Tough Call - The 2015 Cox Plate

Top of the straight in the 2014 Cox Plate

It seems that the Cox Plate is going the way of the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, with classy International racehorses making up a fair portion of the field.

Last year’s Cox Plate was won by the Aiden O”Brien trained Adelaide. It was a sensational win where Adelaide sustained a long wide swooping run to win on the line from the locally bred Fawkner and Silent Achiever.

Silent Achiever has retired to the breeding barn, but Fawkner is back for another go, along with the usual stalwart middle distance locals Criterion, Happy Trials and The Cleaner who all ran in the 2014 Cox Plate.  Mourinho missed out on a start last year, but has made the field this time round.

New faces include the Chris Waller contingent Kermadec, Preferment, and Winx the sole mare in the field, and Godolphin pair Complacent and Hartnell.

And then there are the Internationals, Arod, Highland Reel and Gailo Chop.

It’s a really tough race to assess as any one of the 14 entrants could win. In fact I haven’t a clue as to who the likely winner will be, though I have favourites whom I hope will win.

The Cleaner drew barrier 14 in last year’s Cox Plate, and didn’t gain his preferred leading position until the winning post (first time through), but this year he has barrier 2, where he’ll be able to take the lead without burning up too much energy. It would be great if he could sustain his run unopposed, but I doubt he’ll be given the chance. Whatever, he’ll keep the race honest.

Criterion is my top pick of the locals. He has drawn a good gate and will probably race mid field as he did last year, and inspires confidence after he won the Caulfield Stakes at his last start.

Mourinho is always underrated, but he has won at Moonee Valley in the past and he won his first Group 1 race when taking out the Underwood Stakes recently.

Fawkner who already has a Group 1 win (Makybe Diva Stakes) this season, ran a close second to Mourinho in the Underwood Stakes, which had him as early favourite for the Cox Plate, was uncomfortable on the hard track at his last start in the Caulfield Stakes, which lowered his colours somewhat. The track tomorrow will be softer for him. He was only just beaten by Adelaide last year, so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him in the finish.

The last mare to win the Cox Plate was Pinker Pinker in 2011. Chris Waller regards Winx as a potential super star and is his top pick of his three Cox Plate runners.  She won the Group 1 Epsom by two and half lengths, and also won the Group 1 Queensland Oaks. This will be the first time she has raced in Melbourne and at Moonee Valley no less. Who knows she may love the Valley, and be well and truly in the finish with her extraordinary turn of foot.

I fear however that the International entrants will steal the prize again. Arod and Highland Reel are the two most likely to take the Plate. Highland Reel is the current favourite in fact.

After writing the above I am no wiser as to who will win. You might as well stick a pin the form guide, it’s as good a method as any.

The Manikato Stakes on Friday night looks easier to suss, with Chautauqua being the standout runner.  He faces an excellent field that includes old warrior Buffering, arch rival Terravista, the revamped Rebel Dane, and smart sprinting mares Srikandi and Alpha Miss.

Everyone is saying that the 2015 Cox Plate is the classiest we’ve seen for years, so I’m glad I’ll be at the track to witness it.

The weather is expected to be mild and sunny, so no doubt the meeting will be as crowded as usual. Hopefully I can find a good spot to see the action and take photos.

Old Boys To The Fore–Underwood Stakes Day Review

Mourinho on his way to the barriers prior to winning the Underwood Stakes

Remarkably the first three over the line in the Underwood Stakes were all eight years old – Mourinho, Fawkner and The Cleaner. Last year two seven year olds fought out the finish with a six year old, so does this mean that nine year olds will be successful next year?

Hardly likely, as it’s very rare for an eight year old to win a Group 1 event. Mourinho also beat the curse on P B Lawrence Stakes winners, who often fail to win another race.

It was a mild sunny day last Saturday and looked promising for a pleasant afternoon trackside. As there was no football in Melbourne there was bigger crowd at Caulfield Racecourse than the last few meetings and drunken young men and tizzy girls abounded. 

