That’s The Spirit! Oaks Day Review

Crown Oaks finish Brenton Avdullah celebrates Lasqueti Spirit’s unexpected win

Last year the Oaks meeting was a wash out when a big storm hit the course in the early afternoon. By contrast the Oaks this year was run in brilliant sunshine and as you can imagine the crowds were out in force.

Everywhere there were girls dressed in flimsy dresses and high heels, not to mention with crazy fascinators on their heads.

So much over the top high fashion grew quite boring after a while, so I sought solace in the stalls area and the horses waiting for their events to begin.

I was intending to get photos of the Oaks field in the stalls, but failed to locate several, as the stalls they were allocated in the race book appeared to be occupied by a different horse.

Those I did manage to snap are below.

Eleonora

Lamma Hilton

Lasqueti Spirit

Yankee Rose

Moqueen

Penthouse Kitten

Bella Sorellastra

My Girl Chilly

Nina Peak

I reached Flemington at around 2.00 pm, but dilly dallied in the stalls area whilst race 4 was run, so missed it entirely.

For the rest of the afternoon I was in my regular spot at the access gate west of the finishing post, so I witnessed and photographed races 5 to 7 whilst waiting for the main event.

Race 5 was the TCL QUHD TV Stakes for three year olds, run over 1800 metres.

Anaheim won the bikkies from Righteous Mate and Rockstar Rebel by a length.

Anaheim wins race 5

Anaheim returns to scale

Race 6 was a slightly more interesting race, the L’Oreal Paris Stakes over 1400 metres.  Former Irish horse Arod, who is now with the Chris Waller stable was making his first appearance this spring. He was out here last year and competed in the Cox Plate and Emirates Stakes without success.

Arod ran a good second to Rageese in the L’Oreal Paris Stakes  with Federal running third.

L’Oreal Paris Stakes finish – Rageese (outside) Arod (middle) & Federal fight it out.

Arod on his way to the barriers

Rageese on his way to the barriers

Federal on his way to the barriers

Even more interesting than the L’Oreal Paris Stakes was race 7, the Mumm Stakes, a sprint over 1000 metres. It was good to see Terravista back in action having his first race since autumn. He mixed it with the likes of Chautauqua and Lankan Rupee a few years back and was considered one of the best sprinters in Australia at the time.

He performed very well in the Mumm Stakes losing by a nose to Redzel on the line.  The race favourite Hellbent was two lengths back running third.

Mumm Stakes finish – Redzel (red blinkers) and Terravista (orange silks) on separate sides of the track hit the finish line

Terravista returns to scale

Redzel returns to scale – Blake Shinn celebrates

There was a 45 minute wait before the Crown Oaks was run, and the trophy was carried down the straight by champion athlete Usain Bolt in the interim.

When I snapped the following picture I was unaware that the black gentleman in the photo was Usain Bolt. I’m so uninterested in celebrities that I was unaware that he was at Flemington for the race and only found out when watching the news later that night.

Usain Bolt carries the Oaks cup to the mounting yard

I was amused to read today that he was almost kicked by Eleonora in the mounting yard.  Story here.

So on to the Oaks…

Nobody, least of all her jockey, expected Lasqueti Spirit to win the Oaks, but win it she did in spectacular fashion, setting a rattling pace in the lead for most of the 2500 metre race. In the straight she showed no signs of slowing down and raced to a four length win unopposed.

Harlow Gold and Eleonora fought out the minor placings with the rest of the field several lengths behind them. Yankee Rose was never in the race, running at the tail of the field to finish well back.

Eleonora (inside) & Harlow Gold fight out the finish.

Lasqueti Spirit payed over $100 for her win. Lucky if you were on her.

Lasqueti Spirit returns to scale

Lasqueti Spirit in winners rug

I headed home after the Oaks, I must admit feeling a tad spring carnival lagged after the past week of racing excitement.

Melbourne’s Spring Carnival concludes tomorrow at Flemington’s Emirates Stakes Day meeting.

I won’t be there to watch it live, but hopefully will find time to watch the replays later on if I can’t find a way to watch the live coverage.

Ladies Day–Crown Oaks

Eleonora – Flemington 2/10/16

With the Melbourne Cup being run and won, it’s time to turn our attention to the next Group 1 race in the Spring Racing Carnival, the Crown Oaks, for three year old staying fillies run over 2500 metres.

