A Hot Day of Racing at Caulfield

Loving Gaby  - winner of the Chairman’s Stakes

The Darren Weir scandal broke late last week and resulted in all his nominated horses being scratched from events over the weekend., including Caulfield on Saturday.

So the day panned out somewhat differently than originally anticipated.

It was quite eerie wandering around the stalls area and seeing empty stalls where there is usually a strong contingent of Weir runners. Missing were two I was looking forward to seeing – stable stars Nature Strip and Extra Brut, who were set to kick off their autumn campaigns on Saturday.

Darren Weir appears to be in deep trouble and is likely to lose his training licence. Many of the horses in his care have been moved to other stables already.

It was an extremely hot day, so I didn’t stay all that long at the track, arriving in time to watch race 4, the Ladbroke’s Handicap and leaving after race 7, the RJ Adams Stakes.

One of the feature races of the day was the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes, a race over 1000 metres for two year old Blue Diamond aspirants.

It was worth the price of admission to see Loving Gaby,  a big strapping filly, having her first start, blitz the rest of the field, winning impressively, racing from the tail of the field to defeat Bella Rosa by half a length with race leader Lanigera holding on for third.

Just past the post in the Chairman’s Stakes

The other interesting race was the Listed RJ Adams Stakes, a sprint over 1000 metres. Last year’s Blue Diamond Stakes winner Written By started as the hot favourite. He led throughout but was pipped at the post by 8/1 chance Bons Away with the blue blood Encryption running third two lengths from the leaders.

Bons Away returns to scale

Written By returning to the stalls area after the race

Next Saturday features the Orr Stakes, the first Group 1 race of the Autumn racing season and is run at Caulfield. Also on the card are the two Blue Diamond Preludes and several other Group events. With the weather predicted to be mild for a change, it will be much more comfortable  to attend.

Catch Me! I Am Immortal – Blue Diamond Previews

Shortly after the finish of the fillies Blue Diamond Preview – first three home Catch Me (green silks) Jedastar (blue silks) & Shih Tzou (blue cap)

The first Group 1 race of Melbourne’s Autumn Racing Carnival is less than a fortnight hence, so I decided last Saturday to psych myself up and head to the races at Caulfield.

It wasn’t a terribly interesting meeting other than the two Blue Diamond Previews, where one is afforded an early opportunity to see  Blue Diamond bound babes in action.  Several winners of the Previews have gone on to win the Blue Diamond Stakes, most recently Sepoy (2011), Reward For Effort (2009) and Miracles of Life (2013).

I did not make a long day of it, arriving at Caulfield in time to watch Race 3, which was the Le Pines Funerals Handicap run over 1400 metres. The Hawkes trained Groundbreak started as favourite but finished out of the placings. Critical Thinking, a son of So You Think, led from the start and held on to win narrowly over Simply Invincible and Indian Thunder.

Just past the post – Critical Thinking still leads

The first of the Previews to run was the colts edition and I Am Immortal started as favourite even though this was his first start, though he had impressed recently in a trial at Pakenham.  He also led from the start and held on to win by a length from second favourite Microphone with Alburq running third another length behind.

I managed to get photos of most of the field in the pre-parade ring, and the standout good looker was Brazen Brando who looked the spitting image of his sire Brazen Beau, also a stunner. He ran fourth, racing from the rear of the field with an impressive turn of foot.

Brazen Brando in the pre-parade ring

I Am Immortal in the pre-parade ring

Shortly after the finish, I Am Immortal still leads Microphone

I Am Immortal returns to scale

In the fillies Blue Diamond Preview, Catch Me’s win was the more impressive and hard won, as she ran three wide for most of the race, then broke through to defeat race favourite, and leader, Jedastar by a length, with Shih Tzou following for a narrow third.

Catch Me returns to scale

Interestingly both Catch Me and I Am Immortal were sired by I Am Invincible. Whether either are good enough to win the Blue Diamond is yet to be seen.

