Mud & Mugatoo – All Star Mile Review

Mugatoo and Russian Camelot fight out the finish in the All Star Mile

It was wet, it was bucketing down, it was an unremitting deluge on Saturday at Moonee Valley, though when I set out at around 12.00pm it was warm and humid and I wondered if putting on shoes and socks would make me too hot.

When I reached Moonee Valley the rain had not yet started so I was able to get a good photo of the new Winx statue, in pride of place in the new Tote Park which leads to the main entrance to the track on McPherson Street.

Winx statue in Tote Park on McPherson Street

It’s a wonderful statue, miles better than the Black Caviar statue at Caulfield, and I was pleased that I came across it as I headed for the entrance gate.

Once inside Moonee Valley, my Zone 2 ticket permitted me to hang out on the Burston Lawn, so there I headed and found my photographer friend George already ensconced in the prime fence position closest to the finishing post.

There we stayed for the rest of the soggy afternoon, perhaps foolishly, considering how wet it got.

Getting a race book involved standing in a bar queue for at least 15 minutes, but I got two (one for George) at a discount price as the barman was confused.

Other freebies were paper flags for every runner in the All Star Mile, a red Ladbrokes Cap, and if you were lucky, a rain poncho.

Unfortunately, even though I grabbed two sets of the flags, they got damp, being impossible to protect in the circumstances. I should have forethought to take a plastic bag, but how was one to know such freebies were up for grabs.

So Bec, if you’re reading this, you are welcome to a set of water damaged flags if you want them. At least you can prove they are the genuine article.

My arrival at the Valley was in time for Race 3, the Xtreme Freight Handicap. run over the Cox Plate distance of 2040 metres.

As the rain hadn’t arrived at that time, my photos of the race are OK , but photographic conditions for the rest of the day were challenging in the extreme.

Race 3 was won by Persan, one of the few on the day to zoom from back of the field, and seized the lead close to the line to beat Irish Flame by a narrow margin.

Persan about to overtake Irish Flame as they charge to the finish line

The next race was sprint over 1200 metres, and Ancestry was the warm favourite. He led from the start and won by over two lengths in the end, from Riddle Me That and Dollar For Dollar.

 
Ancestry flashes up the straight in the Ranvet Abell Stakes

Of more interest than the previous races, Race 5 the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes was up next. Also run over 2040 metres. it was pleasing to see Jameka’s little brother Grandslam blitz the field and win by over six lengths, leading from the start. Jameka was a grand race mare in her time, winning the Victorian Oaks in 2015, and the Caulfield Cup and BMW in 2016.  Grandslam obviously has some of her talent and seems to appreciate soft tracks as she did.

Grandslam burns up the straight in the Alister Clark Stakes

Jamie Kah brings Grandslam back to scale

The rain had settled in by this time, and it was in vain that we hoped for a break. George had not come prepared for the weather, wearing only a T-shirt, so got considerably more drenched than myself, who had a raincoat and an umbrella. A kind person took pity on him and gave him a poncho in the end.

There were two more races to run before the All Star Mile, the first of these being the Australia Country Mile, won by Fontein Diamond, and Race 7 was the Gold Reef and won by Air Defence.

Air Defence on his way to the barriers

Before the All Star Mile was run there was a bit of razzamatazz in the form of flag bearers, drummers and dancers up in the grandstand. Obviously this part of the pre- race entertainment was meant to happen on the track, but the rain stymied that option. The track stage technicians looked disgruntled as the rain continued unabated, so their equipment remained unpacked and they drove their vehicles off the track.

By this time the track had been downgraded to a soft 6, which favoured the All Star contenders who appreciated a soft track, such as Russian Camelot, Sir Dragonet and Mugatoo among others, but not my particular favourite Probabeel.

Here are some of the field (or those whose photos turned out OK) on their way to the starting gates.

Mugatoo

Probabeel

Regalo di Gaetano

The Harrovian

Lunar Fox

Russian Camelot

Shout the Bar

Still A Star

Sir Dragonet

Streets of Avalon

Mr Quickie

Fifty Stars

The All Star Mile, as a race, lived up to the hype. It was an exciting competition, fiercely fought by the contenders. Hugh Bowman, no stranger to the peculiarities of the Moonee Valley track skilfully guided Mugatoo to a memorable victory, outfoxing Damian Oliver on Russian Camelot to win on the line. Behemoth finished third.

Hugh, as was his wont when Winx won her Cox Plates, paraded Mugatoo  up the straight and back along the fence for the benefit of the crowd . An explosion of blue and white streamers billowed from the Grandstand.

