Awesome Vindication–Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes Review

Awesome Rock wins the 2016 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes

Back in March at Flemington on Australian Cup Day, Awesome Rock technically won the feature event, but  lost out to Preferment on protest.

On Saturday at Moonee Valley he was vindicated, thrashing a classy field to take out the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes, which also gives him automatic entry into the Cox Plate.

More on that later…

It was a long afternoon at The Valley as I arrived at the course shortly after the running of the second race on the program at around 1.00pm.

However, the four hours I spent at the track flashed by remarkably quickly.

In Race 3, the Moonee Valley Handicap, a race for three year olds over 1514 metres,  I was interested in a young fellow called Rocketeer and even contemplated putting money on him.

As I was watching the runners parading in the parade ring, Hey Doc caught my eye as a stunning looking animal, and on looks, the pick of the yard.

Hey Doc in the parade ring

So, as I was heading for the front lawn, I was torn on who to back in the race. I ended up taking a few dollars each way on both Hey Doc and Rocketeer.

Superior in looks and superior in ability Hey Doc, racing wide for most of the trip and with a weight impost,  won convincingly by over a length from Rocketeer. Race leader, the Gai Waterhouse trained Lord Macau held on for third.

That was my only bet for the day as I felt no such certainty on any of the other runners in the next five races.

Hey Doc sweeps to the front in the straight, Rocketeer in hot pursuit.

Hey Doc returns to scale

Rocketeer on his way to the barriers

Lord Macau on his way to the barriers

Despite Moonee Valley Racing Club offering footy fans free entry to the course, as there was no football (Aussie Rules) played on Saturday, not many took up the offer.  There was only a small crowd present, so it was easy to get good spots to take photos.

For race 3 I was on the fence on the Public Lawn, but felt uneasy about the Nikon’s ability to handle different light conditions, so photographed the rest of the action from around the front of the stalls area.

Actually, I finally solved the lighting problem by adjusting the exposure compensation as the afternoon  progressed and the shadow of the Grandstand lengthened over the course.

The next race on the program was the boringly named United Refrigeration Handicap, also run over 1514 metres for all comers.

It resulted in a narrow win for Vostok over Mr Individual with Moss ‘N’ Dale running third.

Vostok (checked silks) fights out the finish with Mr Individual

Vostok on his way to the barriers

Mr Individual on his way to the barriers

Moss ‘N’ Dale on his way to the barriers

In between the races I cruised through the stalls area to get snaps of the major contenders in their stalls.

Also, old Fields of Omagh was on track as a special guest. I managed to give him a pat.

Fields of Omagh posing for photos

The Darren Weir contingent took up twenty stalls and included several Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes entries.

Tosen Stardom (look at his long neck – handy at the end of a close race I imagine)

Signoff

Mahuta yawning

Also in her stall was Piccadillies, the half sister to Fastnet Rock, who sired Awesome Rock.

The pretty Piccadillies in her stall

The action started to get interesting with Race 5, the McEwen Stakes, a Group 2 sprint over 1000 metres.

Heatherly was the short priced favourite, but she bombed the start and did well to run a close third to Wild Rain who led throughout to beat Furnaces and Heatherly.

Heatherly in the parade ring

Furnaces in the parade ring

Wild Rain in the parade ring

Wild Rain has a good lead up the straight with Furnaces (blue silks) and Heatherly chasing.

The Atlantic Jewel Stakes featured a field of Guineas bound fillies.

There was a lot of interest in the Western Australian filly Whispering Brook who had won all five of her previous starts in her home State. She had drawn a wide gate, so was at a disadvantage from the start. She narrowly lost to Denman filly Merriest so was hardly disgraced in her run. Sweet Sherry ran third.

Merriest (cerise silks) and Whispering Brook head to head down the straight

Merriest returns to scale

Whispering Brook returns to scale

Sweet Sherry on her way to the barriers

Piccadillies (7th place) returns to scale

There was only one more race before the feature to be run. This was the SAJ Fruit Supply Stakes, a sprint over 1200 metres.

Voodoo Lad was the warm favourite and didn’t let his fans down with a gritty win, coming wide from the tail of the field to win by a length from  Keen Array and Sebring Sun.

Voodoo Lad (red & yellow silks) hits the front in the SAJ Fruit Supply Stakes

Voodoo Lad returns to scale

Keen Array on his way to the barriers

Sebring Sun returns to scale

The United States started as favourite for the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes, but ended up unplaced.

I failed to mention any of the placegetters (Awesome Rock, Real Love and Set Square) in my preview of the race in my last post. They all came in at big odds, the trifecta paying a fortune (over $33, 000).

I caught the field parading in the ring before the race…

Tosen Stardom

The United States

The Cleaner

Jacquinot Bay

Mahuta

Real Love

Tavago

Set Square

And also got photos of the field on their way to the barriers…

Awesome Rock

Jameka

Suavito

Miss Rose De Lago

It was a messily run race, with The Cleaner, the natural leader drawing wide, taking some time to get the leading position.  The rest of the field jostled for position and the winner Awesome Rock caused interference to several runners in his dash to the front. 