I called it quits after the fillies Preview and headed home, the heat of day putting me off staying longer.

Next Saturday’s race card at Caulfield looks somewhat more interesting with a possible clash between classy speedsters, the handsome chestnuts, Written By and Nature Strip in the
Listed W J Adams Handicap, and Victoria Derby winner Extra Brut is nominated for the feature Group 3 Manfred Stakes.

The equine stars are emerging at last as the racing scene builds up to Group 1 action.

And of course there’s Winx, who will kick off her final season of racing in the Apollo Stakes on February 16.

I’ve been contemplating going to see her in Sydney again for the last time and tossing up between Golden Slipper day and Queen Elizabeth Stakes day. Golden Slipper day, at Rosehill, where Winx, all going to plan, will be running in the George Ryder Stakes, has won out.  I would prefer to go to Rosehill rather than Randwick – it’s better for photos.  Anyway, my flight to Sydney is booked, as is accommodation, so I can’t change my mind.

Welcome 2019

Bingo

Might as well start off the new year with a cat photo, in point of fact, Bingo, now the sole feline in the Cat Politics domicile.

He’s now two years of age and fully grown and the most talkative creature I’ve ever come across - he keeps up a running commentary on everything.  A  typical Siamese in other words, and a bundle of mischief even now. In the above photo he is pretending to be good, when actually he is looking for a chance, when my back is turned, to rock the picture above him to express his desire to be fed NOW.

Overall 2018 was personally non stressful. Other than the tragic demise of Talya, life was pretty good and mostly interesting.

The highlight of the year was witnessing the great mare Winx win her 4th Cox Plate.

I find it surprising, when watching the television news on the ABC or SBS, that this momentous historical event is not mentioned as a great sporting achievemant of 2019.

Winx will be racing on in the Autumn, though is likely to be retired at the end of the season.  I doubt we will see her in Melbourne again, but god willing I can get to Sydney for her farewell, whatever race that may be.

The Melbourne autumn racing season kicks off later this month, but before that there is the Magic Millions festival where the two year old classic is always worth watching, as winners of that race often go on to win Group races. Sunlight won the Two Year Old Classic last year, and Houtzen, the year before and both of them have proved to be winners since, Sunlight in particular winning the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes from the colts in Spring.

As for reading during 2018, there were no new books that blew me away, but I did enjoy Kate Atkinson’s latest novel Transcription and Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver recently.  I did a lot rereading of old favourites rather than buying new books; comfort reading in fact. 

In 2019 I’m looking forward to several new novels by favourite writers – Agency by William Gibson, Fall; or, Dodge In Hell by Neal Stephenson,  The Testaments, Margaret Atwood’s sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale and a new Jackson Brodie book by Kate Atkinson, titled Big Sky.

I’m also still waiting – it’s 13 years now – for the 25th Anniversary Edition of John Crowley’s Little, Big, which with any luck will finally make it into print this year.  It was dismaying to learn last year that the publisher was homeless and broke at one stage, but apparently he’s back on his feet again and hopefully working hard to bring Little, Big to press. We wait and see.

To while away the time until the racing season starts, as usual I’m playing computer games, the current game being Forgotton Anne, a charming animated adventure that is like an interactive Studio Ghibli  movie.

Forgotton Anne press image

It has been several decades since I last played a platform game, so it took a while to get accustomed to the platform aspects of Forgotton Anne, especially as the keyboard controls are rather clunky.  The game is really meant to be played on a console, but as the version I have is for PC I am obliged to use the keyboard. Pressing control, shift, a directional key (WASD) and the space bar all at once can be challenging, so I’m rather pleased I’ve gotten a fair way into the game without too much difficulty.

Forgotton Anne, as previously mentioned, is like a Studio Ghibli movie, where lost socks and other mislaid objects, called Forgotlings, inhabit a world called the Forgotten Lands. Anne is an enforcer, who armed with something called an Arca (a source of power or anima), keeps order.  At the start of the game a Forgotling rebel group has created havoc, blowing up several landmarks and threatening Anne and her master Bonku’s plans to return to the human world. The action revolves around Anne’s investigation of the crimes and pursuit of the ring leader.

