Spring Loaded–Caulfield Guineas Day

Bon Aurum  after winning the Guineas Prelude – can he win the Caulfield Guineas?

You can certainly tell that the Spring Racing Carnival is heading towards the peak of the season with what is on offer this weekend at Caulfield Racecourse.

There are four Group 1 races on the program and an equally exciting support card of black type races. There are ten races to be run and it looks like it will be a long day with the feature race, the Caulfield Guineas, scheduled at 5.40pm as the second last race on the program.

The weather is forecast to be warm and humid, with the possibility of thunderstorms later in the afternoon. Let’s hope that these do not occur until after the Guineas has been run, as I’m sure  all hell would break loose if a thunderstorm hit during a race.

As I’m keen to arrive at Caulfield to see Lankan Rupee in the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes, which is the second race of the day, it will certainly be a drawn out afternoon. However, the interval between races is only 35 minutes, so no doubt the time will flash by in a trice.

Lankan Rupee will face only five rivals in the Schillaci Stakes, run over 1100 metres, and will most likely prevail. The best of the competition is Sydney sprinter Shiraz who has 10 wins from 16 starts and won the Aurie’s Star at Flemington in August. Alpha Miss will quite likely be in the finish somewhere having good form against the likes of Winx and First Seal. She has not raced for over a year though, but has performed well first up.

The first of the Group 1 races is the Caulfield Stakes, run over 2000 metres. It has only 8 acceptances,  six of whom are multiple Group 1 winners – Fawkner, Happy Trails, Contributer, Mongolian Khan , Kermadec and Criterion.

It will be the first time this Spring that we have seen Kermadec and Criterion in Melbourne. Kermadec won the Group 1 George Main Stakes at his last start and also won the Doncaster Mile in the autumn.  He’s current favourite for the Cox Plate, and also favoured to win the Caulfield Stakes. He’ll have to beat the aforementioned regulars, Fawkner and Happy Trails in particular.

Criterion has just returned from an overseas jaunt where he raced competitively in Hong Kong and the UK without winning.  He won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in the autumn before he left for England. A class horse, if he has recovered from his trip back to Australia, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he featured in the finish.

The Toorak Handicap is the second of the Group 1 races and is run over 1600 metres. A full field of eighteen horses will contest it. Disposition, Stratum Star, Lucky Hussler and Noble Protector are the main chances.

Fillies feature first in the 1000 Guineas (1600 metres) and the top picks are Pasadena Girl, Miss Gunpowder , Stay with Me, Jameka, Payroll and Badawiya.

The second top Sydney colt, Press Statement, is the hot favourite for the Caulfield Guineas.  He’s never raced in Melbourne before but he is with top trainer Chris Waller whose two Sydney runners ran first and second in the Turnbull Stakes last week.

However, favourites have a shocking record in the Caulfield Guineas, so others with a chance are Ready For Victory,wearing blinkers for the first time, which may sharpen him up, New Zealand colt Dal Cielo, last start winners Sovereign Nation and Bon Aurum, and the well regarded Tulsa who was runner up to Bon Aurum in the Guineas Prelude.

At Randwick in Sydney the last Group 1 race of their spring carnival is the Spring Champion Stakes for three year olds, run over 2000 metres.  The top chances are Vanbrugh, Devil Hawk (Hawkspur’s brother), Tatoosh and Queensland colt Too Good To Refuse.

Too Hard for Petits Filous–Moonee Valley & Flemington Review

Moir Stakes finish – Buffering wins it for a third time

It was a bumper weekend of racing, despite the AFL Grand Final dominating the news in Melbourne, and by the end of it I was quite exhausted.

Not that I went to all three meetings over the weekend, but Friday night and Sunday certainly provided plenty of exercise,tramping around the courses. Top that with Daylight Savings Time beginning on Sunday, I felt somewhat jet lagged as a result.

However, I’ve finally sorted my photographs, so here’s a brief rundown of the racing action at Moonee Valley and Flemington.

Taking good photos at night meetings with my serviceable, but not professional camera, is nigh on  impossible. I took along the Canon G16 and it did a good job in the stalls area, but was terrible for action shots.


Buffering in his stall Friday night

Petits Filous in her stall Friday night

I got to Moonee Valley in time for the running of Race 3, the Group 2 Stocks Stakes for mares over 1600 metres and watched it from the fence on the public lawn.

It was won by the unfancied Fenway  from May’s Dream and Scratchy Bottom.


May’s Dream (no 2) and Scratchy Bottom (no 3) on their way to the barriers

Fenway rugged after winning the Group 2 Stocks Stakes

As there was quite crowd of drunken football fans at the meeting, I decided to check out another side of the course which is close to the winning post and found it an excellent spot for taking photos, and much quieter and more civilised than the public lawn.

A pity it was night time, it would be a good spot in daylight.


View of Moonee Valley from right hand side of main building

The fourth race was the 55 Second Challenge, a speed test over 955 metres and Reldas was the winner, running 55.05 seconds.


Reldas returns to scale after winning the Jeep 55 Second Challenge Heat 2

The Stutt Stakes and the JRA Cup followed before the feature race and they resulted in Sovereign Nation beating Get The Picture and Gredington in the Stutt Stakes, and Escado coming in at big odds in the JRA Cup ahead of Magnapal and Velox.


Escado returns to scale after winning the JRA Cup

Buffering proved that old timers can still cut the mustard, winning the Moir Stakes by half a length from Ball Of Muscle with Angelic Light running third. Buffering led, as was expected, for most of race and had enough in the tank to kick away and hold off the swoopers to the line. Petits Filous raced close to the pace for most of the race, but faded to finish 10th, the hard track (a firm 2) being not to her liking, according to her trainer. She will be spelled until the autumn.

