Winx & Day Two of The Championships

Winx on her way to winning the 2017 Queen Elizabeth Stakes

Much as I would like to be there to witness Winx match Black Caviar’s record of 25 straight wins, economic prudence compels me to forgo the pleasure.

In her final appearance for the autumn racing carnival, Winx will be aiming to win her second Queen Elizabeth Stakes, 18th Group 1 and 25th race in succession.

It’s hard to believe that the wonder mare has finally reached this milestone, as it seemed so distant back in 2015, when I first had the thrill of seeing her winning her first Cox Plate. That was her fifth consecutive win, and now twenty races later, she hopefully will remain unbeaten. Go Winx!

Winx faces nine rivals in the 2018 edition of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and has drawn the outside gate. That should not be a problem with her pattern of racing, midfield and generally a bit wide, to avoid interference.

The most threatening of her rivals are Happy Clapper, Humidor and Gailo Chop, all of whom she has thrashed in the past.  Of the rest, Japanese import Ambitious and her stable mate Comin’ Through, on form, could be in the finish.

As well as the  QE Stakes, there are three other Group 1 races on the card - the Australian Oaks, Sydney Cup and Coolmore Legacy Stakes.

First up is the Australian Oaks, run over 2400 metres. Last year it was won by New Zealand filly Bonneval who previous to that victory had won the New Zealand Oaks.  This year’s New Zealand Oaks winner, Savvy Coup is aiming to emulate Bonneval  and three previous New Zealand winners (Sofia Rosa, Gust of Wind and Rising Romance) on Saturday, and on that effort looks a top chance.  The NZ Oaks runner up Contessa Vanessa is also worthy of consideration. 

Of the local girls Vinery Stud winner Hiyaam and last week’s Adrian Knox Stakes winner Luvaluva could well turn the tables on the NZ fillies.

The Sydney Cup, like its Melbourne counterpart,  is run over 3200 metres and a hard race to assess, with the majority of the field hailing from outside Australia, albeit  adapted to Australian conditions.  Last year, the race was declared void after the unfortunate breakdown of Almoonqith shortly after the start, which caused Who Shot Thebarman to lose his rider and raced riderless.  Let’s hope that scenario is not repeated this year. 

Top pick is 2016 Melbourne Cup winner Almandin, who looked back to his best winning the Group 1 Tancred Stakes, and is proven over the distance. Likewise old Who Shot Thebarman who has finished second in the Sydney Cup on two occasions in 2015 and 2017. Even at his age (nine) he could well run a place again. Almandin is the class stayer in the race, but he is top weight on 57 kilos, and there are lighter weighted horses who will aim to topple him, such as the New Zealand stayer Sir Charles Road and Japanese visitor Pre Stwick, along with the usual suspects Auvray, Aloft , Libran and former New Zealander, now with the Chris Waller stable, Patrick Erin.

A classy field of 16 mares and one filly will contest the final Group 1 race of the day. This is the Coolmore Legacy Stakes, formerly known as the Queen of the Turf Stakes, and it is run over 1600 metres.

Foxplay won it last year from Zanbagh and Dixie Blossoms. These three are all in the field with new challengers such as Victorian mare Spanish Reef who has won her last three starts.  Others likely to be in the finish are Daysee Doom, Silent Sedition, Oregon’s Day and Prompt Response. The sole filly Alizee has been somewhat disappointing this autumn, but does have a 2.5 kilo weight advantage and is being touted as a live chance by her trainer James Cummings.

It looks to be another fabulous afternoon of racing that will be run on a good track, quite a contrast to the usual wet tracks that generally plague Sydney’s Autumn Racing Carnival.

I’ll be watching with interest again, especially the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

*Update Saturday Evening*

What a fantastic afternoon of racing from Sydney it was, with Winx achieving her 25th win in succession in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and doing so with consummate ease, defeating race leader Gailo Chop by almost four lengths. She gave the field a big start, racing at the tail  until near the turn into the straight, where, as she usually does, she came wide around the corner and tore away in a trice to score another amazing win. Happy Clapper ran third a half length away.

