The Moon and the Stars – Guineas Day at Flemington

Australian Guineas – the finishing post

If I had realised that transport disruptions were scheduled for last Saturday at the time I booked my ticket to the Australian Guineas meeting at Flemington, I probably wouldn’t have bothered attending.

It was only on  Friday afternoon that I discovered that Buses were replacing trains on the Hurstbridge line all weekend, so rather than waste the ticket I gritted my teeth and set out at an earlier hour than usual to catch a replacement bus to Parliament Station. My arrival at Ivanhoe Station on Saturday morning coincided with the arrival of the replacement bus, so I was in the city shortly after midday with plenty of time on hand to get to Southern Cross Station and catch a train to Flemington.

As a consequence I arrived at Flemington in time for the second race on the card. My Zone 2 ticket encompassed the front lawn – from the mounting yard to past the clocktower, so I had no trouble getting to the usual spot for photography. I stayed there pretty much for the rest of the afternoon. I’m not sure if there was access  to the stalls area, but only a small section of the mounting yard fence was available for general admission patrons to watch the parade.

There was quite a crowd in attendance, most of them occupying reserved tables all along the lawn, and generally civilised, other than a table of young men who seemed to be imbibing vast quantities of alcohol and having a good time. However they didn’t bother me in the slightest, and security personnel kept them in line.

Race 2 was the Listed Roy Higgins Quality, a race over 2600 metres, and Mosh Music (a daughter of Black Caviar’s brother Moshe from a Jeune mare) was the winner, beating Sin To Win by over a length with Stars of Carrum running third.

Mosh Music wins the Roy Higgins Quality

Mosh Music returns to scale

Sin to Win returns to scale

Stars of Carrum returning to scale

It was a pleasant day weather  wise, cool and mild with little wind, though overcast throughout.

A Group 3 race over 1400 metres, the Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap was of interest due to the presence of popular Queenslander The Harrovian who had won his last 11 races and is an All Star Mile contender.

His colours were lowered in the Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap at this his first start on the big Flemington track, where he finished fifth, outclassed by the locals.

Morvada led from the start and prevailed, winning by a length from Holbien and Platoon.

Morvada wins the Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap

Morvada on his way to the barriers

Holbien on his way to the barriers

The next two races were sprints, Race 4 being the World Horse Racing Handicap over 1200 metres and Race 5, the rather more interesting Bob Hoysted Handicap over 1000 metres. Both of these races were won by greys.

Subedar won the Race 4 from Street Icon and Laverrod, and West Australian grey mare Fabergino who loves the Flemington straight, won the Bob Hoysted Handicap from Indian Pacific and Humma Humma.

Subedar winning the World Horse Racing Handicap

Subedar with Jamie Kah returns to scale

Fabergino wins the Bob Hoysted Handicap from Indian Pacific

Fabergino returning to scale

The most interesting race on the card was up next; the Group 2 Blamey Stakes, run over 1600 metres. It had attracted a classy field that included Mystic Journey, Fifty Stars (2019 &2020  Blamey winner), Best Of Days and the Chris Waller trained Star of the Seas making a rare appearance in Melbourne.

Buffalo River was the race favourite and led from the start only to be overtaken in the last stretch by Star of the Seas and Fifty Stars. Mystic Journey finished 5th and found to be lame after race.

Star of the Seas wins the Blamey Stakes from Fifty Stars & Buffalo River

Star of the Seas returns to scale

Fifty Stars on his way to the barriers

Buffalo River returns to scale

Mystic Journey on her way to the barriers

It’s not every race day that you see a 300/1 shot win a Group 1 race, but such was the sensational result of the feature Australian Guineas when rank outsider, Lunar Fox won the prize.

He raced mid field for most of the race whilst race favourite Tagaloa led from the start. Lunar Fox ran wide to overtake the leaders and Cherry Tortoni flew from the back of the pack to snag second place. Tagaloa hung on for third.

Lunar Fox returns to scale

Cherry Tortoni on his way to the barriers

Tagaloa on his way to the barriers

I didn’t stay for the last two races, only tarrying to watch the Chipping Norton Stakes on the big screen. It was a great race with class staying mares Verry Elleegant and Colette fighting out the finish with the former being the narrow victor.

By rights I should left as soon as the Guineas was over.

I was under the impression that the first train from Flemington back to city was scheduled to run at 4.45pm (according to the VRC website), but had in fact left at 4.25pm.

