Cover image courtesy of Trackside Photography
Sunrays (Hellbent) might’ve franked the Beadman form but the clock says Saturday’s Listed Bill Carter Stakes is one to forget.
Arriving at the 2YO feature as an unbeaten commodity, Sunrays was heavily backed from $2.45 into $1.80 and certainly looked the part when cruising away with a 2l win over Chatterly. But her overall time was almost 8l below standard and more than 2l slower than The Inflictor who won a BM85 over the same 1350 metres journey. The tempo was solid enough for them to run time.
Pulchritudinous powers home in fast time
One mare that did run time was Pulchritudinous (NZ) (Wrote {Ire}), who took out the Listed 1600 metres event for fillies and mares. She sat wide, often without cover but was way too good them beating standard time by 3l with a last 200 metres in 11.52, only Antino (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) came home quicker. She was super and can win better races than this. Her trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are striking at 30 per cent of late and beating market expectations by 60 per cent - they are simply airborne.
Antino emerges as rain-soaked threat
Speaking of Antino, have we seen the rebirth of him? Always a top line horse, Tony Gollan has found a new lease on life with his charge by taking on a different distance range this prep. Two back in the G2 Hollindale Stakes we saw Antino for the first time beyond 1600 metres.
He smashed them by 3l in fast time on heavy ground. Last Saturday, he smashed them again. This time by 4l on much drier ground and this time he beat G1 standard time by more than 4l. He rated 95 on our database, which to give you some perspective, is about 1-2l off what Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) typically does at her peak over 2000 metres (not the Cox Plate where she rated that far above anything she’s done before). No doubt Antino will avoid Via Sistina for the early spring but I suspect Gollan will target the Cox Plate and hope for a deluge of rain. That track is in horrible order and they’re about to blow it up with this year being the last at Moonee Valley for the Cox Plate for quite some time. An uneven surface on the bog gives Antino a chance.
War Machine fires, Stradbroke looms large
Still on feature G1 racing and War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel {Ire}) is now the horse to beat for the Stradbroke Handicap after a resounding win in the BRC Sprint Classic. he won with 56.5kg and will carry around 52kg (we think) when weights come out. His overall time on Saturday was sharp and his late splits suggest there’s plenty more racing left in him this prep.
The key for the Hayes boys I finding the right jockey. Blake Shinn won’t ride 52kg. Craig Williams can and you’d think is the frontrunner for the ride. As good as Craig is, he’s not riding as well as Blake with his recent strike rate exactly half Blake’s. So the punters have to ask themselves, does War Machine perform at the same level when he loses one of the form jockeys of the year? I find when these big handicap races come around the lightweight hoops like Williams, and in particular in years gone by, Glen Boss, rise to the occasion no matter how stinky their form was leading into it.
Forward filly Philia proves class again
One filly that won’t need to find a new rider or a new level to win her G1 this winter is Philia (All Too Hard). David Vandyke’s filly won the G2 Doomben Roses beating standard time by 1l in what was an evenly run race. Philia’s ability to jump straight on the bunny without looking for a sit or a cheap sectional is what wins her races. While Benagil (Manhattan Rain), Polymnia (Dundeel {NZ}) and co were dragging back looking for cover, or worse, looking for a run, Philia was relishing having the wind in her air.
Of course, the Qld Oaks over 2200 metres on a bigger track won’t suit her as much. Movin Out (NZ) (Staphanos {Jpn}) clocked the best last 200 metres of the race but you’d be brave to forget Benagil into the Oaks. She had no hope last Saturday and it looked a prep run to my eye. Another filly you can expect improvement from is You Wahng (So You Think {NZ}). Kris Lees saddles this one up and everything she does screams stayer. Her sections are flat and she lacks that dash fillies like Movin Out has. But at 2200 metres and especially if the race is run at a fast tempo, You Wahng will come into her own.
This Saturday we have the Queensland Derby and Kingsford Smith Cup. The in form horse ahead of the Derby is Party Crasher coming from a BM66 in Adelaide where he clocked the 2nd fastest last 200 metres of the day – quite something for a 2250 metres race. Impossible to pick the Kingsford Smith but I see Kimochi (Brave Smash {Jpn}) has won a trial since her All Aged Stakes failure and the race has already provided a Brisbane G1 winter winner with Sunshine In Paris (Invader).
