A Wave of a Magic Wand and the Carnival is Over

Magic Wand wins the Mackinnon Stakes

The final day of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival at Flemington on Saturday was held once again under cloudy skies, though thankfully the rain held off most of the afternoon. There hasn’t been such a consistently wet and wintry spring racing season for ages, a least not since I’ve been a regular attendant. A few sunny days wouldn’t have gone astray.

So it was an unusual carnival and the Winx factor was sadly missing with only Nature Strip winning more than one of the 28 Group 1 races, and Melody Belle who won four Group 1 races in New Zealand prior to winning the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes on Derby Day.

Unfortunately Melody Belle was denied a second Australian Group 1 win in the Mackinnon Stakes, having drawn the widest barrier, racing at the tail of the field and being unable to quite catch Magic Wand at the finish.  We can look forward to seeing her back in action in the Autumn in Melbourne.

For grand old warhorse Hartnell, now at the ripe old age of nine, the Mackinnon Stakes was his swansong. Many hoped that he would end his illustrious career with a win, but he had to settle for third place behind the girls.

Hartnell Farewelll on the big screen

He was suitably farewelled by having his career played out on the big screen and Godolphin were giving away caps embroidered with his name as a memento of the popular galloper.

I first saw Hartell in the flesh on Turnbull Stakes day 2015 where he finished unplaced. He also started in Winx’s first Cox Plate in 2015 and ran 5th. That was the first time he raced against the mighty Winx and in seven races all up, he ran second to her in three.

Instantly recognisable, he is a beautiful looking beast with a handsome head. I’ll miss seeing his familiar presence in the future. He will be lovingly cared for in retirement. Bart Cummings old foreman Reg Fleming will be his caretaker and Hartnell will possibly have a new career as a show horse.

Hartnell in his stall last Saturday

Back to the races, I arrived at Flemington around 1.30 pm and met up with my friend Rebecca in the stalls area. She had called me in a panic when I was on the Flemington train. She had forgotten to put a memory card in her camera.  By chance I had a spare on my person, so that problem was solved when I arrived.

Many of the Group 1 contenders were present in their stalls, so I got some nice photos whilst I was there.

Melody Belle chewing her lead

Rondinella in the stall next to Melody Belle

Melody Belle poked her head over the partition into Rondinella’s stall to check her out. Whoa! That was a mistake as Rondinella recoiled from the contact with a squeal, thereby startling Melody Belle who recoiled as well. It was an amusing encounter for us bystanders.

Nature Strip in his stall also munching on his lead

Santa Ana Lane – hot favourite for the Sprint Classic

Girl Tuesday – the daughter of former star mare Tuesday Joy from Street Cry

2019 Manikato Stakes winner Loving Gaby

Former New Zealand mare Danzdanzdance now with Chris Waller

Chris Waller had a large contingent of horses running on Saturday and for once he was present at Flemington. Rebecca and I waylaid him later in the afternoon and got him to sign our Winx racebooks from last year’s Cox Plate (in Rebecca’s case) and her last three races (in my case).

Chris Waller trained horses won both the Sydney “pop up” races, The Everest and The Golden Eagle with Yes, Yes, Yes and Kolding respectively, so he’d remained in Sydney for most of the Melbourne Spring Carnival.

Back trackside we were in time to catch Race 4, the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes, a race over 2600 metres, a sort of consolation race for horses who missed out on running in the Melbourne Cup.

Irish mare True Self, who ran second in the Geelong Cup, was the warm favourite and delivered the bickies winning by 1.5 lengths from Carif, with long shot Maurus running third.

True Self winning the Queen Elizabeth Stakes

The win of the afternoon has to go to Nature Strip in the Group 1 Darley Sprint Classic, run down the long Flemington straight over 1200 metres.

As is typical of sprints down the straight, it is difficult at the best of times to get good photos of the finish, with the official photographers congregating in front of our favourite spot. During the Spring carnival, you also have to put up with security guys placing themselves at regular intervals along the fence. 

Official photographers and security guards hinder my POV as Nature Strip zooms into shot

This time the runners all ran along the outside rail with Nature Strip leading the pack from the start.  He increased his lead 400 metres from the finishing post to win by over three lengths from Loving Gaby and In Her Time.  Santa Ana Lane didn’t fire and finished 5th.

Nature Strip wins the Darley Classic Sprint

Nature Strip returns to scale in the mounting yard an ecstatic James McDonald salutes the crowd

Nature Strip in the winners rug

Nature Strip certainly killed any doubts that he couldn’t win over 1200 metres, Chris Waller’s training efforts, to get him to relax and not overexert himself early, paying off big time.

