Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
*Please note the 2-year-old summary is in the next article
Race-Day Recap
The $15 million The Everest winner Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) was anonited a Group 1 winner in the All Aged S. with a dominant victory on Saturday at Royal Randwick.
The inaugural running of the $4 million The Quokka provided a stirring battle with Bjorn Baker-trained Overpass (Vancouver) holdinf off the star Western Australian filly, Amelia's Jewel (Siyouni {Fr}).
Olentia (Zoustar) claimed the G3 James H B Carr S. in the Denise Martin's purple and white stars of Star Thoroughbreds, upsetting some significant opposition to win her first stakes race.
Giga Kick a truly special horse
The 2023 autumn racing carnival saw some changes to the ranks of the elite thoroughbred population. We saw some Champions most likely run their last races, on Australian soil at least, an untimely and heart-breaking loss of I’m Thunderstruck (NZ) (Shocking), and some mainstays such as Cascadian (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) and Nature Strip (Nicconi) all running gallantly.
However, it was a crowning of the next generation of bona fide stars. Firstly, we had I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel) a winner of the $10 million Golden Eagle, who claimed his maiden Group 1 in dramatic style in the G1 TJ Smith S.
On Saturday it was the Clayton Douglas-trained and Jonathan Munz-owned Giga Kick’s (Scissor Kick) time to bask in Group 1 glory when he put away a gun field to win the G1 All Aged S.
Giga Kick winning the G1 All Aged S. | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The 3-year-old gelding announced himself as a superstar in the 2022 $15 million The Everest in the spring, but until Saturday had yet to claim that precious Group 1-winner title.
Narrowly defeated by I Wish I Win in the G1 TJ Smith S. Giga Kick stamped his ‘freakish’ qualities with regular partner Craig Williams aboard in the prestigious G1 All Aged S. winning the event by 1.66l from Zaaki and Cascadian 0.11l away in third.
Douglas commented before becoming overcome with emotion, “It’s everything we strive to do, it’s phenomenal.”
Williams returned to the saddle on Easter Monday after a March 25 fall at Flemington that saw the Champion jockey sustaining a fractured collarbone (clavicle), one or two broken ribs, a fractured finger and a concussion and understandably was eager to renew his partnership with ‘Giga’.
“I remember sitting in hospital when I realised I wouldn’t be able to ride him in the ‘TJ’, so to get back on him today and win a Group 1 was wonderful,” Williams said.
“I remember sitting in hospital when I realised I wouldn’t be able to ride him (Giga Kick) in the ‘TJ’, so to get back on him today (Saturday) and win a Group 1 was wonderful.” - Craig Williams
“I worked out harder on my mechanical horse than what I had to do today, because he is such a serious horse. There is so much more to come from this horse, he’s only a 3-year-old that has had nine starts and won an Everest and a Group 1.”
In winning the All Aged S., Giga Kick places his name on an honour roll that includes some of the pantheons of the Australiasian turf since its inception in 1866, Carbine (NZ), Wakeful (Trenton {NZ}), Desert Gold (NZ) (All Black {GB}), Peter Pan, Bernborough and Sunline (NZ) (Desert Sun {GB}) among many others.
Giga Kick is a son of the former Arrowfield stallion Scissor Kick, who was sold to Tunisia.
Scissor Kick
Inaugural The Quokka provides stirring battle
The inaugural running of the $4 million The Quokka, a much-publicised slot-holder race based on the concept of The Everest, delivered on its thrilling promise, drawing a field worthy of Group 1 status and a finish befitting that of a $4 million feature.
After the controversy that hounded the barrier draw to focus solely on the race, it was hard not to feel for the connections of Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni {Fr}) who redrew the extreme outside barrier, forcing the hand of her rider Pat Carbery to settle the filly last.
A hot pace was set up from the opening of the barriers with a number of on-pace runners amongst the field and as they thundered down the short Ascot straight.
It was the admirable Overpass (Vancouver) trained by Bjorn Baker and representing the Ram Racing Syndicate slot-holder, who fended off runner after runner. He had one final foe to hold at bay, when the Champion Western Australian filly launched late with an electrifying turn of foot, to be denied a nose.
The bonny Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) ran her typical gallant race to finish third.
For the Darby-owned and-raced 4-year-old son of Vancouver, it was a well-deserved victory. Having claimed the scalp of Anaome (Street Boss {USA}) in the G2 Expressway S. a few preparations ago and finding only Nature Strip (Nicconi) too slick in the G2 The Shorts in the spring.
“It worked out beautifully, he’s (Overpass) a very good horse, and what a run by Amelia’s Jewel. It’s the luck of the draw, however, he’s been a great horse and deserved this. He’s a wonderful horse fresh.
“It worked out beautifully, he’s (Overpass) a very good horse, and what a run by Amelia’s Jewel. It’s the luck of the draw, however, he’s been a great horse and deserved this. He’s a wonderful horse fresh.” - Bjorn Baker
“Josh Parr was very confident today. It was a great race.
“As for future plans for Overpass, there’s the G1 Goodwood H. or the Doomben 10,000 and of course we can try to go better in The Everest in the spring.”
Overpass is the best performer to date from the G1 Golden Slipper winner Vancouver. Who started his career at Coolmore Stud and was relocated to Victoria’s Woodside Park, where he served the 2022 season at a fee of $15,400 (inc GST). A 2023 service fee has yet to be announced.
Olentia follows Espiona’s hoofsteps in James H B Carr S.
It was shades of 2022 when Denise Martin’s purple and white stars prevailed in the 2023 G3 James H B Carr S. on Saturday. Last year the boom filly and now Group 1 winner Espiona (Extreme Choice) took the valuable feature at Royal Randwick, and on Saturday it was fellow colour bearer Olentia (Zoustar) who wrote her name in the history books.
Olentia winning the G3 James H B Carr S. | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Martin and Champion trainer Chris Waller combined again, but the new face on the scene was visiting Champion international rider Joao Moreira. Sticking hard against the rail the filly downed some significant opposition including the previously unbeaten Magic Time (Hellbent) and the classy Opal Ridge (Rubick) who both ran below market expectations.
After the line it was Olentia prevailing by 0.59l from Godolphin’s Portray (Ribchester {Ire}) and Magic Time 1.46l away in third.
“This filly (Olentia) has a story to tell, she was just going through the motions, so we sent her up to the Gold Coast base and the team up there did a great job making her look quite special, so we brought her back to Sydney and she’s improved vastly,” Waller said.
“This race is just the start of the autumn and successful career for a lot of young horses, she has plenty of upside.”
That’s no understatement. Since its inception in 1986 the G3 James H B Carr S. has been a launching pad for many a classy filly, including Private Steer (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), Red Tracer (Dane Shadow) and of course the aforementioned Espiona.
Olentia becomes the third individual winner for her dam, the Anabaa (USA) mare Mabkhara.
While she is the 35th stakes winner for the Champion first, second and third-season sire Zoustar, who stood the 2022 season for $198,000 (inc GST) at Widden Stud. A 2023 service fee has yet to be announced.