A Queen for Pride Of Jenni, but which one?
Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) is running on Saturday but the race is yet to be determined.
“We'll make a call just before acceptances whether it's the Queen Elizabeth or the Queen Of The Turf,” owner Tony Ottobre told racenet.com.au.
“I've got an opinion and (trainer) Ciaron (Maher) has an opinion so we'll just weigh up the pros and cons of both races and make a final decision. Before the Australian Cup the plan was to go to the Queen Elizabeth if she won and in the end she's only just gone down.
Pride Of Jenni | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Sometimes I need to be guided by Ciaron and it's very rare that we don't see eye-to-eye on the direction we head. This time won't be any different.”
Her win in the 2024 G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes is etched in history for the brave front running display. “She's raced 45 times and given every bit of herself each and every time she's stepped out. That's what I'm most proud of. To be an 8-year-old mare now and still racing as well as she is, it's incredible really.
“Sometimes your proudest moments and greatest performances aren't always in victory as well. She's raced and beaten the best season after season.”
Ka Ying Rising is epic in 19th successive victory
The G2 Sprint Cup was won by Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) and he broke his own track record in making it 19 wins in succession.
The G2 Chairman’s Trophy was won by Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse).
TTR will provide a full report in the next issue.
Sir Delius to take on Autumn Glow
Not everyone is running scared of unbeaten dual Group 1 winner Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott preparing to send Sir Delius (GB) (Frankel {GB}) up against her on Saturday.
“I wish this race was 2400 metres because it would have Sir Delius's name written all over it,” Waterhouse told racingandsports.com.au.
Sir Delius | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“The only thing holding him back on Saturday is the 2000 metres. Autumn Glow will be very effective at 2000 metres but he will still be a little vulnerable. Sir Delius comes into his own when he gets to 2400 metres.
“It didn't suit him the way the race was run last time But he's a 'happy chappy' and looks amazing.”
Whisky On The Hill set for Sydney Cup
Trainer Glen Thompson will run Whisky On The Hill (GB) (Ribchester {GB}) in the G1 Sydney Cup despite weight reservations for the future.
“There is always the concern about another win giving him more weight in the Melbourne Cup but that race is a long way away,” Thompson told racingandsports.com.au.
Whisky On The Hill (GB) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“While he's racing well, and I've seen it too many times that if you sit around and wait, you can kick yourself later on. He's fit and well and you have to have a crack. The golden ticket guarantees that you can be there but it doesn't guarantee that you will.
“He had his main gallop on Monday morning and pulled up really well. As long as he trots up well on Tuesday, he'll head to Sydney on Tuesday night.”
Blind Raise on stakes pathway
Trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young will plot a path towards the Listed Anzac Day Stakes with Easter Monday-winning 2-year-old gelding Blind Raise (NZ) (Ace High) who was on debut.
“He'd trialled up like that at home but you always want to see them do it on race day,” Busuttin said.
“He's very calm and very quiet, I'm surprised how calm he was saddling him up. The progeny can get a little hot – they've got plenty of ability, the Ace Highs, but they can get a bit wound up. He's been bombproof all the way through and the best part is that he's fast. He quickened up nicely so that's good.”
Middle Earth heads to Queensland
After a jumpout on Easter Monday, Ciaron Maher-trained Middle Earth (GB) (Roaring Lion {USA}) is on track for the Queensland carnival.
“He’ll go first-up into the (Listed) Anniversary Vase before heading to Sydney and then onto Queensland,” assistant trainer Jack Turnbull told racing.com.
Jack Turnbull | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“There is a 2000-metre stakes race (at Randwick called the Japan Racing Association Plate on April 18), which is an option, but his main targets are races like the Doomben Cup and Q22.
“Like a few others, he’ll have a Queensland preparation into the spring. Middle Earth, like Sayedaty Sadaty, Royal Supremacy, Gilded Water and Warnie, who’s going for the Stradbroke, they all had nearly two months out to prepare for the winter.
“They had long preps into the spring and they did really good jobs, but to give them just a couple of weeks off and expect them to get to races like the Tancred or a Sydney Cup, it is very hard to do.
“Sayedaty Sadaty (Bendigo Cup winner) is a horse on the up and Royal Supremacy won a Metropolitan and Middle Earth with his third in the (Melbourne) Cup, if they improve or even stay where they are we could have a lot of fun with them and come spring, they could become our Melbourne Cup horses.”
Juvenile winner for Lucky Vega
Second season sire Lucky Vega (Ire) added a juvenile winner at Ipswich on Wednesday with Pat Webster-trained Lucky Pat who beat Olivia Cairns-trained 2-year-old filly Maganista (Pierata) by a nose.
Lucky Pat was on debut and had been sold by Yulong at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $30,000 to Luke Berger Racing and Danny Bourke Bloodstock. The 2-year-old gelding is the second winner for unraced Fastnet Rock mare Pattle Reef (Ire).
Tarzino quinella adds to Harvey’s big day on Saturday
Westbury Stud, owned by Gerry Harvey, added to his big day on Saturday. Harvey bred G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Campione D’Italia (Snitzel) at Randwick, while his pair of juveniles by his sire Tarzino (NZ) quinellaed the 2-year-old race at Ellerslie.
“We bookended the program at Auckland and Gerry also had a great day in Australia,” Westbury General Manager Russell Warwick told Loveracing.nz on Monday.
“The most relevant piece to the Tarzino story is the crop of 2-year-olds he’s got at the moment came off the year when he had a very big and very good book of mares. It was after the two 3-year-olds won a Derby (Jungle Magnate) and an Oaks (Gypsy Goddess) and every man and his dog wanted to go to him. He covered a significant number of mares and the resulting progeny are two, rising three.”
Amourette (NZ) winning at Ellerslie on Monday | Image courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Tarzino’s daughters Amourette (NZ) and Grocer’s Girl (NZ) quinellaed the juvenile race at Ellerslie.
Saturday’s Gore Guineas winner backs up
Overshare’s 3-year-old filly Better Shared (NZ) won Saturday’s Listed Gore Guineas, then backed up on Easter Monday to add a Pearl Series win. She’s now won three in succession, which are all her starts at three. She was unplaced in three starts at two.
Withdrawn as a weanling and raced by her breeder Little River Thoroughbreds, Better Shared is the third winner for Eagle’s Reach (More Than Ready {USA}). More Than Ready (USA) has 216 stakes winners as a damsire including young stallions Bivouac, King Colorado, Shinzo, and Southport Tycoon.
French classic pointer won by Concorde Agreement
Allowed her own way in front in Sunday's G3 Al Shira'aa Racing Prix Vanteaux, Concorde Agreement (Persian King) punished her peers with a dynamic display to dominate ParisLongchamp's nine-furlong Classic pointer.
“She's confirmed what I thought of her – I don't have a lot of horses but her preparation had gone well,” Groualle said of Concorde Agreement, who races for the American owner Chris Baccari, Hubert Guy, Jean-Philippe Dubois and Arthur Pean and is entered in the Prix de Diane.
“I'm not saying she's as good as him, but she has the action of her father. Her strength is her ability to kill horses from the front and I asked Clement to ride her as he did first time. It's very emotional, as this is my first Group win - not bad! We can dream, but we'll take it step-by-step.”
Bred by Anthony Gourama, who acquired the dam La Concorde (Sadler's Wells) from the late Jimmy Goldsmith's Domaine de Montjeu, Concorde Agreement becomes the second Group winner for her second-crop sire who captured the Prix du Moulin here.
