G3 Chairman’s goes to Nathaniel import
Annabel Neasham’s strong record with imported stayers continued with Spirit Ridge (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) winning Saturday’s G3 Chairman’s H. at Doomben. “His first-up run in the Wagga Cup was good and he was always in the market before the race,” said stable representative Todd Pollard.
“He'll step up to the 2400-metres, I'd imagine, now. Hopefully he can go on with it. Great ride by James (McDonald) - one of the best in the business.”
Imported to Australia in early 2020, the win was Spirit Ridge’s sixth in Australia and his eighth career victory. He took his earnings to over $1.1million and it was his third win at Group 3 level.
New stakes winner for Per Incanto in Member’s Handicap
Ciaron Maher and Jamie Kah combined to win the Listed Member’s H. at Doomben on Saturday by 0.89l with the 4-year-old gelding Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}). The consistent gelding has now won all his three starts this campaign and this was his first stakes win.
Per Incanto, who stands Little Avondale Stud for NZ$50,000 (plus GST), now has 29 stakes winners. Gringotts was sold by Archer Park as a yearling at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale for NZ$100,000 to Kasa Bloodstock. He returned to the sales for the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale as a 2-year-old but was passed in. Gringotts now has seven wins and five placings from 13 starts with earnings over $590,000.
Western Empire continues rise with diving win in G3 Belmont Sprint
Trainers Grant and Alana Williams rehabilitation of Group 1 winner Western Empire (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) continued on Saturday when the 7-year-old gelding won the G3 Belmont Sprint to make it two stakes races in succession this campaign.
Winner of the 2021 G1 WATC Railway S, Western Empire had an unsuccessful stint on the east coast in 2022 and 2023 before returning home to WA where he has two wins and a third from his three starts this campaign. All up, he has won nine races from 23 starts with earnings over $1.7million.
Deep Field adds new stakes winner in Straight Six
Jockey Patrick Moloney rode 4-year-old gelding Who Dares (Deep Field) to a tight 0.2l victory in Saturday’s Listed The Straight Six at Flemington to give Deep Field his sixth stakes winner.
Who Dares, trained by Pat Carey and Harris Walker, took his record to four wins and nine placings from 21 starts with earnings over $450,000. Raced by FS Watkins, he is the first foal of winning mare Orvassa (Equiano {Fr}).
The Map wins entry into Melbourne Cup with Andrew Ramsden S. win
South Australian heroine The Map (Alpine Eagle) booked herself a ticket to the G1 Melbourne Cup with a half-length win in Saturday’s Listed Andrew Ramsden S at Flemington. She had won the G3 Queen Elizabeth Cup at Morphettville at her previous start, and took her career record to nine wins from 28 starts with earnings over $840,000.
“We'll let her chill and then start again,” co-trainer Oopy MacGillivray said. “We're in the Melbourne Cup, now we have to get her fit and we don't have to run her and get any weight penalties. That would be our first plan.”
Brilliant comeback for Coastwatch in Listed Luskin Star S.
It’s been a long time since Richard and WIll Freedman trained 5-year-old gelding Coastwatch (Fastnet Rock) stood in the winner’s circle but that all changed when he won Saturday’s Listed Luskin Star S at Scone. “For a horse that was off for two years and to come back and win a race like this is a big thrill,” said Will Freedman.
Coastwatch was a Group 3 winner at three, and ran third in the G1 Golden Rose to In The Congo (Snitzel) and Anamoe (Street Boss {USA}), who both now stand at stud. After a Group 2 win in the autumn at three, he was sent to Hong Kong, but was plagued by injuries and finally returned to Australia for a long rehabilitation.
Female jockeys ride the whole card at Morphettville
Female jockeys won all the nine races at Morphettville on Saturday.
Kayla Crowther and Caitlin Jones won the first two on Nicish (Nicconi) and Jenkins (Pierro), both trained by Phillip Stokes. Alana Livesey scored aboard Sarah Rutten’s Easy Campese (Sidestep) in the next event, before Rochelle Milnes rode a running double on a pair of Michael Hickmott runners, Storyteller (Written Tycoon) and Exalted Fire (Valentia).
Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Clarken/O’Shea-trained (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) gave Crowther her second win for the day, while Livesey followed suit on Richard and Chantelle Jolly’s Keep Reading (Headwater). Maggie Collett won on Oopy MacGillivray and Dan Clarken’s Hot Off (Press Statement) in the penultimate event, then to cap a brilliant day Felicity Atkinson broke her metropolitan duck with a last-gasp win on Chris Bieg’s Peacemaker (American Pharoah {USA}).