Bright sunshine was the lighting challenge at Flemington on Sunday, which can be as much as a problem as fluoro at night meetings. I have noticed in the past that on really bright days, the LCD screen turns black and you can’t see what you’re shooting. To solve this problem I purchased a sunshade for the G16 and tried it out on Sunday. Thankfully it worked.

I was obliged to get to Flemington fairly early as trains to the racecourse ceased operating at 12.40pm, so it was a long afternoon. Luckily there was plenty of exciting racing action, so the time sped by very fast.

Just missing Race 2 on program, I was in plenty of time to watch the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes where top sprinter Chautauqua was the main attraction and naturally the hot favourite.

It was a really interesting race. For a while there it almost seemed as if Chautauqua couldn’t win, boxed in by other horses on all sides as they sped down the straight. He managed to find an opening at the last minute and ended up winning by a length from Delectation with Knoydart running third.

Stunning!


Chautauqua rugged after winning the Gilgai Stakes

The next race on the card was the Listed UCI Stakes for Derby bound three year olds, run over 1800 metres.  Ayers Rock, whose trainer declares is going to win the Victoria Derby, won the prize at very long odds, beating race favourite, Tivaci, and Akaashef by a length or so.  Ayers Rock was ridden by Darren Gauci, who as a young jockey back in the 1980s was a household name, but is overshadowed these days by the current crop of star jockeys.


Ayers Rock returns to scale after winning the UCI Stakes a happy Darren Gauci in the saddle

Race 5 was the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes for three year old fillies and I must say Badawiya looked good winning the race by two lengths from nearest rival Sacred Eye with My Poppette a further three lengths away in third spot.

Badawiya returns to scale after winning the Edward Manifold Stakes

It was particularly appropriate that Let’s Make Adeal won The Bart Cummings, a race named in late great trainer’s honour, run over 2520 metres.  The winner gets automatic entry into the Melbourne Cup, so Let’s Make Adeal will get the chance to emulate her grand dam Let’s Elope who won the Cup in 1991 for Bart Cummings.


Sign in Bart Cummings Walk of Fame for Let’s Elope

Our Ivanhowe and Hawkspur took out the minor places.

The barriers for the race are set up just by the Clock Tower, so I had a rare chance to snap a photo of the barriers from the back.


Starting gates for The Bart Cummings

Let’s Make Adeal heads to the track

It is quite rare for Victorian Derby winners to return the next Spring and win a major race. One of them who did was Efficient who won the 2006 Victorian Derby and the 2007 Melbourne Cup. He was present at Flemington on Sunday to lead the Turnbull Stakes field out, but I caught up with him in his stall soon after I arrived at the track.


Efficient in his stall – finally a nice head shot


Efficient parading in the mounting yard

Last year, the Chris Waller trained Preferment won the Victorian Derby and he returned to Flemington for the first time since then on Sunday and took out the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes, beating his stalwart stable mate Royal Descent by a nose. Last year’s Oaks winner Set Square ran third. It was an appropriate win for Preferment considering that his sire, the great Zabeel passed away last week.


Royal Descent returns to scale after the Turnbull Stakes


Preferment rugged after winning the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes

It had been a long but enjoyable day in the sunshine, so I called it quits after the Turnbull Stakes as the trains had started running again to take race patrons back to the city.

Sydney had their big race day on Saturday, and I listened to the meeting on radio, as Racing NSW’s video coverage was not working on my computer.  Amazingly, favourites won in eight of the nine races on the program. The Group 1 races resulted in wins for Winx in the Epsom, Speak Fondly in the Flight Stakes, and Magic Hurricane won The Metropolitan.

Next Saturday is Caulfield Guineas Day at Caulfield with four Group 1 races on the program.
Lankan Rupee will be making his first appearance for the Spring in the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes.
His great rivals, Chautauqua and Terravista have already kicked off their Spring campaigns with wins, so hopefully Lankan Rupee can do likewise. No doubt they’re all fated to meet in Darley Classic on Emirates Stakes Day if not sooner.

I’ll try and preview Caulfield Guineas Day before week’s end.

Charity Race Day at Caulfield

Magnapal – heading to the gates prior to winning the feature race

I couldn’t be bothered previewing the races last week, but I did attend the race meeting at Caulfield on Saturday, and enjoyed the outing despite it being a fairly low key event.

It was worth it to go along and see my old favourite, Apache Cat, present as the special guest from Living Legends. They’d set him up in the Kid Zone – well sheltered from the ankle biters in an enclosure adjacent to it.

He loves his photo being taken and posed beautifully for the above shot and didn’t mind a pat either.

The charity day mentioned in the title of this post refers to the cost of entry to the course, where 80% of it would go to a charity of one’s own choice, which could be selected from at list at the ticket booth.

I took my time getting to Caulfield as the more interesting races were on later in the afternoon, so I arrived around 1.45pm, in time to see Race 4, the Bendigo Bank East Malvern Handicap, for mares over 1400 metres.

A dreary old man who seems to haunt the races – I see him practically every time I attend any race meeting – was ear bashing one of my photographer friends  as I joined her at the fence.  One thing in the old codger’s favour was that he’d picked the winner, KayJay’s Joy as one of his five bets and she earned him $9.50 for the win.  She beat home Danestroem and Mossbeat.

KayJay’s Joy on her way to the barriers

Race 4 down the straight – KayJay’s Joy is about to overtake Danestroem

Killing time to the next race, I went off to the stalls area to see who had arrived -  not many of the feature race contenders.

Race 5, the MRC Foundation Plate looked mildly  interesting as it had several  Guineas bound fillies in the field, such as Giulietta and Don’t Doubt Mama.  The latter ended up winning, with Sacred Eye running second and Thames Court taking third.

