of the locally bred contenders…

Criterion

The Cleaner

…and old Precedence being kitted out for the next race.

Precedence

Race 6 was the Moonee Valley Gold Cup for stayers over 2500 metres, so I finally ventured out onto the public lawn up the top end of the straight where it was reasonably uncrowded and you could easily get a possie on the fence.

Last year it was won by Prince of Penzance and the year before by old Precedence. Both were in the field, hoping to gain a start in the Melbourne Cup. The United States, a good looking flashy chestnut with a big white blaze on his face, overtook race leader Prince of Penzance in the straight to win. Bohemian Lily finished third.

Top of the straight – Prince of Penzance leads with The United States just coming into the picture

Returning to the stalls area I found the Chris Waller horses in their adjacent stalls …

Kermadec

Preferment

Winx

Race 7 was the Group 2 Dilmah Exceptional Teas Vase, which is for three year olds and is run over the same distance as the Cox Plate (2040 metres)

It is very rare for fillies to be entered in this race, let alone win it, but Jameka started as favourite and justified her favouritism by winning the race by a length from race leader Shards with current Victorian Derby favourite Tarzino running third.

Top of the straight in the Vase – Shards leads with Jameka on the fence behind him

There was only one more race to run before the feature and this was the Crystal Mile. Lucky Hussler was the hot favourite, but he only managed to run third. Turn Me Loose, trained by Murray Baker and ridden by Caulfield Cup winning jockey Opie Bosson,  led from the start to the finish and was never headed, winning by half a length in the end from Bow Creek.

Turn Me Loose on his way to the barriers

Lucky Hussler on his way to barriers

My sole bet of the day was on Lucky Hussler to win, so no collect.

With 40 minutes remaining to the running of the Cox Plate, I decided to try and find a spot closer to the action on the fence and managed to squeeze into a good position close to the finish line behind the band stand.

The 2015 actual Cox Plate was carried out onto the track, preceded by 1990 Cox Plate winner Better Loosen Up.

Better Loosen Up

The Plate was driven up the straight in a jeep, carried by Better Loosen Up’s old trainer David Hayes.

The Cox Plate

After that bit of pomp and ceremony, vintage Aussie rocker, Daryl Braithwaite, with band, sang a rendition of his famous song The Horses, an appropriate choice considering the setting and occasion.

Daryl Braithwaite

The crowd, considerably under the weather by this time, were enraptured, singing and dancing along to the song and of course taking photos on their iPhones.

Crowd scene near the band stand  watching Daryl Braithwaite

And finally the horses were released onto the track to head up to the starting gates at the top of the straight. I managed to get a few photos of them as they flashed past.

Fawkner

Gailo Chop

Happy Trails

Highland Reel

Kermadec

Pornichet

The Cleaner

The Cleaner was allowed to take his usual leading position in the field and Winx raced much closer to the pace than she usually does, trailing The Cleaner along the rail.  Hugh Bowman’s ride was a classic and his timing spot on. As soon as The Cleaner moved out from the rail, Bowman shot Winx through the gap and the rest is history.  She drew further and further away from the rest of the field as they raced down the straight and won by over four lengths from Criterion with Highland Reel a further one and half lengths back in third spot.

My burst mode sequence of photos in the final stages of the race have Winx, then daylight, then Criterion and Highland Reel.

Winx – centre stage burning up the straight to the winning post

Criterion and Highland Reel in hot pursuit

Many people were reminded of the great New Zealand mare, Sunline, in Winx Cox Plate win, myself included. Winx has now won five races in succession since May this year, three of them at Group 1 level. How can we now deny that she is not a super star?

Winx rugged and posing for the press

I’m thrilled that I got to see her win the Cox Plate, and it made the tiresomeness of getting home worth it.

Regarding the trip home; the Moonee Valley Bus Line service I generally catch failed to show up on the bus stop. Myself and several other patient persons waited an hour, thinking it would eventually turn up, but finally we all gave up and tromped up to Moonee Ponds Junction to catch another form of transport.

I opted for the Moonee Ponds to Clifton Hill bus, which was on the point of departure. I’d never travelled on this bus before, but always wondered where it went to in Clifton Hill, so the trip was enlightening and will offer a viable alternative to the usual bus should I wish to travel home from Moonee Valley, as it’s only a short walk home from the Queen’s Parade bus stop in Clifton Hill.

Cat in Antique Shop window in Queen’s Parade -  snapped on my walk home from the bus stop

Next Saturday is the first day of Flemington’s blockbuster carnival, Derby Day no less, with four Group 1 races on the program.

Gun (Jockeys) and Roses–Flemington Super Saturday Review

Brazen Beau returns to scale after winning the Newmarket Handicap

Saturday in Melbourne was set aside for the qualifying laps of the Melbourne Grand Prix, not something I am interested in.

So eschewing the rev of hotted up motors echoing through the metropolis, I headed out to Flemington for the thunder of hooves, and to smell roses rather than fuel.

I got to the track early on a surprisingly crowded train, arriving  around 12.40pm and stayed until the Australian Cup, which was run at 4.30pm. So it was a long day, but the time passed quickly as there was plenty of exciting racing action and pretty horses to view over the afternoon.

The title of this post refers to the winning doubles of jockeys Michael Walker and Joao Moreira who each rode one winner of the Group 1 races plus one other on the program.

And of course the roses were resplendent as you’d expect.