So I had a long and tedious wait for the 5.07pm train, then was obliged to catch a tram from Southern Cross to Spring Street to catch the replacement bus back to Ivanhoe. It took almost two hours to get home.

Fortunately next weekend the Hurstbridge line services will be normal so I won’t be so inconvenienced when I travel back to Flemington for the Super Saturday meeting.

Anyway, I did find out last Saturday that Covid Restrictions were not at all onerous at Flemington and that our preferred spot for photographs is part of the Zone 2 area and no hassle to access.

Give me somewhere to go…Lockdown Blues

The first part of the Post title comes from the James Reyne song Motor Too Fast, contained in the chorus that goes:

Give me somewhere to go
Don't give me train rides
When the shops are all closed
Don't give me train rides

I must admit that stage 4 restrictions here in Melbourne are getting a tad tedious, so I find the above lyrics running through my head every so often, as I certainly can’t go anywhere beyond 5 kilometres from home, and have not caught a bus, train or tram since the restrictions came in, coincidently on my birthday.

However time flits past and I fill the it with trivial pursuits such as playing computer games and reading.

The current game is a moderately amusing point and click adventure titled Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Town, and the current book is the new David Mitchell novel Utopia Avenue, which, set as it is in 1967, I am finding quite enjoyable. I’ve also downloaded a heap of books onto my Kindle, redeeming Amazon gift vouchers I received for my birthday. So for a change I have eight new novels in my TBR pile (albeit electronic).

But what I’m pining for is an afternoon at the races, which of course is out of the question at the moment and probably for the rest of spring.

The Memsie Stakes, the first Group 1 race of Melbourne’s Spring Racing Season is at Caulfield next Saturday and I’m sorry to miss it having attended the meeting since 2013.

Of the several notable deaths this week, Justin Townes Earle for instance, the announcement of Atlantic Jewel’s death giving birth to a foal by Justify, was particularly sad for the racing fraternity.

A coodabeen champion of the likes of Black Caviar and Winx, Atlantic Jewel  won 10 races out of 11 starts, her only loss being the 2013 Underwood Stakes where she was beaten by a whisker by It’s A Dundeel , her second last start before retirement. It’s pity she was so injury prone, otherwise she could have won many more races, including the 2013 Cox Plate.

I saw her in action several times in 2013, including the Memsie Stakes. Unfortunately my camera at the time was not as good as the current Nikon, so the photos are less than perfect.

Atlantic Jewel on her way to winning the 2013 Memsie Stakes

Atlantic Jewel returning to scale

This year’s edition of the Memsie Stakes has attracted a field of 15 contenders that include star mares Mystic Journey and Arcadia Queen, as well as All Star Mile winner Regal Power, dual Australian Cup winner Harlem, and other familiar gallopers such as Mr Quickie, Begood Toya Mother, So Si Bon and Gatting.

Many in the Memsie Stakes field contested the cursed P B Lawrence Stakes a fortnight ago, which was won by Godolphin mare Savatiano, who is also part of this year’s Memsie field . It will be interesting to see if she wins again this spring or is cursed like recent P B Lawrence Stakes winners who have failed to win again in the season, for example Mystic Journey last year.

Mystic Journey

Who knows what the race outcome will be this year. I’m hoping that either Mystic Journey or Arcadia Queen are in the finish somewhere. They disappointed in the P B Lawrence, but second up on a firmer track might show their true colours.

Last week the first Group 1 of the spring, the Winx Stakes, was run at Randwick. Verry Elleegant demonstrated that she was well and truly  heading for a good spring by winning the race impressively.

On the home front Bingo has continued to eat well, in fact his appetite is voracious. We now worry that he’ll become overweight. Fortunately he still eats zucchini and other vegetables which we give him to fill him up between meal times and go easy on the dried food. He loves his home comforts of warmth and affection and even still remembers how to fetch.

Stayin’ Alive

Bingo keeping watch on the front veranda

As years go, 2020 has turned into an annus horribilius. We’ve had drought, fires, floods and now pestilence- apocalypse now!

It’s hard to believe that we are now living through a Science Fiction dystopia, though I can’t recall that in any of the SF dystopic novels I’ve read, toilet paper (the lack thereof)  becoming such a big issue as it is in these crazy days.