Hugh Bowman parades Mugatoo along the fence

Mud bespattered Hugh Bowman & Mugatoo closeup

Mugatoo in the winners rug

It was a pity that the weather was so awful. A sunny day would certainly have been preferable, but George and I soldiered on at the fence when everyone else had fled to drier places. By the time the All Star Mile had been run and won, we had been standing (or sitting in my case, after I liberated a stool) for over two hours and I was wet through despite my raincoat and umbrella.

I squelched up to Moonee Ponds Junction and caught a tram back up Pascoe Vale Road to the 510 (Essendon to Ivanhoe) Bus Stop.

When I got home a full change of clothing was in order.  My camera was wet, as well as my bag and step. Luckily, so far I don’t seem to have come down with an ague.

I’m not sure if I’d undergo another extremely wet afternoon at the races again.

Oaks & Emirates

Aloisia – favourite for the Oaks

As we head into the last two days of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival at Flemington, it’s timely to preview the Oaks, run tomorrow over 2500 metres, and the Emirates Stakes meeting on Saturday.

Last year the Victorian Oaks was won by 100/1 shot Lasqueti Spirit, who surprised everyone with her tearaway victory, leading from the start to the finish. The year before Jameka zoomed down the straight on a heavy track to win by two lengths.

Prior to winning the Oaks, Jameka beat the boys in the Vase on Cox Plate Day, and current Oaks favourite Aloisia accomplished the same feat this year, and at her prior start won the Group 1 Thousand Guineas.

So Aloisia is understandably the one to beat.

Her main rival is the Gai Waterhouse trained Pinot who won the Ethereal Stakes at her last start and will likely set the pace and take some catching.

The winner of the Wakeful Stakes run on Derby Day often  goes on to win the Oaks, so you can’t really preclude this year’s winner, Luvaluva, from being a serious contender.

Emirate Stakes Day is generally a very pleasant race meeting and not half as crowded as Derby Day, and features two Group 1 events – Darley Classic and Emirates Stakes – as well as several interesting Group 2 and Group 3 races.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the grey flash, Chautauqua again. He was sensationally scratched at the barriers before the Manikato Stakes, so we’ll never know if he would have won it.  The underrated Hey Doc was the victor on that occasion, with In Her Time running second and Malaguerra third.

Chautauqua hasn’t raced in Melbourne since February this year, and will be competing in the Group 1 Darley Classic, a sprint over 1200 metres. He ran second in this race to Delectation in 2015 and hopefully will go one better this year.

A  classy field has been assembled for the Darley Classic and Chautauqua’s main rivals are Everest winner Redzel, Everest runner up Vega Magic and other Group 1 sprinters such as Redkirk Warrior, Malaguerra, Terravista and Manikato Stakes runner up In Her Time.

We’ll finally get to see New Zealand Derby and Rosehill Guineas winner, Gingernuts in Melbourne for the first time in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes. He’s had a delayed start to his spring campaign  due to various setbacks, so it will be interesting to see how he goes in the Emirates Stakes on Saturday.

Run over 2000 metres, the Emirates used to be the Mackinnon Stakes and run on Derby Day and the former Emirates Stakes was run over 1600 metres and is now called  something else and run on Derby Day.

This year’s edition has a good field of 15 contenders that include BMW winner Happy Clapper, Doncaster winner It’s Somewhat,  Folkswood, and the usual suspects Gailo Chop, Tosen Stardom etc. all vying to get a Group 1 race on their CVs.  But perhaps the older runners will be upstaged again by the three year old Cliff’s Edge with his weight advantage giving him a good chance.

I’ll probably go along to the Oaks tomorrow, but plan to get there later in the afternoon as the feature race is not run until 5.00pm

And I’ll be at Flemington again next Saturday and will also take my time getting there aiming for 1.30 to 2.00 pm, so I’m in plenty of time to watch the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

It will be my last outing to the races for a while.

Girl Power – A Bumper Weekend of Racing

Bonneval on her way to the barriers prior to winning the Underwood Stakes

Last Saturday, with all the hoopla regarding the AFL Grand Final, unless you were a keen follower of the turf, you wouldn’t have known about the super weekend of racing that was happening at various racecourses.

It started on Friday night at Moonee Valley, with the feature race being the Group 1 Moir Stakes. I didn’t attend this meeting, much as I would have liked to, the problem of getting home to Ivanhoe discouraging me from going.

