Realm Of Flowers books Cup spot
Realm Of Flowers (So You Think {NZ}) became the first horse to book a place in the 2021 Melbourne Cup field with a dominant performance in Saturday’s Listed Andrew Ramsden at Flemington.
Ridden by Mark Zahra for Anthony and Sam Freedman, the 4-year-old roared home from third-last and charged clear to win by 4.75l. She has now had 17 starts for five wins, five placings and $515,410 in stakes.
“She’s a great mare to train,” Anthony Freedman said. "There are no hiccups with her. She’s very straightforward. She deserves a chance at the Melbourne Cup, and I’d say she can get a nice cheque.
“A mare like this, there is not a lot of her, so a spell wouldn’t do her any good. She’s better off staying warm and keeping her moving and keeping her ticking over.
“It’s pretty easy now with her. Whether you run in the Caulfield Cup, it wouldn’t worry me. The whole thing will be aimed at the one race, and how we get there is almost irrelevant.”
Black-type breakthrough for Brooklyn Hustle
Saturday’s G3 TAB Proud Miss S. at Morphettville delivered a long-awaited first stakes win for Brooklyn Hustle (Starspangledbanner).
Trained by Jason Warren and Dean Krongold, the high-class mare had previously finished third in the G2 Ian McEwen S. and G3 Blue Sapphire S., along with fourth placings in the G1 AJ Moir S., Manikato S. and Oakleigh Plate.
On Saturday she took advantage of a rails run to burst out of midfield and win by 1.5l.
“There’s not one horse out there that deserves it more than her,” jockey Jamie Kah said. “She’s run some amazing races, been fourth in some really good Group 1 races, and she really deserved that today.”
Brooklyn Hustle will now head to Queensland to target the G1 Tatt’s Tiara.
Massive upset in Rough Habit
Local 3-year-old Criminal Defence (Nicconi) defied 90-to-one odds to upstage a talented field of interstate 3-year-olds in Saturday’s G3 Canadian Club Rough Habit Plate at Doomben.
Passed in at the 2019 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Criminal Defence headed into Saturday’s race with only one win to his name from 10 starts. But he produced a blockbuster performance, accelerating strongly in the straight to take a clear lead, and maintaining a 1l advantage to the line.
“I can’t believe it – this is definitely the biggest race we’ve ever won,” co-trainer Will Hulbert said. “He’s not really bred to stay, but he races like a stayer and looks like a stayer, so we decided to have a crack.”
Derby winner back in form
Warning (Declaration Of War {USA}) collected his first win since the 2019 Victoria Derby with a huge late finish for a last-gasp win in Saturday’s G3 JRA Chairman’s Trophy at Doomben.
Trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman, Warning is now the winner of three of his 20 starts and more than $1.7 million in stakes.
He had gone winless in a dozen starts since his Derby triumph at Flemington last season, but had run several commendable races in between times including fifth placings in the G1 Randwick Guineas and Rosehill Guineas, third in the G3 Chairman’s S. and G1 South Australian Derby, sixth in the G1 Turnbull S. and 12th in the G1 Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup.
Lost and Running does it again
Exciting sprinter Lost and Running (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) stepped up to stakes level and continued his winning streak at Rosehill on Saturday.
The John O’Shea-trained gelding dominated the Listed Vinery Luskin Star S. from the front and won by 2.75l in the hands of Tommy Berry. The 4-year-old has now had seven starts for six wins and a placing.
O’Shea is hoping to secure a slot for Lost and Running in the $15 million The Everest in October.
“We had some lovely overtures before the race,” O’Shea said. “I don’t think he’s disappointed anyone today, and historically speaking, if you win this race you usually run well in an Everest, irrespective of the form.
“He ticks a lot of boxes. He gets through wet ground, he takes a position, he loves Randwick, so he’s the progressive horse on the way up.”
Long drought broken
Veteran trainer Ray Besanko broke a lengthy drought when Rock Prophet (Moshe) won Saturday’s Breeders’ H. at Flemington.
Besanko, who has been training since 1973, hadn’t won a race at the Melbourne track since January 2013.
“My daughter (Kasey) does all the work on this horse,” Besanko said. “Top credit to her. We’re a partnership and he takes a bit of work, this horse, and it is nice to win here.
“If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be doing this anymore. I’m too old. She’s the backbone of the place.”
Son of King’s Rose stars
Blue-blooded Danon Regalo (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) has collected the second win of his four-start career with an impressive performance over 2200 metres at Chukyo.
The 4-year-old is by champion sire Deep Impact (Jpn) out of King’s Rose (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice), who won eight races including the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas, G2 Memsie S., and G2 Stocks S. She also placed in the G1 Emirates S., Toorak H., Coolmore Classic and Queen of the Turf S.
King’s Rose is the dam of three named foals, all winners. Satono Arthur (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) has won five races headed by the G3 Epsom Cup, while Suave Charles (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) is a four-race winner.
Group 3 double for Cambridge
Just a few days out from the historic first race meeting on its Polytrack surface, the Cambridge training centre celebrated a Group 3 double at Rotorua on Saturday.
The Good Fight (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}) swooped around the outside and powered clear in a superior staying performance in the G3 Campbell Infrastructure Rotorua Cup, and then Pop Star Princess (NZ) (Makfi {GB}) dominated the G3 Rydges Rotorua S. from the front.
The Good Fight was bought for NZ$300,000 at the 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale and has had 29 starts for four wins and 12 placings. This was his first stakes win, following on from placings in the G3 Wellington Cup, G3 City of Auckland Cup, Listed Metropolitan Trophy and Listed Marton Cup.
Pop Star Princess cost only NZ$4000 at the 2015 New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale. She has earned NZ$243,605 in a 37-start, nine-win career.
The Cambridge synthetic track makes its debut on Wednesday with a nine-race program.
Baffert’s Preakness pair cleared
After undergoing three rounds of out-of-competition blood sample testing as part of an agreement between the Maryland Jockey Club and Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit (USA) (Protonico {USA}) and Concert Tour (USA) (Street Sense {USA}) have been reported clear and are eligible to race this weekend at Pimlico in the G1 Preakness S.
Two samples were drawn on May 6 and May 10 respectively by the Maryland Racing Commission and were screened by Industrial Laboratories in Colorado. A third sample was drawn on May 11 by 1/ST RACING and MJC and screened by the University of California at Davis Maddy Laboratory.
Medina Spirit’s victory in the G1 Kentucky Derby earlier this month is in jeopardy after returning a post-race sample containing 21 picograms of the banned anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone.
Spanish Mission stars at York
An impressive victory in Friday’s G2 Yorkshire Cup has put Spanish Mission (USA) (Noble Mission {GB}) on course for next month’s G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
The 5-year-old won the staying feature by almost 3l, improving his career record to six wins and five placings from 16 starts.
The Yorkshire Cup was Spanish Mission’s first start back from an overseas trip which featured a second placing in the rich Red Sea H. in Saudi Arabia, along with a last-start fifth in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup.
“It was a great performance,” jockey William Buick said. “He won the Doncaster Cup last year in great style and it was similar conditions today. He doesn't have many blips in his career and they've only been when the ground has been bad or he's been unfortunate.
“He travelled smoothly today, and over this trip he has that turn of foot, that tactical pace which is great to have in a stayer.”