Race 5 down the straight to the finish line

In between the Melbourne races, I did manage to watch the action at Randwick on screens around Caulfield. I noted with interest that Rebel Dane, who has always promised much, yet failed to deliver, finally won.  He has had a throat operation since his last race appearance in autumn, which appears to have done the trick as far as his performance on the track is concerned.

The Canberra wonder horse Fell Swoop was running in Race 6, the Listed Testa Rossa Stakes, so I decided to test my luck on the punt and have a bet on him. He started favourite at odds of $2.50, though I managed to get $2.70 from the Bookies.

Fell Swoop showed great tenacity to win the race, so I was glad I hadn’t jinxed him with my bet.  Charlie Boy ran second and Java third.

Fell Swoop on his way to the starting gates – note the blinkers & ear muffs, which are taken off at the barriers.

Java

Charlie Boy

Race 6 down the straight – Fell Swoop is about to overtake Charlie Boy with Java on the outside in blue silks

Race 7 was the Group 3 William Hill Sprint Series Heat 2 Stakes, for mares run over 1200 metres.  I decided to have a small bet on Wawail who had great first up  form, having never been beaten when fresh. Alas she was hampered from running in the straight with a wall of horses blocking her progress and finished second last. Politeness and Griante stormed down the outside to run the first two places with Jessy Belle running third.

Wawail on her way to the barriers

The feature race of the day was up next, the Group 3 Bendigo Bank East Malvern MRC Foundation Cup, formerly known as the  Naturalism Stakes. It is a race over 2000 metres and the winner qualifies for the Caulfield Cup.

A good field of 16 starters were contesting it. The United States who was narrowly beaten by his stable mate Chance To Dance at Moonee Valley a fortnight ago, was the favourite.  I thought that with his light weight he was pretty much a certainty, but as is the fickle hand of fate as far as horse racing goes, he was beaten by the narrowest of margins by Magnapal, whose form I had totally overlooked. Genuine Lad finished third.

Magnapal   rugged after winning the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes

The United States

La Amistad – Makybe Diva’s little sister

Hawkspur

Race 8 down the straight – Magnapal & The United States go head to head to the finish line.

I called it quits after the Naturalism Stakes and headed home after collecting my place winnings on The United States.

Though it wasn’t as exciting as the previous two meetings I’ve attended, it was enjoyable being out in the Saturday sunshine of early Spring and watching  beautiful equine athletes in action.

The feature race at Randwick, the Group 1 George Main Stakes resulted in a win for Kermadec with the ever dependable, but unlucky, Royal Descent running second. The Gai Waterhouse trained Pornichet finished third.

Next weekend the racing action is again at Caulfield and features two Group 1 races – the Underwood Stakes and Rupert Clarke Stakes, as well as two interesting Guineas Preludes for three year olds.

The Sparkle of Diamonds–Group 1 Racing at Caulfield

Blue Diamond favourite Fontiton in the mounting yard at Caulfield 14 February 2015

Caulfield Racecourse hosts the Blue Diamond Stakes meeting this Saturday with three Group 1 races on the program, the feature being the Blue Diamond Stakes.

I’ve attended Blue Diamond Stakes Day for the last three years and have no intention of missing this one. It’s always a great day of racing, even though the feature race is the second last on the card.

As it will be a long day, and forecast to be hot, I don’t want to get to Caulfield too early, despite the first two races being quite interesting and at Group 3 level, so aim to arrive in time for Race 3 – the Angus Armanesco Stakes – which is scheduled for 2.40pm.

It’s a Group 2 race for three year old fillies run over 1400 metres.  An attractive field has been assembled that includes the classy local fillies Fontein Ruby, Sabatini and Marple Miss, a visitor from Sydney with excellent form. I’m hoping Fontein Ruby, second up, can win this.  She ran a close third to Sabatini in the Kevin Hayes Stakes a fortnight ago, so could easily turn the tables on her in this race.

Race 4, the Caulfield Autumn Classic is also a Group 2 event run over 1800 metres and is for three year olds of either sex.  The field does not look all that inspiring, but youngsters like Moonovermanhattan, Magicool, Firehouse Rock  and Hong Kong Captain have a good chance to add a black type race win to their records.

The first of the Group 1 races is the Futurity Stakes and programmed as race 5. Run over 1400 metres it is a standard weight for age competition. Dissident is the obvious class horse in the field, so I doubt if any other horse in the field can beat him.  In fact it’s a pretty second rate field, excluding Dissident, with old troupers Smokin’ Joey and Mister Milton making up the number. Entirely Platinum who ran second to Dissident in the Orr Stakes, along with mares Driefontein and Suavito  seem the only other chances.

2014 Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist is the attraction in the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes, though the distance (1800 metres) may be too short for him. Even so,  Fiorente the 2013 Melbourne Cup winner won it last year, so it’s not beyond the bounds of possibility that Protectionist can take the prize this year. The other main contenders are the consistent Happy Trails, in form Jacquinot Bay, and fellow import, Au Revoir, who stayed on after the Cup and won the Zipping Classic.  Real Love the WA mare was disappointing in the Orr Stakes, but on her day is pretty smart in distance races, so I’ll be interested to see how she runs on Saturday.

In contrast to the small field of the Futurity Stakes, the second Group 1 race, the Oakleigh Plate, has a full field of 18 runners.  Last year’s  Blue Diamond Stakes winner Earthquake is one of them and with her light weight advantage could win her first race in open company. The race is run over 1100 metres, so it’s designed for speed. Other contenders with claims are Bel Sprinter who goes really well first up, Flamberge who ran a close second to Chautauqua at his last start in the Rubiton Stakes, Atmospherical who ran third on that occasion, speedy mares Shamal Wind and Vain Queen, and Lord of the Sky who recently won a barrier trial by 8 lengths, but in whom I’ve completely lost faith. He may prove me wrong on Saturday, but I’ll be barracking for Earthquake.