Staying mares Real Love and Set Square took out the minor places. Tosen Stardom ran fourth and The Cleaner hung on for fifth.

Down the straight in the Dato Tan – Awesome Rock is passing The Cleaner with Real Love (pink silks) & Set Square (green silks) following close behind.

I didn’t stay for the last race,  heading for the bus stop after the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes, a tad tired after a long afternoon on my feet at The Valley, where I hardly sat down at all. Good exercise anyway.

In Sydney, the Chelmsford Stakes was won by Hartnell by 7 lengths from stayers Grand Marshall and Storm The Stars. You can tell Winx was scratched from the race, as the result may have been quite different had she been there. She beat Hartnell by three lengths in the Warwick Stakes recently.

Next Saturday there are two Group 1 races, the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington and the Golden Rose at Rosehill.

The racing action is heating up as is the spring weather in Melbourne.

Bart Blows Them Away in the Memsie

Black Heart Bart in the pre-parade ring before winning the Memsie Stakes

Black Heart Bart has truly shown what a great horse he is since joining Darren Weir’s stable. He now has two Group 1 victories on his CV, winning the Goodwood in the autumn and now the Memsie Stakes at his first run this spring.

It was a pleasant afternoon at the races on Saturday and the hours spent at the track passed in a flash.

I arrived in time to watch Race 4, a 1200 metres sprint handicap that was won by outsider Lord Barrington from Camdus with Bon Aurum running third. As the outside fence had been restored flush against the hedge, it was easier to take photos, but as I stuffed up the shot of the Race 4 finish and don’t trust the Nikon’s ability to adapt to the light,  I opted for the hill above the stalls for the rest of the afternoon.

Before Race 5 however I decided to cruise through the stalls area to see who had arrived.

The Weir mob – all twelve of them – were stabled together, so it was convenient to get photos of the four Memsie Stakes contenders from Weir’s stable – Mahuta, Black Heart Bart, Palentino and Prince of Penzance.

Mahuta

Black Heart Bart

Palentino

Prince of Penzance

Race 5 was the Group 3 Resimax Stakes, a sprint over 1100 metres.  Under The Louvre was the favourite, but he was upstaged by Redzel a Sydney horse having his first start in Melbourne.

Redzel in the pre parade ring

Under The Louvre

Race 5 – just past the winning post

Returning to the stalls area my aim was to get photos of Alpine Eagle and more of the Memsie Stakes field.

Alpine Eagle was being walked in the main ring, along with Rising Romance and Tarzino.

Alpine Eagle

Rising Romance

Tarzino

Alpine Eagle looked magnificent (photos don’t do him justice) and Rising Romance was glowing with health. Tarzino has grown since I last set eyes on him and is a big burly boy.

Also hanging out in their stalls were…

Sofia Rosa

and

Tashbeeh

The H.D.F. McNeil Stakes is generally a fairly interesting race, it being a Group 3 race for Guineas bound three year olds, run over 1200 metres.

The starting favourite was Highland Beat, but a very clever ride by Dwayne Dunn on Defcon, squeezing through an inside gap denied him the bikkies. Wazzenme finished third.

Race 6 just past the post – Defcon leads with Highland Beat trailing

Defcon returns to scale after winning the McNeil Stakes

Highland Beat returns to scale

Wazzenme returns to scale

There wasn’t long to wait for the Group 1 Memsie Stakes and the field were assembling in the pre parade ring by the time I got back from buying a drink.

Black Heart Bart

Tarzino

Charmed Harmony

Mahuta

Rising Romance

Alpine Eagle

Tashbeeh

Palentino on his way to the barriers

Prince of Penzance on his way to the barriers

Sofia Rosa on her way to the barriers

Black Heart Bart started as the short priced favourite, and certainly didn’t disappoint. The race was run at a rattling pace, Charmed Harmony taking the lead from Tashbeeh early on with Rising Romance and Mahuta racing in third and fourth spots, closely followed by Black Heart Bart.

Black Heart Bart took control in the straight, charging down the outside with Rising Romance at his heels. He won by 1.25 lengths from the game Rising Romance and Mahuta was third a couple of lengths behind. Alpine Eagle was a tad disappointing finishing in sixth place.

And so Black Heart Bart joins the illustrious list of Memsie Stakes winners. He could go on to greater glory as the Spring racing season progresses.

Memsie Stakes just past the post – the first three in sequence

I called it quits after the Memsie Stakes, the afternoon chill setting in and deteriorating light discouraged lingering any longer.

Walking back through the stalls area heading for the gate, I came across a raven strutting around on the grass. It was being tormented by another species of bird, a mynah perhaps. As I have long strived to get a decent photo of a raven, the close proximity and tameness of this raven enabled me get a good shot of it sitting on the wire fence surrounding the stalls, its black plumage glowing steely blue in the late afternoon sun.

Raven

Next weekend the racing action is at Moonee Valley featuring the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Stakes. And in Sydney Winx will be striding out in her second race for the spring in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes.