Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The Bletchingly S. - Monash or Victorian Sprint form?
It's an open running to this year's running of this feature sprint at Caulfield named in honour of one of the most prolific members of the Star Kingdom (Ire) sireline with four of the 10 runners being quoted at single-figure odds.
Godolphin won this race three years ago with Viridine (Poet's Voice {GB}) and look a top chance to again take home the trophy with Ingratiating (Frosted {USA}) capable of finishing right in the thick of things off his solid first-up G3 Sir John Monash S. fifth.
Ingratiating, the current favourite for the G3 Bletchingly S. at Caulfield | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
He has not won for a while but General Beau (Brazen Beau) was also good in that race and despite being out of the winner's circle since early 2021 he has been racing well. Regardsmaree (So You Think {NZ}) was also good resuming in that Caulfield race.
A differing form line is that of the Listed All Victorian Sprint in which Mnementh (Eurozone) led throughout. Tycoonist (Written Tycoon) and Nicolini Vito (Nicconi) were both sound having gotten a bit too far far back in that race whilst the honest and talented It'sourtime (Time For War) was, as usual, right in the thick of things.
Adding interest to the race is Windstorm (Redoute's Choice), a recent Pakenham jump-out winner who was last seen contesting the 2020 Golden Eagle.
The Winter Challenge - another spring star to emerge?
This was a race worth watching last year, the 1500-metre contest at Rosehill marking the Australian debut of a horse called Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}) whose third was an indicator of rather bigger things to come!
Gold Trip (Fr) won the G3 Bletchingly S. before going on to win the G1 Melbourne Cup in 2022 | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The race has been won by some very nice horses too - the 2014 winner He's Your Man (Fr) (Cape Cross {Ire}) going onto G1 Epsom H. success whilst the 2020 winner Mugatoo (Ire) (Henrythenavigator {USA}) won the 2021 The All-Star Mile.
We may not see a G1 Melbourne Cup winner emerge from this year's running, but it is still a tidy race with three promising types right in the market.
Opening up favourite is the first emergency Semana (Winning Rupert) who is racing in stellar form, successful at three of her last five starts - finishing a game runner-up at the other two. Also strongly fancied is another horse who really knows how to find the line - Resonator (Brazen Beau) winning to in a row before being run down only late last time out.
Barbie's Fox (Foxwedge) had little luck in the Listed Winter S. and can atone. That race also saw Longvillers (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) and Hosier (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) run well despite not enjoying ideal runs whilst Acquitted (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) was a strong finishing second.
Sibaaq (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) has trialled soundly for his resumption whilst Chassis (Al Maher) comes off good Queensland carnival form but needs luck getting a run as fifth emergency.
The Bolton Sprint - WA's winter sprinters
Three of this year's runners in this Belmont dash first run in 1978 also contested last year's running with Nerodio (Playing God) finishing third, Western Temple (Dream Ahead {USA}) fourth and Great Again (Viscount) fifth.
This time around only one of those is in the market with Nerodio unlucky not to have resumed with a win having been held up at a vital stage. Hardest for him to beat appears to be Bitofmerit (Demerit) who also found trouble at his most recent outing and Vane Tempest (Shamus Award) who looked to have a bit in hand saluting at this same track last month.
Bitofmerit, the current favourite for the Listed Bolton Sprint at Belmont | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
Chris Parnham won this race last year with Resortman (Helmet) and has another chance for success with Comes A Time (Sessions) - who has been in the placings at five of his second-up attempts - running well without the best of luck in the Listed Beaufine S. first-up.
Winning that race was Ghost Who Walks (God Has Spoken) who has been successful at three of his last four starts. And the horse who only just missed picking him up also lines up here - the in-form Real Danger (I Am Invincible).
Another horse building a nice record is Phanta (Gingerbread Man) who races for the first time since his game Listed Scenic Blast S. second in late January. The winner of five (with five seconds also on his record) of his 15 starts, he looked good easily winning a recent Belmont trial.
The Opunake Cup - filly takes them on
Taking on the older horses, the only 3-year-old contesting this Listed 1400-metre event, Wessex (NZ) (Turn Me Loose {NZ}) is being sent out favourite.
A known mud-lark, she enjoys a nice weight drop having been caught only late off a big lead when resuming in the Listed Tauranga Classic three weeks ago.