I arrived at at the track in time to watch Race 4, the Listed Harry White Classic, a race for stayers over 2400 metres.

The winner of the race automatically gets entry into the Caulfield Cup, and the Gai Waterhouse trained Excess Knowledge need to win this race to qualify for the Cup. He started favourite, but was unable to overtake eventual winner Black Tomahawk in the straight.  Ethiopia was a distant third.

Black Tomahawk holds off Excess Knowledge to win the Harry White Classic

The first of the Guineas Preludes was the next race on the program.  Races early in the afternoon are run at 35 minute intervals, so they whiz around pretty fast.

Miss Gunpowder started as favourite for the Thousand Guineas Prelude and did not disappoint her backers, leading from the start and winning with a length to spare from Payroll and Jameka. I had my money on Pasadena Girl, but she was slow to start and was never a threat, though apparently her time in the last 400 metres was the quickest.

Miss Gunpowder in the mounting yard

Payroll in the mounting yard

Pasadena Girl on her way to the barriers

Down the straight – Gunpowder Miss is comfortably ahead

For the colts and geldings Caulfield Guineas Prelude I decided to escape the drunks on the public lawn and take snaps from the hill above the stalls area, where at least you can get good action photos of the horses going to the barriers and returning to scale.

Here are some of the contenders…

Metallic Crown

Ready For Victory

Tulsa

Bon Aurum

Dal Cielo

Ready For Victory was the favourite, but ended up well back in the field. Bon Aurum who recently won at Flemington at big odds was the winner. He proved that his Flemington win wasn’t a fluke and will no doubt start at shorter odds next start.

Tulsa was runner up and Dal Cielo, who did all the hard work leading, hung on for third.

Caulfield Guineas Prelude – the winning post

With the preludes out of the way, the two Group 1 races were next on the agenda.

Checking out the stalls and the walking ring on my way to the public lawn I came across the handsome Volkstok’n’barrell being perambulated in the ring.

Volkstok’n’barrell

The first of the Group 1 races was the Underwood Stakes where Fawkner started as favourite, with Contributer being fancied as second favourite. The winner, Mourinho, was totally underrated and paid $19.00 for the win.

The Cleaner naturally lead the race at a steady pace and even kicked away in the straight, only to be overtaken at the last minute by Fawkner and Mourinho. The margin between the three of them was a nose. Mongolian Khan finished an eye catching fourth.

Fawkner on his way to the barriers

Contributer on his way to the barriers

Underwood Stakes finish down the straight – The Cleaner leads with Mourinho (outside) and Fawkner (inside) closing in

Mourinho returns to scale

The Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes was next and I only managed to get photos of the runners in the mounting yard, as they headed for the starting gates in the opposite direction to where I was standing at the fence.

Cosmic Endeavour

Amicus

Disposition

Strawberry Boy

The race ended in another blanket finish, with Stratum Star getting the nod from Disposition and Under The Louvre. It was so close, there was a bit of a wait for the results.

Stratum Star returns to scale after winning the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes

I didn’t stay for the last race on the card, but headed to the station and home, which amazingly only took 30 minutes door to door via two trains.

The AFL Grand Final is on next Saturday, but I have no interest in it at all.

Fortunately it is also a huge weekend for racing with five Group 1 races spread over a night and two days. On Friday night is the Group 1 A J Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley, and Randwick hosts  Epsom Stakes Day on Saturday with three Group 1 races. On Sunday the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes is run at Flemington. 

I intend to go to both Melbourne meetings and watch the Sydney races at home on Saturday.

The Stars Align for The Cleaner –Moonee Valley Racing Review

The Cleaner with trainer Mick Burles poses for photos after winning the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes

If you follow astrology, it really wasn’t all that much of a surprise when Tassie cult hero The Cleaner took out the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes for a second time. We are currently under the sign of Virgo, whose attributes include a compulsion to clean up and set things in order.