There were several interesting races before the main event, where the outcome was gratifying in terms of horses I am following this spring.

Houtzen won the Group 3 Scarborough Stakes, proving she is still a force to be reckoned with,  Jon Snow showed he is on track for the Caulfield Cup  comfortably winning the Group 3 JRA Cup over2040 metres, and I Am A Star scored her first win for the season in the Group 2 Stock Stakes.

The star of the show however was Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign adding the Group 1 Moir Stakes to her CV, beating a pretty good field of older sprinters and up and comers.

On Saturday, while the AFL Grand Final was happening in Melbourne, Randwick Racecourse hosted a fabulous day of racing featuring three Group 1 events – the Flight Stakes, Epsom Handicap and The Metropolitan. Not that I got to watch them as I was at a Grand Final Barbecue with old friends at their place.

Sunday, however, I did manage to get to Caulfield for the Underwood Stakes meeting, which was also memorable due to Bonneval becoming the first mare to win the Underwood Stakes since Tristarc in 1985. It will be interesting to see if Bonneval can go on and emulate Tristarc’s exploits of 1985, where she won the AJC Derby, Underwood Stakes, Caulfield Stakes and the Caulfield Cup.

But I’m jumping ahead of myself…

I reached Caulfield Racecourse at around 2.00 pm just in time for the first of the Guineas Preludes.

It wasn’t a day for favourites, with the Thousand Guineas Prelude favourite Catchy being relegated to third by Booker and Shoals, giving them too much of a lead to catch in time.

Just past the post in the Thousand Guineas Prelude

Booker returns to scale

Catchy & Shoals return to scale

The hot favourite for the Caulfield Guineas Prelude was understandably Royal Symphony, an eye catching colt, who had yet to be beaten and wowed everyone with his gritty win at his last start. He failed to run a place, unable to overtake the three leaders Perast, Summer Passage and Kementari and finished fourth.

Caulfield Guineas Prelude just past the post

Perast on his way to the barriers

Summer Passage returns to scale

Kementari on his way to the mounting yard pre race

Royal Symphony returning to the stalls post race

The races were being run at 30 minute intervals so it wasn’t long before the feature Underwood Stakes was ready to run. As previously mentioned New Zealand mare Bonneval, who recently won the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes, was the remarkable winner.

Hartnell ran second, a length behind with Gailo Chop filling third place.

Underwood Stakes just past the post

Bonneval returns to scale

Bonneval returning to the stalls after the race

Hartnell returns to the stalls after the race

Gailo Chop returns to the stalls after the race.

Bonneval is now favourite for the Caulfield Cup and could well win it if she can beat fellow Kiwi gallopers Jon Snow and Gingernuts who are also aimed at the race.  Last year Jameka finished runner up to Hartnell in the Turnbull Stakes then went on to win the Caulfield Cup, so that bodes well for Bonneval.

I stayed at Caulfield for the other Group 1 race, the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, which ended up being won by 30/1 shot Santa Ana Lane from Mr Sneaky and So Si Bon.

Just past the post in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes

Santa Ana Lane returns to scale

Mr Sneaky on his way to the barriers

So Si Bon on his way to the barriers

Next Saturday the racing is at Flemington where Winx will be starring in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes. I’m thrilled that we get to see her race in Melbourne for a change and at Flemington for the first time.  No doubt race attendances will be up, due to her appearance and the lack of football, but I hope to capture it all on camera from my favourite spot at the access gate just past the finishing post.

Winx will face six other rivals in the Turnbull Stakes, run over 2000 metres, but except for Humidor who has won twice at Flemington, most recently the Makybe Diva Stakes, the others will be not much threat to her chances of winning her 21st consecutive race.

It will be complicated getting to Flemington on Saturday with buses replacing trains between Ivanhoe and Clifton Hill, but I intend to set out early and it hopefully will take less than hour to travel to the course.

A Trio of Group 1 Events–Moonee Valley & Rosehill

Sheidel after winning the Oakleigh Plate – February 2017

Melbourne’s Autumn Group 1 racing season comes to a close this Friday night at Moonee Valley which features the Group 1 William Reid Stakes at its final night meeting of the autumn.

The race was won last year by Flamberge when he was trained by Peter Moody, who bowed out of racing on the same night.

Flamberge is now with the Darren Weir stable and is back in an attempt to win the race a second time in succession. He goes well fresh and with luck could succeed.

A rather good field of sprinters will be trying to deny him that victory, chief among them Rebel Dane, Sheidel, Hooked, Silent Sedition and three year old colt Star Turn.