Anything can happen in the Blue Diamond Stakes, but over the last four years it has been won by the favourite – Earthquake (2014),  Miracles of Life (2013) Samaready (2012) & Sepoy (2011).

The hot favourite this year, and top pick on form, is Fontiton who has won the fillies Blue Diamond Preview and Prelude and can’t be faulted. She has drawn Barrier 1, either a blessing or a curse. Last year Earthquake won from Barrier 15, but Miracles of Light won from Barrier 1 the year before, thanks to clever rides by their respective jockeys. 

Fontiton’s main opposition comes from stable mate Thurlow and the colts Of The Brave, Pride of Dubai and Stoker.

On Friday night at Moonee Valley exciting filly Sistonic is racing in the Group 3 Typhoon Tracy Stakes against a field of fellow three year old fillies.  I’d love to to be there to watch her, but as the race is run at 9.15 pm it’s out of the question with the big race day at Caulfield being the more attractive proposition. However, I’ll certainly watch it online on Friday night.

Warwick Farm in Sydney hosts the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600 metres) and its field leaves the Futurity Stakes field for dead with the likes of Boban, Silent Achiever, Lucia Valentina, Contributor, Hawkspur, He’s Your Man and nine others, including Fiveandahalfstar having his second start after a long break.

Contributor who won the Apollo Stakes a fortnight ago is the hot favourite to take this race out. Chris Waller trained horses have won the  Chipping Norton for the last four years. He has 8 runners this year of whom Boban (won last year), He’s Your Man and Weary are his nominated  top chances.  Lucia Valentina has a history of being flat second up and firing third up, and as this is her second start for the autumn. Silent Achiever was a star of the Sydney autumn last year winning both the Ranvet Stakes and The BMW. She ran fifth in the Apollo Stakes, which was a bit short for her, so she could very well win or run a place.

Counting this weekend, there are only three major race meetings   remaining for the Autumn Carnival in Melbourne, so I’m making the most of it while I can.

However, the annual concert season is almost upon us, and so far have tickets for three shows, the first being renowned British singer songwriter Richard Thompson next Wednesday at the Melbourne Recital Centre.

In The Mood For Romance…

Chautauqua begins his autumn campaign this weekend

The romance of the turf, I mean, seeing as the autumn racing season kicks off on Saturday, St Valentine’s Day.  I’m too old for the other sort of romance (perish the thought) so the romance of racing is it for me.

Caulfield reopens its gates for the first time since the Caulfield Cup, to host the first Group 1 race of the season and the meeting also includes several choice Group 2 and 3 events as well to be run on the newly resurfaced track.

To digress, it has been a technologically trying week with my new computer developing a serious hard drive problem over the weekend, where, after a series of BSOD (blue screen of death) incidents the operating system refused to load. Fortunately, the hard drive in question, a SSD (solid state drive), was the one on which all programs were loaded, and had hardly any data saved on it. I store my data files on a second internal hard drive.

I did have an inkling that all was not well after the BSODs, so hastened to save essential stuff on my C: drive, such as email addresses, messages etc. to the secondary E: drive, so I didn’t lose anything important.

Back to the computer shop we went early on Monday and they had a new SSD installed with a fresh install of Windows 7 ready by Tuesday afternoon. It only took me a day to set it all up this time, after the tedium of the initial set up back in April last year which had me trying to install the printer driver for a week. Now the computer is back in business and performing better than before.

So it will be a pleasant break from computer woes attending the races tomorrow.

As was the case last summer, Caulfield is calling its program of summer racing “Relaxed Racing”, and in their wisdom have scheduled the feature race for 5.50pm, so it will a long day trackside as I want to get to the course by the second race.

Race 2 is the Group 3 Kevin Hayes Stakes for three year old fillies run over 1200 metres. Most of the fillies engaged in the race are resuming from a spell, and there are several familiar names among the contenders – Fontein Ruby, Afleet Esprit, Sabatini and Royal Snitzel. The winner will most probably be one of the above.

The third and fourth races on the program are of great interest in terms of assessing the current two year old crop for the upcoming Blue Diamond Stakes.  The Group 2 Blue Diamond Prelude  (1100 metres) for fillies is run first and the raging favourite is Fontiton who has won her only two starts, the last being the fillies Blue Diamond Preview on Australia Day. Her main rivals are Flamboyant Lass, Heatherly and Secret Agenda who all won their last races.

The colts and geldings Prelude is harder to assess, but I fancy Of The Brave who I witnessed winning his first race back in October at Caulfield. He is a half brother to the speedy Eloping and looks to share  her talent.  Others with a chance are Darley colts Bantam and Sampeah.

The Carlyon Cup is a Group 3 race run over 1600 metres, and the field has a mix of stayers and middle distance runners. The most interesting of them is Sydney horse Red Excitement who has a remarkable CV with a picket fence of wins against his name.  He’ll have to beat the very fit and in form  Jacquinot Bay who has won his last three starts. 

Top sprinter Chautauqua, resuming after spell, is the hot favourite to take out the Group 2 Rubiton Stakes (1100 metres). Top challengers are three year old fillies Eloping and Oakleigh Girl and four year old mares Atmospherical and Missy Longstocking.

Race 7, the Group 2 Autumn Stakes for three year olds looks like a match race between Hong Kong Captain and Profit Share, both having recent wins under their belts.

The feature race is the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes run over 1400 metres.  Past winners of this race include Black Caviar, Typhoon Tracy (twice), All Too Hard, Lonhro and Saintly among many illustrious champions of the turf. Last year it was won by Moment of Change.

This year’s edition looks rather uninspiring with the class horses in the field being Happy Trails resuming and  Dissident, whobegan his autumn campaign at Moonee Valley in January to run third in the Australia Stakes behind Mourinho who is also in the field and has to be respected. There are two three year olds in the field – Petrology and Java – who with the weight advantage could steal the show. Java has the distinction of beating Hong Kong Captain two starts back and Petrology at his last start. And Chris Waller also has two runners who wouldn’t surprise with a win considering Waller’s reputation, these being Bagman and Beaten Up.

