Rosehill postponed
Races 6-10 at Rosehill on Saturday were postponed due to heavy rain which resulted in “the track conditions deteriorating and the visibility afforded to riders being such that Stewards were satisfied that racing could not continue safely,” Racing NSW Stewards reported via their X account.
Rosehill Racecourse
This affects the Listed Lord Mayors Cup, which had been due to run as Race 7. It has been postponed to Royal Randwick on Saturday, June 8. Nominations close Monday, 3 June at 11am.
Cigar Flick’s win at Rosehill ‘scary’
Jockey Sam Clipperton won the fifth race (and final) race at Rosehill on Saturday aboard 3-year-old filly Cigar Flick (Churchill {Ire}) for trainer Chris Waller and described conditions as scary. “I couldn't see out of my goggles but I didn't want to pull them down because she was travelling really well,” Clipperton said.
“So I had to turn my head to the side and look out of a little clear speck (of my goggles) for most of the race. The rain is getting heavier and although the track is somewhat safe, the visibility is, I wouldn't even say minimal, it is non-existent.”
Cigar Flick took her record to three wins from 14 starts, having previously won twice at two, with earnings over $340,000.
Just Folk to spell for spring after Lord Mayor’s Cup win
Trainer Gavin Bedggood will spell Just Folk (Magnus) after his big win in Saturday’s G3 Lord Mayor’s Cup at Eagle Farm. "He's had a great campaign and he'll go to the paddock off that today,” he said.
"He's qualified for The Big Dance next preparation and that will be our target. We mapped out a campaign months ago and there was the temptation to go to a Doomben Cup after he ran so well in the Hollindale but this was the game plan and we've stuck to it. It has been a fruitful preparation for everybody."
Just Folk took his record to nine wins and 12 placings from 42 starts with earnings over $1.3million. Purchased by Gavin Bedggood and Mailbag Bloodstock for $199,000 at a 2023 Inglis Digital Sale, this was his third win since they purchased him and he has won over $600,000 for his new owners.
Favourite Hezashocka wins G3 Premier’s Cup
Sent out as $2.25 favourite, Hezashocka (NZ) (Shocking) continued his strong form with a win in the G3 Premier’s Cup by 0.66l. He won the Listed Gosford Gold Cup two starts ago, and punters were willing to forgive his last start seventh in the G1 Doomben Cup. “What a ride by Jamie (Kah),” said Michael Kent Jr, who trains in partnership with Mick Price.
Hezashocka (NZ) | Image courtesy of Grant Peters, Trackside Photography
“He loves soft ground and he’s going great. There’s a big group of owners here today, so I’m delighted for them. The Q22 might appeal as an obvious target. … For $1.2 million, why wouldn’t you go there?”
Hezashocka took his record to five wins and eight placings from 32 starts with earnings over $1.3million. By Melbourne Cup winner Shocking, he was an NZ$18,000 yearling purchase from Grangewilliam Stud by S Clotworthy, and is now raced by an OTI syndicate.
G3 Hyperion S. won by Magnificent Andy
Perth’s G3 Hyperion S. on Saturday was a nailbiter with Magnificent Andy (Magnus) winning by 0.19l from Let’s Galahvant (Galah) with only 0.25l to third placed Searchin’ Roc’s (Awesome Rock).
Bred and raced by David Reed and trained by Stephen MIller, Magnificent Andy took his record to ten wins and eight placings from 28 starts with earnings over $710,000. Previously a Listed winner in the spring of 2023, Magnificent Andy was coming off a last start third in the G3 Belmont Sprint.
His sire, Magnus, has 28 stakes winners and enjoyed a double at Group level on Saturday with Just Folk winning the G3 Lord Mayor’s Cup at Eagle Farm.
Listed wins causes dilemma for Belardo Boy’s trainer
Proven miler and winter track specialist Belardo Boy (NZ) (Belardo {Ire}) bounced back to winning form at Wanganui on Saturday in the Listed AGC Training S. Belardo Boy hadn’t won since September, when he won the G3 Metric Mile.
