In case there was any doubt, spring racing was well and truly back on Saturday, at both Flemington and Randwick. The sun was shining brightly at each track, and the stars of the turf rose to match it.
MAKYBE DIVA STAKES
The only Group 1 of the day was the Makybe Diva Stakes, and Mr Brightside was a simply dominant winner off the back of a perfect Craig Williams ride. There is simply no doubt that this horse has improved a length or two in every campaign he’s ever had, and the question must be asked whether there’s a horse in the country that can beat him at 1400-1600m.
Alligator Blood led as he liked, Princess Grace was on his outside, with Mr Brightside and Osipenko tagging up behind them. The only four genuine winning hopes were right where they needed to be, yet Mr Brightside made it a one act affair when it came time to quicken. Yes, there was a wind at Flemington on the day that didn’t favour those leading, and Mr Brightside had the cover behind them.
But that is part of the greatness of Mr Brightside – he does everything right. He jumps brilliantly from the barriers, so Craig Williams always has options. He can most often box seat like he did on Saturday, if he’s drawn wide he can sit forward on a slow speed like in the Memsie Stakes or go back if there is more tempo. He can lead if need be, or go back to last if circumstances dictate. And each and every time, he will run to the best of his ability – lots of times that means a win, and sometimes a gallant defeat. He’s won Group 1 races on a good tracks and heavy. Outside of generational talents like Winx and Black Caviar, he is the perfect horse.
The options for the Hayes camp with Mr Brightside are unlimited. They can go down the Underwood Stakes / Caulfield Stakes / Cox Plate path and test his current form out to 2000m again, or head up to Sydney for the King Charles mile, and there is always Champions Day at the back end of the Flemington carnival. Plenty of riches await.
LET’S ELOPE STAKES
Not to be outdone, the star Perth mare Amelia’s Jewel, who many think could be the best horse in Australia, took to the track for the Let’s Elope 40 minutes after Mr Brightside. While she was not taking on the cream of the crop like Mr Brightside, it was still a 14 horse field of smart mares, half a which are Group winners.
Every speed map in the country had Amelia’s Jewel snagging back to last or near last from the widest barrier, given that is her racing style anyway, and so it proved. But seldom has a backmarker looked the winner so far from home, when Damian Lane popped her out with about 500m of Flemington straight to go.
Amelia’s Jewel simply cruised into the race, Lane gave her a little shake at the 300m, and a small reminder with 75m to go, but it was an effortless win that suggested there is plenty more to come from a mare that should be at her best over 1600m-2000m.
Trainer Simon Miller has indicated that his stable star will next head to the Stocks Stakes on AFL Grand Final eve, where she should again have opposition that can’t touch her, but in October we will see her take on the established weight-for-age performers. What a month it promises to be.
7 STAKES
While Amelia’s Jewel will be the fresh blood in the WFA ranks once we get further into the spring, up in Sydney we saw that there is still a place for the grizzled veterans to make their mark.
In the freshly invented 7 Stakes at Randwick, it was nine-year-old Zaaki and eight-year-old Think It Over fighting out the race, with the latter claiming victory by a narrow margin.
Between the two horses, they have won several of Australia’s better 1400m-2000m races, and this was their first quinella since their memorable clash in the 2022 Queen Elizabeth. And just like it was on that occasion, it’s easy to suggest that Nash Rawiller’s ride on Think It Over was the difference between the two. Which is not to say that Chad Schofield did anything wrong on Zaaki, as he gave him a perfect steer, but Nash simply willed his horse over the line in that aggressive way he has.
They are two grand campaigners that are showing that their time in the sun is not done yet, and they’ll continue to be competitive in anything they contest. There are plenty of options in both Melbourne and Sydney for them – Annabel Neasham likes to travel her horses, and Zaaki usually heads down to Victoria at some stage, while Kerry Parker tends to keep Think It Over closer to home.
Fangirl was probably the run of the race, and simply couldn’t do any more than she did from where she was positioned. Kerrin McEvoy, who you wouldn’t back to stay upright on a rocking horse right now, conspired to have her buried second last on the rail from barrier 10. That said, the horse does herself no favours by being half a length slow out of the barriers, and as much talent and acceleration as she has, she’s not Winx.
RISING TALENT
There was plenty of other untapped talent to salute on the day, across both tracks.
In Melbourne, Star Patrol took out the Bobbie Lewis over a top-liner in King of Sparta and rising star in Benedetta, and it’s worth remembering he his a five-year-old that has only had 15 starts and is still on the up. The import Carini was absolutely smashed in betting before taking out the last over 1700m at Flemington – it was only an open handicap but his European form suggests he should only get better at 2000m and beyond, and he could be a seriously lightweight player in the staying races.
In a similar vein at Randwick, Just Fine is making a serious impression in his first Australian preparation. He won the Kingston Town with all sorts of authority despite having plenty against him, over some very good horses in Montefilia, Benaud and Protagonist among others. It was arguably the win of the day in Sydney.
Tiz Invincible seems to have stamped herself the best of the three-year-old fillies this season, getting better and better with each win. Onto the Flight Stakes now for her.
Rediener has now won three in a row, and four of his last five, after taking out the Bill Ritchie for Chris Waller. We need to see horses progressing from the age of three to four, and he has certainly done that, which brings him right into the frame for races like the Epsom and Toorak Handicaps.
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