Being retired there’s no problem maintaining a social distance as I’m not obliged to get up every morning and go to work and mingle with the general populace. I’ve hardly stirred from home for weeks, my only outings have been to the Victoria Market on Thursdays and going to the Super Market every so often for supplies.

Two concerts I was to attend in March have been postponed or cancelled, and forget heading off to the Museum and National Gallery for an art or cultural fix, they’re closed. That also goes for Saturday afternoons at the track.

I was disappointed that fans were banned from attending  the All Star Mile meeting at Caulfield last weekend, but would have felt apprehensive about attending anyway. Alligator Blood ended up unplaced and Western Australian gallopers Regal Power and Superstorm ran the quinella. Melody Belle ran third.

Being in the age group most vulnerable to infection by Covid19, I feel paranoid travelling on public transport, and have become hyper alert about keeping my distance from other commuters and avoiding contact with surfaces likely to be infected.

By chance I happened to be in Chemist Warehouse earlier this week when some hand sanitiser was put on the shelf. It didn't last long, but I managed to grab two containers, which eased my anxiety when travelling to the market yesterday as I could sanitise my hands on the go.

This time last year I travelled to Sydney to see Winx in her penultimate appearance at the track.  I returned with a nasty cold, so I had no desire to attend the Golden Slipper meeting at Rosehill this year. Even if I did I wouldn’t have got into the racecourse; the ATC has banned public attendance.

Who knows how long the racing industry will be able to keep the races going. Sydney’s big Autumn carnival is just starting, Golden Slipper Day kicking it off tomorrow in fine fashion with five Group 1 races on the program.

2019 Golden Slipper Trophy

The first of these is the Ranvet Stakes, run over 2000 metres. It was won by Avilius last year and he will be aiming to win it again this year. So far this season he has been disappointing, failing to run a place in three starts. Irish horse AddeyBB having his first start in Australia looks a very classy horse considering the quality of opposition he has raced against in the UK and may blitz the local mob.  Verry Elleegant ran a narrow second to Te Akau Shark in the Chipping Norton Stakes recently and is highly fancied to win.

Winx won the past four George Ryder Stakes, so another galloper has an opportunity to win it this year. Top chances are Te Akau Shark, The Bostonian, Alizee and Super Seth.

Shadow Hero, winner of the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes and more recently the Randwick Guineas, is understandably the favourite for the Rosehill Guineas. His main threats are New Zealander Sherwood Forest, Victorian Derby winner Warning, Prince Fawaz, Chenier and Castelvecchio who was disappointing last start.

The Golden Slipper is always a fascinating race. I was fortunate to witness the last two editions in person. Fillies Estijaab (2018) and Kiamichi (2019) won those. So who will win the richest two year old race this year?

Of the boys, the top picks are Tagaloa (Blue Diamond Stakes winner) Hanseatic (Blue Diamond Stakes runner up) Farnan (Todman Stakes winner) and Prague. Fancied fillies are Away Game, Dame Giselle, Hungry Heart and Minhaaj.

The final Group 1 of the afternoon is the Galaxy, a sprint over 1100 metres, won by Nature Strip last year.  Pierata narrow runner up to Nature Strip last year appears the top chance in this year’s edition. Others worthy of consideration are In Her Time with a great first up record, the in form Savatiano, and Kementari , who was a failure at stud and is back racing after a year’s absence, and gelded to boot.

Tonight at Moonee Valley the final Group 1 of Melbourne’s Autumn racing season, the William Reid Stakes, is scheduled to run at 8.30pm. Mystic Journey, whose Autumn season was stymied by a leg infection. makes her first appearance since the Cox Plate in this race. It’s a bit short for her, but it will be interesting to see how she runs in it.

Newmarket Handicap winner Bivouac is the favourite, but he faces a classy field that includes along with Mystic Journey, Loving Gaby, Gytrash, Exceedance and Pippie.

Even though I will be maintaining a social distance at home (pretty normal for me) there are still things to enjoy, such as the racing on TV.

There are  also books to read – I’m currently rereading Hilary Mantel’s first two Cromwell books, preparatory to reading the last book, The Mirror and the Light which I have acquired in a lovely signed hardcover first edition.

Also I have a backlog of purchased computer games I mean to get through over the next few months, waiting for Covid19 to pass. Above all I hope to still be alive at the end of it.