“He is a stable favourite and good for the team to get the result,” trainer Lisa Latta told Loveracing.nz.
“He is going to be hard to place in the handicaps now, so we will have to have a think about things. We were considering the Winter Cup again but possibly not now as he will get weighted out of it. I think he is up to good company and if we could get a track with the fire out, he might be a chance in the first of the big races at Hastings in the spring (G1 Tarzino Trophy).”
He now has nine wins and seven placings from 36 starts with earnings over NZ$300,000.
Well-bred My Xanadu makes it two
While trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman were celebrating big wins in Queensland with G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup winner I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel) and G3 Fred Best Classic winner Roll On High (Shamus Award), their well-bred filly My Xanadu (Fastnet Rock) made it two wins from three starts with a strong win at Caulfield.
“I thought she was very good because the leader had a really good turn of foot at the top of the straight,” jockey Linda Meech said. Raced by Judy Wanless, My Xanadu is a half-sister to Listed winner He’s Heaven (Zoustar) out of Group 1 winner Lights Of Heaven (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}).
Surprise Oaks options for The Autumn Sun winner
Trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman might back up Friday night winner Ella’s World (The Autumn Sun) into the G1 Queensland Oaks next Saturday. “She might,” Sam Freedman told Racing.com on Saturday.
“The old man is in charge up there, so he’ll decide, but I think she’s pulled up well this morning. It’s a big ask from a Werribee maiden to a Sunshine Coast Class 1 to go to the Oaks, but she’s in at the right time and she’s fit and well and loves soft ground.”
A $550,000 purchase by Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale from Arrowfield Stud, Ella’s World has now won two of her three starts.
Treble for Ben Price at Morphettville
Jockey Ben Price rode a treble at Saturday’s Morphettville meeting, starting with a 1.8l win by Chris Bieg-trained 2-year-old filly Royal Majesty (Royal Meeting {Ire}).
He won race six on Will Clarken and Niki O'Shea trained Favourite Child (Dundeel {NZ}) and race nine for the same trainers on 3-year-old filly Hajra (Zoustar).
Chris Bieg also had a treble at the same meeting with Felicity Atkinson riding Peacemaker (American Pharoah {USA}) to victory in the third and she also rode Bellini Miss (NZ) (Ghibellines) for Bieg to win race seven.
Street Band wins again at Belmont
Trevor Andrews-trained 2-year-old colt Street Band (Lucky Street) made it two wins in succession with a tight 0.2l win in the first race at Belmont on Saturday over Pond Master (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}).
Street Band now has two wins from six starts. He ran mid-field on debut back in the spring, then placed three times before putting together two wins in succession. He is the only winner to date from the fourth crop of G2 Karrakatta Plate winner Lucky Street who has had only eight foals in Street Band’s crop.
Other cancellations across NSW on Saturday
Newcastle’s meeting was postponed after race four, with races 5-8 not run. Bowraville and Quirindi were cancelled prior to the start of the day with 12mils and 46mils of rain respectively.
Sunday’s Muswellbrook meeting is under concern too with a track inspection booked by Racing NSW stewards for 6.45am.
Onepointsevengone heads latest Bloodstock Auction catalogue
The interestingly named Onepointsevengone (I Am Invincible) headlines the current Bloodstock Auction online catalogue, and the 6-year-old gelding isn’t the failure that his cynical name suggests.
Onepointsevengone
He is the winner of three races, including one at Morphettville over 1000 metres in the quick time of 0:58.27, and he has earnings over $100,000. As his name suggests, he was a $1.7million yearling, and he is the second (and at this stage final) foal of Group 3 winner Oakleigh Girl (Snitzel) who has slipped twice and missed three times since he was born.