Chris Waller had a very successful afternoon winning three of the four Group 1 races, with Unforgotten winning the Australian Oaks from Hiyaam and Miss Admiration, and tough old trooper Who Shot Thebarman winning the Sydney Cup at his fifth attempt, beating outsider Zacada by a whisker with Sir Charles Road running third.

The Coolmore Legacy was won by the filly Alizee who took the prize by a comfortable two lengths from Prompt Response and Heavens Above.

Happily there are no immediate plans to retire Winx, so we’ll hopefully get to see her again in the spring where one of her targets will no doubt be a fourth Cox Plate.

Sydney Bound and Winx

Winx at Caulfield – October 2016

When you think about it, 900 kilometres seems a long way to go to attend a race meeting. But seeing Winx racing in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000 metres), and hopefully winning her 17th race in succession, is worth the time and effort of flying up to Sydney and returning the same day. I’ll be wearied by the time I get home, but in the meantime I’ll be enjoying the change of scenery and a mini adventure.

I’m looking forward to seeing Randwick Racecourse for the first time. I doubt it will be as beautiful as Flemington, but it should be bigger than Rosehill, to which I ventured to back in 2014.

Here’s hoping that you can get a spot on the fence in the public area to watch and photograph the action, and that the rails around the track are not too high to impede one’s view or stymie taking photos.

The Queen Elizabeth Stakes is run as Race 7, at the reasonable time of 3.15pm, early enough to not worry about getting back to the airport in time, and late enough to accustom myself to the course layout, and work out a good spot to stand on the public lawn fence.

It all depends on planes, trains and buses at what time I arrive at the track; with any luck it will be around 1.30pm. So I should be in plenty of time to watch the first of the four Group 1 races, which is the Australian Oaks. A rather good field of 14 staying fillies will contest the race with Victorian Oaks tearaway winner Lasqueti Spirit, New Zealand Oaks winner Bonneval,  New Zealand 1000 Guineas, and Surround Stakes winner La Bella Diosa and Victorian fillies Nurse Kitchen and Harlow Gold the top chances.

Winx faces eight rivals in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, chief among them Hartnell, who has now raced against her six times without toppling her.

Others gunning for second spot are Exospheric, The United States and Doncaster Mile runners up Happy Clapper and Sense of Occasion. Naturally, all hearts will be hoping that Winx continues her winning streak.

The Sydney Cup, run over the 3200 metres has a rather uninspiring field of 14 runners, most of them European imports, all in with a chance of winning. There are no standouts, but recent winners Big Duke, Annus Mirabilis, Assign and Tally could be in the finish somewhere.

The final Group 1 of the afternoon is the Coolmore Legacy Stakes (fomerly known as the Queen of the Turf Stakes), a race for mares and fillies over 1600 metres. 

It has a rather nice field with some classy mares such as First Seal, William Reid Stakes winner Silent Sedition, Coolmore Classic winner Heavens Above, Zanbagh and Dixie Blossoms, and smart fillies Foxplay and Oregon’s Day.

The weather in Sydney on Saturday should be mild and dry, and the track will be much improved from the last few weeks, with little rain falling on the city this week.

No doubt Randwick will be crowded with Winx fans, but I gather the throngs are not as huge as those at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup carnival.

RIP Boban & The Championships Week 2

Boban parades after winning the Memsie Stakes – 29 August 2015

Five time Group 1 winner Boban died in a freak paddock accident on Sunday night, and thus passed a sterling middle distance runner. He was recently retired from racing after bleeding in the 2016 Futurity Stakes, so unfortunately he didn’t get much time to enjoy it.

His last win was at the end of August last year, when he took out the Group 1 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield. Previous to that he won the 2015 Group 1 Doomben 10,000,  2014 Chipping Norton Stakes and the 2013 Emirates Stakes and Epsom Stakes.

My condolences to his connections.

The so called Championships continue this Saturday at Randwick with four Group 1 races on the card.

Winx originally was set to target the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes, but commendably her connections have decided to give her a spell after her gruelling run in the Doncaster Mile. We can therefore look forward to seeing her again in the Spring as she’ll be aimed at winning the Cox Plate for a second time. It would be nice if she came to Melbourne early and contested one or two races before the Cox Plate.

