Derby Day Review

Derby finish – Craig Newitt jubilant aboard Tarzino just past the post

While killing time waiting for the running of the 2015 Melbourne Cup, here’s a review of my day at the races last Saturday.

The weather on Derby Day started out grim and dismal with heavy clouds and occasional showers of rain, so I didn’t bother with sun screen, thinking the afternoon would be as forecast – humid and overcast with rain and a thunderstorm.

How wrong I was. I ended up sunburnt as the afternoon progressed into bright sunshine, typical of Melbourne weather – two or three seasons in one day.

I arrived at Flemington just before 12.00 pm to be greeted by hordes of partying patrons, the girls in their backless frocks and ridiculous fascinators and the guys in a variety of costumes. A group dressed as Minions clustered in a group near the Clock Tower.

Actually it wasn’t all that crowded, you could at least move around freely without stumbling over picnic blankets, though getting a drink was a lengthy affair.

Not many of the horsey stars had arrived when I headed to the stalls area, but I found Exosphere in his stall, looking handsome and relaxed.

Exosphere

Next to him was his stable mate Mogador, also a handsome devil.

Mogador

The fillies who were to compete in Race 2, the Wakeful Stakes eventually emerged to parade in the walking ring.

Ambience

Dawnie Perfect

My Poppette

Returning to the front lawn to watch the race, it was easy to get my favourite position by the walkway from the mounting yard to the track.

Mounting yard gate

The Wakeful Stakes was won easily by Ambience from Beluga Blue and Muzyka.

Ambience returns to scale after winning the Wakeful Stakes

Beluga Blue

Muzyka

Both Ambience and Muzyka will meet again with 10 other fillies on Thursday to contest the Group 1 Crown Oaks.

Race 3 was the Group 3 Guvera Stakes and Disposition was the warm favourite. He won narrowly from San Diego with Hosting three lengths back running third.

Disposition returns to scale after winning the Guvera Stakes

San Diego

Hosting

The Coolmore Stud Stakes was the first of the Group 1 races on the program as Race 4. Exosphere was short odds favourite to win, but he disappointed and ended up finishing fourth.

I got some lovely photos of him in the parade ring when he paused just in front of me to await his turn in the parade line (they parade in numerical order)

Exosphere in the parade ring

The Chris Waller trained Japonisme won at long odds, being totally overlooked in the betting.

Japonisme in the parade ring

For this race I found a really good spot tucked in front of an enclosure with a good view of the straight and winning post, where I hoped to get photos of horses returning to scale without the rail impeding the shot.

Coolmore Stud Stakes – just past the winning post

Japonisme won by 1½ lengths from Keen Array and Counter Attack.

Exosphere (inside) and Keen Array return to scale

Counter Attack returns to scale

Japonisme returns to scale

Newsflash! Just watched the Melbourne Cup and what an amazing result! Prince of Penzance did the locals proud and Michelle Payne became the first female jockey to ride a Melbourne Cup winner. Max Dynamite ran second and Criterion ran third. Prince of Penzance paid $74 (UTB) for the win. A pity I didn’t have any money on him.

Anyway back to Saturday…

We, that is my fellow photographer Rebecca and I, stayed in the same spot for the next few races in between returning to the stalls area, until we were turfed out by a security guy, who said we weren’t allowed to stand there.  God knows why, as we weren’t impeding anyone’s view, but I suppose they regarded the spot as private property – on a public lawn?

Back in the stalls several more of the main contenders had arrived, so I got some nice photos of a few of them

Contributer

West Australian Derby contender Kia Ora Koutou

Ready For Victory

A rose for Rising Romance

The Group 2 Lexus Stakes was up next so we returned trackside to observe the runners leaving the mounting yard, then went to the prime spot on the far eastern side of the course.

The handsome Excess Knowledge on his way to the barriers stalls

Excess Knowledge earned himself a spot in the Melbourne Cup with his win in the Lexus Stakes with Zanteca running second and Havana Cooler third.