Race 6 was the Group 3 Matriarch Stakes, a race for mares over 2000 metres. Girl Tuesday was the tote favourite, but she ended up unplaced. Oceanex won at big odds from Miss Siska and Aristocratic Miss.

Matriarch Stakes finish – Oceanex is outside Miss Siska and Greysful Glamour

Oceanex on her way to the barriers

Only one race remained to be run before the feature Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes and that was the Group 3 Chatham Stakes, run over 1400 metres.  Admiral’s Joker was the starting favourite but he was denied victory by 11/1 shot Reykjavic.  Noble Boy ran third.

Reykjavic (outside) and Noble Boy cross the finish line

Reykjavic on his way to the barriers

As previously mentioned the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes was won by tough Irish mare Magic Wand. She certainly had a full program during her sojourn in Melbourne, running in the Cox Plate where she ran fourth and also competing in the Melbourne Cup and running tenth. 

I was disappointed that Melody Belle was defeated, but she certainly wasn’t disgraced, running a great race from last to second place.

Magic Wand on her way to the barriers

Melody Belle returns to scale

Hartnell returns to scale after running his last race

And so ended the 2019 Spring Racing Carnival.

It was mostly memorable due to the awful weather and extremely negative press, but I enjoyed the racing action and remained interested all through the season despite no potential super stars making an impression. Horses of the calibre of Winx and Black Caviar are few and far between, but you never know when a new star may arise to capture our attention again.

Anyway, I look forward to returning to the track in late January and the Autumn carnival and seeing my photographer friends Rebecca and George, and our new acquaintance – Jiei, a young Japanese guy, in Australia to learn English, who is also a keen racing fan and amateur photographer.

Brilliant Sunlight & Kings Will Dream

An ecstatic Jye McNeil brings Kings Will Dream back to scale after winning the Turnbull Stakes

Though last Saturday was nowhere near being brilliantly sunny, the racing action was pretty interesting, in particular the two main races, the Gilgai Stakes and Turnbull Stakes.

As trains to Flemington were running all day, there was no imperative to arrive early, so I got to the track around 1.45pm and had plenty of time to cruise through the stalls area before Race 4 was scheduled.

Most of the main horses had arrived and were in their allotted stalls.

Mystic Journey

Sunlight

Santa Ana Lane

Finche

Hartnell

Kings Will Dream

Zoutori

I’m glad I took my step stool as the rail on Saturday was out by 9 metres, so it would have been impossible to get rail free shots without standing on it.  There is a new mounting yard fence that is considerably higher than the old one, so the step came in handy for photos there too.

Race 4 was the Group 2 Blazer Stakes for mares, and run over 1400 metres.  Fidelia was the tote favourite, but the Chris Waller trained Haut Brion Her who had run second in her first two starts in Melbourne, took a liking to the Flemington big track and won comfortably after leading throughout. Another Sydney mare, Pohukutawa, having only her second start in Melbourne, ran second with Angelic Ruler filling third place.

Haut Brion Her wins the Blazer Stakes from Pohukutawa

Next up was the Listed Super Impose Stakes, an 1800 metre race for Derby bound three year olds.  It had a large field of 13 runners, few of whom I had ever heard of before.  It resulted in 15/1 shot Warning winning easily by 2 lengths from Independent Road and Huntly Castle.

Warning wins the Super Impose Stakes

Warning returns to scale

Independent Road on his way to the barriers

Huntly Castle returns to scale

Race 6 was the keenly anticipated Group 2 Gilgai Stakes where Santa Ana Lane and Sunlight were set to  face off in a 1200 metre sprint down the long Flemington straight.  Sunlight started as favourite and didn’t disappoint, leading from start to finish to win by ½ length from Santa Ana Lane who zoomed from last to second place. Zoutori finished third a short way behind.

Sunlight flashes down the straight

Sunlight wins the Gilgai Stakes from Santa Ana Lane & Zoutori

Sunlight returns to scale

Santa Ana Lane returns to scale

Zoutori retirns to scale

Both Santa Ana Lane and Sunlight are assured of a start in the Everest at Randwick on 20 October, along with a number of other top class sprinters. I’m glad I got to see both of them in the flesh before that event.

In between the Melbourne races I watched the Sydney races on the big screen, where Chris Waller horses won all three of the Group 1 races – Flight Stakes (Funstar), Epsom (Kolding) and Metropolitan (Come Play With Me). Verry Elleegant, now with Chris Waller, also won last Saturday.

Chris Waller made racing history on Saturday by training four Group 1 winners, including the Turnbull Stakes with Kings Will Dream winning the prize.  A former Darren Weir trained horse, Kings Will Dream fractured his pelvis in the Cox Plate last year and almost died from the injury. He was nursed back to health and remarkably won a Group 1 in his third run back in action. Finche, also trained by Chris Waller, ran a close second and the evergreen Hartnell was third.