The Cleaner won in fine fashion just as he did at this time last year, leading from the start to the finish and putting enough of a break on the horses in pursuit that they couldn’t catch him. He won by 1¾ lengths from Bagman with Dibayani two lengths behind running third.

All that happened later in the afternoon, but there were three interesting races before it was scheduled to run.

I arrived at Moonee Valley in time to see Race 4, the Craig Opie Cup, a race over 1600 metres and observed the runners in the parade ring before they went out to the track. The Lloyd Williams stable had two imported Irish stayers in the race and they ran the quinella, the unfancied Chance To  Dance winning narrowly over his stable mate The United States, who started as favourite.

Chance To Dance on his way to the starting gates

The United States in the parade ring

Race 4  towards the finish line – Chance to Dance leads narrowly over The United States with third place getter Abbasso (lime green silks) just behind.

In the stalls area, some of the horses I had come to see were either walking around or in their stalls…

The Cleaner

Miss Finland’s daughter Stay With Me

Sistonic

Back on the lawn, old Subzero was hanging around having a day out at the racetrack…

Dear old Subzero on the lawn

Race 5 was the Atlantic Jewel Stakes for three year old Guineas bound fillies. Of most interest among the contenders were Pasadena Girl, Stay With Me and Jameka.

 
Pasadena Girl on her way to the gates

Stay With Me on her way to the gates

Jameka on her way to the gates

Stay With Me was the popular favourite, but I fancied Pasadena Girl who was at unusually attractive odds. Stay With Me won by 1½ lengths from Pasadena Girl who stormed from the rear of the field in an eye catching run to just miss out. Jameka ran third. These three fillies were the best of the field and a natural trifecta.

Race 5 down the straight – Stay With Me leads & Pasadena Girl is just in the picture on the outside two lengths behind on the outside.

Stay With Me returns to scale after winning the Atlantic Jewel Stakes

Fell Swoop, the winner of Race 6 was also nominated for a race in Sydney, but his connections opted to run him at Moonee Valley. They made the right choice, for he was a dominant winner of the Listed Cup Club Stakes. He seems to have come from nowhere to be a force to be reckoned with, having 7 wins for 9 starts on his CV.

Fell Swoop on his way to the barriers

He defeated Beach Front by 1½ lengths with Griante running third.

Fell Swoop leads comfortably down the straight

And so we come to the feature race…

Here are some of the main contestants in the parade ring and on their way to the barriers

Bagman

Mourinho

Foreteller

Contributer

The Cleaner

Contributer was the hot favourite, but failed to make any headway in the straight, given every chance. Perhaps he doesn’t take to Moonee Valley. Mourinho seems to have attracted the PB Lawrence Stakes curse, which indicates that the winner of the aforementioned race will not win again in the season.

The Cleaner is several lengths ahead of the rest of the field  heading to the finishing post.

The Cleaner poses for photos with his owners after the race

The next race was as keenly anticipated as the Dato Tan, owing to the resumption of star sprinter Chautauqua contesting it. Another Group 2 competition, the Mitty’s McEwen Stakes is run over 1000 metres and is a speed test, generally run at rattling pace.

Sistonic and I’m All The Talk fought out the lead through most of the race and both finished at the tail of the field. Chautauqua was well back and came wide just past the turn into the straight, sailing past Furnaces who had snatched the lead with Flamberge going with him. It was a sensational win by Chautauqua and a natural trifecta between the first three home. Flamberge finished second and Furnaces hung on for third.

Chautauqua charges for home down the straight

Chautauqua in the winners rug posing for the photographers

The weather was an improvement on last week, and considerably warmer, so it was a pleasure to be outdoors in the muted sunshine, and the racing had that spring fever edge which only comes with talented horses pitted against other talented horses.

Next week the racing action is at Flemington featuring the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes. Looking at the nominations it appears to be a fascinating race with several more classy horses starting their spring campaign - Fawkner, Alpine Eagle, Mongolian Khan along with Boban and the usual suspects.