With my calf muscle now back in walking order I intend to go to the Oaks meeting at Flemington tomorrow, ostensibly for the feature event as two of my favourite fillies will be competing in the event.

Yankee Rose will understandably start as favourite, her earlier exploits in classy company making her the top pick.  Her win in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes against the boys, including Victoria Derby winner Prized Icon, marked her as a filly of extraordinary ability. Her third placing in the Cox Plate was also full of merit.

I’m very torn between Yankee Rose and her main competitor in the Crown Oaks, Eleonora, and can see either of them winning.

Eleonora has the superior breeding for the race distance and her win in the Group 3 Ethereal Stakes, where she beat subsequent Wakeful Stakes winner Tiamo Grace, was impressive. Tiamo Grace is not in the Oaks field, but Wakeful Stakes runner up, Sebring Dream is, so too the third placed Missrock.

Others with a chance are Harlow Gold and Smart As You Think.

The Oaks is scheduled as race 8  and run at 5.00pm tomorrow, so I’ll be taking my time getting to Flemington, but envisage arriving around 2.30 pm.

Last year a wild storm swept through Flemington early in the afternoon, but the weather this year is forecast to be mild and sunny.

The Flemington mini carnival finale is on Saturday and features the final two Group 1 races of the Melbourne spring racing season, and much as I would like to be there, I am unable to attend due to a commitment to attend a birthday party in Beechworth, a small interesting town in North East Victoria.

So Oaks Day is my last chance to attend a Group 1 race meeting this year.

On the subject of mares and fillies, it was disappointing to learn that Lucia Valentina has been retired, so I’m glad I got to see her twice this Spring. She apparently has a sesamoid injury which precludes her from racing again. She’ll be mated to Fastnet Rock, so we can look forward to seeing her sons and daughters hitting the track in the future.

Though I was also disappointed that Jameka didn’t feature in the Melbourne Cup finish it was obvious that she could not run the 3200 metres. Nick Hall’s ride was spot on again and she was primed at the right time to sprint home, but she faded to finish 15th.

An interesting point that arose from the Melbourne Cup result was that Almandin’s sire, the German stallion Monsun had bred his third Melbourne Cup winner, the others being Protectionist in 2014 and Fiorente in 2013.  That’s something to look for in analysing the runners in future Melbourne Cups. Though Monsun passed away in 2012 his influence could possibly continue with his sons and daughters at stud like the great Sir Tristram and Zabeel in New Zealand.

Jameka, Queen of the Turf–Caulfield Cup Day Review

Nick Hall all smiles after Jameka wins the Caulfield Cup

The Caulfield Cup meeting on Saturday was considerably better than I thought it would be and culminated in a stunning victory for locally bred racehorses, when Jameka beat the International raiders by a comprehensive margin in the Caulfield Cup.

My afternoon at Caulfield started fairly early at around 1.15pm which was in plenty of time to watch the third race, the Listed Alinghi Stakes for fillies and mares run over 1100 metres.

There was a much bigger crowd for the Caulfield Cup than for Guineas Day, so I avoided the front lawn and spent the afternoon out the back in the stalls area and up on the hill, which as I’ve mentioned before is ideal for taking photos of horses going to and from the barriers and returning to scale, though not for them racing down the straight.

It was a fine sunny day with a strong head wind blowing directly down the straight, which adds kudos to the winners fighting against it and their rivals.

The Alinghi Stakes was won by outsider Palazzo Pubblico from Aegean Sea and Vezalay, also long odds runners.

Alinghi Stakes just after the post – the winner Palazzo Pubblico is the second from the left

Palazzo Pubblico returns to scale

Race 4 was the Group 2 Ethereal Stakes and I was glad to be present to witness Eleonora appropriately winning the race named in honour her granddam.

She showed considerable staying power over the 2000 metres distance to win by 1¼ lengths from a fast finishing Tiamo Grace with Savvan a length further back running third. Eleonora will now head to the Crown Oaks at Flemington on the Thursday after the Cup.

Just past the post in the Ethereal Stakes

Eleonora returns to scale after winning the Ethereal Stakes

Tiamo Grace returns to scale

Savvan returns to scale

The colts and geldings version of the Ethereal Stakes, the Ladbrokes Classic, also run over 2000 metres, was the next race on the program.

