Latest Golden Slipper order
The Australian Turf Club released the latest order for the G1 Golden Slipper on Monday morning and there are now five horses with a ballot exemption: Storm Boy (Justify {USA}), Manaal (Tassort), Straight Charge (Written By), Switzerland (Snitzel), and Erno’s Cube (Rubick). The remaining top 10 are made up of G1 Blue Diamond winner Hayasugi (Royal Meeting {Ire}), Shangri La Express (Alabama Express), Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon) and Traffic Warden (Street Boss {USA}).
Golden Slipper Day | Image courtesy of the ATC
The Waterhouse/Bott team have seven of the top 20 horses, Peter and Paul Snowden have two, and all the remainder are trained by other trainers.
Adelaide Cup won by Excelleration
Trainer Richard Cully felt Excelleration (Excelebration {Ire}) had finally had a campaign without niggling injuries and was a good chance in the G2 Adelaide Cup, and he was correct with the 6-year-old gelding winning by a nose from The Map (Alpine Eagle).
By Excelebration (Ire), a son of Exceed And Excel who won eight races including three at Group 1 level. Excelebration shuttled to Australia between 2013 and 2016, leaving 195 live foals for two stakes winners. He has 15 stakes winners in Europe.
Excelleration took his record to seven wins and seven placings from 19 starts with earnings over $620,000, which is a great return on his $6000 purchase price by Emma Scott from Riverina Downs at the 2018 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.
Meridius gives Extreme Choice a new stakes winner
Meridius added to the excellent sire record of Extreme Choice when he won the Listed CS Hayes Memorial Cup over a mile at Morphettville on Monday. A 4-year-old gelding, Meridius is trained by Lloyd Kennewell and Lucy Yeomans, and was ridden by Jamie Kah.
“It’s good to be back in the hometown and steal a win with that horse. He’s been a nice horse to us over the years, but he’s just lacked winning a race lately although he didn’t have a lot of luck on the Gold Coast two starts ago,” Kennewell told Racing.com.
Meridius took his record to three wins and five placings from 23 starts with earnings over $470,000. He was purchased by Kennewell Bloodstock and Group 1 Bloodstock (FBAA) at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $170,000 from Grandview. This was his first stakes wins, but he did run second to Aft Cabin (Astern) at his fourth start in the 2022 G3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (Colts and Geldings).
New stakes winner for Exosphere in Mahini Classic
Godolphin’s 3-year-old filly Austmarr (Exosphere) became a new stakes winner for her sire when she won the Listed Mahini Classic at Morphettville on Monday.
Austmarr (blue silks) | Image courtesy of Anthony Freedman Racing
Trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman, Austmarr has now won four of her nine starts with three second-placings for earnings of nearly $200,000. She becomes the 10th stakes winner for Exosphere, a G1 Golden Rose-winning son of Lonhro, who stands at Oaklands Stud.
All-Star Mile depleted by withdrawals
With three Group 1 winners pulling out of The All-Star Mile, only 11 potential runners remain, meaning that Racing Victoria (RV) are ringing around to try and get the field up to 16 horses.
Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) is the latest to withdraw after he cut himself in his box on Sunday and will miss his gallop on Tuesday. The other two to withdraw are Alligator Blood (All Too Hard) and Duais (Shamus Award).
RV has until 10am on Tuesday to either secure the full field or run with the numbers the organisation can secure. The All-Star Mile field (so far): Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars), Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai), Desert Lightning (NZ) (Pride Of Dubai), Dom To Shoot (Shooting To Win), Munhamek (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Buffalo River (USA) (Noble Mission {GB}), Cascadian (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), Ayrton (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}), Puntura (NZ) (Vespa) {NZ}), Holymanz (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}), and Pinstriped (Street Boss {USA}).
Another juvenile winner for Alabama Express
Two-year-old filly Harpalee (Alabama Express) won her second start today at Ballarat for Team Hayes and jockey Blaike McDougall. She ran seventh on debut in the G3 Ottawa S. back in November, and was first-up for this win. Harpalee is the sixth individual winner for Yulong's first-season sire Alabama Express.
