Cover image courtesy of Racing Queensland
Who’s going to make their Group 1 breakthrough?
It’s the last Group 1 event of the season, and a full field of 17 fillies and mares will line up on Saturday for a chance to snag the G1 Tattersall’s Tiara. Of that number, all but Coco Sun (The Autumn Sun) will be attempting to upgrade their pedigree with a maiden Group 1 win. The 4-year-old arrives at the Tiara first up since November, with her last win being in last year’s G1 South Australian Derby.
Top billing Semana (Winning Rupert), having her second start in the Yulong colours, will be trying to break her duck at her seventh run at the top level after coming second in this race last year. She isn’t the only return competitor; joining her from last year’s edition will be fourth-placed Abounding (Rich Enuff) and 13th-placed Coco Jamboo (Ire) (Massaat {Ire}), both of whom’s only Group 1 starts were in last year’s Tiara.
El Morzillo | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
Konasana’s (Dundeel {NZ}) only top level runs have been in her otherwise very successful New Zealand campaign earlier in the autumn, where she placed fourth on both occasions. El Morzillo (Star Witness) sneaks into the field as the only 3-year-old, bidding to be the first of her age group to win it since Cosmic Endeavour (Northern Meteor) in 2014.
“The plan on Saturday will be to ride her (El Morzillo) quiet and let her finish off strongly,” trainer Kelly Schweida told the Gold Coast Bulletin on Thursday. “This race has been the idea for her the whole way through.”
Of the field, Bubba’s Bay (Cable Bay {Ire}), Floozie (Zoustar), Adiella (The Mission), Tashi (Sebring), and Zaszou (Zoustar) are having their first run at the top level. Trainer Tony Gollan is confident Floozie can make the jump up in grade to take her fifth race in a row.
Floozie | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“She has won at the track and the trip, and she has drawn to get a really nice run again,” he told media on Thursday. “I wouldn't swap her for any other horse in the race, she is as good a chance as any.”
Co-trainer Sterling Alexiou told JustHorseRacing that Arctic Glamour (Frosted {USA}) had earned her shot at the crown thanks to endorsement from jockey Kerrin McEvoy; “I gave Kerrin every option not to run her there and he thought we’d be crazy not to. He was happy to stick with her. He thought there was quite a bit of merit to her run the other day (in the Dane Ripper Stakes) on a track where you couldn’t make much ground.”
| Semana | 6 | 3 |
| Firestorm | 5 | 1 |
| Arctic Glamour | 4 | 0 |
| Coeur Volante | 3 | 0 |
| Grinzinger Belle | 2 | 0 |
| Konasana | 2 | 0 |
| Olentia | 2 | 0 |
| Abounding | 1 | 0 |
| Coco Jamboo | 1 | 0 |
| El Morzillo | 1 | 0 |
Table: Mares attempting to claim a maiden Group 1 in the G1 Tattersall's Tiara that have run in Group 1s before
Maher’s interstate juvenile quartet set to raise roof
Ciaron Maher’s cross country operation is set to saddle four runners (five with emergencies) across three states on Saturday, including intriguing debutant Oyster Lane (Blue Point {Ire}) who will kickstart his career in the $150,000 Vale Snitzel Handicap at Caulfield.
The colt, who was a $80,000 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale pick-up, will debut off of the back of several strong jump-out wins. Assistant Trainer Jack Turnbull indicated the stable is looking forward to the colt’s debut.
Oyster Lane as a yearling | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
“He's a nice colt that has done nothing wrong in his education,” he said. “John Allen has done most of his work and he had a trial down at Cranbourne recently, just to have a look down there and give him a trip away. The trip away really brought him on, but Johnny kept him up to the task all the way to the line in his last jump-out, hence the margin.
“He's (Oyster Lane) a nice colt that has done nothing wrong in his education.” - Ciaron Maher
Oyster Lane will be joined by I Am Invincible colt Yolo, who is making the return to city class after winning his maiden at Pakenham, and first emergency Life After Love (I Am Invincible) should gain a start after current scratching. Turnbull suggested that Yolo is likely looking beyond the distance of Saturday’s race.
Testing One Two (Microphone) broke his maiden by two lengths at Cranbourne in May, and the gelding will head south to contest the Listed Oaklands Plate at Morphettville. He arrives with Phillip Stokes’ Matahga (NZ) (Tivaci) as his main rival; the locally trained colt was an electric finisher when winning his most recent start at Murray Bridge.
Misty Veil as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Fellow debutant Misty Veil (Wootton Bassett {GB}) rounds out Maher’s juvenile runners, having only trialled once in May; out of a half-sister to multiple stakes winner First Command (Commands), she will jump in the 900-metre Super Maiden at Newcastle where she will be one of three juveniles to contest the older horses.
Kris Lees sends out the other two; the debutant Trumper (Russian Revolution) and Newy (Flying Artie), who debuted earlier in June behind Listed Tattersall’s Stakes-bound Duke Of Arrakis (Written Tycoon).
Opportunistic to continue winning streak in Belmont Guineas
Unbeaten 3-year-old gelding Opportunistic (So You Think {NZ}) will line up in the Listed Belmont Guineas at Pinjarra Park on Saturday in an attempt to add a third win to his growing picket fence. The gelding benefits from trainer Michael Grantham’s growing affinity with the mile event, having won two of the last three editions; Devoted (Xtravagant {NZ}) won in 2022 and Luvnwar (NZ) (War Decree {USA}) carried the pink and white colours to victory last season.
In a breakout season where he sits third in the West Australian trainers’ premiership, Grantham said on Tuesday that he was pleased with how the gelding had come through his win in the Listed Raconteur Stakes a fortnight ago, and sees no reason there can’t be a repeat affair on Saturday.
Opportunistic | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
“He’s done nothing wrong, he’s a pretty cool customer at home,” Grantham said. “He’ll have his final gallop on Wednesday and has done everything right. Going forward, we are going to be at set weight and penalties now, so we meet everyone equal.
“He’s (Opportunistic) done nothing wrong, he’s a pretty cool customer at home.” - Michael Grantham
“It will be a lot tougher for him, but it will give us some confidence to see what he can do. If he does go well, you know that we’re putting him away for a reason and (will) come back for the summer.”
Opportunistic’s main threats come from Redback Flyer (Playing God), winner of his last three starts, and Elite Missile (Smart Missile), who finished second by a quarter of a length to Opportunistic the Raconteur at his last start.
Michael Grantham with jockey Clint Johnston-Porter | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
Midnight In Tokyo sprints into Healy contention
Annabel and Rob Archibald’s Midnight In Tokyo (Kobayashi) has proven herself capable in stakes grade this preparation, and the partnership is hoping the 5-year-old mare can make the leap to Group glory in the G3 WJ Healy Stakes on Saturday. Scratched from last week’s Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic and deviated from the Tiara, the mare has drawn much more favourably this weekend with barrier 2.
“We’ve tried her at 1400 (metres) before, but she’s got a very short sprint,” co-trainer Rob Archibald told media earlier this week. “We’ll stick to the 1200 with her. We’ve done it a few times where we try and step her up, and it doesn’t seem to work.
Midnight In Tokyo | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“She runs well, she always tries, but she just feels the pinch a lot. She’s got a very short turn of foot and we just need to ride her as patient as possible.”
Missing the Classic due to the poor barrier was a serious blow to the mare’s campaign.
“She (Midnight In Tokyo) runs well, she always tries, but she just feels the pinch a lot. She’s got a very short turn of foot and we just need to ride her as patient as possible.” - Rob Archibald
“It’s been a frustrating preparation because when you’re targeting these races, you probably only get four or five races for the prep. She’s been in work for a long time, but she’s only had two runs with the prep so far, so it’s been a very frustrating prep. But she’s run well, she’s got a couple more stakes places to her name.”
Rob Archibald | Image courtesy of Annabel Neasham Racing
Archibald indicated that a tilt at the Listed Ramornie Handicap in mid July could be on the cards, with a likely return to the Sunshine State in the summer.
“She just needs to get that stakes win and we’ll be happy,” he said.
Funtantes family affair on Tattersall’s Tiara day
Three years ago, Startantes (Star Turn) surged to a breakthrough Group 1 win at Saturday’s meeting in the G1 Tattersall’s Tiara, a victory that translated to a $1.15 million broodmare sale to Widden Stud last year and another high point for trainer Rob Heathcote thanks to the family of Funtantes (Easy Rocking). Heathcote’s success with the mare's family looks to continue this weekend where two of her offspring will line up to continue the family tradition.
Placed at her last start, 3-year-old Amuseantes (Rothesay) will kick off the action by contesting the Eagle Farm opener, the $150,000 QTIS 3YO Fillies Plate, and three races later, juvenile Fabulantes (Star Turn) will attempt to go two lengths better than his Listed Oxlade Plate performance when lining up for the Listed Tattersall’s Stakes.
Startantes | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
A winner on debut, Fabulantes is the fifth homebred winner for Heathcote from Funtantes, herself a 10-time winner who was victorious in the G2 Champagne Classic. If Amuseantes can pull it out of the bag, she could be winner number six from six to the track.
Funtantes has a yearling filly by Yulong resident Pierata to come, and is in foal to Widden’s Jacquinot. Startantes expects her first foal by Zoustar this spring.
McKell sets up former AidAn O’Brien galloper for spring
Formerly trained by Aiden O’Brien, Adelaide River (Ire) (Australia {GB}) is making a single stop on his winter campaign at the Listed WJ McKell Cup at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, with trainer Kris Lees simply intent on letting the freshly gelded 5-year-old settle back into racing before a spring campaign. In his home country, the gelding was the winner of the G3 Kilternan Stakes and ran second to Auguste Rodin (Ire) in the G1 Irish Derby.
Currently rated 104 after coming fourth in the G1 Caulfield Stakes at his last start in the spring, Adelaide River will have to contend with a hefty top weight of 59.5kg and running first up over 2000 metres, but Lees isn’t too concerned, as long as the horse returns in a similar order.
Adelaide River (Ire) | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“He has had a long time off and seems to be coming up well,” Lees told media earlier in the week. “He was taking a little bit to acclimatise with a bit of bone bruising, but it's settled down and he seems to have responded well.
“In an ideal world, if there was a mile race on, he would have been in it, but he is a mile-and-a-quarter, mile-and-a-half horse. He seems to be coming up well. He has a bit of a winter coat which doesn’t concern me, that tells me he’s settling into Australia better.
“He’s got a bit of quality about him. It’s his first preparation as a gelding and that’s probably the most significant. I think it will make him race more genuine throughout the preparation.”
“He’s (Adelaide River) got a bit of quality about him. It’s his first preparation as a gelding and that’s probably the most significant.” - Kris Lees
Adelaide River’s closest rival appears to be stablemate Loch Eagle (Lonhro), who picked up his eighth career victory earlier in June at Randwick. Victory or a second placing will take the rising 7-year-old to over $2 million in earnings. Carrying a half kilo less than Adelaide River, Loch Eagle will need to draw on a bit of good fortune as only three winners since 2009 have captured the race with more than 55kg on their backs.
