Derby Day Review

Derby finish – Craig Newitt jubilant aboard Tarzino just past the post

While killing time waiting for the running of the 2015 Melbourne Cup, here’s a review of my day at the races last Saturday.

The weather on Derby Day started out grim and dismal with heavy clouds and occasional showers of rain, so I didn’t bother with sun screen, thinking the afternoon would be as forecast – humid and overcast with rain and a thunderstorm.

How wrong I was. I ended up sunburnt as the afternoon progressed into bright sunshine, typical of Melbourne weather – two or three seasons in one day.

I arrived at Flemington just before 12.00 pm to be greeted by hordes of partying patrons, the girls in their backless frocks and ridiculous fascinators and the guys in a variety of costumes. A group dressed as Minions clustered in a group near the Clock Tower.

Actually it wasn’t all that crowded, you could at least move around freely without stumbling over picnic blankets, though getting a drink was a lengthy affair.

Not many of the horsey stars had arrived when I headed to the stalls area, but I found Exosphere in his stall, looking handsome and relaxed.

Exosphere

Next to him was his stable mate Mogador, also a handsome devil.

Mogador

The fillies who were to compete in Race 2, the Wakeful Stakes eventually emerged to parade in the walking ring.

Ambience

Dawnie Perfect

My Poppette

Returning to the front lawn to watch the race, it was easy to get my favourite position by the walkway from the mounting yard to the track.

Mounting yard gate

The Wakeful Stakes was won easily by Ambience from Beluga Blue and Muzyka.

Ambience returns to scale after winning the Wakeful Stakes

Beluga Blue

Muzyka

Both Ambience and Muzyka will meet again with 10 other fillies on Thursday to contest the Group 1 Crown Oaks.

Race 3 was the Group 3 Guvera Stakes and Disposition was the warm favourite. He won narrowly from San Diego with Hosting three lengths back running third.

Disposition returns to scale after winning the Guvera Stakes

San Diego

Hosting

The Coolmore Stud Stakes was the first of the Group 1 races on the program as Race 4. Exosphere was short odds favourite to win, but he disappointed and ended up finishing fourth.

I got some lovely photos of him in the parade ring when he paused just in front of me to await his turn in the parade line (they parade in numerical order)

Exosphere in the parade ring

The Chris Waller trained Japonisme won at long odds, being totally overlooked in the betting.

Japonisme in the parade ring

For this race I found a really good spot tucked in front of an enclosure with a good view of the straight and winning post, where I hoped to get photos of horses returning to scale without the rail impeding the shot.

Coolmore Stud Stakes – just past the winning post

Japonisme won by 1½ lengths from Keen Array and Counter Attack.

Exosphere (inside) and Keen Array return to scale

Counter Attack returns to scale

Japonisme returns to scale

Newsflash! Just watched the Melbourne Cup and what an amazing result! Prince of Penzance did the locals proud and Michelle Payne became the first female jockey to ride a Melbourne Cup winner. Max Dynamite ran second and Criterion ran third. Prince of Penzance paid $74 (UTB) for the win. A pity I didn’t have any money on him.

Anyway back to Saturday…

We, that is my fellow photographer Rebecca and I, stayed in the same spot for the next few races in between returning to the stalls area, until we were turfed out by a security guy, who said we weren’t allowed to stand there.  God knows why, as we weren’t impeding anyone’s view, but I suppose they regarded the spot as private property – on a public lawn?

Back in the stalls several more of the main contenders had arrived, so I got some nice photos of a few of them

Contributer

West Australian Derby contender Kia Ora Koutou

Ready For Victory

A rose for Rising Romance

The Group 2 Lexus Stakes was up next so we returned trackside to observe the runners leaving the mounting yard, then went to the prime spot on the far eastern side of the course.

The handsome Excess Knowledge on his way to the barriers stalls

Excess Knowledge earned himself a spot in the Melbourne Cup with his win in the Lexus Stakes with Zanteca running second and Havana Cooler third.

