Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Racing fans the world over have been blessed this past few months, with the action on the track, both in Melbourne and Sydney, typically breathtaking.
Thankfully, after two years of being impacted by COVID, the clubs were able to proceed without any restrictions and fans were welcomed back on course. How pleasing it was to see racegoers return in their droves to witness some of the best racing the world has to offer.
A number of proven superstars of the sport, both human and equine, shone on the global stage, while fresh talent jumped out of the pack, whetting the appetite for the future.
James McDonald may just be the best of all-time
He’s a freak.
That’s probably the most apt way to describe James McDonald, the 30-year-old Kiwi jockey who hails from Cambridge in New Zealand’s North Island.
McDonald had a spring for the ages, improving his Group 1 tally to 73 and cementing his position as the best jockey in Australasia in this author’s opinion.
James McDonald | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Twelve months after chalking up a record 10 winners for the four-day Flemington carnival, McDonald logged eight, including a Group 1 triumph aboard In Secret (I Am Invincible) in the Coolmore Stud S. J-Mac kicked off on Derby Day with four winners, went winless on Cup Day, added three on Oaks Day, before signing off with a Group 2 success on Stakes Champions Day.
This all came after plotting a perfect path on Anamoe (Street Boss {USA}) to win a hot edition of the Cox Plate (admittedly the pair did draw a perfect gate - barrier four).
And prior to that, McDonald became the first jockey in 32 years to notch at least three Group 1s at the three-day Caulfield Cup Carnival (and he missed Caulfield Cup Day to ride in Sydney). His elite-level wins were aboard Golden Mile (Astern) in the Caulfield Guineas, Anamoe in the Might And Power S. and Madame Pommery (No Nay Never {USA}) in the Thousand Guineas.
James McDonald guiding Madame Pommery to victory | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
In Sydney, he piloted Anamoe to Group 1 glory in both the Winx S. and George Main S., while star filly Zougotcha (Zoustar) had McDonald’s services when she took out the G1 Flight S.
Way back in 2014, fellow Kiwi and former jockey, Lance O’Sullivan saw the writing on the wall, saying, “McDonald, could end up the greatest of all time. I’ve never seen anything like him.”
“(James) McDonald, could end up the greatest of all time. I’ve never seen anything like him.” - Lance O’Sullivan
And, after this year’s Cox Plate, triple Melbourne Cup-winning ex-jockey Glen Boss said McDonald is “the best I’ve seen”, while Mick Dittman, another great of the riding ranks, said: “McDonald is a great rider, an amazing rider. He’s going to set records like you wouldn’t believe, you won’t be catching him for a while.”
Who’s to argue with O’Sullivan, Boss and Dittman?
Anamoe racing on as a 4-year-old is a winner
Over the years, so many champions of the turf have been whisked off to the breeding barn either during or following their 3-year-old season. Thankfully, Anamoe isn’t one of them.
Despite having a stud career well and truly assured, Godolphin opted to keep Anamoe racing, much to the delight of his legion of fans.
A Group 1 winner at two and three, the James Cummings-trained Anamoe became just the second colt-entire this century to win at the top level in his first three seasons of racing when scoring first-up in the Winx S. at Randwick on August 20.
Anamoe winning the G1 WS Cox Plate | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
He notched three consecutive Group 1s after that, including his crowning glory, the Cox Plate, before being turned over in the Champions S. at Flemington on Saturday.
Anamoe is without a doubt the best horse in the country and one of the most valuable stallions in the land.
“The easiest thing for us to have done would have been to retire the horse at the end of the 3-year-old career. You can compromise their value and their commercial appeal by racing them on and getting it wrong,” Vin Cox, managing director of Godolphin Australia, said recently.
“That’s (winning a Group 1 at two, three and four) a rare commodity and that puts significant value in him. It absolutely validates the opinion we have of him, and you have to go a long way back to find a horse with a similar race record and profile.”
“That’s (winning a Group 1 at two, three and four) a rare commodity and that puts significant value in him (Anamoe). It absolutely validates the opinion we have of him, and you have to go a long way back to find a horse with a similar race record and profile.” - Vin Cox
Anamoe may get the chance to add to his legacy next year, with Godolphin eyeing up a tilt at a race at Meydan during the Dubai World Cup Carnival in March.
Not to be forgotten, too, is the fact Anamoe created a slice of history by winning the Cox Plate, becoming the most prolific Group 1 winner of all-time for Godolphin; he had been tied with Daylami (Ire) and Fantastic Light (USA).
The next generation put their hand up
While veterans Anamoe, I’m Thunderstruck (NZ) (Shocking) and Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) again performed at the highest level, a new wave of equine talent burst onto the scene.
Many of them came from James Cummings’ barn, including 3-year-olds Golden Mile, In Secret and Aft Cabin (Astern), plus 2-year-old colt Barber (Exceed And Excel).
Barber | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Aft Cabin laid a marker for the G1 Caulfield Guineas with a 6l romp in maiden grade at Sandown-Hillside on August 10. A beaten favourite in the G3 McNeil S. at his next start, the colt bounced back with a brilliant victory in the G3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude, before injury brought a premature end to his spring.
