Listed Lightning S. - the I Am Invincible show?

In last two renewals, Champion sire elect, I Am Invincible, has been responsible for the winner of the Listed race at Morphettville, with Parlophone having taken out the race 12 months ago, while Viddora landed the 2020 running. In this year’s race, 12 3-year-olds will do battle and they include one son and three daughters of I Am Invincible, all of whom looked to be major chances.

Having his first run since early February, the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Unflinching (I Am Invincible) won his first three starts, but he surrendered that winning sequence when finishing last in the G3 Manfred S. with connections reporting he pulled up with some post-race issues. However, he has been jumping out well in preparation for his return and will look to get his career back on track when he lines up in barrier six with Damien Thornton booked to take the ride.

Also resuming is the highly rated I Am Bene (I Am Invincible) who was terrific winning her first two appearances and lost no fans when beaten by the classy Seradess (Astern) in the G3 Proud Miss S. before her break.

The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained stablemates Royal Dress (I Am Invincible) and Mietta (I Am Invincible) have the fitness edge on many of their rivals, with the pair both coming off winning doubles and each of their most recent provincial wins have been by wide margins.

Stiff competition to the I Am Invincible show comes from last spring's G2 Danehill S. winner Kallos (Medagalia D'Oro {USA}), the impressive last-start winner Extremely Lucky (Extreme Choice), whose trainer Will Clarken won this last year with Beau Rossa (Unencumbered), and the twice Group-placed filly Scorched Earth (Nicconi).

Listed Winter Challenge - take two

Originally to have been contested at last Saturday's abandoned Randwick meeting, the Listed Winter Challenge S. will be run on Saturday at Rosehill.

During its short 10-year history, the race has been won by horses with a variety of different suffixes, with winners of the race having been bred locally as well as in New Zealand, Ireland and France.

Five of this year's 10 runners were bred in other countries and they include the promising Cross Talk (NZ) (Keano {NZ}), who has looked good when making his way through the classes, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained 4-year-old has won four of his six career starts.

Also, on the up is the locally bred Jojo Was A Man (Al Maher), who was gutsy off a wide run (protesting unsuccessfully) when a close second to the in-form Taksu (Equiano {Fr}) in the Listed Winter S. at Randwick three weeks ago. Also good in that race was Oscar Zulu (Epaulette) whose trainer Chris Waller won this race last year with Order Again (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}).

Waller saddles up another two runners - Durston (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) whose first Australian campaign, albiet short, yielded promising results and Toomuchtobear (NZ) (Press Statement) who was good to the line when a first-up fourth at Rosehill on July 16.

Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}) creates plenty of interest on his Australian debut. Whilst his best form - including a second in the G1 Prix Ganay, a G1 Grand Prix de Paris third and a G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe fourth – was over more ground, but he does look suited first-up over the 1500 metres and his jump-out/trial form is encouraging.

Listed Ryder S. - black type for the NZ juveniles

Racing in the internationally familiar Sangster family colours, Pacific Dragon (NZ) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) has not always had the best of luck, including losing a Group 2 race on protest earlier in the year, but she was in easy winning form second-up and looks ready to go right on with it.

Also in great form is Sophmaze (NZ) (Derryn) who produced an impressive performance when taking out the Listed Castletown S. in early June, and she kept up to the mark with a recent trial. Librarsi (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) is another last-start winner, in fact she has had just the one start for her owner/breeder Gerry Harvey - showing good heart to score in trying conditions at Otaki.

Winexpress (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) caught the eye with a strong finishing third at his most recent outing, a game showing having found his fair share of trouble in running in a race that followed on from an easy win at Avondale.

The only other winners in the race are Manhattan Jazz (NZ) (Niagara) who was still a bit green but full of running when impressing at Hawke's Bay three weeks ago, while Wessex (NZ) (Turn Me Loose {NZ}) can be forgiven for her latest unplaced effort after being caught wide.

Several of the maidens here are also showing talent, such as Beyond Skies (NZ) (Mongolian Khan), who has shown good fight placing at two of his his first three starts, and Lycomedes (Nicconi) who charged late to go close to the prize at debut.

Moonee Valley 2-year-olds - Black Caviar's grandson to debut

It has been a while since Moonee Valley raced on a Saturday and those heading out to the home of the G1 Cox Plate on Saturday will be interested to see the debut of the regally bred Keysborough, a son of I Am Invincible and the lightly raced dual winner Oscietra (Exceed And Excel), the first born foal of the unbeaten Champion mare Black Caviar (Bel Esprit).

That mighty mare raced on seven memorable occasions at Moonee Valley with two of her Group 1 victories recorded on the Strath Ayr.

Kept safe in early markets on the back of encouraging jump-out form (fourth, first and third in three heats at Flemington), the Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes-trained Keysborough is raced by four of Black Caviar's owners. He is the first foal for Oscietra, whose next two colts are by I Am Invincible and Churchill (Ire).

Bred on a Green Desert (USA)/Lunchtime (GB) cross, the opposite to Black Caviar's high-achieving dam Helsinge (Desert Sun {GB}), Keysborough will be challenged by a number of well-bred youngsters including the impressive last-start Cranbourne winner Shalaman (Shalaa {Ire}) a descendant of the wonderful mare Cotehele House (GB) (My Swanee {GB}).

Meanwhile, the February debut winner Fission (Russian Revolution) – who is a half-brother to the dual Group 3 winner Defcon – is also set to line up, while the Gilgai Farm-bred Extreme Choice colt Prado, whose grandam is the wonderful mare Circles Of Gold (Marscay), will also take his chance.

The in-form favourite Alpha One (Super One) will again be hard to overcome, having led throughout at his last two runs at Newcastle and Hawkesbury respectively, while The Guava (Akeed Mofeed {GB}) has also looked the goods winning two in a row at Casterton and Morphettville.

Better Than Ready vs Spirit Of Boom - down to the wire

We've been watching the battle between the Queensland-based sires Better Than Ready, who stands at Lyndhurst Stud, and the Eureka Stud-based Spirit Of Boom for the last few weeks and here we are at the season's last weekend with the former represented by 25 2-year-old winners of 35 races and the latter by 23 winners of the same number of races.

So who are the maiden weekend chances for each horse?

On Saturday, Better Than will have no chance of going any further clear than his rival with his three juvenile winners all former victors. Meanwhile, Spirit Of Boom's Chicka will give her sire a chance to claw back some of the deficit Better Than Ready when she hunts for a first victory in the first race at the Gold Coast.

Sunday's Sunshine Coast meeting is a big one for Better Than Ready and he has a good chance of adding more to his 2-year-old tally on the final day of the season, with Western Halo debuting in the opening event and three runners - Primed For Victory, Wicked Chance and Simply Better - all looking for maiden wins in the second race. Meanwhile, fellow debutants Canelander and Ready To Torque take each other on in the third and they both come into the race with good trial form.

Spirit Of Boom will be represented by two debut Sunday runners, with Naughty Nijna making her first appearance in the third race at the Sunshine Coast, while Les Girls resumes in the second at Muswellbrook.

Snitzel's final weekend of the season - still accolades to be won

Australia's leading sire on four consecutive occasions from 2016 to 2020, Arrowfield Stud's rising 20-year-old Snitzel is not this season in contention for another title but his exploits still deserve recognition.

Despite not coming out on top, the stallion features prominently in every chart - he is the second leading 2-year-old sire behind Rebel Dane whose G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Fireburn assured his victory. Snitzel's 17 individual juvenile winners won 22 races, six of those at stakes level.

Snitzel fights out third with Deep Field for number of 2-year-old winners and he is two ahead of I Am Invincible in terms of juvenile wins. He is tied with Written Tycoon for number of 2-year-old stakes winners and wins.

On the 3-year-old charts, Snitzel is currently equal with I Am Invincible in regards to numbers of wins, second to him on prizemoney, ahead of fellow Arrowfield stallion Maurice (Jpn), and clearly ahead on numbers of stakes winners (eight) and stakes races (13).

And in the General Sires' charts Snitzel is boxing on gamely for third behind I Am Invincible and So You Think (NZ) with prizemoney earnings over $17.7 million for the season. He is third behind I Am Invincible and Written Tycoon in terms of numbers of winners (161), while he leads the way with the number of stakes winners and stakes wins - 18 individual stakes winners of 26 stakes races, one ahead of I Am Invincible.

It has been such a fun build up into the Magnolia Cup, which I obviously started in Australia by riding in a few jump-outs. I did then go on a holiday on my way over to England last week so I didn’t ride then and I wasn’t as fit as I could and should have been but I thankfully managed to stay on. I was able to get my eye in by riding out for Harry Eustace on Tuesday and then I had a sit on Zhui Feng at Tom Ward's on Wednesday.

The build up to the race here is huge. A lot of people have heard of it including me, and I had always been keen to give it go. It has a good following and is a high-profile charity race, which is great because it not only raises the profile of the sport, but raises huge amounts of money for charity.

During the race itself, I couldn’t believe how tricky the track was to ride and it makes more sense now why some horses don’t handle it, because it is very undulating. We only ran down the straight, but that in itself is difficult, because you have a short rise and then you are downhill from there. You have to have a very balanced horse.

The winning post was actually 100 yards back from it's usual spot just to make it safer, because it is a very sharp right-hand bend after the post and then a fairly abrupt dead-end. That was probably what I was most worried about going into the race, not being able to stop at the end, but thankfully my horse knew where he was and looked after me.

He went really well and I thought around halfway we might catch the winner. He’s a 9-year-old gelding and has had 45 starts – he was a perfect ride.

The whole experience has given me certainly more respect for a jockey’s fitness. It was interesting and a bit strange to be on the other side of the fence and it isn’t very often you get to play jockeys for the day, so to be able to swap roles was a lot of fun. It is such a testing track and we have great tracks in Australia, but we certainly do not have tracks like Goodwood; it is very unique. It’s a difficult track, but it is probably the most picturesque track in the world.

I didn’t want to stuff-up the leg up, so I was meticulous in my briefing to the trainer Tom Ward beforehand and I told him I would jump on two, because I didn’t want the embarrassment of getting that wrong right at the beginning.

After the race, I stayed at Goodwood for the day. I had a lot of friends and family there and it was a great day. Gai Waterhouse was there as well and she loves it there as well, so she was providing plenty of entertainment.

I am so thankful to all my owners and friends that have donated; everyone has been so generous. It’s a shame I couldn’t win for them all, but the aim was to raise money and people’s generosity will go a long way.

If you would like to read more about Annabel’s journey or donate to her chosen charity, The Prince’s Trust, click the link below.

Hills’ four previous victories in the race were provided by his former superfast stable star Battaash (Ire), who like this year’s winner is also by Dark Angel (Ire).

While Khaadem may not possess the star quality of his former stablemate, he showed a good turn of foot to repel the advances of a fast-finishing Raasel (Showcasing {GB}), eventually beating him by 0.1l. Caturra (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) was a further 0.7l away in third.

Best laid plan

Khaadem (Ire) was last sighted winning the G3 Palace House S. at Newmarket in April, but he put his previous course form to good use having landed the Stewards' Cup in 2019 and Hills said it was pleasing to see the gelding score another lucrative prize.

“It has always been the plan to come here. The track suits and he has won here before in the Stewards’ Cup. He is getting faster with age, and today he was so relaxed, which is not like him,” said Hills.

“I said to Ryan (Moore) that he was held up when he won the Stewards’ Cup, so ride him how you want. He has won a couple of times making all, but he does not have to be ridden that way. Ryan gave him a peach. The way the race unfolded, they all came down the one side, and that opened everything up. He likes a bit of space in his races.

“He is a good horse, a very good horse with a lot of speed. Ryan was very positive after and we will look now for a Group 1, the Nunthorpe or wherever.