Also of interest at Moonee Valley are races 4 and 6, the former being the the final heat of the Inglis 55 Second Challenge where Petits Filous is making a return to the track, after almost a year missing in action due to injury.

Race 6 is the Group 2 Sunline Stakes, a race for fillies and mares over 1600 metres.  Class acts among the acceptances are First Seal, Rising Romance and star filly I Am A Star who will probably start as favourite.

Rosehill on Saturday features two choice Group 1 races, the BMW a race for stayers over 2400 metres, and the Vinery Stud Stakes, one for three year old fillies, over 2000 metres.

The BMW has mustered a really interesting field of stayers, all with a good chance of winning. The leading contenders include the 2017 Australian Cup trifecta, Humidor, Jameka and Exospheric, along with  2016 Australian Derby winner Tavago who won the Sky High Stakes at his last outing at big odds, Ranvet Stakes winner Our Ivanhowe who loves heavy tracks, and tough staying filly Lasqueti Spirit who may run the rest of the field ragged with her ability to maintain top speed over a distance.

With a number of equally matched fillies in the field, the Vinery Stud Stakes also makes it hard to single out a winner. In contention are New Zealand filly La Bella Diosa who won the Surround Stakes on a heavy track, then finished last in the Coolmore Classic, Chris Waller trained Foxplay and Dawn Wall, both in winning form, and Melbourne based fillies Harlow Gold and Montoya’s Secret, each of them having good staying bloodlines.

The Rosehill track will be heavy again, but the Moonee Valley track will be good, despite a bit of rain falling this week in Melbourne.

Update Saturday Afternoon – The Girls Have It!

Interesting results all round after a night and a day of Group 1 racing.

The William Reid Stakes was won by the unfancied mare, Silent Sedition, who defeated Hellbent and Star Turn, giving female jockey Katelyn Mallyon her first Group 1 win.

I Am A Star won the Sunline Stakes by 3¼ lengths from French Emotion and First Seal. She’s a super filly who will surely go on to better things.

The BMW was won in spectacular fashion by the wonderful Jameka who beat Humidor by 6½ lengths with Exospheric running third – the same trifecta result (with first and second reversed) as the Australian Cup.

Melbourne based fillies dominated the Vinery Stud Stakes with Montoya’s Secret, Nurse Kitchen and Harlow Gold running the first three places.

Next week the racing action is at Randwick for Doncaster/ Derby Day – a great race meeting every year, featuring four Group 1 races.

Hot & Steamy – Super Saturday Review

Humidor wins the 2017 Australian Cup

God knows why this particular Saturday in March is called “Super Saturday” when only two Group 1 races are featured, with the rest of the card being a bit ho hum, something to watch while waiting for the main event.

Yes, I sound underwhelmed and have been for most of this year’s Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.

I was discussing this with my photographer friend George, on Saturday and he reckons it is because there were no charismatic equine stars this year to add excitement to the events. No doubt if Winx had contested a few races in Melbourne (we hope she does so next year) it would have been a different story.

However, Saturday’s meeting was quite enjoyable really, and flashed by relatively quickly, considering I was obliged to arrive early owing to the train timetable.

So I arrived at Flemington in time to watch Race 3, the Listed Incognitus Stakes a race for three year olds over 1100 metres. Hugh Bowman rode the longshot winner Falcool, who beat favourite Ken’s Dream by over a length. Sheriff John Stone finished third.

Falcool winning the Incognitus Stakes

Falcool returns to scale

Ken’s Dream returns to scale

Sheriff John Stone returns to scale

The Flemington Members Stand has recently been demolished to make way for a new stand, so the members have invaded areas that once were the province of Joe Public. Luckily Flemington is so large an area that such accommodations hardly inconvenience anyone, be they members or casual racegoers.

In the stalls area, to which I walked after Race 3, I found the two Living Legends special guests, Apache Cat and Zipping.  They were appropriate equine guests, one, Apache Cat,  being a former champion sprinter, the  other, Zipping, formerly a fine stayer, who won the Australian Cup in 2010.

They were both outside their stalls being fed carroty treats by their admirers.

Apache Cat with Living Legends CEO Dr Andrew Clarke

Zipping holding still for a moment

Whilst in the area I had a quick stroll through to see who had arrived, and found a few of the main contenders for the feature Group 1 races.

Extreme Choice – look at his lovely long forelock

Terravista communing with his strapper

Sheidel headshot in the walking ring

The Quarterback – a photo of him without blinkers

Humidor in his stall

Back trackside, Race 4 was about to run.