Spring Group 1 targets for Listed winner Islington Lass
Trainer Allan Sharrock will target the spring Group 1 races in New Zealand with Saturday’s Listed Rangitikei Cup winner Islington Lass (NZ) (Proisir). “She’ll go to the paddock now for a month, and then we’ll plan our assault on that Spring Carnival,” he said.
Islington Lass took her record to six wins from ten starts and became the 18th stakes winner for Proisir.
Snitzel’s Amur returns at three with strong win
Godolphin’s 3-year-old gelding Amur (Snitzel) won nicely at Doomben over 1350 metres in a return to form. At two, he won his first two starts, then placed behind Veight (Grunt {NZ}) in the G2 Sires’ Produce S. before winning the G3 TL Baillieu H.
Amur | Image courtesy of Godolphin
This season, he had two starts in the spring, before running in the G3 CS Hayes S. before Saturday’s win. All up, he has four wins from nine starts with earnings over $490,000.
Elson Boy makes it five in succession
Trainer Dar Lunn’s Elson Boy (NZ) (El Roca) won his fifth race in succession at Saturday’s Scone meeting. The consistent 4-year-old gelding now has eight wins from 28 starts with earnings over $280,000.
He was a NZ$20,000 sale at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale but was quickly moved on at an Inglis Digital sale as a 2-year-old for only $6000. In a mark of patience, he showed nothing in his first nine starts at three, breaking his maiden a year ago as a late 3-year-old.
Jockeys stood down in New Zealand after fall in race one
Jockeys Matthew Cameron and Wiremu Pinn were both stood down from riding for the day after they were involved in a fall after the post of Race 1 at Trentham. Knights Realm (NZ) (Castledale {Ire}) ridden by Pinn won by 2.75l with Cameron’s mount Haughty (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) in second. After the winning post, Knights Realm shied and Pinn fell off into the path of Haughty, who fell. Trackside TV later reported that both horses and riders were up and okay.
150 season wins for Te Akau Stables
Promising 3-year-old Pokuru Gold (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) provided Te Akau Racing trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson with their 150th winner of the season at Te Rapa on Saturday.
Pokuru Gold (NZ) | Image courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Te Akau Racing have also won 18 races in Australia via their Cranbourne barn, headed by recently retired star Imperatriz (I Am Invincible).
Thinking Of Gerty showcases jockey skill at Echuca
Gwenda Johnstone-trained 3-year-old filly Thinking Of Gerty (Puissance de Lune {Ire}) made her debut more dramatic than necessary at Echuca on Saturday. The saddle slipped as jockey Rose Hammond rounded the turn, but in a display of skill and calmness, Hammond steered Thinking Of Gerty to win easily by 2.75l.
Sunday’s Japan Oaks includes Triple Crown potential
Katsumi Yoshida's Stellenbosch (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) is aiming to add a second Classic to her resume in Sunday's G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks). Trainer Sakae Kunieda said, “She didn't get a good position from the start last time, but the jockey did a great job to get her into the race, and she finished well to win with a bit in hand. She's had her usual break at Northern Farm Tenei, and she's returned to the stable refreshed. She weighed a little less for her last race, but the warmer weather is the reason for that.”
She defeated her G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies conqueress Ascoli Piceno (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) and Listed Elfin S. heroine Light Back (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) in the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) over 1600 metres back in April. If she prevails on Sunday, Stellenbosch would then be poised to become the eighth Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown winner and second in consecutive years after Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn})'s heroics in 2023.
Belmont Gold Cup becomes Melbourne Cup qualifying race
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) have formed an agreement that the G2 Belmont Gold Cup, slated for Thursday, June 6 at Saratoga Race Course, will be a 'Golden Ticket' event offering the winner an automatic berth into the G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup, NYRA said.
Lim’s Kosciuszko wins second Kranji Mile
Singapore’s best galloper Lim’s Kosciuszko (Kermadec {NZ}) won the Listed Kranji Mile on Saturday to take his record to 20 wins from 26 starts, and give him a second win in Singapore’s S$1million feature race.
Lim’s Kosciuszko
Previously run at Group 1 level, the 2024 Kranji Mile will be the final one, and it’s fitting that a horse of Lim’s Kosciuszko calibre would win it. Sure to be crowned the Horse of the Year, Lim’s Kosciuszko has won almost all the feature races of the season in 2023/24 from the Lion City Cup, the Raffles Cup, the Singapore Gold Cup and now the Kranji Mile. He missed the Queen Elizabeth II Cup when second to Hong Kong Great (Chi) (Lookin At Lucky {USA}).