The omen bet for St Valentines Day is WA mare Real Love who has great form over longer distances, but has won over 1400 metres in the past.  West Australian horses either thrive in the eastern states – Northerly and Marasco are two that come mind – or disappoint like recent visitors Luckygray and Mr Moet. Will Real Love emulate the former or the latter West Australian champs in her sojourn in the east?

There are more Valentine’s Day omen bets running in Sydney, most notably Lucia Valentina and He’s Your Man in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes, which has a much classier field than the Orr Stakes with  Boban, Foreteller, Hawkspur, Weary, Diamond Drille and Silent Achiever being contenders as well.

In fact the race card at Randwick on Saturday is much more interesting than Caulfield’s with classy gallopers like Golden Slipper winner Mossfun resuming from an injury induced spell in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes along with Flight Stakes winner First Seal and Thousand Guineas winner Amicus who are also in the race.

After a two year absence due to a tendon injury, it’s good to welcome back the lately lamented Super Cool’s great rival Fiveandahalfstar in the Group 3  Southern Cross Stakes. It being a 1200 metre race he is not expected to win it, but it sure will be interesting watching him in action again.

So the racing scene will be hot this weekend and no doubt the weather will be too. It is forecast to be a humid and warm day tomorrow with the threat of a thunderstorm in the afternoon. Let’s hope that the storm that overtook Flemington on Australia Cup day in 2010 will not be repeated at Caulfield tomorrow.

It’s raining in Melbourne as I write this so who knows how the newly laid  track at Caulfield Racecourse will play.

The Roses Will Be Blooming - Derby Day 2014

Flemington Roses

The 2014 Spring Racing Carnival has only a little over a week to run, and then it will be all over for another year.

But to take it out in grand fashion, Flemington hosts four days of spectacular racing excitement, the first of these being Derby Day on Saturday.

Last year I attended Derby Day for the first time, and despite the crowds found it quite enjoyable, so I intend to brave it for a second time and get some value from my Flemington season’s ticket.

How can I resist, when such a fantastic racing card is programmed, with many of my black book horses scheduled to run. There are  four Group 1 races – Coolmore Stud Stakes, Mackinnon Stakes, Victoria Derby & Myer Classic – and all the other races are at either Group 2 or Group 3 level.

The first race is at 11.30am, but as it’s going to be a long day I don’t intend to arrive at the track until slightly later, in time for the first of the Group 1 races, the Coolmore Stud Stakes, scheduled at 1.30pm.

And what a great field it has! A race for three year olds over 1200 metres it has the cream of this year’s 3yo crop in the field, such as Rich Enuff, Scissor Kick, Rubick, Earthquake, Eloping, Brazen Beau and Kuro as the main contenders. Who to choose?  Rich Enuff will no doubt start as favourite, but I’d like to see Rubick or Earthquake take the prize. At least they’ll probably be at good odds for a change. Whatever, it looks a doozy of a race.

The Coolmore Stud Stakes is followed by the Group 3 Lexus Stakes  (2500 metres) and is for stayers hoping to gain entrance into the Melbourne Cup.  Top contenders are Geelong Cup winner Caravan Rolls On, Big Memory who won the Herbert Power Stakes,  Lord Van Percy and Marksmanship, aspiring Internationals, and well connected mares La Amistad (Makybe Diva’s half sister) and Let’s Make Adeal (Let’s Elope’s granddaughter).

Next up is the second of the Group 1 races, the Mackinnon Stakes, run over 2000 metres. It has a super field as well, with a number of the usual suspects aiming for more Group 1 glory – Happy Trails, Foreteller, Moriarty, Hawkspur, Brambles and Criterion – all seen recently running in either the Caulfield Cup or the Cox Plate. Also in the picture is Rising Romance who ran second to Admire Rakti in the Caulfield Cup and Sydney stayer, He’s Your Man, who won the Epsom Stakes at his last start.  Last year the race was won by International visitor Side Glance who is scratched due to lameness this year. However there are two mystery British horses – Farraaj and Amralah – who could steal it this year. I’ll be barracking for Rising Romance who deserves a win after running a close second at her last two starts.

The Victoria Derby has always been a real puzzle of a race, with any of the field likely to take out the prize. Gai Waterhouse has great confidence in her entry Hampton Court who is the favourite after he won the Spring Champion Stakes in emphatic fashion at his last start. However, favourites have a bad record in the Derby and it has mostly been won by an outsider or secondary favourites. So who else has a chance? For a start there’s Moonovermanhattan who won The Vase at Moonee Valley last Saturday, and Atmosphere who ran second  (whom I fancy a lot), Royal Standing who I just noticed is a half brother to Super Cool, and the other “cool” customer Magicool, who beat Atmosphere earlier in the season at Flemington in an 1800 metre race.

The final Group 1 race is the Myer Classic for fillies and mares, run over 1600 metres. Red Tracer beat her stable mate Catkins last year in this. Red Tracer is no longer on the scene having been retired to stud, but Catkins is still around and is part of the excellent field. Top pick is Sweet Idea who won the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes at her last start with Girl Guide running second and Catkins third. The favourite however is May’s Dream who is yet to win a race this spring, but is due for a win. Also in with a good chance is Star Fashion who has won her last two races and Forever Loved who has winning form at Flemington.

A sprint over 1200 metres, the Group 2  tab.com.au Stakes is the last race on program and is worth sticking around for, due to the presence of boom Sydney horse Deep Field in the field. He is unbeaten in four starts and broke a course record at one of his latest outings at Canterbury. Trying to ruin his party will be the rejuvenated Bel Sprinter who dead heated with Miracles of Life in the Caulfield Sprint earlier this month and Adamantium who loves the Flemington straight.