Carrying topweight of 60kg yet also down in weight having lobbed 62kg when doing his best work late coming back in distance last time out is the tough Justaskme (NZ) (No Excuse Needed {GB}).
Wessex (NZ), the current favourite for the Listed Opunake Cup at New Plymouth | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
What a terrific campaigner he is, winning 11 of his 33 starts including the G2 Tauranga S. and this same race two years ago. He contested last year too, getting back from a wide gate and finishing off strongly.
Meanwhile right down in weight (6.5kg) is Old Town Road (NZ) (El Roca) who was bogged down under a heavy load last time out, unlucky in the placings at his previous outing. Last-start winner Belardo Boy (NZ) (Belardo {Ire}) loves the 1400 metres as does Secret Amour (NZ) (Niagara) who is bursting for a black-type success on the back of five stakes placings.
First season sire action
Five different first-season sires are represented by runners at Caulfield, Morphettville, Belmont and Tauranga on Saturday with The Oaks Stud's U S Navy Flag (USA) leading the way with two runners.
Currently New Zealand's leading first season sire, the European Champion 2-Year-Old has had seven of his Southern Hemisphere debut crop sons and daughters win races. Also making an encouraging start to his Northern Hemisphere career with three 2020 born stakes winners, U S Navy Flag has the favourite and the outsider in the second race on the Tauranga card.
U S Navy Flag (USA) | Standing at The Oaks Stud
Showing pace and talent when saluting at debut, Naval Anthem (NZ) is strongly fancied to remain undefeated whilst Ride Sally Ride (NZ) has some ground to make up on the back of three unplaced starts.
Currently Australia's current third leading first season stallion by earnings and equal leader with Justify (USA) by number of stakes winners (three), Darley's Harry Angel (Ire) - has Ouroboros backing up from a nice Flemington run last weekend. Showing good promise for the Price and Kent Jnr stable, he has been in the placings at each of his first three outings.
He lines up in the opening event at Caulfield along with Gangitano, son of Widden Stud's G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Written By who sits seventh of the first season sire chart.
Contesting stakes races at his first two starts - in the placings at debut - Gangitano is having his first run since mid-February having won a Pakenham jump-out a couple of weeks ago.
Written By | Standing at Widden Stud
Just behind Written By on the chart is a horse who shuttled only once, Sioux Nation (USA) supported by only a small group of mares during his sole season at Swettenham Stud. He has only 39 live foals, four of those being winners; a tally which may be increased by Lakota Fire who lines up in the second race at Morphettville having been green but very good at debut.
Aquis Farm's Lean Mean Machine is the other first-season sire with a runner - his daughter Dreamtime Jean lining up at big odds in the third race at Belmont, making her debut off a Lark Hill trial second for the Hayden Ballantyne stable.
The Irish Oaks - Sea Siren's daughter highly fancied
As always Aidan O'Brien plays a big hand in this weekend's Classic at the Curragh, saddling up four of the six runners in the G1 Irish Oaks.
And one of those is of particular interest to Australians - Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) being a daughter of the triple Group 1 winner Sea Siren (Fastnet Rock).
The G2 Ribblesdale S. winner is one of the 22 winners and eight stakes winners from 28 Galileo (Ire) runners out of Fastnet Rock mares, attempting to become the second Group 1 winner bred on this highly successful cross, the first being Atlantic Jewel's Hong Kong-based triple Group 1 winner Russian Emperor (Ire).
Warm Heart (Ire), the second favourite for the G1 Irish Oaks at the Curragh | Image courtesy of Megan Ridgwell
In flying form winning three in a row, Warm Heart is one of the four winners Sea Siren has produced in the Northern Hemisphere with the best of the others being the Group 3 runner-up Celestial Object (Ire), also by Galileo.
The winner of the G1 BTC Cup, the G1 Doomben 10,000 and the G1 Manikato S., Sea Siren is now back in Australia - served last spring by Home Affairs having foaled, in early September, a colt by Camelot (GB) who is the sire of three of the Irish Oaks contenders.
Warm Heart is second favourite in the race with another O'Brien-trained daughter of Galileo being favourite - the G1 Epsom Oaks runner-up Savethelastdance (Ire) whose dam is also a big-race winner, the G1 American Oaks winner Daddys Lil Darling (USA) (Scat Daddy {USA}).
