Australian Cup 2018

Australian Cup finish 2017 – Humidor pips Jameka at the post

Truth to tell, the Melbourne Summer/Autumn racing carnival has been somewhat underwhelming and tomorrow’s Super Saturday at Flemington promises more of the same.

The feature races are the Group 1  Newmarket Handicap, a sprint over 1200 metres, and the  Group 1 Australian Cup for middle distance runners over 2000 metres.

The Newmarket is the first of the Group 1 events to run and has a large field of 15 runners competing. It’s a mix of tried and true older sprinters and young up and comers.

Top picks of the older brigade are Redkirk Warrior who won the Black Caviar Lightning first up at his only start so far this autumn and loves the Flemington straight, Brave Smash who won the Group 1 Futurity Stakes at Caulfield at his last start, but has not raced at Flemington, Rich Charm who does love the Flemington straight, having won there over the distance twice.

Best of the younger set is Merchant Navy, Booker and Catchy, all with a weight advantage over their older rivals.

Many great champions of the Australian turf have won the Australian Cup such as Lonhro, Northerly, Makybe Diva, Octagonal and Saintly to name a few, so who will go down in the record books this year?

The 12 strong field is mostly made up of imported stayers such as Hartnell, Almandin., Homesman, The Taj Mahal and Gailo Chop who are the top chances.  Of the few locals it would be nice if the ever reliable Single Gaze got her moment of Group 1 glory. The interesting runner is Japanese import Ambitious having his first start in Australia.

In Sydney, at Randwick the most interesting race of the day is the Group 1 Randwick Guineas, where a crackerjack field of three year old colts and two geldings will be vying for the prize. Kementari who has won his only two starts this autumn is the top pick.  Victorian Derby winner Ace High is also a good chance though is probably better over a longer distance than the 1600 metres of this race. Others worthy of consideration are Golden Rose winner Trapeze Artist and Peaceful State who ran second in the Australian Guineas last week. Peaceful State interestingly is a brother to Weekend Hussler who won the Randwick Guineas, among several other Group 1 races, in 2008.

The weather in Melbourne tomorrow is predicted to be fine and sunny again, so slathered in sunscreen I’ll venture to Flemington tomorrow for another Saturday at the races, maybe the last for a while.

Jewel, Cool & Miracles – Caulfield Guineas Day

Prince Harada – Caulfield 31 August 2013

As the Melbourne Racing Club, draws towards its spring finale, the Caulfield Cup – which is only a little over a week away - they host a fabulous day of racing this Saturday, featuring the three Group One races –  Caulfield Stakes, Toorak Handicap and the Caulfield Guineas.

I went to this meeting last year and enjoyed it enormously. It certainly has a considerably better race card than Caulfield Cup day which I will not be attending, though I really will have to go along to it one of these days, as I’ve never seen it in person.

There are ten races scheduled and the Caulfield Guineas is, as is the new fangled way, the last race of the day and will be run at 5.45pm.

But fortunately there is a solid support card that includes the Group Two  Schillaci Stakes and Herbert Power Stakes, the first being a sprint over 1000 metres and the second being a distance contest over 2400 metres.

I intend to arrive at the course in time to see Miracles of Life compete in the Blue Sapphire Stakes. She faces a field of both colts and fillies.  She actually should be at pretty good odds this time, after so far failing to win this spring.  Her greatest opposition comes from colts Safeguard, Iconic and Diamond Oasis and filly Villa Verde. I am not going to make extravagant statements as to her chances of finally cracking a win, but certainly my heart will be with her all the way.

The first of the Group One races on the program is the Caulfield Stakes. It was formerly known as the Yalumba Stakes and has been won by well known champions – last year’s Cox Plate winner Ocean Park, dual Cox Plate winners So You Think, Northerly and Kingston Town, and other notable Cox Plate winners like El Segundo and Bonecrusher - the list goes on.

It was supposed to be a highly anticipated rematch between Atlantic Jewel and It’s A Dundeel, but unfortunately the latter is still recovering from a hoof abscess, so will not compete. Atlantic Jewel will be there with bells on, along with her stable mate Super Cool, who raced last week in the messily run Turnbull Stakes and finished out of a place.  The  small field of six should give Atlantic Jewel all the advantages. Super Cool looks to be her main danger, along with Foreteller and Green Moon who are the other top class horses in the race.  There are those who say Atlantic Jewel is vulnerable over 2000 metres, even though she has won over the distance in the past. The track on Saturday should be in the good to dead range, so she won’t have to plough through churned up turf this time.

The Toorak Handicap is run over 1600 metres, and has a good field of tried and true milers. The top picks are old favourite Linton and last year’s winner Solzhenitsyn. One interesting runner is the French horse Trevieres, having his first start in Australia. He has excellent form in Europe, but whether this will translate to a win in our fair land is yet to be seen. Others with a chance are Speediness and Budriguez, who dead heated with Puissance de Lune back in the autumn.

Sea Moon, after showing his credentials last week with a technical win in the Bart Cummings, gets another chance to take first prize in the Group Two Herbert Power Stakes. He is definitely the one to beat and his main opposition will come from Kesampour and other dour imports Simenon and Verdant, as well as sole mare Let’s Make Adeal. 