The weather is expected to be somewhat damp tomorrow in Melbourne. Even though today is a hot 30°C, a change is forecast to pass through overnight. If it is wet, at least it might deter the party goers from spreading their blankets all over the public lawn, and maybe even discourage them from attending at all.  I live in hope.

The Caulfield Cup–The Usual Conundrum

Lucia Valentina – Flemington 4 October 2014

After looking at the race card for this Saturday’s Caulfield Cup meeting, I’m rather regretting that I did not purchase an early bird ticket for the event. Rather than having an uninteresting line up of support races, I’ve noticed that quite a few old favourites, that I have not seen in action this Spring, are racing at Caulfield on Saturday.

For instance, Manawanui, who has not been seen in Melbourne for a year is entered in the Group 3 Moonga Stakes. He ran in this race last year but finished unplaced.  Since then he has had only one run, in the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap on 20 September this year, which he won.

Also racing on Saturday is Catkins in the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes, and Miracles of Life in the Group 2 Caulfield Sprint.

So it looks almost as good a support card as that on Caulfield Guineas Day. But the thought of having to wait once again for the feature race late in the day dampens my desire to be there. I’ll watch them all on TV for a change.

The main focus of this post is the Group 1 Caulfield Cup. Again, it is a difficult race to analyse with so many factors to collate. A full field will contest the race and it is comprised of a mix of Internationals – Admire Rakti and Bande from Japan, Dandino (has been scratched) and Seismos from England – seasoned imports and locals (including those from New Zealand)

Lucia Valentina is the deserved favourite after her stunning win in the Turnbull Stakes.  There are those who say she is a risk at 2400 metres, after she ran third in the ATC Oaks behind Rising Romance and Zanbagh, but she is bred to run the distance and has the Zabeel factor with her sire being Savabeel, a son of the great Zabeel. The only other runner with the Zabeel factor is Brambles. Last year’s winner Fawkner had it through his sire Reset.

The other locally bred runner who I fancy  is Who Shot Thebarman who is in great form having won his last two races by over two lengths. The only query is that both those wins were on the wide open spaces of Flemington, and he hasn’t actually ever run at Caulfield. He is one of four Chris Waller trained horses entered in the race. The others are Hawkspur, Junoob and Moriarty, the latter two being last start winners in Sydney. Chris Waller has never won the Caulfield Cup, so no doubt will be hoping one of his stable can take it out. He seems to have a great strike rate in Group 1 races, so it’s quite possible he’ll succeed.

Of the Internationals, it wise to be wary of the Japanese runners, after they ran the quinella in the 2006  Melbourne Cup.  With Bande scratched, that leaves Admire Rakti as the sole Japanese representative, and he could easily steal the show as he’s highly regarded in International racing circles.

It would be my ideal finish if Lucia Valentina and the other four year old New Zealand mare Rising Romance could run the quinella.

Truth to tell, anything could win with the field being evenly matched. With known front runner Bande scratched, who knows who will take on that role now. Lloyd Williams’ two Moons (Green Moon & Sea Moon) will race closer to the speed it has been reported. As was seen at Caulfield last Saturday, those on the speed were the most successful.

Update: Saturday Night

Victory for Japan!  Japanese stayer Admire Rakti won the Caulfield Cup, so it appears they are back big time.

The New Zealand mares Rising Romance and Lucia Valentina came second and third –so near yet so far from my ideal finish.

Thanks to a bet on Rising Romance I basically came out evens on the day, no loss no gain.

I watched all the action on TV and even if I thought it would be better being there on the scene, considering the crowds, I was glad I decided not to attend.

Of my watched favourites, it was great to see little Miracles of Life come back a winner, even if she had to share the victory with Bel Sprinter in a dead heat. Catkins ran third in her race, and Manawanui finished fourth in his.

Next week is the Cox Plate, my favourite of the big three races – can’t wait!

Spotlight on the Spring Racing Carnival–Super Saturday

Puissance de Lune – Makybe Diva Stakes day 13/9/14

With the AFL season over, Melbourne’s sporting focus shifts to the Spring racing carnival as the build up to the big event on the first Tuesday in November gathers pace.

This Saturday Flemington hosts the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes on its hallowed turf along with an interesting card of support races.

In Sydney at Randwick, they have their Spring racing carnival all happening on one day, with three Group 1 races – the Epsom Handicap, Flight Stakes and The Metropolitan to run this Saturday.

Tomorrow is expected to be fine and sunny, so I’ll be off at the races again to take in the sights and sound of first class racing.

I hope to arrive at Flemington in time to witness Race 3, the Group 3 Bart Cummings, a race for stayers over 2520 metres. Last year it was won by Sea Moon, but he lost out on a protest to Araldo. He’ll be kicking off his spring cups campaign in this race again.  Up against him is the Chris Waller trained Who Shot Thebarman who won his first start at Flemington a few weeks ago and appears the top contender. Also in with a chance are Ibicenco, Ethiopia and Marksmanship.

The next race of interest on the program is Race 5 , the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes run over 1200 metres. Chautauqua is the top pick after he comfortably won the Bobby Lewis Quality at Flemington at his last start, beating Temple of Boom, who is obviously the next best. The Moody trained Il Cavallo, Gai Waterhouse trained Longma and New Zealand mare Bounding all have a chance as well.

Another Group 2 race, the Edward Manifold Stakes for fillies run over 1600 metres looks to be a worth watching. With top filly Thinking Of You scratched from the field to run in the Flight Stakes in Sydney, the race is wide open and up for grabs to smart fillies like Veuvelicious, Fontein Ruby, Pittsburgh Flyer, Golconda and Maastricht.

Race 7 is the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000 metres) and has attracted a full field of 16 runners, plus emergencies. Last year’s win ner was the reliable and generally overlooked Happy Trails who pipped Puissance de Lune at the post. Both of these horses are in it again along with regulars Green Moon, Super Cool, Hawkspur and Silent Achiever. The current  favourite is Lucia Valentina, but she is currently under an injury cloud so may not start.  It’s a difficult race to assess as quite a few of the contestants have the form and ability to win. I’m hoping Super Cool can take the prize. His trainer Mark Kavanagh intimated as much to me when I briefly spoke to him at Caulfield the last time I was there, and had the opportunity to ask about Super Cool’s chances in the Underwood Stakes.

I will probably linger at the course for Race 8, the Blazer Stakes, another Group 2 race, this time for mares, run over 1400 metres. Bonaria, Politeness, May’s Dream and Suavito are the top chances.

On to the Group 1 races at Randwick..

The first of these to run is the Epsom Stakes (1600 metres).  Top miler Boban has been disappointing so far this Spring, but he may appreciate being back at the scene of his victory in this race last year, so I’m not giving up on him yet.  His stable mates Royal Descent and He’s Your Man are  his top rivals, along with Toydini and Laser Hawk. It’s another hard race to pick the winner.

A small field of 7 fillies will contest the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600 metres) and include Winx, First Seal and Thinking Of You as the top three chances. This race has been won by top class fillies like More Joyous, Samantha Miss, Sunline and Guelph to name a few, so which filly will add her name to the winners list? Beats me.

The Metropolitan is a Group 1 race for stayers run over 2400 metres. It’s another conundrum of a race with a large field of 16 contenders. I rather fancy La Amistad in this as it’s up to her favoured distance.  For some reason Spillway is the favourite though I can’t work out why, as at his recent starts he hasn’t been all that eye catching.  Junoob won his start in the Group 2 Hill Stakes, narrowly beating Criterion and Bagman, so has to have chance of scoring again. Kingdoms, a High Chaparral boy also has the credentials to win.

The tracks at both Flemington and Randwick will be in good shape, so wet form need not be considered this time for either meeting.

I’m also keenly looking forward to Sky Racing’s Star Stable competition, which starts this weekend. I’ve picked my stable and many of my selections are racing tomorrow, so I’ll be interested to see how they fare.

The Thrills Continue–Racing at Caulfield & Randwick

Silent Achiever in the mounting yard at Caulfield – Memsie Stakes Day

Caulfield is offering free entry on Saturday for the Underwood Stakes meeting, so naturally I’ll sally along to take in the atmosphere of first class racing once more . And hopefully Melbourne’s weather will play nice, after this past week brought a return to winter chill.

The feature event is the aforementioned Group 1 Underwood Stakes, run over 1800 metres. Last year Atlantic Jewel and It’s A Dundeel fought out an exciting finish down the straight with It’s A Dundeel the victor by the narrowest of margins.

This year’s edition has a pretty good field as you’d expect in a Group 1 contest.  The top contenders are Silent Achiever who in my opinion is the top pick, Foreteller who always runs an honest race, Happy Trails ditto, and Star Rolling who won the PB Lawrence Stakes at  Caulfield in August. Of course I’d love old fave Super Cool, who is backing up in this race after running last week, to show some of the form that won him the Australian Cup – his last win in fact.  Lidari and The Offer also have a chance.

The support card is mildly interesting though not top class. A few of the horses I follow are engaged in a few a them.

The Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000 metres) is one for stayers hoping to win a place in the Caulfield Cup.  Top pick is the Chris Waller trained Our Voodoo Prince. His name is a clever interpretation of his breeding (out of Kingmambo x Ouija Board). Spillway has had two runs so far in his Spring campaign, running second to Star Rolling in the PB Lawrence Stakes and fourth in last week’s Makybe Diva Stakes, so he is one of the top chances and must win this to have a hope of running in the Caulfield Cup.  Bonfire has claims with close seconds in his only two runs this spring in Sydney. The most interesting runner is Zanbagh who ran second to Rising Romance in the Sydney Oaks. And when will Let’s Make Adeal make some headway? She has generally been disappointing of late.

The Group 3 Sportingbet Sprint Series Heat 2 Stakes (1200 metres) is run after the feature race, and looks to have attracted a really good field of smart mares. Samaready makes a welcome return to racing in this event and is the class act if she is back to her best.  It’s good to see She’s Archie’s daughter May’s Dream back on the track again. This race is too short for her, so she is not expected to win. She won the South Australian Oaks at her last start in April. Also in the field is Spirits Dance who in Autumn built up  four wins on the gallop and shouldn’t be dismissed, A Time For Julia who ran a close second to Gregers in the Cockram Stakes and Shamal Wind who has a good record first up and can fly like the proverbial over the distance. Throw in Jessie Belle and Girl Guide as place chances.

The final race on the program at Caulfield is the Le Pine Funerals Handicap and is of interest only because Cauthen is in the field. He was thrown in at the deep end at his last start in the McEwen Stakes and finished sixth. I had a look at him on that day and he has grown into an impressive looking young horse.  With his light weight and the services of top jockey Tommy Berry he may show the form that had him beating Long John and Shamus Award back in Spring last year.

In Sydney the racing card at Randwick is much better.  The Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600 metres) is the feature race of the day and has almost the same field that contested the Chelmsford Stakes on
6 September, with a few variations. Anyway you’ve got Hawkspur who won the aforementioned race by a nostril from Royal Descent who is also in the field along with Sacred Falls who ran fourth. He will appreciate the good track that is finally likely for Randwick on Saturday and is a top contender over the distance. Perhaps Lucia Valentina can repeat her incredible win in the Tramway Stakes if that effort didn’t overtax her, and maybe the spruiked sole three year old Panzer Division can give all the older horses a galloping lesson.  Also New Zealand mare Rising Romance, who won the Sydney Oaks is sure to feature somewhere.