My arrival at the track was in plenty of time to watch race 2, the
MSS Security Stakes, wherein Brazilian born, Hong Kong hoop Joao Moreira booted home the first winner of his double. This happened to be  12/1 shot Pittsburgh Flyer, who I thought had no chance. My interests were centred on Earthquake and Sistonic. Earthquake ran a close second, but Sistonic finished second last and didn’t feature at all.

Earthquake in the mounting yard

Sistonic on her way to the track

Pittsburgh Flyer returns to scale after winning the MSS Security Stakes

After watching the race I sauntered up to the stalls area to see if the Living Legends had arrived.

Both Zipping and Better Loosen Up were present, and lovingly attended to by the Living Legends staff.

Zipping in his stall – all dressed up and ready to parade

Better Loosen Up with a rose tucked into his bridle

Better Loosen Up will turn 30 on 29th August this year and was a champion of the turf in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is the only Australian bred horse to have won the prestigious Japan Cup which he did in 1990.  He also won the 1990 Cox Plate, MacKinnon Stakes, and the 1991 Australian Cup as well as several other Group races. He was named Australian Horse of the Year for the 1990-1991 season.

The Living Legends were taken off for a walk in the mounting yard, so I cruised through the stable area to see which of the present stars of the turf had arrived.

Lankan Rupee was being hosed down by his strapper, and I got a lovely photo of him in the watering section of the stalls.

Lankan Rupee in the stalls area after being hosed down

Alas, much as I hoped to see Lankan Rupee win the Newmarket Handicap, it wasn’t to be. Everyone was puzzled by his failure to run a place, but on Monday it was revealed that he had  torn a muscle in his chest and was also displaying signs of inflammation in his stifles.  This obviously happened during the race as he was over-racing in the early stages and pulling hard, then failed to produce his devastating sprint in the finish.

Returning track side, Race 3 was about to get underway. This was the Group 2 Sires Produce Stakes for two year olds run over 1400 metres.

Jameka was the favourite and she delivered a comfortable win for her backers, winning by a length from Lazumba with Sampeah,running third, three and a half lengths behind.

Jameka returns to scale after winning the Sires Produce Stakes

Lazumba on her way to the track

Sampeah on his way to the track

Back in the stalls more horses had arrived, among them Red Cadeaux.

Red Cadeaux in his stall – he has such a kind face.

Terravista was waiting patiently in his stall as well.

Terravista

Brazen Beau, the eventual winner of the Newmarket Handicap was being walked in the parade ring. I got this great head shot of him.

Brazen Beau – a head turner

Meanwhile, in the mounting yard, the Living Legends were grazing on the turf, whilst the CEO of Living Legends, Andrew Clarke, was interviewed on TVN about the organisation and the profiles of the equine special guests.

Race 4, the Group 2 Blamey Stakes run over 1600 metres was next on the agenda. Suavito, who spectacularly won the Group 1 Futurity Stakes two weeks ago was the hot favourite and she didn’t disappoint.  After missing the start, she quickly moved up to take the lead and was never headed, winning by a length from Sertorius, with Kourkam running third.

Suavito returns to scale after winning the Blamey Stakes

Only one more race remained before the big two feature races were to run, this being the Group 2 Kewney Stakes, for three year old fillies over 1400 metres. As I had not had a bet all afternoon I was toying with the idea of putting a few dollars on Wawail, but thought better of it after noticing Michael Walker was riding her. He’d recently put in a few poor rides so didn’t inspire confidence.

How wrong I was.  Wawail upstaged hot favourite Sabatini who was aiming for her third win in succession. Sabatini raced at the tail of the field and though she flew home, she was unable to reel in Wawail.

Wawail returns to scale after winning the Kewney Stakes

Sabatini leaves the mounting yard for the track

Though my heart was with Lankan Rupee in the Newmarket, my head or some strong intuition told me to put money on Brazen Beau, which I did. So I was delighted that he won, and like everyone else bemused by the performance of Lankan Rupee. He looked fine in the mounting yard as did all the others.

Chautauqua finished second and Terravista ran third, but they were blitzed by Brazen Beau who won by almost three lengths.

My photos of the Newmarket parade are really dark for some reason I can’t fathom, so I won’t be showing them in this post

Brazen Beau in the winners rug

The Australian Cup ended in a boilover with the unfancied Spillway winning the bikkies by a nose from the also unfancied Extra Zero, with the ever honest Happy Trails running third. Michael Walker proved me wrong again with his winning ride.

Spillway returns to scale after winning the Australian Cup

As expected The Cleaner led the field at a good pace and he managed to hang for fourth. Protectionist was never in it, but Red Cadeaux ran well and finished fifth.

The light was better for the Australian Cup parade, so here are photos of the main contenders.

Red Cadeaux

Happy Trails

Extra Zero

Protectionist

The Cleaner

Foreteller

The Australian Cup meeting is basically the last of the Group 1 racing for Melbourne in autumn, though the finale is the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley on the 27th March.

The focus of racing  now shifts to Sydney for the so called Championships. Next weekend Rosehill will feature five Group 1 races including the Golden Slipper Stakes.

Speaking of the Sydney races, the Coolmore Classic resulted in an upset win by long shot Plucky Belle, who pipped favourite First Seal at the post. Diamond Drille ran third.

I’ll miss my Saturday afternoon outings to the races as I’m really only interested in attending the Group meetings. So I will be watching the action from Sydney at home from now on.