Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Race-day Recap
Racing fans wanted a match race in the G1 CF Orr Stakes and they got one with Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) beating Angel Capital (Harry Angel {Ire}). It was the 60th career Group 1 victory for Ciaron Maher.
Joe Pride gets the quinella in The Hunter with Coal Crusher (Turffontein) and Accredited (All Too Hard).
Michael Trotter-trained Rumbled Again (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) won the G3 Summoned Stakes for the second year in a row.
Joker’s Grin opened the Perth’s The Pinnacles carnival with victory in the G3 Colonel Reeves Stakes. He goes to the G1 Winterbottom Stakes next.
Third Group 1 for Jimmysstar
Ciaron Maher skipped last weekend’s G1 Champions Sprint with Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) in preference for Saturday’s G1 CF Orr Stakes at weight-for-age conditions over 1400 metres. Racing fans picked the small field to be a match race between proven Group 1 horse Jimmysstar and emerging sprinter Angel Capital (Harry Angel {Ire}), and they got what they came for.
Lindsay Park’s Evaporate (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) attempted to lead but was run down in the straight by the fast finishing quinella with Jimmysstar pulling clear to win by a length from the Chris Waller-trained Angel Capital. Evaporate clung on for third, another length back.
A quirky trivia question for the future will be which trainer won the G1 CF Orr Stakes twice in 2025, as Maher won the autumn edition of the race last season with Another Wil (Street Boss {USA}) before the race was moved to this slot in the spring.
“He's a ripper. I was so confident over the last couple of weeks with him. I know he'd had a few runs in big races but we only keep him fresh enough to run at six (furlongs) and he was better at 6½ and I knew he'd be better today,” Maher said of his 60th Group 1 career victory.
Ciaron Maher | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“(Ethan) Browny just rides him so well. He was in the driver's seat most of the way. He's got a great rapport with him and he's a great fella. I can't thank my team enough. He's been to Sydney for a long time and he's come down to Melbourne seamlessly. You can just see the confidence in the horse. He could have led the race and looked like it early.
“Over the past two years, you can see how much confidence (he had) and they are similar in how they've grown in confidence together.”
“Over the past two years, you can see how much confidence (he {Jimmysstar} had) and they are similar in how they've grown in confidence together.” - Ciaron Maher
It was the third Group 1 victory for Jimmysstar who won the G1 Oakleigh Plate and G1 All-Aged Stakes last autumn. This spring, he’s been consistent. He resumed with a fifth in the G3 Concorde Stakes, was second to Group 1 winner Briasa (Smart Missile) in the G2 Premiere Stakes, then ran third in the G1 The Everest behind the world’s best sprinter Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) and exciting 3-year-old filly Tempted (Street Boss {USA}).
Last start, he won the non-black type $3 million Russell Balding Stakes, and Saturday’s CF Orr victory takes him to 11 wins from 23 starts and earnings over $6.6 million.
Jimmysstar (NZ) winning the G1 CF Orr Stakes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Sales info: Not offered at auction, Jimmysstar was a private purchase by Ozzie Kheir after he won two of his first three starts in New Zealand.
Pedigree notes: One of two stakes winners for Listed Feilding Gold Cup winner Anniesstar (NZ) (Zed {NZ}), Jimmysstar is a full brother to G3 Manawatu Breeders Stakes winner and G1 Queensland Oaks-placed Charms Star (NZ).
Anniesstar who won five races is a full sister to G3 Awapuni Cup winner Jacksstar (NZ) who won seven times and placed in the G1 Auckland Cup. Anniesstar died in 2023 while in foal with a full sibling to Jimmysstar and Charms Star.
Connections of Jimmysstar (NZ) after winning the G1 CF Orr Stakes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The Hunter goes to Coal Crusher again
Joe Pride’s reputation for nursing veteran gallopers once again paid off when he enjoyed the quinella in the $1 million G2 The Hunter at Newcastle on Saturday. It’s been a long time between drinks for the connections of Coal Crusher (Turffontein) who was last in the winner’s circle in the 2023 The Hunter. He beat his stablemate Accredited (All Too Hard) by three-quarters of a length, with Kris Lees-trained Brudenell (Russian Revolution) in third.
“I love this horse, he’s very special to me,” said stable representative Brave Pride.
“I love this horse, he’s (Coal Crusher) very special to me.” - Brave Pride
“His brother was called Gnarly, so we called him Agro, but he’s a sweetheart. He didn’t have much speed. I was expecting him to come out and rip along, but he’s just tough. He’s by Turffontein, he wasn’t meant to be any good, but he’s so tough. He loves Newcastle.”