It was the Group 2, Sires Produce Stakes, for two year olds, run over 1400 metres.

Eshtiraak started favourite, but as seemed the case for most of the day, he was never in the picture, finishing sixth.

Female jockey Linda Meech steered Sircconi to victory, leading all the way, to narrowly defeat Aspect and Feng Chu.

Sires Produce Stakes Stakes finish

Sircconi returns to scale

Aspect on his way to the barriers

Feng Chu returns to scale

I Am A Star was one of only three favourites to win on Saturday, winning by a whisker Race 5 , the Group 2 Kewney Stakes, a 1400 metres race for three year old fillies.

Ellicazoom ran second with Kenedna a length behind taking third place.

I Am A Star and Ellicazoom neck and neck at the finish of the Kewney Stakes

I Am A Star returns to scale

Ellicazoom returns to scale

In between the Flemington races, I caught glimpes on screen, or heard through the loud speakers, the races from Sydney.  Like Flemington, very few favourites saluted.  2016  Australian Derby winner Tavago was back in winning circles defeating hot favourite Antonio Guiseppe in the Sky High Stakes, and outsider Heavens Above won the Coolmore Classic from Silent Sedition and Danish Twist. The highly fancied Omei Sword, Global Glamour and La Bella Diosa all finished well back.

Race 6, the Group 3 Schweppervescence Trophy was the last race before the two features, and “magic man” Joao Moreira, guided the starting favourite Circular to his only win for the afternoon, his “magic” image being a tad muggled as a result.

Zasorceress nudged out Miss Rose De Lago for second.

A close finish in the Schweppervescence Trophy

Circular on her way to the barriers

Zasorceress returns to scale

Miss Rose De Lago returns to scale

Finally at 3.55 pm the Newmarket Handicap was set to run.

Rather than split into two sections, as is mostly the case with sprints at Flemington, the entire field stuck to the inside fence, the colt Star Turn leading for most of the race with Redkirk Warrior handy in second or third place. He took over half way up the straight and drew away from the rest of the field to score a two length win. Voodoo Lad ran second and Star Turn hung on to run third.

Extreme Choice was the favourite, but it’s obvious now that he doesn’t handle Flemington. He finished sixth.

Jockey Regan Bayliss celebrates Redkirk Warrior’s Newmarket Handicap win

Redkirk Warrior in winners rug in the mounting yard

Redkirk Warrior came in at huge odds, paying over $30 for the win.

Voodoo Lad returns to scale

Star Turn returns to scale

Extreme Choice returns to scale

Jameka started as warm favourite for the Australian Cup and she almost won, if it hadn’t been for Humidor who tackled her close to the finish line and stole her glory. Exospheric ran third.

Humidor (green silks) and Jameka neck and neck approaching the finish line.  Exospheric is inside Jameka and Stratum Star is behind the leading bunch.

Humidor returns to scale

Jameka on her way to the barriers

Exospheric returns to scale

That was it for the afternoon, as I headed home after the Australian Cup.

The weather stayed fine all day and the forecast showers failed to eventuate.

I may go back to the races at on Easter Saturday for race caller Greg Miles’ farewell at Caulfield. He’s been calling races for over 40 years, and was a clear and articulate caller who will be sadly missed. There’s no news on his replacement as yet.

The racing focus heads to Sydney from now on and next Saturday’s meeting at Rosehill features five Group 1 races that include the Golden Slipper Stakes, always a fascinating event, and the George Ryder Stakes where Winx will be aiming for her 16th consecutive win. She’s rapidly catching up to Black Caviar’s record and could well surpass that great mare’s accomplishments in time.

As for the Melbourne autumn racing carnival, as previously mentioned, it lacked a certain oomph. There were few, if any, wow moments and probably the most exciting race was the Blue Diamond Stakes and Catchy’s amazing win.  Sure, Black Heart Bart won two Group 1 races, and he is a good honest horse who is always in the picture, but lacks the glamour of the likes of Winx.  Ditto with Hey Doc who has really developed into a potential star, who I’ll follow in the future.

Anyway, Catchy will be racing in the Golden Slipper Stakes next Saturday and will face a very classy field that includes She Will Reign and the unbeaten Houtzen.

And lastly, I promised another amateur photographer acquaintance Paul Colachi that I’d put a link to his Facebook page on my blog.

It’s dedicated to giving the humble and often overlooked strapper some love and is called Thankyou Strappers.