Excess Knowledge returns to scale after winning the Lexus Stakes

Zanteca

Havana Cooler

The second of the four Group 1 races was up next, the Mackinnon Stakes and the French horse, Gailo Chop paid his fare to Australia by winning narrowly from Rising Romance and Contributer.

Mackinnon Stakes – just past the post

Gailo Chop returning to scale after winning the Mackinnon Stakes

Rising Romance on her way to the starting gates

Contributer on his way to the starting gates

Just after the finish of the Mackinnon Stakes we were forced to move from our prime position. Not to worry, we waited for the nearby racecourse crossing access gate to be closed, and amusedly observed various preening racegoers posing for photographs in the middle of the racecourse.

Tarzino  defied the favourites hoodoo in the Derby winning easily by two lengths from Etymology with Kia Ora Koutou six lengths behind running third.

Tarzino returns to scale after winning the Victoria Derby

Etymology

Kia Ora Katou

As I intended to go home after the running of the Myer Classic, the final Group 1 race on the program, we moved back to the stalls area to view the mares parading before the race and leaving the mounting yard for the track.

Politeness, the Myer Classic winner in the parade ring

Fenway leaving the mounting yard for the track

Azkadellia – third place runner on her way to the barriers

Royal Descent in the parade ring

Stay With Me returns to scale

Royal Descent started as favourite, and the race was expected to be a match between the classy older mare and upstart filly Stay With Me.

Neither featured in the finish.

Politeness won her first Group 1 race, and Fenway was runner up
¾ length behind her. Azkadellia grabbed third place ahead of May’s Dream.

The light by this time was getting bad for photos and I’d been at the racecourse for almost five hours, so I called it quits and headed for the station. Thankfully it only took 40 minutes to get home this time.

I’ve been writing this post all afternoon and evening, with various distractions like the Melbourne Cup making it seem like a marathon.

I’m looking forward to the Oaks meeting on Thursday as the final field has been decided and it looks a really interesting race with classy fillies like Jameka, Sacred Eye and Ambience going head to head.

Derby Day– All Hallows Eve at Flemington

Tarzino – current favourite for the Victoria Derby

The Melbourne Racing Carnival has only a week left to run, but culminates in suitably spectacular fashion with a concentration of race meetings at Flemington – Derby Day and Emirate Stakes Day book ending the Melbourne Cup and the Crown Oaks over four days.

No doubt the roses will now be in full bloom for Derby Day which kicks off the Flemington Racing Carnival on Saturday.

There’s a wonderful program of racing on the cards, with every race being at Group level, and four at Group 1 level.

The feature race of course is the Victoria Derby, and the other three Group 1 races are the Coolmore Stud Stakes, Mackinnon Stakes and the Myer Classic.

The first of these to run is the Coolmore Stud Stakes for three year olds over 1200 metres. I’m really looking forward to seeing top Sydney colt Exosphere in the flesh for the first time. He has done all his racing in Sydney and won his last three starts, including the Group 1 Golden Rose, so he is the short priced favourite to take out the Coolmore Stud Stakes.

Trying to beat him is a fairly classy field, the most likely contenders being Singapore colt Super One and the local boys Keen Array and Ready for Victory. The omen bet of the day, considering it is All Hallows Eve tomorrow, is Hellbent who could run a place if not win.

Thankfully, the VRC start their race meetings early - the first race is run before midday – and finish at a reasonable time, the feature race being run at 3.50pm and the last race at 5.20pm.

That’s a refreshing change from Caulfield and Moonee Valley whose meetings go on into twilight. It encourages me to get to the track early to watch Race 2, the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes for Oaks bound fillies, run over 2000 metres.

1000 Guineas winner Stay With Me will be taking on the older mares in the Myer Classic, so that leaves a chance for fillies such as Dawnie Perfect and My Poppette  to win some prize money for their connections. Others with a chance are Beluga Blue and Ambience.

Race 5 on the program is the Group 2 Lexus Stakes, the last chance for a free ballot into the Melbourne Cup.  The best chances are Excess Knowledge who has run second in his last two starts, Ruling Dynasty and Junoob.

The Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000 metres) has attracted a quality field of tried and true stayers and middle distance runners that include Happy Trails who is due for his annual win, Pornichet who ran fourth in the Cox Plate, the ever consistent Stratum Star who already has a Group 1 victory ( Rupert Clark Stakes) to his credit, Metropolitan winner Magic Hurricane and mares Rising Romance and Set Square.

And so to the Victoria Derby.

Tarzino is the race favourite, though he hasn’t won a race since September and was beaten last start by the filly Jameka and also failed to run a place in the Caulfield Guineas. Favourites rarely win the Victoria Derby so there are plenty of other smart colts to consider.

I rather like the Western Australian colt Kia Ora Koutou, who has had four starts for four wins in his home state, the last against older horses. His sire Blackfriars won the Victoria Derby in 1999, so he certainly can run the 2500 metres distance.

Others with a chance are Lizard Island, Shards, Get The Picture and Ayers Rock.

The final Group 1 is the Myer Classic for fillies and mares, run over 1600 metres. Some classy mares have won this over the ages, Typhoon Tracy, Appearance, Forensics, Red Tracer, to name a few. Bonaria won it last year from Sweet Idea and Catkins.

Royal Descent is the class mare in the race. It has been some time since she last ran against her own sex, but she has placed many times in Group 1 races in first class open fields and deserves another Group 1 win to go with her ATC Oaks victory in 2013.  If she wasn’t gutted by her run in the Caulfield Cup, she will surely be in the finish.

Her greatest rival in the Myer Classic is 1000 Guineas winner Stay With Me who has an 8 kg weight advantage and has bypassed the Wakeful Stakes to run in this race.

However, fillies have a poor record in the Myer Classic, so other mares who have the class to win are last start winner, La Passe, along with Fenway, Miss Rose De Lago, Solicit and Politeness.

The weather in Melbourne tomorrow is forecast to be overcast and humid, with showers and a possible thunderstorm.  Hopefully the weather will discourage the once a year crowds from taking up all the space on the front lawn.

Last year the weather was similarly damp and it was not quite as crowded as the year before when it was hot and sunny.

It’s sure to be a great day of racing whatever the weather, but it will have to be exceptional to surpass the racing at Moonee Valley last weekend.

Khan Triumphant! Caulfield Cup Review

Mongolian Khan holds to the lead to win the Caulfield Cup

It was a much less tiring outing to the races on Saturday, though the crowds of once a year racegoers were larger than at the Caulfield Guineas meeting. There was much drunken revelry and people were getting somewhat tired and emotional by the time the Caulfield Cup was run at the end of the afternoon.

As for me, I got to the track around 2.00pm, when Race 3, the Group 2 Caulfield Sprint had just been contested. Remarkably, it ended in a dead heat for first between Lumosty and Eclair Choice, a carbon copy result of last year, which saw Bel Sprinter and Miracles of Life dead heat in the same race.

With plenty of time on my hands I headed to the stalls area to check out on who had already arrived at the course.

Catkins was standing placidly in her stall…

Catkins

…along with the rest of Chris Waller stable contingent, Amicus and Royal Descent for instance.

Amicus

Royal Descent

Further along, Rising Romance was rubbing herself affectionately against her strapper…

Rising Romance

Race 4 was the Group 3 Ethereal Stakes, a race for Oaks bound three year old fillies, run over 2000 metres, so was of interest in light of the Victorian Oaks.

It was won by Dawnie Perfect at big odds. She’s a lovely looking filly out of Big Brown and Zabeel mare Zagalia and is owned by John Singleton, who also bred her.

Dawnie Perfect (inside) & Alittle Loose on their way to the barriers

The highly fancied Honesta and favourite Ambience finished second and third.

Ethereal Stakes finish – Dawnie Perfect takes charge to win.