Alligator Blood vs Catalyst - Round Two

Alligator Blood & Catalyst – CS Hayes Stakes finish

It goes without saying that I am keenly looking forward to the Australian Guineas at Flemington next Saturday, where a rematch between Alligator Blood and Catalyst  in the feature race will be the must see event of the afternoon.

As well as the aforementioned rivals, Orr Stakes winner Alabama Express is an exciting addition in the field along with the mystery West Australian Superstorm. Let’s hope Alligator Blood and Catalyst have recovered from their fierce competition in the CS Hayes Stakes and provide another exciting contest. The Australian Guineas is run over 1600 metres, 200 metres longer the CS Hayes, and  that could make all the difference to the outcome of the race.

Last year, Tasmanian filly Mystic Journey thrashed the boys in the 2019 Australian Guineas, but this year’s crop of three year old colts and geldings are cut above those that ran in that race.

Mystic Journey winning the 2019 Australian Guineas

Speaking of classy fillies, the Group 1 Surround Stakes at Randwick on Saturday has a really excellent field that includes Flit (2019 Thousand Guineas winner), Lyre (2019 Blue Diamond Stakes winner), Kiamichi (2019 Golden Slipper winner), Funstar (2019 Flight Stakes winner) , and highly regarded New Zealand filly Probabeel.

The other Group 1 race at Randwick on Saturday is the Chipping Norton Stakes. From 2016 to 2019 it was won by the mighty Winx, so this year another horse will have a chance to add it to their CV.

In contention are the usual suspects such as Happy Clapper, Avilius, Homesman, Dreamforce and Fierce Impact. The inclusion in the field of talented New Zealander Te Akau Shark, who ran third in the 2019 Cox Plate, makes it interesting.

Due to the Flemington train timetable, I’ll probably get to Flemington early in the afternoon, probably by race 3. Another mild and sunny afternoon is forecast – perfect for photography.

Blue Diamond Stakes Day Review

Tagaloa holds off Hanseatic to win the Blue Diamond Stakes

There has been much commentary since Saturday regarding the track bias at Caulfield on Blue Diamond Stakes Day, which favoured on pace runners. And indeed watching the racing action, the winners of the four races I witnessed either led from the start or were close to the leader during the race. It was a disastrous day for favourites.

I took my time getting to Caulfield arriving just before race 4, the Group 3 Mannerism Stakes for mares over 1400 metres. Pretty grey mare Greysful Glamour led from the start and was never headed, winning by over a length from Bam’s On Fire and favourite Spanish Reef.

Greysful Glamour burns down the straight with Bam’s On Fire in hot pursuit

Greysful Glamour on her way to the barriers

La Tene in the Angus Armanesco Stakes (race 5) raced mid field on the fence, then broke through to overtake the leaders to win by a nose from Lady Lupino.

La Tene & Lady Lupino fight out the finish

Race 6 was the first of the Group 1 events, the Futurity Stakes where it was expected that Kolding, Super Seth and Melody Belle would feature prominently.  The unfancied Streets of Avalon who hadn’t won for yonks,  took the lead shortly after the start and held off a challenge from Super Seth to win his first Group 1 race, and a chance to run in the All Star Mile. Kolding was a major disappointment, apparently not handling the Melbourne way of going, and finished fifth. Melody Belle ran a meritorious third.

Streets of Avalon holds off Super Seth to win the Futurity Stakes

Hanseatic was the warm favourite for the Blue Diamond Stakes and was aiming to become the first horse to win the Blue Diamond Preview/Prelude and Blue Diamond Stakes since Sepoy in 2011. As was the pattern of the day he did not succeed, beaten narrowly by the 26/1 shot Tagaloa, though he tried hard to overtake him. Personal stormed from the back of the field to run third.

Tagaloa parades in the mounting yard after winning the Blue Diamond Stakes

Hanseatic playing up as he heads for the barriers

I did not stay for the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate.  Speedy mare Pippie led all the way to win from Zoutori and Crystal Dreamer. The trifecta paid almost $6,500.

There are only three more Saturdays of Group racing in Melbourne and next week features the Group 1 Australian Guineas at Flemington. Mystic Journey won it last year, but this year promises to be super special with Alligator Blood and Catalyst set to resume their rivalry. They will be challenged by Orr Stakes winner Alabama Express and the highly regarded West Australian Superstorm, among others.

The weather is expected to be similar to last Saturday, mild and sunny.

New Computer & Windows 10

Corsair  Mid Tower Case with side window

Having taken possession of my new super duper computer last Wednesday, I have been accustoming myself to Windows 10.