“He is growing up. Sprinters can take their time. As a 3-year-old he had a fantastic season, but it then did not quite work for him as a four-year-old. When Baattash won this day, Khaadem won the Stewards’ Cup the next day and someone told me that he clocked a quicker sectional.

“We went then to a Haydock Sprint Cup and have always thought he could get to the top table. Maybe it’s age, maturity or being cut. He wears a red hood, blinkers – he is not tricky, just a bit quirky.”

Khaadem was purchased by Battaash’s owners, Shadwell, for 750,000gns (AU$1,308,600) at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2017 and was purchased privately by his now owner Fitri Hay in January.

The gelding is out of dual winner White Daffodil (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), making him a brother to Listed scorer Log Out Island (Ire).

Khaadem is one of 87 stakes winners by Yeomanstown Stud-resident Dark Angel who stood for a fee of €60,000 (AU$87,700) in 2022.

Time Test’s Rocchigiani takes Group 3 honours

German raider Rocchigiani (GB) - a son of Little Avondale Stud shuttler Time Test (GB) - proved too good for his rivals in the G3 Thoroughbred S. at Goodwood on Friday as he stormed home to land the Group 3 honours.

The colt was far from disgraced on his last start, when finishing a respectable fifth in the G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot, only 2.5l away from the winner and he brought that form again on Friday, staying on strongly to beat The Wizard Of Eye (Ire) (Galileo Gold {Ire}) by 0.8l, while Sonny Liston (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) was the same distance away in third.

By Little Avondale shuttler Time Test (GB), the Peter Schiergen-trained 3-year-old landed a Group 3 in Germany as a juvenile and finished second in the G2 German 2000 Guineas before his Ascot raid and his trainer was not surprised to see him again.

“Rocchigiani is a nice horse. He travelled well in the race and the pace was good for him. The form in Germany was very good. The horse is a speed horse, and he likes leading horses.

“The owners [Stall Domstadt] like Goodwood and always come here. This is my first winner here today. We have not had many runners and it is not easy to do.

“I looked from race to race after Ascot and we will chat about what to do now. His last race was seven furlongs, but the mile is a little better for him. Maybe we will come back to England next.”

Meanwhile, winning jockey Tom Marquand added: “Rocchigiani ran well when fifth in the Jersey Stakes. He looked like he had a good bit of speed, so when Hotline Bling burst clear, I was happy to sit and use that injection of speed to go and win the race.

“It got a little bit messy at the two-furlong pole when the leader weakened, but this horse has travelled over really well for the Peter Schiergen team and it is a job well done.

“I was never really worried about the ground with his action. He is probably more used to cut in the ground, but it just shows that what they are used to is not always what they want.”

Rocchigiani is out of the German Listed winner Ronja (USA) making him a half-brother to stakes winner Ross (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). Time Test resides at the National Stud in Newmarket during this time in the Northern Hemisphere, while he is currently standing at Little Avondale in New Zealand for a fee of NZ$10,000 (inc GST).

Rebel Romance toughs it out

Charlie Appleby, Godolphin and William Buick have been in almost unbeatable form all week at Goodwood and they continued their purple patch on the penultimate day of the meeting when Rebel’s Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) recaptured his winning form in the G3 Queen's Plate Glorious S.

The son of Darley’s headline stallion Dubawi {Ire) was sent off the well-fancied favourite, but he did not have it all this own way and he had to pull out all the stops to grind down his stablemate Kemari (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), eventually beating him by 1l.

Rebel’s Romance won the G2 UAE Derby in 2021 and was then sidelined following that Group 2 victory. He returned to the track in January and struggled for form in two starts at Meydan in the spring, but he signalled he was back to something life his best when he regained his winning groove in the Listed Fred Archer S. on his last start on June 25.

The 4-year-old gelding is from the stakes-placed Street Cry (Ire) mare Minidress and she is the dam of two other winners; stakes-placed Petticoat (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and Dubai Beauty (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

Dubawi’s global stakes-winning haul totals 236 and he stood at Dalham Hall for a fee of £250,000 (AU$436,000).