Invincible Sage out for more Group success on Sunday
Trainer David Hall believes his sprinter Invincible Sage (Thronum) can emulate Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse) in Sunday’s G3 Sha Tin Vase. Last year, Lucky Sweynesse became the first horse in twelve years to win both the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize and G3 Sha Tin Vase.
“I was just making sure everything was in order with him but I think he was always going to run,” Hall told scmp.com about Invincible Sage’s trial last week. .
“He still gets a little bit of an advantage at the handicaps and we were happy with the way he trialled and the way he came through it. He worked well [on Wednesday morning] on the course proper and he looks ready for Sunday.”
Aga Khan’s Oaks gives the breeder 99 Group 1 wins
Ezeliya (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) made the G1 Epsom Oaks her own from a long way out, and in so doing broke the Epsom hoodoo of her sire Dubawi (Ire) as well as becoming the 99th individual Group 1 winner for her stalwart of a breeder.
“Days like this are why we all do it,” said a beaming Pat Downes, manager of the Aga Khan Studs in Ireland, who divulged that Princess Zahra Aga Khan had missed out on this latest Classic winner for her family's celebrated breeding operation owing to a badly timed technical hitch with her flight.
Epsom hasn't always been a happy hunting ground for the Aga Khan. The disqualification of Oaks winner Aliysa (GB) (Darshaan {GB}) in 1989 prompted the owner's exodus from Britain, but in the intervening 35 years Sinndar (Ire) (Grand Lodge {USA}) and Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) have significantly eased that woe with victories in the Derby to bring the tally of wins to five in that particular Classic for Aga Khan IV, matching the record of his grandfather, whose first Derby victory came in 1930 with Blenheim (GB) (Blandford {Ire}).
“For him it's all about nurturing families and that's still the case today,” Downes said. “He will get tremendous satisfaction from this. It's a family that's been in his family for so long, and here we have another top-notch filly from the family. Between His Highness and Princess Zahra that's now 99 individual Group 1 winners. That's quite a benchmark.”
Trained by Dermot Weld, Ezeliya took her record to three wins from four starts, and she is the second winner for Group 2-winning mare Eziyra (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) who ran third in the G1 Irish Oaks, G1 Yorkshire Oaks, and G1 Hong Kong Vase.
Luxembourg wins G1 Coronation Cup
As brave as they come, Ballydoyle's Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) relished a supreme ride from the front by Ryan Moore to register a first mile-and-a-half career success in Friday's G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom. “We always thought he was a mile-and-a-half horse and we ran him a little bit short over the winter,” Aidan O'Brien said.
Luxembourg (Ire)
“The better the ground, the better he'll be and we think he'll hopefully be a King George horse.” An unbeaten winner of three races at two including the G1 Futurity Trophy, Luxembourg suffered a muscle injury during the 2,000 Guineas, then won the the G1 Irish Champion S. before being injured in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at three in a year where he was crowned Champion 3YO Colt in Ireland. At four he won the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, and this win is his fourth at Group 1 level.
Group winner for Deep Impact
Five years after Champion Sire Deep Impact’s death, his progeny are still winning with 6-year-old entire Yoho Lake (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) winning his second career group race in Saturday’s G3 Naruo Kinen over 2000 metres.
Yoho Lake now has a record of four wins from ten starts and had previously won the 2022 G2 Nikkei Shinshun Hai, then had nearly two years away from the track. This time in, he placed twice before Saturday’s win.
Deep Impact was euthanised in July 2019 after suffering a cervical fracture, and the eleven-time Japan Champion Sire has 202 stakes winners and is emerging as a global sires of sires.
Sunday’s French Prix du Jockey Club adds intrigue
Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club is an enticing affair, with Group 1 winner Sunway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) appearing poised to return to his best form. There are several intriguing new shooters, including Listed winner Fast Tracker (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) , who will be making his debut in the Wathnan Racing colours. British raider and group winner Ghostwriter (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who ran fourth in the 2000 Guineas, will be plying his trade in France for the first time. All in all, most of the field is in with a chance, with the potential wet weather definitely set to play a part.