Much as I dreaded upgrading to Windows 10, it has not been all that stressful and is pretty much like Windows 7, except bossier.

Gratifyingly, all my beloved antique software works fine without any problems. Amazing to discover that MS Office 2003 (the last MS Office with the old interface before the ribbon interface was introduced in Office 2007)  is still operable under the latest version of Windows.

The picture above is of the mid tower case of the new computer. Tower cases have gotten groovier these days -  a far cry from the boring beige boxes of the past.  There was one at the computer shop with flashy lighting effects, but I settled on the minimalist Corsair 100R case which has a side glass panel so you can see the computer’s innards, and no doubt how dusty it will get as the years go by.

It is a fast machine that comes with bountiful USB 3 ports and runs quietly.

So overall I’m really pleased I opted for a new computer and that Windows 10 has proved (so far) not to be the gremlin I had anticipated and was easy to customise to my liking.

One good thing about Windows 10, is that Open Live Writer now has a spell checker, unavailable on Windows 7 , so hopefully I won’t be making as many inadvertent mistakes. I have yet to test that it uploads to Google, but this post will be the proof.

On other matters I have several events booked in February and March, two literary occasions – Margaret Atwood at Hamer Hall on 23 February and Neil Gaiman at the Capitol on February 25 – and three music concerts. The first of these is Patty Griffin on March 3, followed by Eilen Jewell on 19 March and Kieran Kane on 26 March. So there’s lots to look forward to in this brand new year.

Hopefully I’ll be back at the races next Saturday at Caulfield. Alas, transport disruptions mean that I will have to catch a bus to Caulfield next week as trains are not running, though the rest of the autumn racing season at Caulfield appears not to be affected, in February at least.

The 2020 All Star Mile will be run at Caulfield this year in mid March and is shaping up as the race of the Melbourne autumn season, with a plethora of classy horses nominated. 

I witnessed the inaugural running of the race last year at Flemington, won by Tassie filly Mystic Journey. She is nominated again and will probably get a start. Let’s hope the P B Lawrence Stakes curse has worn off this autumn and that she can add another win to her tally.

Goodness Gracieux – Cox Plate Review

Lys Gracieux on her way to winning the 2019 Cox Plate

Compared to the past four Cox Plates, this year’s edition lacked the heightened excitement that super mare Winx attracted whenever she hit the track.

Even Daryl Braithwaite was missing; a large choir rendition of his traditional “The Horses” not being a patch on the original version.

As anticipated it was a long day, but everything went to plan as I reached Moonee Valley half an hour before the gates opened and was among the first entrants at the main gate.

After passing without any hassles through the security check, I headed directly for the public lawn and found my friend George ensconced in the prime postion closest to the finishing post.  As it was in a corner nestled up to a vacant space where various sponsor signs were stowed,  it didn’t matter if we stood on our steps (in George’s case, his ladder) as nobody complained about us spoiling their view.

Rebecca arrived shortly later and we basically stayed there all afternoon, taking turns to venture to the stalls and/or merchandise store.

A Japanese photographer (also equipped with a step) whose camera had an enormous lens, was my neighbour on the fence, but he didn’t at anytime stymie my shots. He lasted the distance through sun and rain as did we three.

The weather was predominantly inclement and changeable - one minute sunny, the next raining.

Cox Plate countdown at around 10.50 am

The first race was scheduled for 12.10 pm, so there was a bit of a wait to start photography practice. The big screen showed replays of past Cox Plates throughout the afternoon on a loop.

Once the the first race was underway, the afternoon went quite quickly, and as our steps also came in handy for a seat, it was not that stressful.

As is traditional the Inglis Banner, for two year olds started off the racing program and was won by Ideas Man from Bella Nipotina and Arctic Ice.

Ideas Man about to overtake Bella Nipotina in the Inglis Banner

Ideas Man in the winner’s rug

With the changeable weather, photography was challenging, but overall I’m quite pleased with how my photos turned out.

Race 2, the Bendigo Bank Handicap, a sprint over 955 metres resulted in an easy win for Fine Dane, who beat the favourite Esperance by 1½ lengths.

Fine Dane on his way to winning race 2

Last year Mystic Journey won the Group 2 Fillies Classic easily from Fundamentlist. In this year’s race Fascino and La Falaise deadheated for first, not something you witness every race day.