Disappointingly Mystic Journey finished out of a place. She raced at the tail of the field and then got hampered in her run up the straight, so did well to finish 5th less than two lengths from the winner.  Such is the curse of winning the PB Lawrence Stakes.

Turnbull Stakes finish – Kings Will Dream holds off Finche & Hartnell as they thunder to the finish line

Kings Will Dream in the mounting yard

Finche in the mounting yard

Hartnell in the mounting yard

Mystic Journey on her way to the barriers

I did not stay for the Bart Cummings, where the winner gets ballot free entry into the Melbourne Cup. Surprise Baby won the privilege, and is now a great hope for a locally bred runner to steal back the Cup from the International raiders. He’s by Shocking who won the Melbourne Cup in 2010, so he’s not without a chance.

Flemington on Saturday was nowhere near crowded, but it will be a different case next Saturday at Caulfield for Caulfield Guineas Day, which features four Group 1 races and is generally well patronised.

Black Hearts & Alligator Blood–Underwood Stakes Day Review

Black Heart Bart on his way to winning the Underwood Stakes

The winners of two races on Sunday gave me the opportunity to create a dramatic- you might say piratical – title for this blog post.

With the AFL Grand Final the dominant sporting event on Saturday in Melbourne, the feature Underwood Stakes meeting was held on  Sunday at Caulfield.

Arriving at the racecourse around 1.20pm I was in plenty of time for Race 3 of the program.

This was the not terribly interesting Le Pine Funerals Handicap, a race over 1700 metres.

Having his first start in the East, the West Australian horse Pushin’ Shapes outclassed the locals by winning at big odds (60/1) by 1½ lengths from Masculino and Vassilator.

Pushin’ Shapes overtakes Masculino racing to the finish line

Pushin’ Shapes on his way to the barriers

Masculino on his way to the barriers

As the races were being run at 30 minute intervals, the afternoon flashed by very quickly, so Race 4, the Beck Probuild Handicap contestants were soon heading to the barriers.

Rox The Castle started as favourite and led throughout until he was overtaken by second favourite Admiral’s Joker in the straight and beaten by a length. Waging War ran third.

 
Admiral’s Joker about to overtake Rox the Castle as they head for the finish

The next three races were more interesting than the preceding two, these being the Group 3 Guineas Preludes and the feature Group 1 Underwood Stakes.

I must admit I’d never heard of Alligator Blood, the winner of the Caulfield Guineas Prelude.  That’s not surprising as he’d had all his previous starts (which he’d won) in Queensland.  He was well fancied by punters, but Dalasan started as the favourite and finished second, out gunned by Alligator Blood who won by ¾ length.  Early in the race Your Deel lost his rider and joined the race riderless, though didn’t cause any intereference.

In case you’re curious about Alligator Blood’s name, it’s a Poker term where the player ignores all risks and fearlessly goes for broke.

Alligator Blood zooms up the straight

Alligator Blood on his way to the barriers

Dalasan strolls to the barriers

Three Godolphin fillies – Lyre, Flit and Tenley - were the fancied runners in the Thousand Guineas Prelude, but none of them featured in the finish. The first three home were at big odds and the trifecta paid a fortune – over $21,000 in fact.

Acting was the winner, defeating Southbank and Barbie’s Fox by 1½ lengths, after leading from the start.

Acting leads from Barbie’s Fox and Snapdancer (4th place)

Acting in full flight down the straight

It certainly wasn’t a day for favourites to win, with only two winning on Sunday, and such was the case in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes, where Black Heart Bart won at 100/1.  He’s now nine years of age and was retired in October 2018 after running 16th in the Toorak Handicap. However, he was brought back into training recently with a new trainer, but his form was nothing to write home about. He was given no chance and I thought he was past it.

In his heyday back in 2016/2017 he won six Group 1 races including the 2016 Underwood Stakes, so he was one of the better qualified horses in the 2019 Underwood Stakes.

Homesman was the hot favourite, but couldn’t catch Bart who won by a head. Gailo Chop  finished third and old trooper Hartnell ran fourth again.

Black Heart Bart on his way to the starting gates

Homesman on his way to the barriers

Gailo Chop on his way to the barriers

Black Heart Bart returning to scale a happy Brad Rawiller on his back

The weather on Sunday was fairly kind, mild and mostly overcast though the sun shone quite regularly on the track.

Next Saturday it’s back to Flemington for the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes. Winx was the big attraction last year, and the year before, but this time around we have Mystic Journey and Avilius to look forward to. And Sunlight, who finished a very creditable third in the Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley last Friday night, will hopefully be taking on Santa Ana Lane in the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes.