G3 BJ McLachlan S. - Magic Millions pointer?
Current Magic Millions favourite Storm Boy (Justify {USA}) takes another step towards that feature on Saturday and should again prove hard to beat having impressed leading throughout at his Rosehill debut earlier in the month.
He has only five rivals in this feature race at Eagle Farm but another four of those have already posted nice wins with the unbeaten Astapor (Tassort) saluting by wide margins at Rockhampton and Doomben.
Mishani Aloha (Kobayashi) - currently quoted at big odds for the Gold Coast race - has also won two in a row and she too has plenty of pace and with her drawing alongside Storm Boy this should be an interesting race tactically.
Storm Boy, the current favourite for the G3 BJ McLachlan S. at Eagle Farm | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Poster Girl (Alabama Express) was a beaten odds-on favourite at her second start but the form for her debut Sunshine Coast win looks pretty good - second that day being the subsequent Listed Calaway S. winner Barbie's Sister (Spirit Of Boom).
The sole debutant in the race is the $400,000 Magic Millions graduate Customized (Capitalist), a Snowden-trained Randwick trial winner who hails from the same branch of the prolific Stolen Hour (USA) (Mr Busher {USA}) family as Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) and like that horse he is line-bred to his own family.
This is an interesting race in regard to first-season stallions with Astapor and Poster Girl by young horses who have made most encouraging starts - horses who are currently one/two in the leading first-season sire chart.
Astapor's Newgate Farm-based sire Tassort has been very nice for those breeders who supported him at a fee of $11,000 (inc GST) - three of his first eight runners being winners including the G3 Gimcrack S. winner Manaal.
Tassort | Standing at Newgate Farm
Poster Girl is by Yulong's G1 CF Orr S. winner Alabama Express whose three winners from six runners include the G3 Ottawa S. winner Karavas whilst his daughter Express Yo'self is stakes-placed.
Meanwhile Storm Boy is by the Coolmore Stud-based second-season sire Justify (USA), the US Triple Crown winner who has already been represented by six Group 1 winners in the Northern Hemisphere and by 20 winners (three stakes winners) in Australia and another three winners (from just four runners) and a stakes winner in New Zealand.
Listed Falvelon S. - consistent speedsters
It's a battle between a couple of 'as honest as they come' horses at Eagle Farm - Zarastro (I Am Invincible) and Spacewalk (Exosphere) vying for favouritism on the back of consistent and classy form.
Not since spring last year has the Tony Gollan - who won this race in 2016 with Whiskey Allround (All Bar One) - trained Zarastro finished out of the first two.
Leading throughout to record a dominant second-up victory at Doomben late last month, the 5-year-old has won four of his last six starts - finishing second on the other two occasions.
Spacewalk boasts similar statistics for his last six outings - three wins and three seconds and he has finished second in a Hawkesbury trial since running two great races in one week at Flemington.
Zarastro, the current favourite for the Listed Falvelon S. at Eagle Farm | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
Winning the G3 Rising Fast S. and five days later running second in the Listed Century S., he is a member of the James Cummings stable - and he is a trainer who really knows how to win this race having taken it out three years running between 2019 and 2021 with Isaurian (Exceed And Excel) and Roheryn (Lonhro) two years in a row.
It would be great to see these two courageous gallopers fighting on the finish though there do look to be a couple of threats with Tony Gollan hoping for a trifecta... Zarastro's stablemates Nettuno (I Am Invincible) and Ef Troop (Spirit Of Boom) also laying claims.
The former is already a Group 3 winner whilst the latter, a dual Listed winner, was third in this race last year.
Listed Bernborough Plate - in memory of a legend
A horse who in his early days was banned from racing in the city due to his controversial owners, a horse who would win 10 races now ranked as Group 1s, a horse would could take out major weight-for-age races as well as handicaps under massive weights, who earned a cult following putting 15 wins together with his trademark strong finishes capturing the imagination of Australian racing fans... this is a horse worthy of a race named in his honour!
Bernborough | Image courtesy of Wikipedia
And also worthy of his induction in the very first year of the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, Bernborough taking his place alongside Carbine (NZ), Phar Lap (NZ), Kingston Town (Bletchingly) and Tulloch (NZ).
There may not have been a horse of the quality of Bernborough (who retired to stud in the US where he sired Group 1 winners form his Spendthrift Farm base) win the race run in his memory but there have been some pretty smart gallopers add it to their resumes - such as the popular Queenslanders Buck's Pride and Chief De Beers (Hula Chief {NZ}).
It's an even running of the 1600-metre contest this year with four of the 11 runners opening at single-figure odds. Favourite on the back of his dominant Listed Tails S. victory second-up,
Acquitted (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) should again prove hard to beat.
Acquitted (Ire), the current favourite for the Listed Bernborough Plate at Eagle Farm | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
Love Tap (Tapit {USA}) has raced in three different states at his last three outings and keeps racing well whilst Tazaral (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) is looking for more luck having been held up for runs fresh at Rosehill on December 2.
G2 Ted van Heemst S. - the Williams stable again?
With the van Heemst family successful with their homebred Queen Alina (Mahuta) in the Listed ATA S. on Wednesday it is timely that a race named after the Lynward Park patriarch take place this weekend at Ascot.
First run in 1914 as the Grandstand Plate, a Principal race, it was renamed in 1920 - and won by the outstanding galloper Eurythmic (Eudorus {GB}) - the CB Cox S. which from 1979 has been run as a Group - under its current name since 2016.
Long regarded as a G2 Perth Cup lead-up, it has been won by a number of classy performers such as Scenic Shot (Scenic {Ire}), Delicacy (Al Maher) and Battle Heights (NZ) (Battle-Waggon {GB}) as well as the G1 Melbourne Cup winner Piping Lane (Lanesborough {Ire}).
Zoumon, the current favourite for the G2 Ted van Heemst S. at Ascot | Image courtesy of Michael McInally
Only six horses face the starter this year with Casino Seventeen (Casino Prince) vying to become the eighth Williams stable winner in 10 years; Grant training the 2014 and 2015 winners Elite Belle (Canny Lad) and Delicacy whilst he and Alana cheered home Perfect Reflection (More Than Ready {USA}) in 2016, Galaxy Star (Redoute's Choice) in 2018, Regal Power (Pierro) in 2019 and 2021 and Truly Great (Dundeel {NZ}) in 2020.
The 6-year-old - who has won two Listed races this year - got too far back from a horror gate in the G1 Northerly S. and is suited down in class and back up in distance.
It is however one of those tricky small fields in which any horse could win without surprising. Numerian (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) has a nice weight drop, Zoumon (Zoustar) was not far away in the Northerly whilst Marocchino (Maschino) will make the pace and prove hard to run down.
Group racing at Trentham - a couple of features
The first of two Trentham features is the G2 Manawatu Challenge S., a weight-for-age race contested over 1400 metres. Strongly fancied to make it two in a row is Puntura (NZ) (Vespa {NZ}) who has been kept up to the mark with a trial victory since taking out the G3 Coupland's Bakeries Mile in mid-November.
Puntura (NZ) is strongly facied to make it two in a row in the G2 Challenge S. at Trentham | Image courtesy of Race Images South
Tavattack (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) can really put in the big strides late and will strip fitter for his last two runs whilst Live Drama (NZ) (Ghibellines) seeks to atone for a somewhat unlucky fifth in the Listed Stewards S.
Belclare (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) has her fair share of ability as her record of nine wins shows and Town Cryer (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) enjoys a drop in class having made the pace in the G1 TAB Classic two weeks ago - a race in which Belardo Boy (NZ) (Belardo {Ire}) was doing his best work late. And Romancing The Moon (NZ) (El Roca) just keeps racing well as does Sugah Sweet (NZ) (Zacinto {GB}) who has earned her crack at this tougher class.
The G3 Manawatu Cup - a 2300-metre handicap - is the next race on the card and whilst the previous race is an open one, this one is dominated by Manifique (NZ) (Savabeel) who is a short-priced favourite having won her last two in convincing fashion.
Manifique (NZ), the current favourite for the G3 Manawatu Cup at Trentham | Image courtesy of Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North)
Colorado Star (NZ) (Alamosa {NZ}) is nice odds and was a genuine improver third-up, Sagunto (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) was game after being taken on in front last start, Fierce Flight (Flying Artie) showed good heart last time out and Langkawi (Helmet) went close to the prize at his most recent outing.
The juveniles at Randwick - another Magic Millions guide
The opening event on the Randwick card is one of the day's most interesting races with a group of eight 2-year-olds facing the starter including the short-priced favourite Straight Charge (Written By) who is high up in Magic Millions markets.
The horse out of a half-sister to the very fast Winning Rupert (a son of Written By's sire Written Tycoon) created a big impression with a tough defeat from a wide gate in the G3 Breeders' Plate at his debut in late September - and he has really caught the eye easily winning two recent Randwick trials.
Coming off a soft win in the Max Lees at Newcastle is Erno's Cube (Rubick) whilst Pisces (Frosted {USA}) and Climate Change (Too Darn Hot {GB}) come off nice debut wins in different states - the former knuckling down late to claim a Kembla Grange maiden whilst the latter led throughout to win at Mornington for the Shane Nichols stable.
Straight Charge, the current favourite for Race 1 at Randwick | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
She is part of the good start made by her Darley-based shuttling sire, the triple Group 1-winning Dubawi (Ire) horse who has been represented by another two winners amongst his first five Australian runners.
Fellow first-season sire Tassort has Sacred Fort attempting to break his maiden after running on nicely at his first two starts whilst there are also two horses facing the starter for the first time - Tarpaulin (Harry Angel {Ire}) and Capricious Belle (Russian Revolution).
The Godolphin colt Tarpaulin is out of the wonderful broodmare Shelters (Lonhro), the dual city-winning dam of the Group winners Aft Cabin (Astern) and Multaja (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) as well as the Listed winner Veranillo (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) whilst Capricious Belle - a $150,000 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale graduate - is out of a half-sister to the triple stakes winner Long Leaf (Fastnet Rock).