La Falaise about to draw level with Fascino as they charge to the finish line

Rebecca and I decided to miss Race 4, and go to the stalls area, leaving George to mind our spot. We timed our arrival outside Mystic Journey’s stall perfectly. She had just been washed and was looking black and beautiful in her stall.

Mystic Journey in her stall

A small contingent of Tasmanian fans were there, so we were roped in to appear in a Mystic Journey promo for Tasmanian TV.  We scored a very nice Mystic Journey cloth flag for our participation. Rebecca who’d purchased a Mystic Journey cap at the Merch Stall on the way through,  also had the opportunity of getting it signed by Adam Trinder.

Returning trackside, we witnessed race 5, the Group 3  Australia Stakes, which Sartorial Splendor won easily.

Sartorial Splendor on his way to winning the Australia Stakes

After the race 5 presentation was over,  a Winx tribute was scheduled, where her connections (owners) were driven down the straight to the finishing post.

Peter & Patty Tighe the first car down the straight

All four of Winx’s Cox Plate trophies were lined up with the connections just past the winning post. It was hard to get a clear photo as pesky cameramen hogged my POV. I didn’t hear a word of what was said.

Winx tribute

After that, there were only three races to run before the Cox Plate, the first of these being the Moonee Valley Vase, run over the same distance as the Cox Plate. It’s normally contested by Derby bound three year olds.

Soul Patch, a son of 2013 Cox Plate winner Shamus Award was the tearaway winner.

 
Soul Patch burning up the straight to the post

Soul Patch in the winners rug

The next two races (three if you count the Cox Plate) were won by International raiders; the Moonee Valley Gold Cup being won by the stunning Irish goodlooker Hunting Horn, who beat local favourite Mr Quickie by 1¼ lengths.

Hunting Horn on his way to winning the Moonee Valley Cup

Hunting Horn in the winner’s rug

The Group 2 Crystal Vase was taken out by British horse Chief Ironside, who defeated last year’s winner Cliff’s Edge by a head.

Chief Ironside (outside) about to overtake Cliff’s Edge in the Crystal Vase

Chief Ironside on his way to the barriers

As you can see from the above photo the sun had come out for Race 8, but soon enough it clouded over and the Cox Plate seemed likely to be run in a rain storm.

That didn’t eventuate thankfully, as during the pre-race ceremony it cleared again, though it was overcast.

A stage was assembled in the middle of the track as the jockey’s were introduced and the National Anthem was sung.

The choirs (four of them) trooped onto the stage and surrounding stands, tallest to smallest.  As previously mentioned, the choirs did not have the same crowd pleasing presence as old rocker Daryl Braithwaite, and the singalong was lacklustre in comparison to last year.

Massed choir with kids waving blue ribbons and dancing at the front.

The track was cleared and all of sudden it was only 15 minutes until the Cox Plate start.

Cox Plate countdown at around 4.40 pm

Soon enough the Cox Plate field were out on the track heading to the barriers. Some contestants whizzed past too fast for me get a photo, but others took their time.

Avilius

Mystic Journey

Black Heart Bart

Danceteria

Local hopes rested with the Tasmanian mare Mystic Journey, but alas it was not to be her day. She raced this time up on the speed in about third place for most of the race, but was swamped, first by three year old colt Castelvecchio, who was in turn overtaken by the Japanese mare Lys Gracieux who came from the tail of the field with Te Akau Shark hot on her tail.

 
Down the straight the first time – Mystic Journey is second behind Magic Wand with Black Heart Bart on her outside

It was an impressive victory by Lys Gracieux, clearly the class horse in the race and I was glad I was there to see it.  If Winx had been in the field, who would have won? My guess would be Winx.

Castelvecchio held on to finish second and Te Akau Shark ran third. Mystic Journey finished 5th, the best of the locals, just behind Magic Wand.

Lys Gracieux poses for photos in the winner’s rug

It had been a long day and I did not regret enduring the trying weather conditions, but I did not leave the course with the same warm glow I had experienced over the past four years when Winx reigned supreme.

The crowds were down on last year, not surprisingly, so it didn’t take long to leave the course. I made it home by 6.30 pm.

Next Saturday is Derby Day at Flemington which no doubt will be different, though the weather again is forecast to be somewhat damp. I’m looking forward to seeing top New Zealand mare Melody Belle in the flesh in the Empire Rose Stakes.