Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Flemington: G1 Kennedy Oaks, $1,000,000, 2500m
Showing her rivals a clean pair of heels as she proved the day's superior stayer, Zardozi (Kingman {GB}) provided jockey James McDonald with a Classic-double for the week - having also won the G1 VRC Derby aboard Riff Rocket (American Pharoah {USA}).
Strong to the line when second in the G2 Wakeful S. on Saturday, the G2 Edward Manifold S. winner has been successful at five of her nine starts.
The second VRC Oaks winner in three years for Godolphin - Willowy (Kermadec {NZ}) the other - Zardozi is one of her Juddmonte-based star sire's 75 stakes winners and his 10th Group 1 winner; his second (King Colorado the first) on Australian soil.
Zardozi is out of the unraced Chanderi (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) who made her way to Australia in 2020 in foal with Zardozi.
Served last November by Palace Pier (GB), she foaled an Exceed And Excel colt last spring and her previous foal is the 2-year-old Lonhro colt, Adinath.
Chanderi is a daughter of the G2 Park Hill S. and Listed Chalice S. winner Silk Sari (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}) whose grandam Gossamer (GB) (Sadler's Wells {USA}) earned the title of Irish Champion 3YO Filly with her four wins including two at Group 1 level - the Irish 1000 Guineas and the Ascot Fillies Mile.
Her dam Brocade (GB) (Habitat {USA}) was also a Group 1 winner (the Prix de la Foret) and she did a great job at stud with her eight winners including the European Horse of the Year Barathea (Ire).
This is a family that has enjoyed big-race success in Australia in the shape of the 2013 G1 Stradbroke H. winner Linton (Galileo {Ire}).
Zardozi is one of the 14 stakes winners - and the second Group 1 winner - linebred to Dancing Brave (USA) (another three of whom are also by Kingman) who raced in the same Khalid Abdullah-colours as Kingman (GB).
G3 Red Roses S., $300,000, 1100m
The family of the G1 Melbourne Cup-winning trainers, the owner of the G1 VRC Derby winner and the sire of the G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner - all three came together to enjoy a second black-type success for Mumbai Muse (Zoustar).
Bred by Morning Rise Stud (who remain in the ownership), the 3-year-old (who is also parted owned by Debbie Kepitis' Woppitt Bloodstock) won the Listed Brian Crowley S. late last month. She was sold by Coolmore Stud to Michael Freedman Racing and Julian Blaxland Bloodstock (FBAA) for $525,000 at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
One of the 44 stakes winners for her Widden Stud-based high-achieving sire, she is the second stakes winner for the city-placed winner Mumbai Rock (Fastnet Rock), also dam of the Listed winner Jazz Etude (I Am Invincible).
Last month foaling a colt by Home Affairs, she had an I Am Invincible filly in October last year and she has a 2-year-old colt called Bengal - also by Zoustar - in the Chris Waller stable.
Also dam of the stakes-placed winners Splendoronthegrass (So You Think {NZ}) and Mumbai Jewel (I Am Invincible), Mumbai Rock is a daughter of the G1 Spinaway S. winner Mani Bhavan (USA) (Storm Boot {USA}).
One of the four Zoustar stakes winners (from 43 runners/34 winners) out of mares by Fastnet Rock, Mumbai Muse is a descendant of the influential mare Idle Fancy (USA) (Ben Brush {USA}).
G3 Ottawa S., $200,000, 1000m
Having fallen in love with her at the sales, Richard and Chantelle Jolly put their faith in Karavas (Alabama Express) - it taking $260,000 to secure her from the Yulong Stud draft at this year's Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
The Yulong bred filly by that stud's exciting G1 C.F Orr S.-winning first-season sire Alabama Express is the second foal produced by the Mornington maiden winner All Of Me (Pierro) whose first foal Zuberoa (Dundeel {NZ}) has had a few trials for the Anthony Cummings stable.
Served last spring by Tagaloa having foaled a colt by that same stallion, All Of Me is one of the seven winners for the speedy Princesa (Danehill {USA}) whose two stakes victories came down the Flemington straight.