So, the Caulfield Guineas…

It’s not as cut and dried a race as it was last year, even though All Too Hard surprised everyone with his victory over the hot favourite Pierro in that edition. This year’s Guineas field is wide open with any number of chances.  Sentiment leads me to favour Prince Harada, though there are doubts as to his likelihood of taking out the race. He has stiff competition from the likes of Long John who is the current favourite, Divine Calling who has won his last two starts, Eclair Big Bang who also was a last start winner and Cluster and El Roca who were close up placed against the aforementioned winners. Still Prince Harada, with luck on his side and with Damien Oliver in the saddle, may steal the prize despite not racing for a month, after his failure in the Golden Rose.

The last Group One in the Sydney spring carnival is the Spring Champion Stakes and will be run at Randwick on Saturday.  It was won by It’s A Dundeel last year. It is for three year olds and is run over 2000 metres.  None of the 14 in the field have raced over the distance before though a few, mostly notably Savvy Nature, Complacent, Drago  and Rock Hero have won or placed over 1600 metres and 1800 metres, so are the ones most likely to take home the prize. Anyway, that’s my theory and I reckon the winner will be one of those mentioned above.

Farewell Hay List

Hay List photographed heading to the barrier before winning the McEwan Stakes at Moonee Valley on 11 September 2010

Racing news yesterday reported that champion sprinter Hay List has been retired. About time too, I think, as it has been quite painful and saddening to see him racing of late, trying his heart out as usual, but being unable to find his former brilliance.  I watched his last race the Premiere Stakes last Saturday on a small screen in the Bookies area at Flemington, and he failed to finish the race. I exchanged glances with a fellow spectator of the race, and we both agreed that it was time Hay List was retired.

If the career of super mare Black Caviar had not been contemporaneous with that of Hay List, he would have been the top sprinter in Australia and possibly the world. He chased Black Caviar home six times in all, and put her to the test on more than one occasion. He was the only horse, other than Moonlight Cloud in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Ascot, who ever came close to beating her.

I first saw him race at Moonee Valley on Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes day on 11 September 2010, where he easily won the Group 3 McEwan Stakes. He won the Manikato Stakes that year as well.

He ended up racing 28 times for 15 wins and 5 places.  Three of his wins were at Group One level - but he would have won more if Black Caviar had not been on the scene – two Group Two and Three races apiece, plus six other quality races in Perth, Melbourne. Brisbane and Sydney.

So ends a brilliant career. Here’s hoping he enjoys his retirement, though his trainer John McNair has said that he was horse who was easily bored and enjoyed racing, and grew discontent in the paddock.

More Caviar Anyone?

Black Caviar is aiming for her 21st victory this weekend

Yes, Black Caviar is back on the Australian racing menu this weekend, when she will be contesting the Group One Goodwood over 1200 metres at Morphettville, and gunning for her 21st win, and 11th Group One.  It will be her final appearance on an Australian racetrack prior to travelling overseas to compete at Royal Ascot.  However, she may very well be back on her home tracks in spring, having been pencilled in for the Manikato Stakes and Patinack Farm Classic.

She doesn’t face much competition from the other eight runners in the Goodwood, none of them having won at Group One level.  The best of them appear to be Outlandish Lad, We’re Gonna Rock, Catapulted and Go The Knuckle.

It is remarkable how Black Caviar has captured the heart of the nation. Every time she races, the nation stops to watch. One AFL football game on the weekend will start half an hour early, so as to be over by the time Black Caviar races.  This is to enable the teams and spectators time to get to the track to watch living history.

The other major race on Saturday is the BTC Cup, a Group One sprint over 1200 metres at Doomben racecourse in Queensland.

Black Caviar won the race last year, but a quality field has accepted to the tune of  fifteen runners. Buffering is the current favourite, but having drawn an outside barrier, will possibly be vulnerable. Galaxy winner Temple of Boom is a major threat, along with the similarly named Spirit of Boom, Neeson and super smart mare Beaded. Fillies Elite Falls, Satin Shoes and Sea Siren may challenge as well.

Females have dominated racing this year – Black Caviar (naturally), More Joyous, Mosheen, Atlantic Jewel and Shez Sinsational who won the Group Two Hollindale Stakes last Saturday, narrowly from fellow mare Lights Of Heaven. Thus it wouldn’t be all that surprising if one of the female contestants in BTC Cup took home the prize.

Vale Vo Rogue & Northerly

Two former champions of the Aussie turf passed away this week. The great bare hoof frontrunner, Vo Rogue, died on Monday at the age of 28 and Sunline conqueror, and dual Cox Plate winner, Northerly was euthanased on Wednesday after suffering a severe bout of colic. He was 15 and enjoyed some of his retirement years at Living Legends, before returning to his owner’s Western Australian property. All very sad for those of us who remember their exploits, but they’ll both live on in our memories.

I saw Northerly race once in the flesh in the 2001 Feehan Stakes, where he raced against and defeated Sunline for the first time. I admit my heart was with Sunline that day, but it was a great race nonetheless. I still have the race book from the day with a photo of Sunline on the cover.

Update Saturday

It was astounding to watch Black Caviar cruise to her 21st victory this afternoon. She barely got into second gear the whole trip, and Luke Nolen hardly shifted in the saddle, as she cantered to the line, a length and a half clear from We’re Gonna Rock with Sterling Grove trailing three lengths behind in third spot. It struck me as one of her most arrogant wins – why bust your guts if you can win at a canter.

And I was right about the female dominance of the sport. Three year old filly Sea Siren took out the BTC Cup, with old trooper Scenic Blast running a game second and Beaded taking third spot.