Stablemates In Secret and Golden Mile had no such issues and both became Group 1 winners and potential topliners.
Golden Mile won the G1 Caulfield Guineas, before returning to Sydney to add the $1 million G2 Callander-Presnell to his glittering CV, while In Secret atoned for a narrow defeat in the G1 Golden Rose S. with a stunning victory in the G1 Coolmore Stud S.
In Secret’s conqueror in the Golden Rose was Rubick colt Jacquinot and he, too, is one to be excited about. The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained 3-year-old commenced his spring campaign with two stylish wins, in the McNeil and Golden Rose, which saw him snapped up by Widden Stud for stud duties announced on the eve of The Everest, the entire ran a gallant fifth.
In Secret winning the Coolmore Stud S. | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
That race, of course, was won by Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) and he has taken all before him this spring, improving his record to five wins from six starts.
After taking out the G2 Danehill S. the Clayton Douglas-trained gelding produced an upset victory in The Everest, before being unlucky in Saturday’s G1 Champions Sprint.
Barber has been one of the more impressive juveniles to hit the track, with the Exceed And Excel colt unbeaten in two starts. A scorer of the Kirkham Plate on debut, Barber scored an astonishing win in the $1 million Golden Gift at Rosehill on Saturday. After Bombing the start, Barber flashed home late to nab Infatuation (I Am Invincible) in the shadows of the post.
In Melbourne, 2-year-old Charm Stone (I Am Invincible) – a $1.55 million yearling – showed she is a filly of the future with a dominant win in the G3 Ottawa S. on Cup Day.
Stars of the show not overshadowed by distractions
It’s hard to recall a spring that has been engulfed by such high drama.
The Sydney carnival was marred by continual wet tracks before Melbourne suffered a similar fate. Thousand Guineas Day at Caulfield was most unpleasant, while the Manikato S. meeting was abandoned mid-way through the night due to torrential rain, thunder and lightning.
The barrier draw for the G1 Empire Rose S. was farcical and had to be redrawn, after it was found one of the marbles was missing.
Victorian trainer Grahame Begg slammed Racing New South Wales officials after his 4-year-old Cardinal Gem (Choisir) looked like missing a run in the Golden Eagle. Begg was furious after the handicap rating of Welwal (GB) (Shalaa {Ire}) was lifted to 95, which saw the French import leapfrog Cardinal Gem for the final place in the race after the field size was changed from 18 to 20 runners.
Due to the scratching of Brigantine (Astern), Cardinal Gem was able to take his place in the field. He finished 10th, beaten 5.59l, but earned his owners $75,000.
Despite all of this, the heroes of the sport – the horses – justifiably received top billing.
Is the perception of racing turning?
The racing industry has long had its share of ‘knockers’, who claim, among many things, the sport has widespread animal welfare issues and is conducted for gambling purposes only.
From time to time, especially during large racing carnivals, such as Flemington and Warrnambool, anti-racing activists stage protests, often conveying misleading or false information.
The industry, as a whole, has done plenty of work in this space, but there is a long way to go.
Just recently, the team at marketing agency Kick Collective launched an initiative titled ‘Kick Up’, which is designed to address misinformation about racing with fact-checked responses to common misconceptions, while showcasing the love for the horse.
Kick Up presents accurate horse racing information on controversial topics in an engaging, educational and interesting format, and it has already served up a balance of emotional and rational content through its website and social platforms to show what the sport genuinely entails.
In the wake of unfortunate events on Cup Day in years gone by, Racing Victoria (RV) has improved its safety protocols, making them far more stringent. RV requires all international runners to undergo and successfully pass CT scans before leaving their home country and again before their first start in Melbourne, and all runners must undergo an extensive pre-race veterinary inspection.
As a case in point, this year’s Melbourne Cup hero, Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}) was prevented from racing at the Melbourne spring carnival last year after failing to satisfy stewards.
And 2022 Caulfield Cup winner Durston (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), as well as imported stayers Loft (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) and Makram (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), plus top local mare Lunar Flare (Fiorente {Ire}) were all ruled out of running in this year’s Melbourne Cup after failing mandatory pre-race assessments.
Durston (GB) | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
There is plenty of good people in racing, who try and make a difference to the disadvantaged and underprivileged.
Interestingly, last week, the Starship Foundation, which is currently fundraising for its National Air Ambulance, received significant backlash after turning down a $520,000 donation from the connections of I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel).
The horse’s part-owner and breeder, Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick, was left stunned after their offer to donate 10 per cent of the winner’s cheque was rejected.
“They rang me back an hour later and declined. They were really polite about it but said they didn’t want to take money associated with racing or gambling,” Chittick explained.
“They (Starship Foundation) rang me back an hour later and declined. They were really polite about it but said they didn’t want to take money associated with racing or gambling.” - Mark Chittick
Starship Foundation initially said partnership obligations were behind the donation rejection, before later claiming time constraints prevented them from conducting due diligence.
“We are tremendously disappointed that we could not meet the deadline and become the beneficiary of this incredibly generous donation. If we had had more time, the decision may very well have been different,” the statement read.
