Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
G1 Victoria Derby, $2,000,000, 2500m
Bouncing back from his defeat as an odds-on favourite in the G3 Norman Robinson S. Riff Rocket (American Pharoah {USA}) was again well fancied by punters and he dug deep to hold off a strong finish from the second favourite Apulia (Fiorente {Ire}).
A homebred for Debbie Kepitis' Woppitt Bloodstock, he is one of the 40 stakes winners - and the eighth Group 1 winner - for his former Coolmore shuttling sire.
He is the second foal produced by the stakes-placed multiple city winner Missile Coda (Smart Missile) who was also raced by Debbie Kepitis.
Her first foal Quintillion (Deep Field) is a lightly raced metropolitan maiden placegetter and she was served last spring by Home Affairs having missed last year to Yes Yes Yes. Her third foal is the Michael Freedman-trained 2-year-old Codetta (Nicconi).
Missile Coda is out of the triple city winner Rain Melody (Lonhro), a half-sister to the Listed Toy Show H. winner Walk Alone (Honour And Glory {USA}) from the family of the stakes winners Rain Affair (Commands), Ranges (Shooting To Win) and Wayupinthesky (Snitzel).
A descendant of the 1945 G1 Melbourne Cup winner Rainbird (The Buzzard {GB}), Riff Rocket boasts a cross of the terrific mare Crimson Saint (USA) (Crimson Satan {USA}) via her grandson Storm Cat (USA) and son Royal Academy (USA).
This cross works particularly well when Royal Academy appears via Fastnet Rock (sire of Smart Missile) - he and Storm Cat combining in the pedigrees of 41 stakes winners with Riff Rocket the seventh of those successful at the elite level.
G1 Coolmore Stud S., $2,000,000, 1200m
Beaten only once in five starts, Ozzmosis (Zoustar) continued the great run of his sireline in this race - his sire successful in 2013 (and providing its trifecta in 2018), his grandsire Northern Meteor first across the line in 2018 whilst Encosta De Lago won it in 1996 when it was run as the G2 Ascot Vale S. in September.
Bred by China Horse Club Racing, Ozzmosis was sold through the Sledmere Stud draft to Darby Racing for $250,000 at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
One of the 43 stakes winners - and the sixth Group 1 winner for his Widden Stud-based sire, he is the second foal for the G3 Mr Tiz Trophy and dual Listed winner No More Tears (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) whose first foal is the lightly raced and promising Hughes (Russian Revolution) who has won two of his first five starts for the Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr stable.
Paying a return visit to Zoustar last spring having foaled a Wootton Bassett (GB) colt, No More Tears also has a 2-year-old full brother to Ozzmosis by the name of Olufsen.
A half-sister to the stakes-placed multiple city winner Pioneer River (Snitzel), No More Tears is out of a half-sister to the G2 Reisling S. winner Hips Don't Lie (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}), dam of the Fastnet Rock stakes winners Lake Geneva, Acrobat (a resident of Coolmore Stud) and Ennis Hill, dam of the dual Group winner Learning To Fly (Justify {USA}).
Darling View Thoroughbreds' triple Group-winning Snitzel stallion Splintex is another member of this family.
Bred on a 4 X 3 cross of Danehill (USA), Ozzmosis is also linebred to the wonderful mare Special (USA) (Forli {Arg]) via her grandson Fairy King (USA) and son Nureyev (USA).
G1 Empire Rose S., $1,000,000, 1600m
Daring tactics paid off as Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) got up a big lead in one of the country's biggest mares races - and she just kept going to record her first victory at stakes level.
The 20th stakes winner for her in-form Coolmore Stud-based G1 Blue Diamond S. and ATC Sires' Produce S.-winning sire, she was bred by Trelawney Stud and the Taylor Family Trust and sold by Segenhoe Stud to Cape Schanck Stud for $100,000 at the 2019 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Her dam is the four-time winner Sancerre (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) whose dam is the G1 Queensland Oaks heroine Vouvray (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}).