Returning to the stalls area after the race, the International runners were in their stalls, the Japanese horses next to the British and Irish Caulfield Cup hopefuls.

Fame Game – from Japan

Hokko Brave – also from Japan wearing ear muffs

Snow Sky – from the UK

Trip to Paris – from Ireland

For Race 5, the Caulfield Classic, I stayed in the relatively quiet area close to the pre parade ring, where you get a good view of the track and the horses going to the barriers.

Lizard Island

Ayers Rock

Etymology

Sacred Eye

The race was also over 2000 metres and had a field of 12 colts and geldings and one filly, Sacred Eye, who beat them all by a length.

Past the post in the Caulfield Classic – Sacred Eye still leads.

Lizard Island, who started favourite, ran second and Etymology finished third.

Sacred Eye is by High Chaparral from Rock of Gibraltar mare Musidora and is being aimed at the Oaks and could well win it.

I returned to the public lawn for Race 6, the Group 3 David Jones Cup, another 2000 metre race. Stratum Star was the class horse in the race, and his form held true when he won the race comfortably by a length from Awesome Rock with Leebaz a further 2.25 lengths running third.

Stratum Star on his way to the barriers

Awesome Rock on his way to the barriers

David Jones Cup finish – Stratum Star leads

I hardly took any notice of Race 7, the Group 3 Moonga Stakes which is an open competition over 1400 metres.

It was won by Vashka from Under The Louvre and Coronation Shallan.

Vashka on his way to the barriers

Under The Louvre on his way to the barriers

Coronation Shallan

Past the post in the Moonga Stakes – Vashka leads

The afternoon flitted by remarkably fast and there was only one more race before the Caulfield Cup.

This was the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes for mares, and Catkins was the warm favourite.  Alas she didn’t fire in straight, dropping back and finishing 9th. She will  be spelled, and may well have come to end of her racing career, so I’m glad I had the chance to see her in flesh at least once this spring.

Longshot La Passe narrowly won from Solicit and Jessy Belle.

La Passe returns to scale after winning the Tristarc Stakes

Jessy Belle on her way to the barriers

Solicit

Catkins on her way to the barriers

Past the post in the Tristarc Stakes

The afternoon was advanced by the time the Caulfield Cup was due to start.

I decided to go back to the public lawn and grab a spot on the fence for the feature race, so accompanied by my acquaintance and fellow photographer,  Rebecca, we squeezed in to a vacant spot on the fence much to the ire of some persons who claimed they had prior claim to it as they’d had their picnic rug up against the fence all day.

They certainly hadn’t bothered watching the previous races, so we held our ground and they backed off. 

On afterthought, we probably would  have been better off back on the hill, as my photographs from the fence turned out dark, the light of late afternoon not being conducive to clear shots.

Mongolian Khan & Trip To Paris on their way to the starting gates

The race itself was worth waiting for. Greg Miles was calling it for the 35th time, but unfortunately ill health got in the way of his delivery. I really feel for him – he must have cringed when he realised his gaffes.

I didn’t really notice it at the time, I was concentrating on the race itself.

Anyway, the call will probably go down in history as one of the most bizarre and unusual race calls of all time.

It was the superbly timed riding of Opie Bosson , and Mongolian Khan’s  staying ability, that won the race.  Opie started his home run early, and the Khan overtook the leaders in the straight and surged on to win by half a length from Trip To Paris who snuck along the rail, with Our Ivanhowe 1.75 lengths back, running third.

It was a popular win by Mongolian Khan as he started favourite and a victory for locally bred horses. Mongolian Khan was born in Tasmania, is trained in New Zealand and is owned by an eccentric millionaire from Manchuria, who keeps wolves as pets. It’s actually Mongolian Khan’s 4th birthday today (19/10/15)

I was personally delighted with his win as my languishing Sportsbet account was augmented by a $25.00 bonus bet being translated into $87.00 winning profit.

Next Saturday is my favourite race, the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.  Can’t wait!