Mud & Champagne–That Was Derby Day 2019

Warning wins the 2019 Victoria Derby

Derby Day dawned with a downpour of rain that persisted practically the whole day. Cox Plate day was inclement, but this was the worst weather I’ve experienced at the races in all the years I’ve been going to the track.

You may say that  I was mad to attend the event, but strangely, challenging weather conditions made the experience memorable and unique.

It was raining when I left home, B obligingly driving me to the station, and was still raining when I arrived at Flemington. Race 4, the Lexus Stakes was in process of being run and was won by Downdraft who gains automatic entry into the Melbourne Cup.

As the next race was the first of the four Group 1 events of the afternoon, I decided to visit the stalls area and kill time before it ran.  I didn’t linger long and only got photos of Melody Belle and Derby favourite Shadow Hero.

Melody Belle in her stall

Shadow Hero in his stall

Squelching back to my accustomed spot just past the winning post I endured the downpour while waiting for the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes to start.

The super New Zealand mare Melody Belle, who has won more Group 1 races than any other horse this year, started as favourite and relished the soggy conditions, winning the Empire Rose easily from local mare Aristia with Spanish Reef running third.

To say that photographic condition were difficult is an understatement and there is not much you can do when the rain is bucketing down.  Hence the speckled effect in most of my photos of the action.

Melody Belle wins the Empire Rose Stakes

Melody Belle in full flight

Aristia with an umbrella clutching audience watching on the opposite side of the track

Melody Belle may race again next weekend at Flemington in either the MacKinnon Stakes or Matriarch Stakes, hopefully in kinder conditions.

I was quite wet, as was my camera, after the Empire Rose Stakes, so I took shelter in the crowded Saintly Stand to dry off.

By the time I got back to the fence the rain had eased and the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes was run in a light shower rather pouring rain. Another mud lark, Exceedance, won from the well fancied Golden Rose winner Bivouac.

Exceedance wins the Coolmore Stud Stakes

Exceedance returns to scale

Bivouac returns to scale

The rain held off for the running of the Victoria Derby. The hot favourite was Shadow Hero who had recently won the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes, but he didn’t fancy the soft track and finished fifth, 10 lengths from the winner Warning who won by over 3 lengths from Southern Moon, with Soul Patch another length in arrears, running third.  Southern Moon, incidently, is the son of Puissance de Lune, a photogenic grey I followed in 2013/2014.

Warning returns to scale in the rain

Southern Moon & Soul Patch cross the finish line in the wake of Warning

The rain returned with a vengeance after the Derby, so I decided not to wait for the fourth Group 1 – Cantala Stakes – and headed for the station and home.

Champagne still flowed abundantly and the mode du jour appeared to consist of rainwear and umbrellas on top of flimsy finery.

In Sydney, on Saturday the feature race was the new fangled Golden Eagle,  a 7 million dollar race for 4 year olds that had attracted a very classy field.  Run over 1500 metres, it resulted in a win for the Chris Waller trained Kolding. Sunlight, having her first start beyond 1200 metres, almost stole the show, losing by a whisker on the line after leading throughout.

Tomorrow is the Melbourne Cup, which I might ponder in a blogpost. It’s the usual puzzle, the field mostly comprised of International runners. I won’t be attending, but will go to Stakes Day on Saturday, which hopefully will not be as wet as the last few Saturday racedays, but I’m not holding my breath for a sunshiny day.

Brilliant Sunlight & Kings Will Dream

An ecstatic Jye McNeil brings Kings Will Dream back to scale after winning the Turnbull Stakes

Though last Saturday was nowhere near being brilliantly sunny, the racing action was pretty interesting, in particular the two main races, the Gilgai Stakes and Turnbull Stakes.

As trains to Flemington were running all day, there was no imperative to arrive early, so I got to the track around 1.45pm and had plenty of time to cruise through the stalls area before Race 4 was scheduled.

Most of the main horses had arrived and were in their allotted stalls.

Mystic Journey

Sunlight

Santa Ana Lane

Finche

Hartnell

Kings Will Dream

Zoutori

I’m glad I took my step stool as the rail on Saturday was out by 9 metres, so it would have been impossible to get rail free shots without standing on it.  There is a new mounting yard fence that is considerably higher than the old one, so the step came in handy for photos there too.

Race 4 was the Group 2 Blazer Stakes for mares, and run over 1400 metres.  Fidelia was the tote favourite, but the Chris Waller trained Haut Brion Her who had run second in her first two starts in Melbourne, took a liking to the Flemington big track and won comfortably after leading throughout. Another Sydney mare, Pohukutawa, having only her second start in Melbourne, ran second with Angelic Ruler filling third place.

Haut Brion Her wins the Blazer Stakes from Pohukutawa

Next up was the Listed Super Impose Stakes, an 1800 metre race for Derby bound three year olds.  It had a large field of 13 runners, few of whom I had ever heard of before.  It resulted in 15/1 shot Warning winning easily by 2 lengths from Independent Road and Huntly Castle.