Also Petits Filous is nominated for the Listed Cap D’Antibes Stakes and we’ll all be hoping that she can win it.

Spring Racing - Moonee Valley

Contributer – Emirates Stakes Day - 2014

Tempus fugit! It seems hardly any time since last year’s Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes Stakes race meeting, yet the racing hiatus over winter seemed to drag on and on.

The vagaries of time notwithstanding, I’m looking forward to returning to Moonee Valley next Saturday for an afternoon of quality racing action.

The feature race is the aforementioned Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes Stakes a Group 2 event over 1600 metres. It has a much classier field than was presented at last year’s event and includes such quality gallopers as Contributer who won the Group 2 Apollo Stakes, the Group 1 Chipping Norton and Ranvet Stakes in successive starts in the autumn, and was raging favourite for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, before being a late scratching. He is the hot favourite for the Dato Tan and will be hard to beat.

The Cleaner won the Dato Tan last year, beating Mourinho and Foreteller, and these three are again in the field. Also worthy of consideration is Dibayani who looked good finishing third behind Mourinho and The Cleaner in the P B Lawrence Stakes recently, and Bagman who won at Moonee Valley at his last start.

A number of notable racehorses are resuming this week and the most keenly anticipated is that of Chautauqua in the McEwen Stakes, a Group 2 sprint over 1000 metres. Also in the field is Black Caviar’s three quarter sister Sistonic who started off her racing career in a promising fashion winning her first two starts, before failing in her consequent two.  She appears to have been thrown in at the deep end for her first start after a long break, but it will be interesting to see how she fares on Saturday.

Last year, the McEwen Stakes was won by Angelic Light from Lankan Rupee, who was the firm favourite. The Hawkes team reckon Chautauqua is vulnerable over 1000 metres and has also drawn a wide barrier.  He is the class horse in the field, but others with claims are the three year old Furnaces, Goodwood Stakes winner Flamberge and the Group 1 placed Kuro.

I intend arriving at Moonee Valley in plenty of time to watch race 5, the Listed  Atlantic Jewel Stakes for three year old fillies over 1200 metres. Some of the classy fillies resuming in this race are Group 1 winner Pasadena Girl, Jameka, Don’t Doubt Marley and Stay With Me, a daughter of former star filly Miss Finland. 

The weather tomorrow is expected to be dry and overcast, but hopefully the sun will peep through every so often. Some rain fell on Melbourne earlier in the week, but there’s been none since, so the track should be good for racing.

There are several interesting Group 2 races at Randwick tomorrow which I’ll try to watch at Moonee Valley, but I’m can’t be bothered analysing them here.

Back in September 2014 a royally bred colt, Divan, had his first few starts then disappeared from the scene after failing in his third through some sort of injury. I had been wondering when he would  return to racing and was pleased to notice that he has been entered in a lowly race in Ballarat on Sunday. He is a lovely looking horse, the son of champion New Zealand mare Seachange by Zabeel.

Divan at Flemington – Makybe Diva Stakes Day 2014

Anyway I’m keen to see how he performs first up after a year’s absence.

Chill & Thrills–Memsie Stakes Day

Boban parades after winning the Memsie Stakes

Weatherwise, it was a terrible day for going to the races, with intermittent rainy periods, a cold wind and generally miserable conditions.

I’ve been to the races where it was 40° + and still had a good time, so last Saturday the weather was not enough to dampen my spirits as the racing was pretty interesting throughout.

Reaching Caulfield half an hour before race 4, the HDF McNeil Stakes, so had some time to cruise through the stalls area to see who had arrived.

Unfortunately the misty rain made taking photos rather difficult, but surprisingly most of my snaps turned out alright.

Trackside, most of the front lawn had been fenced off for a special equestrian event running concurrent with the racing program. This featured ex racehorses in an off the track Triequithon competing in trials, including dressage, cross country and show jumping.