Excess Knowledge returns to scale after winning the Lexus Stakes

Zanteca

Havana Cooler

The second of the four Group 1 races was up next, the Mackinnon Stakes and the French horse, Gailo Chop paid his fare to Australia by winning narrowly from Rising Romance and Contributer.

Mackinnon Stakes – just past the post

Gailo Chop returning to scale after winning the Mackinnon Stakes

Rising Romance on her way to the starting gates

Contributer on his way to the starting gates

Just after the finish of the Mackinnon Stakes we were forced to move from our prime position. Not to worry, we waited for the nearby racecourse crossing access gate to be closed, and amusedly observed various preening racegoers posing for photographs in the middle of the racecourse.

Tarzino  defied the favourites hoodoo in the Derby winning easily by two lengths from Etymology with Kia Ora Koutou six lengths behind running third.

Tarzino returns to scale after winning the Victoria Derby

Etymology

Kia Ora Katou

As I intended to go home after the running of the Myer Classic, the final Group 1 race on the program, we moved back to the stalls area to view the mares parading before the race and leaving the mounting yard for the track.

Politeness, the Myer Classic winner in the parade ring

Fenway leaving the mounting yard for the track

Azkadellia – third place runner on her way to the barriers

Royal Descent in the parade ring

Stay With Me returns to scale

Royal Descent started as favourite, and the race was expected to be a match between the classy older mare and upstart filly Stay With Me.

Neither featured in the finish.

Politeness won her first Group 1 race, and Fenway was runner up
¾ length behind her. Azkadellia grabbed third place ahead of May’s Dream.

The light by this time was getting bad for photos and I’d been at the racecourse for almost five hours, so I called it quits and headed for the station. Thankfully it only took 40 minutes to get home this time.

I’ve been writing this post all afternoon and evening, with various distractions like the Melbourne Cup making it seem like a marathon.

I’m looking forward to the Oaks meeting on Thursday as the final field has been decided and it looks a really interesting race with classy fillies like Jameka, Sacred Eye and Ambience going head to head.

Derby Day– All Hallows Eve at Flemington

Tarzino – current favourite for the Victoria Derby

The Melbourne Racing Carnival has only a week left to run, but culminates in suitably spectacular fashion with a concentration of race meetings at Flemington – Derby Day and Emirate Stakes Day book ending the Melbourne Cup and the Crown Oaks over four days.

No doubt the roses will now be in full bloom for Derby Day which kicks off the Flemington Racing Carnival on Saturday.

There’s a wonderful program of racing on the cards, with every race being at Group level, and four at Group 1 level.

The feature race of course is the Victoria Derby, and the other three Group 1 races are the Coolmore Stud Stakes, Mackinnon Stakes and the Myer Classic.

The first of these to run is the Coolmore Stud Stakes for three year olds over 1200 metres. I’m really looking forward to seeing top Sydney colt Exosphere in the flesh for the first time. He has done all his racing in Sydney and won his last three starts, including the Group 1 Golden Rose, so he is the short priced favourite to take out the Coolmore Stud Stakes.

Trying to beat him is a fairly classy field, the most likely contenders being Singapore colt Super One and the local boys Keen Array and Ready for Victory. The omen bet of the day, considering it is All Hallows Eve tomorrow, is Hellbent who could run a place if not win.

Thankfully, the VRC start their race meetings early - the first race is run before midday – and finish at a reasonable time, the feature race being run at 3.50pm and the last race at 5.20pm.

That’s a refreshing change from Caulfield and Moonee Valley whose meetings go on into twilight. It encourages me to get to the track early to watch Race 2, the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes for Oaks bound fillies, run over 2000 metres.

1000 Guineas winner Stay With Me will be taking on the older mares in the Myer Classic, so that leaves a chance for fillies such as Dawnie Perfect and My Poppette  to win some prize money for their connections. Others with a chance are Beluga Blue and Ambience.

Race 5 on the program is the Group 2 Lexus Stakes, the last chance for a free ballot into the Melbourne Cup.  The best chances are Excess Knowledge who has run second in his last two starts, Ruling Dynasty and Junoob.

The Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000 metres) has attracted a quality field of tried and true stayers and middle distance runners that include Happy Trails who is due for his annual win, Pornichet who ran fourth in the Cox Plate, the ever consistent Stratum Star who already has a Group 1 victory ( Rupert Clark Stakes) to his credit, Metropolitan winner Magic Hurricane and mares Rising Romance and Set Square.

And so to the Victoria Derby.

Tarzino is the race favourite, though he hasn’t won a race since September and was beaten last start by the filly Jameka and also failed to run a place in the Caulfield Guineas. Favourites rarely win the Victoria Derby so there are plenty of other smart colts to consider.

I rather like the Western Australian colt Kia Ora Koutou, who has had four starts for four wins in his home state, the last against older horses. His sire Blackfriars won the Victoria Derby in 1999, so he certainly can run the 2500 metres distance.

Others with a chance are Lizard Island, Shards, Get The Picture and Ayers Rock.

The final Group 1 is the Myer Classic for fillies and mares, run over 1600 metres. Some classy mares have won this over the ages, Typhoon Tracy, Appearance, Forensics, Red Tracer, to name a few. Bonaria won it last year from Sweet Idea and Catkins.

Royal Descent is the class mare in the race. It has been some time since she last ran against her own sex, but she has placed many times in Group 1 races in first class open fields and deserves another Group 1 win to go with her ATC Oaks victory in 2013.  If she wasn’t gutted by her run in the Caulfield Cup, she will surely be in the finish.

Her greatest rival in the Myer Classic is 1000 Guineas winner Stay With Me who has an 8 kg weight advantage and has bypassed the Wakeful Stakes to run in this race.

However, fillies have a poor record in the Myer Classic, so other mares who have the class to win are last start winner, La Passe, along with Fenway, Miss Rose De Lago, Solicit and Politeness.

The weather in Melbourne tomorrow is forecast to be overcast and humid, with showers and a possible thunderstorm.  Hopefully the weather will discourage the once a year crowds from taking up all the space on the front lawn.

Last year the weather was similarly damp and it was not quite as crowded as the year before when it was hot and sunny.

It’s sure to be a great day of racing whatever the weather, but it will have to be exceptional to surpass the racing at Moonee Valley last weekend.

Stop Press! Caulfield Guineas Day Review

Press Statement on his way to the barriers prior to winning the Caulfield Guineas

As expected it was a long and tiring afternoon at the races last Saturday.  Despite that, it was worth the cost of admittance with a plethora of interesting racing action.

I got to Caulfield early, in time to watch the first race in fact.

This was the Inglis Debutant Stakes, a race for two year olds over 1000 metres. All of the contestants were having their first start and the field was a mix of colts and fillies.

One of the fillies Missrock swooped from the back to win, defeating Pearl Congenial and Valiano by a length.

Missrock returns to scale after winning the Debutant Stakes

Just past the winning post in the Debutant Stakes

I’d got to Caulfield early ostensibly to see Lankan Rupee in the second race of the day, the Schillaci Stakes. He was expected to win and of course was the favourite at very short odds. As a rule there is no such thing as a certainty in horse racing and such was the case in the Schillaci Stakes. Lankan Rupee was beaten into third place by Alpha Miss and outsider Cashed. 

He looked healthy and glowing in the flesh, but apparently there is something amiss with the horse, according to his trainer Mick Price, which was confirmed by his failure to stretch out in the closing stages of the race.  His Spring campaign is now doubt, and possibly his racing career as well. How disappointing!

Lankan Rupee in the walking ring post race

Alpha Miss on her way to the barriers

For most of the afternoon I chose to stay out of the crowded public lawn, and shoot my photos from the hill above the stalls area. Besides, the mounting yard was inaccessible to the public, being blocked off by the media, so mounting yard photos were out of the question.

It was much quieter in the stalls area, and easy to get photos of the main race contenders in their stalls.

Here’s a few of them.