James Cummings, grandson of the late great Bart, trained the winner, Good Standing. Good Standing has done most of his racing in Sydney and contested the Caulfield Guineas without running a place, but started as favourite for the Ladbrokes Classic. He didn’t disappoint his backers winning narrowly from Rocketeer. Inference finished third

Rocketeer must be the unluckiest horse in Australia, running a close second again to a better horse on the day for the fourth time this spring. 

Just past the post in the Ladbrokes Classic – Good Standing (red & black stripes) & Rocketeer (lime green) lead the rest of the field around the turn.

Good Standing returns to scale

Rocketeer on his way to the barriers

The afternoon passed remarkably quickly, the races being spaced 35 minutes apart, no doubt adding to the sense of  having little time to do anything, before another race was about to start.

Race 6 was the Group 3 Coongy Cup run over 2000 metres as well. It marked the last race in which popular front runner The Cleaner would compete. His owners finally have made the decision to retire him, for which I am glad.  Now 9 years old, he has not looked anywhere like winning for over a year, so it has been sad watching him try.

The Cleaner returning to scale after the Coongy Cup

Back to the race, It’s Somewhat was the starting favourite, but he only managed to run third.

The Chris Waller trained Vanbrugh having only his second start in Melbourne won the prize from Tom Melbourne.

Vanbrugh returns to scale

Tom Melbourne returns to scale

It’s Somewhat on his way to the barriers

I was looking forward to the next race with keen interest and hoping to get a good photo of First Seal who was having her first start in Melbourne.  The race was the Tristarc Stakes for mares run over 1400 metres.

Tycoon Tara was the popular favourite, but First Seal proved her quality by beating her narrowly on the line.  Pearls ran third.

Tristarc Stakes finish (l to r) – First Seal, Pearls & Tycoon Tara

It’s great to see First Seal back in winning circles. She obviously had no trouble racing the Melbourne way.

First Seal returns to scale

Tycoon Tara returns to scale

Pearls (no 3) returns to scale

First Seal – head shot with her tongue hanging out– returning to the stalls area

There wasn’t long to wait after the Tristarc Stakes for the main event, so I stayed on to my spot on the fence on the hill and watched The Cup being driven past to the presentation area, but was too late to get a photo.

The horses paraded down below in the pre parade ring as the National Anthem was sung, then the field began to make their way to the mounting yard.

It was an interestingly run race, with the lead changing as the race progressed. Looking at the big screen I was pleased to see that Nick Hall had Jameka up near the pace in about fifth spot. As they turned into the straight Scottish had the lead and somehow Hall had got Jameka clear of the fence and running wide. She overtook Scottish and tore away for an easy win three lengths ahead of Scottish with Exospheric coming late to run third.

Past the post in the Caulfield Cup – Nick Hall celebrates Jameka’s win

Jameka returns to scale

Scottish returns to scale

Exospheric returns to scale

Jameka returns to the stalls area after the presentation

Jameka’s strapper and, I assume, one of her owners pose for snaps

With old favourite Lankan Rupee engaged in the next race, I did not depart like most of the crowd after the Caulfield Cup, but stayed to watch the running of the Group 2 Caulfield Sprint.

Lankan Rupee started from Barrier 1, which is either a blessing or a curse, and it proved the latter in this race, when he was blocked for a run and only found a gap at the last minute. Carrying 61kgs, he did well to run third.

Our Boy Malachi stormed down the outside to win by 1½ lengths from Fatinaah.

Past the post in the Caulfield Sprint – horses spread out as they turn the corner

Our Boy Malachi returns to scale

Fatinaah returns to scale

Lankan Rupee returns to scale

It had been a very enjoyable day at the races and gratifying that most of my favourite horses were successful in their various races.

The icing on the cake of course was Jameka’s victory in the Caulfield Cup.  She will now contest the Melbourne Cup and has been penalised to carry 53.5kgs. If she were to win the big one, it would be a weight carrying record for a four year old mare.

Next Saturday is the highly anticipated Cox Plate at Moonee Valley, where Winx and Hartnell are set to clash for a mouth watering contest that also involves the mystery French horse Vadamos and the three year old filly Yankee Rose.

Sounds like the stuff of legends – I can’t wait to see it.