Served last spring by Per Incanto (USA) after foaling a colt by that same stallion, Sancerre is also dam of the lightly raced and promising Awatere (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) who has been in the placings at her first two starts.
Vouvray is also the grandam of the Listed Calaway S. winner Champ Elect (Choisir) and her dam is the triple Group winner Real Success (Success Express {USA}) who also produced the Listed Victoria Cup winner Bolton (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) as well as the dam of the G1 Thorndon Mile winner A Touch Of Ruby (NZ) (Pins) and the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner Loire (NZ) (Redoute's Choice).
Ancestress of this family is the influential broodmare Pocahontas (USA) (Roman {USA}).
G2 The Damien Oliver H., $500,000, 1400m
Diving through late to bring a good day for Jamie Kah to an end, Cause For Concern (Worthy Cause) was a deserved winner on the back of consistent form in stakes company.
A homebred for the Lidstone family, she is the second stakes winner (the G1 filly Hinged the first) for her Clear Mountain Fairview-based G3 Gunsynd Classic-winning sire, a Choisir horse who has had just 32 runners for 20 winners.
Cause For Concern is out of the four-time winner Rock Paper Sissors (NZ) (Fastnet Rock) whose dam is the metropolitan winner Axis (NZ) (Spinning World {USA}), in turn daughter of the dual Group winner The Lions Roar (NZ) (Western Symphony {USA}) who also produced the dual Group winner Growl (NZ) (Montjeu {Ire}) and the two-time Listed winner Leeu (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}).
Not served the last two seasons, Rock Paper Sissors has had only one other foal, a yet to be named 2-year-old filly by Wayed Zain.
Bred on a 4 X 3 Danehill (USA) cross, Cause For Concern is also linebred to the classy broodmare Little Hut (USA) (Occupy {USA}) via her sons Habitat (USA) and Northfields (USA). He is a descendant of the influential matriarch Gibside Fairy (GB) (Hermes {GB}), also ancestress of Danzig (USA) of whom he carries three strains.
G2 Wakeful S., $300,000, 2000m
The second Go Bloodstock homebred stakes winner for the day, Amazonian Lass (More Than Ready {USA}) brought herself into G1 VRC Oaks calculations with this tough performance.
Hailing from the final crop of her high-achieving sire, she is his 223rd stakes winner.
Her dam is the city-winning juvenile Dynastic Lady (Fastnet Rock), a $240,000 Inglis Australian Easter yearling purchased by Paul Moroney. Also dam of the four-time Sandown winner Riverplate (Flying Artie), she died only recently after foaling a colt by Captivant.
She has the yet to race 2-year-old Tszyuya (Zoustar) in the Tony Gollan stable whilst her penultimate foal is a colt by Lonhro.
A descendant of the influential matriarch Feola (GB) (Friar Marcus {GB}), Dynastic Lady is a full sister to the G1 Levin Classic winner Age Of Fire (Fastnet Rock) from the family of the G1 Lockinge S. winner Fly To The Stars (GB) (Bluebird {USA).
G3 Carbine Club S., $500,000, 1600m
Kaizad (Capitalist) kicked off Cup week in good style for the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott team, doing a nice job tackling stakes company for the first time, having broken his maiden at Warwick Farm less than a month ago.
Bred by Kitchwin Hills, Kaizad is the 16th stakes winner for his Newgate-based G1 Golden Slipper S.-winning sire. He made his way through the sales ring on two occasions - sold by Kitchwin Hills to Silverdale Farm and Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) for $300,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Weanling Sale and by Silverdale to Waterhouse and Bott with Blueblood Thoroughbreds for $390,000 at the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
He is the third stakes performer for the Listed Pewsey Vale S. winner Baby Corn (Exceed And Excel), also dam of the dual-city-winning G1 Blue Diamond S. placegetter Cornrow (Duporth) and the R. Listed Magic Millions Gold Coast 3YO Guineas-placed Socialist (also by Capitalist).
Served last December by Kermadec (NZ) after having foaled a King's Legacy filly, Baby Corn is a daughter of the G3 Matriarch S. winner Sweet Corn, whose grandson Double You Tee (Written Tycoon) won the G3 Hobart Cup.