Fawkner

Criterion

Mongolian Khan

Stay With Me

The handy thing about staying on the hill was you could get shots of the horses going to and from the barriers.

Race 3 was the Thoroughbred Club Stakes for three year old fillies. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of the winner Serene Majesty, but she won quite well beating Secret Agenda and Harlem River by a couple of lengths.

Serene Majesty on her way to the mounting yard

After the Thoroughbred Club Stakes there were only two more races to run before the first of the Group 1 events.

The Weekend Hussler Stakes was the fourth on the program and was won by the Chris Waller trained Amovatio with favourite, The Bowler, running second, and Tristram’s Sun third.

Amovatio returning to scale

The Bowler

Tristram’s Sun

For the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes I returned to the public lawn and snagged a good spot on the fence. This race for stayers is run over 2400 metres and grants the winner a spot in the Caulfield Cup.

Amralah was supposed to running on the pace, but stumbled at the start and raced towards the tail end of the field until about half way through the race, where he took over the lead from Bohemian Lily. From then on he dominated the running, putting three lengths on the rest of the field down the straight, to win by that margin from Excess Knowledge. Bohemian Lily hung on for third a further length away.

Amralah lengths ahead down the straight.

The abovementioned races were just tasters for the main events of the afternoon, and even though it was getting on for 4.00pm, the real action just beginning.

First up of the Group 1 events was the Caulfield Stakes. Kermadec was the favourite with Fawkner being highly fancied as well.

Here are photos of the field on their way to the barriers.

Kermadec

Fawkner

Happy Trails

Criterion

Mongolian Khan

Contributer

Entirely Platinum

Pornichet

The race being run over 2000 metres, the barriers are set up just beyond the stalls area.

Starting Gates for the Caulfield Stakes

Criterion had just got out of quarantine on Saturday morning, and obviously took no harm from his travels, storming from the back of the field as they turned into the straight, and with Happy Trails beside him, surged to the lead and won by half a length with Mongolian Khan, who was blocked for clear running, flying home for third.

Fawkner, after racing up on the speed, faded to finish sixth. The hard track was blamed for his lack of zip at the finish. Kermadec managed to finish fourth.

The three main chances in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap came home true to form with Lucky Hussler beating Disposition by 1.25 lengths and Stratum Star running third.

Lucky Hussler

Disposition

Stratum Star

In 2006 Miss Finland won the 1000 Guineas, and her daughter Stay With Me emulated her mum with a victory in the 2015 edition. She beat Jameka by almost two lengths and Badawiya ran third.

Just past the winning post – Dwayne Dunn  celebrates Stay With Me’s win

Stay with Me

Jameka

Badawiya

By the time the feature race was due to run, I had been at the course for five hours, and I must admit I was feeling somewhat tired. It had been a warm and humid day, but fortunately the threatened storm didn’t eventuate until the evening.  In fact, the track would have benefitted from a shower of rain, for after a full afternoon of racing, the surface was very much on the firm side and the turf flattened. Several trainers complained about it on Sunday.

Anyway, finally the field for the feature Caulfield Guineas assembled in the pre parade ring and started making their way to the mounting yard.

Press Statement in the pre parade ring

Lizard Island being guided to the barrier stalls

Ready for Victory on his way to the barriers

Bon Aurum on his way to the barriers

The race resulted in a solid win for Press Statement and gave trainer Chris Waller yet another Group 1 victory. He also trained the winner of the Spring Champion Stakes in Sydney - Vanbrugh.

Lizard Island ran second in the Caulfield Guineas with Ready For Victory, taking third spot.

Press Statement returns to scale after winning the Caulfield Guineas

It had been a long day, so after the Caulfield Guineas I was only too pleased to make my weary way to the station, and thence home.

Next Saturday I’m going back to Caulfield for the Caulfield Cup. This will be the first time I’ve ever attended the event. The Caulfield Cup itself looks a doozy of a race, the classiest field in years according to the pundits. The support card is mildly interesting, and at least I can take my time getting to the racecourse, so it won’t be such a long and tiring afternoon as the Guineas.