The Hunter is one of several races that Racing NSW have put forward for an upgrade to black type, but this has yet to be ratified by the Asian Pattern Committee, so the race remains without group status according to International Stud Book rules.
Coal Crusher hasn’t been out of form over the past two years, running fourth last start in the $3 million Russell Balding Stakes behind Saturday’s G1 CF Orr Stakes winner Jimmysstar and Group 1 winners Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel) and Mazu (Maurice {Jpn}). The winner of ten of his 46 starts, Coal Crusher has earned his ownership group over $2.7 million.
Coal Crusher winning the G2 The Hunter | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Sales info: Bred by CM Murphy, Coal Crusher didn’t go to auction.
Pedigree notes: G2 Expressway Stakes-placed Coal Crusher is the last of three live foals, all winners, for unraced Media Academy (Royal Academy {Ire}) who died in 2022. Her other two winners are full siblings to Coal Crusher and are both geldings, African Academy and Beach Baby.
Media Academy is out of winning mare Snippet’s Gift (Snippets), a half-sister to Listed winner Presently (Unbridled’s Song {USA}) and to the dam of recent Five Diamonds winner Vivy Air (Hellbent).
Rumbled Again does it again
Night Of Thunder (Ire) is about to be crowned Champion Sire in Great Britain, and it seems incredible that a member of his only Australian season in 2016 is still racing and winning. That one crop resulted in 58 live foals including Michael Trotter-trained 8-year-old mare Rumbled Again who won her second G3 Summoned Stakes on Saturday.
She hadn’t won since winning this race in 2024, but she’d been knocking around with some good efforts in the meantime. “As usual, she flies under the radar and no one gives her any credit. Her runs in all her races this time in have been super except the last run here with the hard track. She just hasn't had any luck,” Trotter said.
“Firming tracks and not being able to get the right position in runs, I absolutely felt she'd win a nice race this time in. I felt that two weeks ago at The Valley but we were never in the race, unfortunately. She had really good sectionals late and she ran well at Flemington on Thursday (Oaks Day).
“She was two lengths closer than she was last year so it was just a matter of getting everything right. We got there and Craig got her out, fortunately, and we got the result. I said to Craig (Williams), you just do you.”
Michael Trotter | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Rumbled Again took her record to eight wins from 47 starts with earnings over $690,000.
Sale info: She was bred by M Condor in Victoria and wasn’t sold at auction. She is raced by a partnership that doesn’t include her breeder.
Pedigree notes: Rumbled Again is the last foal of Adulate (Flying Spur) who produced seven winners. Adulate is a half-sister to G2 Ascot Vale Stakes (now G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes) winner Spargo (Rory’s Jester) out of G2 Queen of the South Stakes winner and G1 WATC Railway Stakes-placed Adraanito (Adraan {GB}).
Rumbled Again winning the G3 Summoned Stakes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
From The Quokka to Perth’s latest star
The first race of Perth’s The Pinnacles carnival gave racing fans something special when Bernie Miller-trained Joker’s Grin (Maschino) made it three wins in succession with a sensational last to first victory in the G3 Colonel Reeves Stakes.
His latest winning streak began in last season’s The Quokka and has continued with both his runs this spring. The trifecta was exactly the same as the G3 Prince Of Wales Stakes two weeks prior with Oscar’s Fortune (Rich Enuff) in second and Repossession (Sessions) in third.
Joker's Grin winning the G3 Colonel Reeves Stakes | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
“We just focus on the next two weeks now and get the champ right. Great effort by Donny, he absolutely rode him a treat,” said Miller. Shaun O'Donnell got the ride after regular rider Pat Carberry sustained a concussion in a fall on Thursday.
“The first person I spoke to was Mark (managing owner) and I suggested we go for Donny. Paddy and Donny are close mates, and to me it was a no brainer but I just had to ask the connections first.”
Joker’s Grin heads to the G1 Winterbottom Stakes in two weeks. He took his record to nine wins from 12 starts with earnings over $2.5 million. He wasn’t offered at auction as a young horse.
Connections of Joker's Grin after winning the G3 Colonel Reeves Stakes | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
Pedigree notes: A full brother to Group 3 winner Cup Night, Joker’s Grin is out of Walk In Beauty (Barely A Moment) who won twice. She has a yearling filly and colt foal by Maschino. Walk In Beauty’s second and third dams are both stakes winners, but she is the only horse to produce stakes winners in the first two generations on the page.
Maschino, a son of Encosta De Lago, is the sire of 10 stakes winners. Maschino won an earlier race on the card with Asphalt who took his record to six wins from nine start.