Triequithon competitor over the jumps

The horses in this event were beautifully turned out and made a pleasant spectacle to watch between races.

The HDF McNeil Stakes was the first of the Group races on the program and was won by Gold Symphony registering his second win in succession for the season.

Gold Symphony in the mounting yard

Ready for Victory ran a close second with Demonstrate filling third place.

Gold Symphony hits the front 100 metres to go.

Returning to the stalls area I found several of the horses I had come to see, Cosmic Endeavour among them.

Cosmic Endeavour in her stall

And the Chris Waller contingent were there as well.

Weary snuggling up to his strapper

Boban in his stall

For the fifth race I decided to go up the hill and photograph the runners as they returned to scale.

The Shark.com.au Stakes featured Rich Enuff resuming from an injury induced break. He was one upped by former New Zealand mare Bounding who won by 4 lengths. Miss Promiscuity ran third a further 4 lengths behind.

Past the post – Bounding (white silks) is outside Rich Enuff (hot pink silks)

Bounding returning to scale after winning the Shark.com.au Stakes

Miss Promiscuity returns to scale

Back in the stalls area Volkstok’n’barrell was being walked. He’s a lovely looking animal – quite the poster boy.

Volkstok’n’barrell posing for admirers in the stalls area.

In the mounting yard, the runners for race 6, the Hocking Stuart Handicap, were parading.

Charmed Harmony - the winner

Jacquinot Bay – runner up

Awesome Rock – third place

Charmed Harmony led from start to finish and didn’t look beatable at any time, more than validating his favouritism for the event. This race was a sort of consolation prize for him as he was originally entered in the Memsie Stakes. As third emergency he failed to make the field.

Charmed Harmony zooms down the straight with Jacquinot Bay & Awesome Rock in pursuit.

It was freezing cold track side, so I took shelter in the Norman Robinson building and relaxed with a drink before the next race.

The Triequestrian was still in progress and I watched a bit of that while waiting for the mares to assemble in the mounting yard for race 7, the William Hill Sprint Series Heat 1 Stakes.

Triequithon contestant

Soon enough the mares arrived in the mounting yard.

Cosmic Endeavour – finished 7th

Madam Gangster – the eventual winner

Hazard – second place

Vezalay – third place

Madam Gangster was underrated in the betting with Vezaley starting as favourite. The race ended in a three horse finish with Vezalay, Hazard and Madam Gangster hitting the line together. The gangster lady got the nod.

100 metres to go and Vezalay is in the lead. Madam Gangster (centre) and Hazard (white blaze) are closing in

Race 8 was the feature Group 1 Memsie Stakes and finally the contenders were assembling in the mounting yard.

Boban

Rising Romance

Stratum Star

Entirely Platinum

Dandino

Volkstok’n’barrell

The sun briefly emerged as the Memsie Stakes was run and it resulted in another three horse finish with Entirely Platinum, Stratum Star and Boban hitting the line together. Boban snuck in on the inside to win with Entirely Platinum, who led for most of the race, hanging on for second with the fast finishing Stratum Star running third.

Memsie Stakes up the straight – Entirely Platinum leads with Boban on his inside and Stratum Star just behind them.

I’d had my money on Volkstok’n’barrell and Weary, so didn’t have a collect. I picked the wrong Waller horse.

It is remarkable that Chris Waller has had so many wins at Group 1 level, so it was not surprising that Boban won his stable yet another one.

Will Chris Waller go on to be a great of Australian Racing History like the late great Bart Cummings?

Bart Cummings statue at Flemington Racecourse

There has been plenty written about Bart Cummings since his death on Sunday morning, so I’m not going to add to it.

He was indeed an Australian treasure and a great trainer of stayers and will be remembered, like Don Bradman, for many years to come. Rest in Peace Bart.

Next Saturday the racing action in Melbourne is at Moonee Valley and features the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes. Looking at the nominations it looks a higher quality field than was contested last year, and includes last year’s winner and runner up The Cleaner and Mourinho.