Warning wins the Super Impose Stakes

Warning returns to scale

Independent Road on his way to the barriers

Huntly Castle returns to scale

Race 6 was the keenly anticipated Group 2 Gilgai Stakes where Santa Ana Lane and Sunlight were set to  face off in a 1200 metre sprint down the long Flemington straight.  Sunlight started as favourite and didn’t disappoint, leading from start to finish to win by ½ length from Santa Ana Lane who zoomed from last to second place. Zoutori finished third a short way behind.

Sunlight flashes down the straight

Sunlight wins the Gilgai Stakes from Santa Ana Lane & Zoutori

Sunlight returns to scale

Santa Ana Lane returns to scale

Zoutori retirns to scale

Both Santa Ana Lane and Sunlight are assured of a start in the Everest at Randwick on 20 October, along with a number of other top class sprinters. I’m glad I got to see both of them in the flesh before that event.

In between the Melbourne races I watched the Sydney races on the big screen, where Chris Waller horses won all three of the Group 1 races – Flight Stakes (Funstar), Epsom (Kolding) and Metropolitan (Come Play With Me). Verry Elleegant, now with Chris Waller, also won last Saturday.

Chris Waller made racing history on Saturday by training four Group 1 winners, including the Turnbull Stakes with Kings Will Dream winning the prize.  A former Darren Weir trained horse, Kings Will Dream fractured his pelvis in the Cox Plate last year and almost died from the injury. He was nursed back to health and remarkably won a Group 1 in his third run back in action. Finche, also trained by Chris Waller, ran a close second and the evergreen Hartnell was third.

Disappointingly Mystic Journey finished out of a place. She raced at the tail of the field and then got hampered in her run up the straight, so did well to finish 5th less than two lengths from the winner.  Such is the curse of winning the PB Lawrence Stakes.

Turnbull Stakes finish – Kings Will Dream holds off Finche & Hartnell as they thunder to the finish line

Kings Will Dream in the mounting yard

Finche in the mounting yard

Hartnell in the mounting yard

Mystic Journey on her way to the barriers

I did not stay for the Bart Cummings, where the winner gets ballot free entry into the Melbourne Cup. Surprise Baby won the privilege, and is now a great hope for a locally bred runner to steal back the Cup from the International raiders. He’s by Shocking who won the Melbourne Cup in 2010, so he’s not without a chance.

Flemington on Saturday was nowhere near crowded, but it will be a different case next Saturday at Caulfield for Caulfield Guineas Day, which features four Group 1 races and is generally well patronised.

Black Hearts & Alligator Blood–Underwood Stakes Day Review

Black Heart Bart on his way to winning the Underwood Stakes

The winners of two races on Sunday gave me the opportunity to create a dramatic- you might say piratical – title for this blog post.

With the AFL Grand Final the dominant sporting event on Saturday in Melbourne, the feature Underwood Stakes meeting was held on  Sunday at Caulfield.

Arriving at the racecourse around 1.20pm I was in plenty of time for Race 3 of the program.

This was the not terribly interesting Le Pine Funerals Handicap, a race over 1700 metres.

Having his first start in the East, the West Australian horse Pushin’ Shapes outclassed the locals by winning at big odds (60/1) by 1½ lengths from Masculino and Vassilator.

Pushin’ Shapes overtakes Masculino racing to the finish line

Pushin’ Shapes on his way to the barriers

Masculino on his way to the barriers

As the races were being run at 30 minute intervals, the afternoon flashed by very quickly, so Race 4, the Beck Probuild Handicap contestants were soon heading to the barriers.

Rox The Castle started as favourite and led throughout until he was overtaken by second favourite Admiral’s Joker in the straight and beaten by a length. Waging War ran third.

 
Admiral’s Joker about to overtake Rox the Castle as they head for the finish

The next three races were more interesting than the preceding two, these being the Group 3 Guineas Preludes and the feature Group 1 Underwood Stakes.

I must admit I’d never heard of Alligator Blood, the winner of the Caulfield Guineas Prelude.  That’s not surprising as he’d had all his previous starts (which he’d won) in Queensland.  He was well fancied by punters, but Dalasan started as the favourite and finished second, out gunned by Alligator Blood who won by ¾ length.  Early in the race Your Deel lost his rider and joined the race riderless, though didn’t cause any intereference.

In case you’re curious about Alligator Blood’s name, it’s a Poker term where the player ignores all risks and fearlessly goes for broke.

Alligator Blood zooms up the straight

Alligator Blood on his way to the barriers

Dalasan strolls to the barriers

Three Godolphin fillies – Lyre, Flit and Tenley - were the fancied runners in the Thousand Guineas Prelude, but none of them featured in the finish. The first three home were at big odds and the trifecta paid a fortune – over $21,000 in fact.

Acting was the winner, defeating Southbank and Barbie’s Fox by 1½ lengths, after leading from the start.