As is my custom I have purchased a new calandar for 2019. This year I have A History of Women’s Costume by Mac Harshberger, a stylish collection of costumed ladies in an Art Deco style.

Mac Harshberger Calendar

On a final note we connected to the NBN in mid December, and apart from a minor glitch on the first day, it has been problem free since and is much faster than my old ADSL connection. May it continue to be so.

Let’s hope that in 2019 sanity will prevail and that no major disasters occur, though that is unlikely with climate change already wreaking havoc across the planet.

Happy New Year to all!

Always Look on the Bright Side–Eric Idle at the Athenaeum Theatre

Eric Idle at Athenaeum Theatre – 30/11/18

I could do with a good laugh, I thought, as I made my way to the Athenaeum Theatre on Friday evening to see the famous Monty Python member Eric Idle in conversation with Wheeler Centre Director, Michael Williams.

Eric Idle was in Australia promoting his recent “sortabiography” Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, and naturally the book was the focus of the conversation, with Eric Idle expanding apon his remarkable life story with many amusing reminiscenses. He was laugh out loud funny from the start,  early on singing a wonderfully scathing song about Selfies which set the tone for the evening.

Along with many of my baby boomer contemporaries,  I still fondly remember the original Monty Python shows on TV back in the 1960s, and the films that followed in the 1970s. I have a 1st edition copy of Monty Python’s Big Red Book  (published 1971) in my book collection.

Monty Python, much to the surprise of the group, was a great success not only in Britain, but in America and Canada;  particularly in Canada where fans would come to their live performances in crazy costumes, none more absurd, Eric said, than seeing the front row dressed as a giant caterpillar.

The conversation ranged from Eric’s early life where he spent 12 years in a boarding school/orphanage, through his years at Cambridge where the origins of Monty Python were conceived in the company of fellow comedians, several of whom ending up as members of the famous group, then on to his acting career in  Monty Python films.

He made no big deal about his famous friends such as George Harrison and David Bowie, recalling  his friendship with them affectionately, declaring that his two main passions in life were writing and playing the guitar.

It was a highly entertaining event which closed with Eric Idle singing  Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,  purportedly Britain’s favourite song to be sung at funerals.

Vale Talya (26 April 2009–22 November 2018)

Talya – 26 April 2009 – 22 November 2018

I did anticipate that my next post would be of a more cheerful nature, but on this cold and wet – and totally appropriate – day, there is sad news to impart.

Talya, the Russian Princess has gone from our lives, though her ghost lingers on in the house as a missing thing you expect to see at any given moment.

It all happened very suddenly and was totally unexpected and shocking.

On Wednesday evening she was galloping around like a kitten, playing with a leaf out on the back decking, then at around 7.40 pm she suddenly began to scream in a most distressing way.

B was reading in bed and Talya was on her bed, at the time a footstool covered with her blanket in the bedroom, when she got off it and lay on her side and started howling. She shat herself and then staggered under the bed to vomit. 

Understandably we freaked out, and hastily rang the local vet, who thankfully was still open. We had her at the Veterinary surgery by 8.00 pm and she was in a bad way, panting and drooling and very distressed.

After a brief examination and a basic ultra sound the Vet concluded that there was an internal  problem with her stomach, which was causing her extreme pain. He gave her a shot of methadone for the pain and recommended we take her to CARE (Centre for Animal Referral and Emergency),  the 24 hour Vet in Collingwood for further examination and 24 hour observation and care.

CARE kept her overnight and into the next day for a thorough examination including a more complex ultrasound.  She was in no pain as they’d kept the pain killing medicine topped up. They rang us mid afternoon with the results, which showed severe problems with her stomach and kidneys. They offered surgery, stressing that it was invasive and risky. We decided that the kindest outcome would be euthanasia, and that we wanted to be present when it was done.

