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.

Rosie Runs Them Ragged at Caulfield

Miss Rose De Lago wins the P.B. Lawrence Stakes

There is less than a fortnight to go for the first Group 1 race of the 2016 Spring racing season, so on Saturday I headed back to Caulfield to take in some racing action and psych myself for the upcoming carnival.

It offered a reasonably interesting race card and featured the Group 2 P.B Lawrence Stakes (formerly Liston Stakes), a race over 1400 metres.

Also on the program were the Group 3 Vain Stakes and Quezette Stakes for three year old Guineas bound colts (Vain) and fillies (Quezette) which are usually worth seeing in light of the future Group 1 events.

I arrived at Caulfield in plenty of time to watch race 4, the MRC Foundation Handicap, a sprint for mares over 1100 metres.

The favourite was Ocean Embers and she romped in by a length to Cana with Glenbawn Dame running third.

It is practically impossible to take photos of horses running down the straight these days at Caulfield as the height of the fence does not allow a clear view,  the outside rail blocking one’s point of view. So I took all of my action shots from the hill above the stalls area.

Race 4 just past the finishing post – Ocean Embers is the extreme outside

Ocean Embers returns to scale

Cana returns to scale

Glenbawn Dame (no 3) and Mossin’ Around return to scale

The afternoon was overcast, not the best light for taking photos, especially as I’m still trying to figure out the best settings for the Nikon camera.

In the stalls area several of the contenders for the feature race were waiting in their stalls. It was great to see Group 1 winning mares Jameka and Suavito again, and The Cleaner having his first start for the spring. He was scratched from the Bletchingly Stakes.

The Cleaner in his own special rug

Race 5 was the Vain Stakes for colts and geldings and run over 1100 metres.

The hot favourite was the attractively named Russian Revolution, gunning for a third consecutive win in his short career.

He was successful, just, beating Highland Beat and Hardham by a little over a length.

Vain Stakes – just past the post – Russian Revolution is centre in red and yellow silks.

Russian Revolution on his way to the mounting yard

Highland Beat returns to scale

Hardham returns to scale

The fillies equivalent of the Vain Stakes is the Quezette Stakes, now named the Winslow Group Stakes.

It was good to see that the So You Think filly Conscious was part of the field. I last saw her at Flemington in February at her first start, where she ran second to Weatherly in the Blue Diamond Prelude.

It was an evenly matched field with Modern Wonder, who had won her only start being the 5/1 favourite, but ended up finishing last.

I Am A Star lived up to her name and was victorius, coming from the rear of the field to beat Leotie and race leader Athena Lass on the line.

I Am A Star (inside) and Leotie past the post

I Am A Star on her way to the mounting yard

Conscious -  a lovely black filly

The feature  race was up next on the program and the contenders were being saddled up and paraded in the pre parade ring…

Jacquinot Bay – ran second

Mahuta

Jameka – ran an eye catching fourth

Lord of the Sky

Miss Rose De Lago – Lawrence Stakes heroine

Suavito

The Cleaner

Entirely Platinum – third place

The P.B. Lawrence Stakes was run at a rattling pace, The Cleaner and Lord of the Sky fighting out the lead. Miss Rose De Lago was handy on the pace in fourth spot, but came wide to beat home Jacquinot Bay and Entirely Platinum by a half length.

Lawrence Stakes finish just past the post

I did not hang around for the last two races, with the light deteriorating and the late afternoon chill making it less pleasant to be outdoors.

Next week I’m looking forward to going back to Moonee Valley for the Nissen McKenzie Stakes meeting. However the classy racing action will be in Sydney at Randwick racecourse, where Winx will be making her first racing appearance for spring in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes.

Last week it was revealed that Winx had minor surgery on a bone chip in her fetlock after her Doncaster win. So all eyes will be watching her in the Warwick Stakes to see how she goes. Hopefully all will be well and that she comes back to racing as good as ever.

If all goes to plan we’ll see her in Melbourne twice – in the Caulfield Stakes and the Cox Plate.