Cover image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Hermitage's double handed hold on the JJ Atkins
The Chris Waller-trained and Heritage-owned duo of Tron Bolt (Toronado {Ire}) and Stormy Marco (Wootton Bassett {GB}) will butt heads in pursuit of Group 1 glory in the G1 JJ Atkins Plate at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Although they have the same colours and the same trainer, their form lines couldn’t be much different. Tron Bolt ran third in a strong maiden behind Katoto (Wootton Bassett {GB}) at Kembla Grange before putting together consecutive dominant wins at Kensington and Rosehill.
Stormy Marco won the $160,000 Clarendon Stakes at Hawkesbury in a small field before running an unlucky eighth last start in the G2 BRC Sires' Produce Stakes behind Berzelius (Extreme Choice) - a race which is often known as the best lead up to the 1600-metre grand final.
James McDonald | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Champion jockey James McDonald has put his judgement on the line in opting to stick with last start winner Tron Bolt over his stablemate. Waller revealed McDonald's brother-in-law, jockey Andrew Mallyon, partnered Stormy Marco in a trackwork gallop this week and came away bullish about his chances, but McDonald remained adamant Tron Bolt was his Atkins horse.
"He (Stormy Marco) galloped well Tuesday morning. Andrew Mallyon rode him and said he'll be very, very hard to beat," Waller told RSN. "I told that to James and he said, 'No, I'll still ride Tron Bolt'.
"Andrew Mallyon rode him (Stormy Marco) and said he'll be very, very hard to beat. I told that to James (McDonald) and he said, 'No, I'll still ride Tron Bolt'." - Chris Waller
"Both horses have worked well. Stormy Marco was very unlucky the other day in the Sires'. We will learn a lot about them. Trouble free runs and hopefully they'll be right in the finish."
Tron Bolt ran an easier race in Sydney and potentially, with that confidence builder under his belt, it may have been the master call.
Gallery: Hermitage Thoroughbreds' two G1 JJ Atkins Plate hopefuls | Images courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
"He is going into the race full of confidence, whereas Stormy Marco did run in the Sires' Produce and had no luck," Waller said. "Going into a good race like that, especially with a baby, you like to have them in a bit of form."
The race is not just about the Hermitage duo for Waller, who also has Glenorchy (Cosmic Force) backing up from a very good second in the Listed Show A Heart. The Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich-trained Cormier (Maurice {Jpn}) is an up-and-comer, having ran second to Tron Bolt last start, and the Michael Freedman-trained Berzelius has to be respected, given the style of his win in the Sires' Produce last time out.
Chris Waller | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Regal Award’s Stradbroke tilt next chapter in Stokes and Oldfield’s friendship
If 3-year-old Ole Kirk gelding Regal Award could rise to the occasion in the G1 Stradbroke Handicap on Saturday, it would be a very special chapter in the long friendship between leviathan cattleman Viv Oldfield and trainer Philip Stokes.
Their friendship began decades ago when Oldfield trained out of Alice Springs and Stokes was his star apprentice jockey.
Regal Award | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“Philip did his apprenticeship with us and he had his 21st birthday in Alice Springs," Oldfield told racenet.com this week. “We used to do a bit of punting back then and he was a very good judge when we wanted to have a bet on something. We had a horse called Country Life and he said, ‘I will win on that', and I said, ‘it's no bloody good, Phillip'.
"Philip said it wasn't a very good race and I said, ‘yeah, but this horse is not much good'. He said to me to start the horse and let him ride him. Then he told me, ‘you back him and he will win'.
"He was about 8-1 because no punter would go near him, but sure enough he won and we got a bit of money out of it.”
Philip Stokes | Image courtesy of Philip Stokes Racing
Regal Award, a homebred for Oldfield out of Oldfield’s treble Group 3 winner Sovereign Award (Shamus Award), is far from ‘not much good’. The gelding won two starts in the spring for Stokes and proved himself worthy of working up the grades by running second to subsequent Group 1 winner Panova (Trapeze Artist) in the G3 Carbine Club Stakes.
He took the next step on his own Group 1 journey last start when storming to victory in the G3 Fred Best Stakes, downing multiple stakes winner Skyhook (Written Tycoon) by a length.
"Going into the Fred Best, I thought that I would probably never get 20-1 about him (Regal Award) again for a while." - Viv Oldfield
“Going into the Fred Best, I thought that I would probably never get 20-1 about him again for a while, so that was the day to have a bet,” Oldfield said. “I have got some guys who do form ratings for me and they say he is a really good horse.
“The horse is a bit quirky and he wants to over-race a bit sometimes, but once he clears the gates he looks like he is pretty good. So he's probably just got to come out and continue to do it. I own the mare, so, if we win on Saturday, she would go up in value again.”
Viv Oldfield | Image courtesy of Nathan Dyer
Oldfield still retains his training licence, but his active training days are behind him thanks to a sprawling cattle and drilling empire that consumes his time. Instead, he relies on trainers like Stokes and Danny O'Brien, the latter of which trained Shamus Award for him, to look after his horses. A high water mark in his and Stokes' relationship came two years ago when Climbing Star (NZ) (Zoustar) won the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes.
“You wouldn't pick Viv as a very rich bloke,” said Stokes, who cherishes the decades of friendship with Oldfield. “He's a lot of fun and very down to earth.”
"He's (Oldfield) a lot of fun and very down to earth." - Philip Stokes
Regal Award faces a tough task ahead of him, with the full 18-horse field featuring the likes of Fangirl (Sebring), Rothfire (Rothesay), and Private Eye (Al Maher) - but he does get into the field lightly, with a weight impost of just 49.5kg versus the aforementioned trio carrying topweights of 56.5kg. He has drawn dead centre for the 1400-metre feature with Luke Cartwright taking the reins.