Earthquake will be out to redeem her reputation in the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400 metres). It’s obvious she is not suited to heavy tracks after her defeat at her last start in the Furious Stakes where she ran third. The winner on that occasion was Winx who will be aiming to keep her perfect unbeaten record intact in the Tea Rose.  Also in the picture are Peggy Jean and Alpha Miss.

The other interesting Group 2 race at Randwick is the Hill Stakes run over 2000 metres. After two horses were scratched, a field of six will compete for the honours. These include La Amistad, Criterion, Bagman and Moriarty. I’ll be torn between barracking for La Amistad and Criterion.

All in all it looks to be a good day of racing, and so you would expect as the spring racing season progresses.  It’s less than month to the running of the first of the big Cups – the Caulfield Cup – so my Saturday afternoons are taken care of for the next month or so.

The Cleaner Sweeps The Pools, But No Win For Lankan Rupee

The Cleaner parades after winning the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes

It seems that Racing Victoria is scratching around trying to find a horse to replace Black Caviar in a vain effort to attract more people to attend race meetings. Lankan Rupee certainly looked the most likely to at least partly fill the great mare’s shoes with his great record in the autumn, winning three Group 1 races in succession.

At the entrance to Moonee Valley racecourse on Saturday, they were handing out Lankan Rupee stickers, and announced that if Lankan Rupee won the McEwen Stakes, schooners of Carlton Draft would be half price for an hour after the race.

If you were attracted by such an offer, you would have been disappointed, as Lankan Rupee was rolled by underrated mare Angelic Light – the shock result of the day.

I got to the track around 1.40pm where Race 3 was in progress, so I didn’t witness it, nor barely noted who won – Caveka the favourite apparently from War Point and Lotion.

As there was plenty of time before Race 4, I decided to check out the stalls. I came across Lankan Rupee in his stall, looking pretty as a picture. His strapper obligingly posed with him for a photo.

 
Lankan Rupee in his stall

I also spotted current Melbourne Cup favourite The Offer being walked by his strapper. He’s not as good looking or as impressive as Fiorente, though a handsome beast nonetheless.

 
The Offer in the walking ring

Race 4 was the Jeep Don’t Back Handicap, which is run over the Cox Plate distance of 2040 metres.  After cursorily studying the form I decided to put a few dollars on Purple Tiger, then sallied to the public lawn to watch the race.

The favourite Wrotham Heath won by a short margin from Purple Tiger, so at least I made a small profit.

Wrotham Heath after winning the Jeep Handicap

Race 5 was the race we’d all been waiting for, the McEwen Stakes, where Lankan Rupee was expected to shoe it in. As is the way with horse racing anything can happen, and other than Black Caviar, there is no such thing as a certain outcome.

Lankan Rupee was probably undone by his assumption of the lead shortly after the start of the race, where he slogged it out with speedy filly Eloping for most of the race. Angelic Light was racing just behind the speed and waiting for her chance. Lankan Rupee took the lead up the straight, but Angelic Light’s fitness served her well as she overtook Lankan Rupee and stole the race by a short head. Eloping was 2½ lengths away in third position.

Race 5  finish - Lankan Rupee (inside) and Angelic Light  fight out the finish up the straight.

Angelic Light poses for the press after winning the McEwen Stakes

I didn’t have a bet in the race as I would have chosen Lankan Rupee, but his odds were so short it wasn’t worth placing a bet. 

My pick for Race 6, the Telstra Phonewords Plate, without giving much thought to the form, was London Lolly, but she disappointed again.  Tawteen, having only her fourth start after winning her last race on a rural track, won convincingly by 3½ lengths from Fortiche with Pittsburgh Flyer a further ½ length third.

Tawteen returns to scale after winning the Phonewords Plate.

In between the Moonee Valley races I watched the action from Sydney on the big screen in the public bar. Earthquake proved that heavy tracks are not her forte as she was beaten into the third place by longshot rivals Winks and Alpha Miss in the Furious Stakes.  Hawkspur and Royal Descent fought out the finish of the Chelmsford Stakes and it looked almost like a dead heat, so close was the margin of Hawkspur’s win. And Lucia Valentina, with a remarkable run from the back of the field won the Tramway Stakes from Tiger Tees.

With the feature race being next on the card at Moonee Valley I decided to grab a beer and rest my feet next to the parade ring out the back.

For some reason my camera was playing up, so my photos of the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes contenders are effected by the shadows of the trees in the parade ring. Here are some of the better ones…

The Cleaner

The Offer

Star Rolling

The race itself was a ripper with The Cleaner emulating Vo Rogue with his  bold front running style, where he led from start to finish. Mourinho came the closest to catching him losing out by ¾ length. Foreteller ran an eye catching third.

Race 7 down the straight – The Cleaner maintains his lead to the finish line

The Cleaner is now automatically qualified for the Cox Plate, and will probably run in it and ensure that it is run honestly.  He is a bargain basement horse costing only $10,000 and by an unfashionable British sire, Savoire Vivre and hails from Tasmania.  He has a cult following so his Dato Tan win was popular with the punters and he started as $4.30 favourite. I managed to get odds at $4.80 so was delighted with his win. I was pleased also that the astrological significance of his name, and likelihood of winning, was spot on.

The Cleaner with his owners posing for the press corps.

After collecting my winnings on The Cleaner I headed home, quite pleased with another afternoon at the races.  The weather was warm and sunny in the main, though the shadow of grandstand encroaches across the Public Lawn as the afternoon progresses and brings a chill with it.

Next Saturday the racing action is at Flemington, the feature race being the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes with a strong support card. Living Legends Apache Cat and Paris Lane will be present as well, so of course I’ll be there with bells on.