So we went back to CARE yesterday afternoon and were with Talya when she died.  Whether she registered our presence, being drugged and tranquilised to the eyeballs, I don’t know, but I’m glad we had a chance to say goodbye.

You would be right to assume that CARE was not cheap, but you do not jib at the price when your beloved animal friends are suffering.

So the Cat Politics domicile is in mourning, and even Bingo seems affected being quite clingy and needy and craving our company. He also seems to be looking for her, checking out by habit her normal eating place in case there’s food left in her bowl.

Talya was only nine and a half years old, which seems a short life  these days where cats can live up to 20 years with the wonders of modern veterinary treatment extending the life spans of companion animals by many years.

We adopted Talya from a Northcote neighbour in January 2013 as she was away too often to look after her, and she was a pleasant sweet natured animal to own, though didn’t get along very well with our former cat Willy or Bingo who often gave her a hard time with his antics.

In contrast to Bingo who is extraverted, noisy and attention seeking, Talya was quiet, unobtrusive and well behaved and only imposed herself when she was hungry, though was an anxious creature who would have preferred to be the only cat. 

She was a pleasure to know over the five years we had her as a fellow inhabitant of our house and will be sadly missed.

Spring Racing Finale

Mackinnon Stakes – Trap for Fools defeats Latrobe, Extra Brute & Prized Icon

The Mackinnon Stakes used to be run on Derby Day and was usually contested by Melbourne Cup bound stayers, but has in recent times become less relevant to the Cup with International runners dominating the big two mile handicap.

Since 2016 the Mackinnon Stakes is now one of the two Group 1 races run on the final day of Flemington’s racing carnival. The Emirates Stakes used to be run on this day but now is one of the feature races on Derby Day and retitled the Kennedy Mile.

This last day of the carnival is generally pretty pleasant and not as crowded as Derby Day or Melbourne Cup day, and so it was last Saturday, making it easier to move around the course.

I arrived at Flemington at around 1.30 pm in time to witness, though not photograph, race 3, the Listed Spring Stakes for three year olds.  I’d taken along my step stool and got it through Security without any difficulty, but it was cumbersome to carry around so I hid it behind the rose hedge near my favourite spot on the access gate along from the finish line, so I could go and visit the stalls area.

Security was out in even more force last Saturday due to the incident in Bourke Street on Friday afternoon, and they made taking photos challenging, intruding on my view of the finish line and horses returning to scale.

I didn’t tarry long in the stalls area, only getting a few photos of Darren Weir’s contendants for the feature races.

Brave Smash – VRC Sprint

Derby winner Extra Brut a contender for the Mackinnon Stakes

Trap For Fools – Mackinnon Stakes eventual winner

Back trackside for race 4, the Group 3 Chatham Stakes, I was keen to try out my step and see if it overcame the high rail that obstructs one’s view of the track, and it worked like a charm. Though only 220 mm high, it gave me sufficient leverage to avoid rails intruding on shots, and as the sun was shining, most of my photos came out well.

Dreamforce, the winner of the Chatham Stakes led from the start to the finish to hold out Widgee Turf and Perast.

Chatham Stakes finish – Dreamforce wins

Dreamforce on his way to the barriers

Widgee Turf returning to scale

Perast returning to scale

Race 5 was the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes, a race for stayers over 2600 metres.  Race favourite Jaameh fought out the finish with Sully down the straight, to win by a nose. Libran ran third two lengths behind.

Jaameh & Sully head to head cross the finish line in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes

Jaameh returning to scale

The feature Group 1 races were scheduled as races 7 and 8, so there was one more race to go  before they were run. This was the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes for mares run over 2000 metres.

Miss Siska was the race favourite , but was relegated to second place by the Darren Weir trained Kenedna who had not won for over a year. Sydney mare Luvaluva finished third.