With Winx out, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes is fairly wide open with a number of horses capable of winning the 2000 metre race.

For Criterion, it his last race before retiring to stud, so no doubt his owners will be hoping he goes out on a high note. He’s got the credentials having won the race on a bog track last year.

Preferment has won his last two starts, the Group 1 Australian Cup and The BMW by narrow margins, so is sure to be in the finish here and could well win. He has the Chris Waller/ Hugh Bowman factor in his favour as well.

The imported Irish stayer The United States has finally settled and won his first Group 1 when taking out the Ranvet Stakes at his last start. He is the current favourite, so if he handles soft tracks (of which he has little experience) he is a top chance.

Of the others, Happy Clapper who ran second to Winx in the Doncaster Mile and would have won if she had not competed, has to be a goer if he can manage the short back up. And then there’s Hauraki who has run second to The United States and Winx at his last two starts.

If the track is heavy Lucia Valentina has to be a good chance at good odds.

The first of the Group 1 races scheduled is the Australasian Oaks  run over 2400 metres, in which Jameka is backing up after running second in the ATC Derby last week. Back against her own sex she is the top pick if she has recovered.  Her main rivals are Vinery Stud Stakes winner Single Gaze, runnerup Valley Girl and third placed Happy Hannah.

The Sydney Cup is run over the same distance as the Melbourne Cup (3200 metres) but has not the same status, despite the prize money being quite generous. It looks as if it could result in another Chris Waller Group 1 trifecta, with top chances Who Shot Thebarman, Grand Marshall and Libran belonging to his stable. 

Formerly called The Queen of Turf Stakes, the Coolmore Legacy Stakes is a Group 1 race for mares and fillies over 1600 metres. Suavito, who has drawn the carpark is the class mare in the race.  Fellow Melbourne mares Badawiya and Azkadellia and Sydney mares Zanbagh, Heavens Above, Vergara and Lady Le Fay are her main rivals.

Also of interest due to the presence of Petits Filous is the Group 2 Arrowfield 3yo Sprint. She has certainly been thrown in the deep end as her rivals are quite classy, with runners like Japonisme, Kinglike, Stellar Collision, Hellbent and Ghisoni in the field. 

As I write, the track condition at Randwick is reported to be a soft 6, which is defined as: moist but not a badly affected track, though after a few races that may change for the better or worse. 

Update Saturday Night – The Italian Girls Star

It was another great day of racing at Randwick this afternoon, with some sensational results, with very few favourites saluting.

The only favourite to win a Group 1 was Azkadellia in the Queen of the Turf Stakes, beating long odds Heavens Above by a couple of lengths with Noble Protector running third.

The Oaks was won by the fiesty New Zealand filly Sofia Rosa with outsiders Ambience and Believe running second and third. Jameka who was too far back early in the race, was left flat footed in the straight and finished fourth.

The Lloyd Williams owned import Gallante won the Sydney Cup from Libran and Grand Marshall.

I was delighted to see Lucia Valentina take out the feature event, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes; not that I took my own advice and had any money on her.  The United States finished second and Happy Clapper ran third. Lucia Valentina raced at the tail end of the field and when making her move in the straight, almost fell, then was blocked for a run. When she had a clear run, she whooshed down the outside to score by over two lengths. A remarkable performance.

The two Italian girls are of course Sofia Rosa and Lucia Valentina who are both owned by the business man Lib Petagna, who certainly had a good day at Randwick.

Sydney Cup Day–The Championships Week 2

Contributer – Emirates Stakes Day 2014

Another big day of racing is coming up this Saturday with the second race meeting of the The Championships at Randwick. That is of course if they’re not cancelled by the atrocious Sydney weather.

There are another four Group 1 races on the program, and exceptionally good fields contesting them.