Maher confident Jenni can handle the extra furlong
In 48 starts, Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) has never raced beyond 2040 metres, but Ciaron Maher is confident that stretching the 8-year-old out to 2200 metres in the G2 Q22 on Saturday is well within her capabilities.
"There's not much she can't handle, so I'm very confident,” he told RSN on Wednesday. “She'll relish it. She's a strong mare and she keeps galloping, so I don't think an extra furlong will worry her. I know she hasn't been to the 2200 metres, but she always takes a lot of pulling up after the race.”
"There's not much she (Pride Of Jenni) can't handle, so I'm very confident." - Ciaron Maher
Pride Of Jenni has had a productive start to the Queensland winter carnival, winning the G2 Hollindale Stakes over 1800 metres before being beaten by Birdman (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}) in the 2000-metre G1 Doomben Cup.
Pride Of Jenni | Image courtesy of Inglis
"I said I wanted to leave her in (work) after the Doomben Cup just to see how she was,” Maher said. "She's very well and she worked super on Saturday."
At least in part, some of his confidence rests on her enjoyment of besting her rivals on a big track.
"You'd think Doomben and the Gold Coast, those smaller tracks, would suit her style better,” he said. “But she's got a phenomenal record at Flemington which is arguably one of our biggest tracks. Here (Eagle Farm) is pretty similar to that.”
Ciaron Maher | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
But that track could also play in the favour of the mare’s primary rival, Half Yours (St Jean {Ire}), who also enjoys being able to stride out more freely. The gelding has had the Q22 on his agenda ahead of another tilt at the G1 Melbourne Cup this spring.
"The 2200 (metres) is going to be really good and Eagle Farm, the bigger track, is going to suit (him),” Calvin McEvoy told RSN on Thursday. “It will be run at a good tempo and it's been one race, out of all the races, so far that should be suitable to him.”
"It's (the Q22) been one race, out of all the races, so far that should be suitable to him (Half Yours)." - Calvin McEvoy
Gunsynd consolation prize on offer for Stradbroke hopefuls
There’s only 18 spots in the G1 Stradbroke Handicap field on Saturday, and with no likely withdrawals, all five emergencies will have to seek their consolation prizes elsewhere on the Eagle Farm farm. Both of the 3-year-old emergencies, Skyhook and Sixties (Flying Artie), both hopeful of booking a spot at stud in the future, will likely have to reroute to the G3 Gunsynd Classic.
Skyhook finished second last start in the Fred Best behind Regal Award - who booked his golden ticket into the Stradbroke with the win - while Sixties finished fifth, and they will be joined in the pursuit of Group 3 glory by third placegetter Within The Law (Lucky Vega {Ire}).
Within The Law | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Trainer Bjorn Baker, currently in the United Kingdom overseeing the Royal Ascot campaign of fellow Darby Racing-owned horse Overpass (Vancouver) had been hopeful of booking his filly a sixth attempt at the top level, but it was not to be.
"We had been very keen to get Within The Law into the Stradbroke, we thought her run the other day was fantastic," Baker's assistant trainer Luke Hilton told racenet.com on Wednesday. "We were disappointed not to win and get in the Straddy, but hopefully we get a consolation prize on Saturday. The Winx Guineas could be on the agenda going forward, or it could be the Tatt's Tiara, we will look at both races.
"We were disappointed not to win (the Fred Best) and get in the Straddy, but hopefully we get a consolation prize on Saturday." - Luke Hilton
"As for Saturday, we are still working out whether 1600 metres is her sweet spot, but she definitely runs well at the mile.”
The winner of two Inglis Restricted Listed races as well as the G2 Sweet Embrace Stakes as a 2-year-old, Within The Law concluded her juvenile season with a second placing in the G1 Champagne Stakes. Back as a 3-year-old, she has been at her most powerful over the mile, running second in the G1 Flight Stakes and acquitting herself well in the G1 King Charles III Stakes to finish three lengths off the winner.
Luke Hilton | Image courtesy of Bjorn Baker Racing
If she was to head to the G1 Tattersall’s Tiara as her carnival swan song, she would have to drop back a furlong to 1400 metres, but the team also thought her good enough for a Stradbroke offensive over the same distance originally.
Can Waller claim another Winter Cup?
This year, the eighth race on the Rosehill Gardens card may be known as the Listed The Queen Elizabeth II Cup - but when known as the Listed Winter Cup, champion trainer Chris Waller has picked up three of the last six runnings with Wu Gok (Sebring), Irish Sequel (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), and Al Aabir (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) all saluting for him.
This year, it is down to his tough and durable gelding Caboche (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}) to chase victory at Rosehill. He has yet to score at black-type level, but has been a seven-time winner up to 2400 metres and placed in the G1 Queensland Derby four years ago.
Caboche (NZ) | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
"He's up to 2400 metres, which just sees him out, but he's won at the distance, so he has got the right profile," Waller told the NZ Racing Desk. "The track should be drying pretty well too.
"He's (Caboche) a bread and butter horse, which is great to have at this time of year." - Chris Waller
"He's a bread and butter horse, which is great to have at this time of year. He has always been one step below that top grade, so this is his time of year to shine, between here and the Grafton Cup. He'll be hard to beat."
It may only be a smallish field, but it looks very competitive with the Bjorn Baker-trained Thebudgiesmugla (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) a deserved favourite. Maison Louis (NZ) (Super Seth) is last year’s Queensland Derby winner and could easily bounce back to form, and Portland (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was a good winner at Listed level on the same track last start for trainer Matthew Smith.