Kenedna breaks through to win the Matriarch Stakes

Kenedna on her way to the barriers

Miss Siska on her way to the barriers

Luvaluva on her way to the barriers

Sprints down the straight at Flemington are always difficult to photograph as the field either splits into two separate groups or races down the middle towards the grandstand side, so you are lucky to get the winner in the picture of the finish. To make matters worse, the security guys spread themselves around the perimeter of the course outside the fence but within the outer rail. As a consequence I totally failed to get any photos of the VRC Sprint finish.

Santa Ana Lane raced down the grandstand side to defeat In Her Time.  Jungle Cat and Pierata dead heated for third. Santa Ana Lane has now won five Group 1 races in three States.  The VRC Sprint field was as good as the field that contested The Everest, and The Everest winner, Redzel, was the hot favourite for the Flemington sprint, but finished fifth.

Santa Ana Lane returns to scale

In Her Time returns to scale

Jungle Cat (no 5) & Pierata return to scale

Quite a few of the Group 1 races contested this spring were won by International raiders, so Santa Ana Lane’s victory was sweet for locally bred racers, as was the win of Trap For Fools in the Mackinnon Stakes. 

Originally racing in Western Australia, Trap For Fools is now trained by Jarrod McLean who is based at Yangery outside Melbourne near Woodford. 

Trap For Fools was denied a chance to run in the Cox Plate this year and missed running in the Coongy Cup on Caulfield Cup day owing to a stabling mix up, but ran second to Ventura Storm in the Moonee Valley Cup, so he is thoroughly deserving of a Group 1 win. 

He led from the start and held on to win by a nose from import Latrobe having his first start in Australia. Victoria Derby winner Extra Brut flew from the tail of the field to finish a close third.

Trap For Fools on his way to the barriers

Latrobe on his way to the barriers

Extra Brut on his way to the barriers

The step stool, as well as giving me an advantage when taking photos, also doubled as a handy seat in between races, so I’ll definitely take it along to Flemington in the future.

A young couple asked if I’d take their photo, so here it is for Johanna and Martin with the finishing post in the background.

In the main it has been an entertaining Spring Racing Carnival, the highlight being of course Winx’s Cox Plate.

It was sad that Thecliffsofmoher was euthanised on Melbourne Cup Day, but generally the season was relatively injury free.

RIP Thecliffsofmoher – A handsome beast photographed on Caulfield Cup Day

I won’t know what to do with myself on Saturday from now on, but perhaps I can think of other things to blog about whilst waiting for the Autumn racing season.

Sunlight & Extra Brut at Flemington

Extra Brut wins the 2018 Victoria Derby

The title of this post aptly describes the atmosphere at Flemington racecourse on Derby Day last Saturday, with the Spring racing crowds out in force,  and champagne being the alcohol of choice of the young ladies on the public lawn.

As for sunlight, there was plenty of it as the weather gods put on a perfect Spring day for the occasion.

Coincidently, the winners of two of the feature races were Sunlight (Coolmore Stud Stakes) and Extra Brut (Victoria  Derby), thus giving me the perfect title for this Derby Day review.

I reached Flemington around 1.20 pm, and wading through the massive crowd I proceeded first to the Stalls area, to try and accomplish my main mission of the day, which was to get Chris Waller’s signature on my Cox Plate Racebook. I’d also purchased the newly released Winx biography by Andrew Rule, so lugged it along as well in the hope of getting it signed.

Chris Waller had a big team of horses competing last Saturday, so he was sure to around somewhere, most likely in the stalls, saddling up one of his runners. He had one horse competing in Race 4 the Group 3 Lexus Stakes, a race over 2500 metres for stayers and also a last chance for horses gaining ballot free entry into the Melbourne Cup. Chris Waller’s candidate was Brimham Rocks, but he just missed, beaten half a length by the British trained A Prince of Arran.

I watched the race on a small screen in the stalls area, and lingered there in anticipation of Chris Waller turning up to saddle his two Coolmore Stud Stakes runners, Zousain and Lean Mean Machine, who were being walked in parade ring.