Acting leads from Barbie’s Fox and Snapdancer (4th place)

Acting in full flight down the straight

It certainly wasn’t a day for favourites to win, with only two winning on Sunday, and such was the case in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes, where Black Heart Bart won at 100/1.  He’s now nine years of age and was retired in October 2018 after running 16th in the Toorak Handicap. However, he was brought back into training recently with a new trainer, but his form was nothing to write home about. He was given no chance and I thought he was past it.

In his heyday back in 2016/2017 he won six Group 1 races including the 2016 Underwood Stakes, so he was one of the better qualified horses in the 2019 Underwood Stakes.

Homesman was the hot favourite, but couldn’t catch Bart who won by a head. Gailo Chop  finished third and old trooper Hartnell ran fourth again.

Black Heart Bart on his way to the starting gates

Homesman on his way to the barriers

Gailo Chop on his way to the barriers

Black Heart Bart returning to scale a happy Brad Rawiller on his back

The weather on Sunday was fairly kind, mild and mostly overcast though the sun shone quite regularly on the track.

Next Saturday it’s back to Flemington for the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes. Winx was the big attraction last year, and the year before, but this time around we have Mystic Journey and Avilius to look forward to. And Sunlight, who finished a very creditable third in the Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley last Friday night, will hopefully be taking on Santa Ana Lane in the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes.

Mother’s Boy Comes Good in the Rupert Clarke Stakes

Begood Toya Mother on his way to winning the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes

When I left home to go to Caulfield Racecourse, the rain was bucketing down, and the weather promised to be iffy for the rest of the afternoon.

There’s nothing worse than feeling damp for the stretch of an afternoon, so I’m glad B obligingly gave a lift to Ivanhoe station.

By the time I finally reached Caulfield the rain had abated and the sun was emerging from the clouds, though a stiff breeze was blowing directly head on to horses racing down the straight.

I stuck to the public lawn for all five of the races I watched over the afternoon, having taken my step to facilitate snaps from the fence near the finish line. Besides, I take far fewer photos from that postition than if I was on the hill above the stalls area, so it’s less tedious to sort the photos next day.

The first of the races I witnessed was Race 3, the Living Legends Plate for three year olds, run over 1000 metres. I was interested to see how I Am Immortal would fare. In autumn he won both the Blue Diamond Preview and Blue Diamond Prelude, though finished 7th in the Blue Diamond Stakes. This was his first start since then, and he started as favourite.

I Am Immortal on his way to the barriers

The race was won by South Australian trained Garner who won by a nose from race leader Sartorial Splendor with Lucifer’s Reward half a length running third. I Am Immortal missed the start and ended up finishing seventh.

Garner overtaking Lucifer’s Reward close to the finish line

Sartorial Splendor on his way to the barriers

Haut Brion Her, last seen at Moonee Valley on 7 September where she narrowly lost to Tofane, again started as favourite for the Fight Cancer Foundation Handicap, but despite fighting out the finish with Fabric, lost by  overa length at the post. She is not as comfortable running the Melbourne way (anti clockwise) as she is the clockwise Sydney way.  One More Try finished third.

Fabric and Haut Brion Her head to head down the straight

Race 5 was the Group 3 How Now Stakes, a race for mares over 1200 metres.  Pippie was the hot favourite, but she failed to feature in the finish after leading early in the race.  Godolphin mare Manicure was the eventual winner,  defeating Angelic Ruler by 1½ lengths.  Dawn Dawn ran third.

Manicure takes the lead from Dawn Dawn in the straight

Angelic Ruler out runs the rest of the field heading for the finishing post

The MRC Foundation Cup (formerly known as the Naturalism Stakes)  was the next race to jump. The winner gains a ballot free entry into the Caulfield Cup and the Chris Waller trained Brimham Rocks achieved this quite impressively, winning easily by 1¼ lengths from stablemate So You Win with Sikandarabad 2 lengths behind in third place.

Brimham Rocks holds off So You Win as they thunder down the straight

The afternoon had grown considerably darker by this time and the lowering clouds looked ominous, threatening a downpour for the feature Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.

However, the rain held off and the race was run without drama.

Begood Toya Mother was the warm favourite and didn’t disappoint his many fans, winning by 1¼ lengths after racing on the speed in second place behind Iconoclasm,  taking the lead at the top of the straight. Age Of Chivalry finished second and Widgee Turf ran third.

Begood Toya Mother on his way to the barriers

Begood Toya Mother returns to scale in the mounting yard

I called it quits after the Rupert Clarke Stakes and made it home without getting drenched by the rain that eventually arrived in the late afternoon.

Next Saturday is AFL Grand Final Day in Melbourne, so the feature Group 1 Underwood Stakes meeting at Caulfield is held on Sunday.

Moonee Valley kick off their night racing season on Friday night with the Group 1 Moir Stakes, which has attracted a super field that includes Sunlight and Nature Strip.

In Sydney the feature race is the Group 1 Golden Rose at Rosehill.