First to kick off is the Australian Oaks, for staying fillies, run over 2400 metres. Top pick is Fenway, who won the Vinery Stud Stakes at her last start, beating First Seal and Thunder Lady. First Seal will be contesting the Queen of the Turf Stakes, but Thunder Lady is a contestant in the Oaks and a viable chance.  New Zealand Oaks winner Savaria  is also worth consideration as she won that race on soft going at the distance. along with Candelara who won the Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000 metres) on Monday.

The splendid Catkins will be having another bash at winning her first Group 1 – which she surely deserves - in the Group 1 Queen of the Turf Stakes (1600 metres). Heavy tracks don’t worry this girl, so it might be her best chance yet for Group 1 glory.  Her competition is formidable with Group 1 winning mares Cosmic Endeavour, Diamond Drille, Bonaria, Amicus, Diademe (NZ Group 1) and filly First Seal in the field. But my heart will be with the game little grey mare.

Run over the same distance (3200 metres) as the Melbourne Cup, the Sydney Cup offers $1 million to the winner, so is worthwhile for International racehorses to contest. Can Protectionist win the Melbourne/Sydney Cups double? His build up form has been indifferent, but his form over the distance is unquestionable and could well be his forte. English import Hartnell is the top pick. His current form is excellent with two consecutive wins, the last being the Group 1 BMW and he also has won a race over 3200 metres. He has a 6kg weight advantage over Protectionist. 

Who Shot Thebarman ran third in last year’s Melbourne Cup and is the great white hope for locally(Australia/NZ)  bred horses in this race – there are only two - the other one being NZ bred Don Doremo.  Others with a chance are Renew who won the Sandown Cup over the distance, and Hong Kong stayer Dominant who has Joao Moreira in the saddle.

As racing fields go, the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000 metres) is quality with a capital Q.

Sydney’s answer to the Cox Plate, it is the richest 2000 metre race in Australia – the Cox Plate winner gets $1,800,000, but the QE Stakes winner earns a handsome purse of $2,400.000.

It will be a fascinating race to watch, and the most exciting horse in the field is last year’s Cox Plate winner Adelaide. Who could forget his stunning long run down the outside in the Plate to grab the prize on the line. He hasn’t raced since then, so he faces a field of fitness hardened veterans, most notably Contributer who has won his last three starts, including the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes and Ranvet Stakes.

Also in the field are Japanese stars To The World and Tosen Stardom who are surely not to be dismissed out of hand, and popular old stayer Red Cadeaux who could easily run a place.

Of the locally bred runners, Criterion has a good chance as he was only beaten by a nose in the George Ryder Stakes by Japanese horse Real Impact who was beaten by Kermadec last Monday in the Doncaster.  

I’d like to think that the only two mares in the race – Royal Descent and Lucia Valentina – could feature in the finish, but would be surprised if either won. Like wise with other locals Happy Trails and Fiveandhalfstar – they’re probably outclassed by the Internationals and the Imports, though NZ stallion It’s A Dundeel won this race last year, beating Sacred Falls and the Queen’s horse Carlton House, so anything could happen.

In Melbourne, Flemington has a low key meeting that I am not tempted to attend, so I’ll be staying home watching the Sydney action on my computer or the TV.

Update: Sunday afternoon

The track at Randwick was heavy and the results of the Group 1 races threw up long shots in most cases.

Who could have picked Gust of Wind winning the Australian Oaks? she paid over $20.00 for the win. Winx finished second and Candelara ran third. Early favourite  Fenway was scratched from the race early on Saturday morning.

Another 20/1 shot Amanpour won the Queen of the Turf Stakes, and denied Catkins, who ran her usual honest race, group 1 glory. Noble Protector finished third.

The Sydney Cup result was also taken out by 40/1 shot Grand Marshall pipping Who Shot Thebarman on the line. Hartnell led for most of the race, but was unable to keep up with the swoopers and finished fourth, and Protectionist failed to feature at all. Like A Carousel finished third.

Locally bred Criterion beat a crack field in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, winning by 2½ lengths from old trooper Red Cadeaux with the ever reliable Royal Descent taking third place. Contributor was scratched early Saturday, so who knows what would have resulted had he run.  The Japanese horses failed to handle the heavy track, as did Adelaide who finished in eighth place.