Zousain – said to be the spitting image of his sire Zoustar

Lean Mean Machine with familiar Winx strapper Umut Odemislioglu

Sure enough Chris Waller turned up eventually and obligingly signed my racebook and the book. He’s got used to me and Rebecca cadging his signature and is too nice to turn us down.

Having accomplished my main mission, I returned laboriously through the throng to my usual spot at the acccess gate on the public lawn and basically stayed there the rest of the afternoon.

As the Flemington inner rail level has be raised it’s very difficult to get rail free shots and added to that, during the big days of the Flemington Racing Carnival, security guards place themselves directly in front of the rail. It makes taking photos very challenging. I should have taken my step stool, which would have surmounted the rail problem, but with the Winx book weighing a ton, I didn’t feel like adding the extra baggage, so left it at home.

The Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes is a race for three year olds over 1200 metres and is usually won by a top class colt, who is assured of a lucrative future at stud. However, this year’s field had one filly, the super smart Sunlight, who outclassed her male rivals to win on the line. Zousain finished second and his stablemate Lean Mean Machine third. Race favourite Written By ran fourth.  Interestingly, the first three home were sired by Zoustar, who won the race in 2013, as did his sire, Northern Meteor, in 2008, and grandsire, Encosta De Lago, in 1996.

Sunlight had a torrid run in the Manikato Stakes where she was badly held up and hampered from go to whoa and finished out of a place for the first time in her career, so she thoroughly deserved her first Group 1 victory.

Sunlight wins the Coolmore Stud Stakes from Zousain & Lean Mean Machine & Written By

Sunlight returns to scale

The Coolmore Stud Stakes was the first of the four Group 1 races on the card, and next up was the Empire Rose Stakes (formerly known as the Myer Classic), a race for fillies and mares over 1600 metres.  Chris Waller would have been disappointed that neither of his colts won the Coolmore, but he would have been heartened by his sturdy mare Shillelagh, who won Group 1 glory in the Empire Rose, courtesy of a great ride by James McDonald, who wove her through the field to win by over a length from Bring Me Roses and Fundamentalist.

Shillelagh wins the Empire Rose Stakes

 
Shillelagh in full flight

Shillelagh won the Group 1 Kennedy Mile on Derby Day last year.

The Gai Waterhouse trained Thinkin’ Big was the firm favourite for the Victoria Derby, but he overraced in the early stages of the race and finished unplaced.  The winner, Extra Brut, raced at the tail of the field and came wide down the outside to overtake the leaders and go on to score by a length over Stars of Carrum, with Chapada another length beind running third.

I only managed to get one photo of the finish (first photo above) as a security guy effectively blocked my view. Fortunately the photo captured the jockey’s triumphant gesture on winning.

Extra Brut returns to scale after winning the 2018 Victoria Derby

As had been the pattern all day, very few favourites managed to win, and such was the case with the final Group 1 race, the Kennedy Mile, where the favourite Land of Plenty ended up unplaced, and the unfancied British import  Best of Days, last seen dead heating with Mask of Time in the Coongy Cup on Caulfield Cup Day, romped home to win narrowly  over Le Romain and Peaceful State.

Kennedy Mile finish – Best of Days crosses the finish line

Best of Days

Le Romain on his way to the barriers

Peaceful State returns to scale

I did not stay for the final race, heading for the station and home after the Kennedy Mile. It had been an interesting afternoon of racing, though a bit of an anti climax after the excitement of Cox Plate day

I’ve been writing this post over three days, and didn’t have time to post my normal Melbourne Cup thoughts.

As I type, the Cup is a hour from  the start and will be run on a heavy track after buckets of rain fell on Melbourne this morning, though it has cleared up now.  Who knows who will win, but it should be an interesting race.

The final day of the Melbourne Raciing Carnival is next Saturday at Flemington which I hope to attend as it’s generally a pleasant meeting and a last chance to see the equine stars before the autumn racing season kicks off in late January.