She was a $180,000 purchase by Laurel Oak Bloodstock (FBAA) and Lindsay Park Racing from Middlebrook Valley Lodge at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Revolutionary Miss on song for Coolmore Classic
Saturday’s G1 Coolmore Classic is the target for Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Revolutionary Miss (Russian Revolution).
“Revolutionary Miss is in great form, I don't think she has ever been going better,” Peter Snowden told Racenet.com.au.
Revolutionary Miss | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“She's won well at Flemington and Caulfield, and we brought her back to Sydney last week to get ready for the Coolmore.”
The four-year-old mare has won her last two starts, both at Group 3 level. Her full record is six wins and six placings from 23 starts with earnings over $1.5 million. Triple Crown Syndications purchased her from Sledmere Stud for $195,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Berry booked for Espionage in Slipper
Three-time Golden Slipper-winning jockey Tommy Berry will ride the $1 million yearling Espionage (Zoustar) in the G1 Golden Slipper for the Waterhouse/Bott team.
Espionage was purchased by James Harron Bloodstock from Baramul Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and is the third foal of a city-winning daughter of Military Rose (General Nediym). Espionage won the G3 Breeders’ Plate on debut and then ran second in the G2 Silver Slipper and was an unlucky fifth at his most recent start in the G2 Todman S. Meanwhile, Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon) trialled well on Monday morning at Hawkesbury.
Winning Rupert announced for WA
West Australia’s Geisel Park Stud have announced that they will stand Winning Rupert for the 2024 season.
Group 2 winner Winning Rupert arrives off the back of new stakes winner Tintookie, who won last weekend’s G3 Wenona Girl H. Winning Rupert now has four stakes winners from 171 runners.
Galaxy Patch is Derby-bound
Trainer Pierre Ng confirmed that the connections of Galaxy Patch (Wandjina) will pay the HK$260,000 (AU$50,000) late fee for the Hong Kong Derby after he ran second in the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup on Sunday night.
“It was a huge run. He was running over 1400 metres for the first time in his life in a Group 1 and he switched off nicely and finished off well. I certainly can’t complain,” Ng told scmp.com.
Galaxy Patch with connections | Image courtesy of Clarken Racing
“The owner really wants to go to the Derby, so we will go for that plan, then I think he will probably be a good miler later on. I think we just have to get the right jockey, switch him off and wait for the straight. I’m not sure, I think Karis has another horse already. If not Karis, I think I will get someone from Australia.”
A winner of his only start in Australia before heading to Hong Kong, Galaxy Patch has won four of his eight starts in Hong Kong. He was a $50,000 graduate of the Summerset Park Stud draft at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale, purchased by Will Clarken, Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) and David Jolly.
Record-breaking day for jockey Donald
Jockey Alisha Donald became the first jockey to ride three winners at three different tracks on Saturday. She drove 89km from Toowoomba to Ipswich where she had two rides, winning aboard the Pat Webster-trained Hayai Uma (Kobayashi), then drove 64km to Esk where she had another two rides, winning on the Shaun Dwyer-trained Gypsy Power (Power {GB}). Donald then drove back to Toowoomba where she had five rides, winning on the Pat Webster-trained That’s an Extra (Kermadec {NZ}).
Too Darn Hot nabs first Japanese Group winner
Etes Vous Prets (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) won the G2 Hochi Hai Fillies' Revue, a trial for the G1 Oka Sho, on Sunday night to become her sire’s first Group winner in Japan. She ran the 1400 metres in 1:20.0. The 3-year-old filly took her record to three wins and two placings from six starts. The Oka Sho will run on April 7.
First winner for apprentice Llewellyn
Friday night at Dubbo will always be remembered by apprentice jockey Shannen Llewellyn who rode her first winner on Elson Boy (NZ) (El Roca).
“Me and my older sister Lakisha had an obsession with and love of horses and although we collected stacks of figurines, stuffed toys and photos we did not have a real horse!” Llewellyn told Racingnsw.com.au.
Shannen Llewellyn | Image courtesy of Dubbo Turf Club
“I had only previously ridden a bit of slow work but the second day after I arrived in Dubbo I was asked to work a horse at full gallop.”
Llewellyn rode her second winner at Tamworth on Sunday aboard Hombre (Exceed and Excel).