Two of her daughters are stakes winners - the triple Group winner Star Of Giselle (Reset) and Solicit (Street Cry {Ire}) with the former going on to produce the triple Group winner Starelle (More Than Ready {USA}).
Princesa is one of the seven winners and two stakes winners for the G1 Winfield Classic winner Kapchat (NZ) (Centaine), also dam of the G3 Ian McEwen S. winner Kaphero and grandam of the dual Group 3 winner Nayeli (More Than Ready {USA}).
Having the benefit of race-day experience - well backed when too strong at her Murray Bridge debut in early October - Karavas is the second recent Jolly trained winner of this race, the stable cheering home See You In Heaven (Divine Prophet) two years ago.
Bred on a 3 X 3 cross of Danehill (USA), Karavas is also line-bred to the wonderful mare Fairy Bridge (USA) (Bold Reason {USA}) via her sons - the prolific full brothers Fairy King (USA) and Sadler's Wells (USA).
Alabama Express has made an impressive start to his stud career with two winners (the other the smart Randwick debut winner Shangri La Express) and a city placegetter amongst his first three runners.
Listed Century S., $175,000, 1000m
Doing a great job backing up from his oh so cheeky third in the G3 Rising Fast S. on Saturday, Najem Suhail (Starspangledbanner) turned the tables on that race's winner Spacewalk (Exosphere) with this determined performance having been clearly headed close to home.
A horse who really knows how to find the line, the Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock-trained 6-year-old has won six of his 15 starts - this race his breakthrough at stakes level.
Bred by Gilgai Farm, he was sold by them to Form Bloodstock for $100,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale - from there making his way to South Africa where he won at his debut at two before spending time in Dubai.
Gelded earlier this year, Najem Suhail is the 37th stakes winner for his Coolmore Stud-based sire. His dam is the classy mare Sophie's Spirit (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) whose Group 3 success came at this same carnival 12 years ago.
In mid-September foaling a colt by Ole Kirk, she produced a Star Turn colt last spring, and a Capitalist filly the previous year. Her most recent named foal is the 4-year-old Invincible Red (Divine Prophet), a Tamworth trial winner back in March.
A full sister to the stakes-placed (her black-type also earned at Flemington during Cup Week) Emma Princess, Sophie's Spirit is out of the Flemington Melbourne Cup Day (there is a theme with this family!) winner Sophie Princess (NZ) (Pompeii Court {USA}) whose dam is a half-sister to the stakes winners Hexagonal (NZ) (Diagramatic {USA}) and La Miel (NZ) (In The Purple {Fr}).
Hawkesbury: Listed Ladies Day Cup, $200,000, 1500m
Putting in the big strides late, New Mandate (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) reaffirmed his liking for the Hawkesbury track having won the club's feature - the G3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup - back in April.
A six-time winner from 31 stats, New Mandate was bred by Charmes L'Hotellerie Meridian F Drion and sold as a yearling - fetching €35,000 (AU$67,000) to the bid of Elliot Bloodstock Services at the 2019 Deauville August Yearling Sale.
A Group 2 winner at Newmarket and a Listed winner at Doncaster, New Mandate is one of the 13 stakes winners for his G1 French Derby-winning Ballylinch Stud-based sire, a son of the mighty Dubawi (Ire).
New Mandate's dam is the placed Mishar (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) whose Group 2-placed half-sister Puggy (Ire) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}) is dam of the dual Group 1-winning filly Avenir Certain (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), in turn dam of the Japanese Group 2 winner Des Ailes (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).
Bred on a 4 X 4 cross of Sadler's Wells (USA), New Mandate also boasts crosses of the lovely mares Where You Lead (USA) (Raise A Native {USA}), Somethingroyal (USA) (Princequillo {Ire}), Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}), Almahmoud (USA) (Mahmoud {Fr]), Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}) and Lalun (USA) (Djeddah {Fr}).
A descendant of Quick Change (GB) (Hurry On {GB}) - ancestress of Danzig (USA) - he can also count amongst his relations the Group 1 winners Luso (GB), Warrsan (Ire) (Caerleon {USA}), Queen's Trust (GB) (Dansili {GB}), Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Thundering Nights (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}).