G3 Archer S., $300,000, 2500m
A big crowd enjoying the spring sun at Flemington enjoyed watching Damien Oliver in winning form on his final Derby Day, steering home the consistent stayer Kalapour (Ire) (War Command {USA}) to his second Group 3 victory.
Also winner of the G3 Chairman's H. in Brisbane in May, the 7-year-old is one of the 11 stakes winners for his G1 Dewhurst S.-winning sire who is now based in Southern France.
Bred by His Highness the Aga Khan Studs', Kalapour is out of the winner Kaladena (Ire) (Daylami {Ire}) - also dam of the Listed Lenebane S. winner Kalaxana (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}).
And her dam is the successful producer Kalamba (Ire) (Green Dancer {USA}) whose seven winners include the dual Group 1 winner Kalanisi (Ire), the G2 Scottish Derby winner Kalaman (Ire) (Desert Prince {Ire}) and the two-time Listed winner Kaloura (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire}).
This is an international family that has also enjoyed local success with the Listed Mornington Cup winner Instrumentalist (Ire) (Amadeus Wolf {GB}) and the dual Group winner Saxon.
G3 Rising Fast S., $200,000, 1200m
The Godolphin blue teamed up successfully with Jamie Kah to take out this sprinting feature with the favourite Spacewalk (Exosphere).
He is a horse with a strong Darley/Godolphin pedigree; one of the eight stakes winners for his Darley-bred G1 Golden Rose-winning Oaklands Stud-based sire, he is out of the Darley-bred triple city winner Benenden (Dubawi {Ire}) whose placed dam High School (GB) (Sadler's Wells {USA}) was also bred by them.
Now in different ownership - served last year by Lonhro and Harry Angel (Ire) - Benenden is also dam of the tough galloper Hemsted (Exceed And Excel) who also raced today, finishing second at Dubbo at his 92nd start (he has won 11 times and been placed 24 times!).
Benenden is a half-sister to the Group 3-placed Giggleswick (Elusive Quality {USA}), dam of the dual Listed-winning sprinter Plague Stone (Lonhro).
Bred on a 7 X 5 cross of the great mares Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}), Spacewalk is out of a mare with an interesting pedigree - Benenden boasting a 5 X 3 cross of her own third dam Sunbittern (GB) (Sea Hawk {Fr}), the fourth dam of Dubawi (Ire).
This is the same branch of Dubawi's family as the multiple Group 1-winning successful stallion In The Wings (GB).
G3 Furphy Sprint, $200,000, 1100m
Part of a good day for Sir Owen Glenn's Go Bloodstock, Queen Of The Ball (I Am Invincible) made it two wins from the first three races for Damien Oliver who was farewelling Derby Day in fine style.
It was a fourth Group 3 success for the classy homebred who is one of her Yarraman Stud-based Champion Sire's 100th stakes winner (and he had the third home as well - Dancing Alone).
She is the first foal for the speedy Miss Debutante (Fastnet Rock) - a $430,000 yearling purchase for Paul Moroney who won four of her eight starts for Go Bloodstock - including the Listed Denise's Joy S.
Last spring paying a return visit to I Am Invincible having foaled an Artie Schiller colt, Miss Debutante is also dam of the promising juvenile Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon) - who is spelling after her close-up fourth as favourite in the G3 Gimcrack S. - a race which Miss Debutant's second foal Platinum Jubilee (Zoustar) won last year.
Queen Of The Ball is a member of a long line of female stakes winners - her dam a Listed winner whilst her grandam More Than Real (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}) took out the G2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf S. Her third dam Miss Seffens (USA) (Dehere {USA}) was five times successful at Listed level and her fourth dam Noise Enough (Can) (Bold Ruckus {USA}) was a Listed winner at two.
Bred on a 4 X 4 Danzig (USA) cross, Queen Of The Ball also carries duplications of the excellent mares Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}), Almahmoud (USA) (Mahmoud {Fr}) and Somethingroyal (USA) (Princequillo {Ire}).
