Cover image courtesy of Racing Queensland
Splash Back (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) may have been the last Group 1 winner of the Australian season, but there was nothing ordinary about the way she earned it. Producing a devastating burst when the race was there to be won
Splash Back clocked the fastest final 400-metres and 200-metres of the day to claim last Saturday's G1 Tattersall's Tiara.
Run over 1400 metres at Eagle Farm, the Tattersall's Tiara represents the final opportunity each season for fillies and mares to secure a valuable Group 1 victory on their record. To some, its place on the calendar makes little sense, but coming just weeks after the broodmare sales, it provides breeders with the opportunity to purchase a mare and significantly increase her value in a short space of time.
I can't say I'm a fan of allowing breeders to dictate the calendar, but here we are. Pleasantries aside, let's examine the race.
Splash Back was more than five lengths off the lead at the top of the straight and, with the lead speed a sluggish nine lengths below standard, she had to produce every bit of acceleration she possessed to run them down.
Her final 400-metres was almost 10 lengths above standard, putting her dynamic turn of foot well and truly on display.
Looking through the profiles of the mares in the race, Gerringong (Blue Point {Ire}) was the runner most disadvantaged by the race shape. She thrives off a fast tempo, received nothing like that and was also ridden against her customary front-running pattern.
Zuleika strikes for Pollard
Zuleika (North Pacific) won her first start for Todd Pollard when taking out the Listed Tattersall's Gold Crown over 2100-metres at Eagle Farm.
The filly had previously missed a place behind Fireball Miss (Bivouac) in both the G2 Doomben Roses and G1 Queensland Oaks.
Does that mean the 3-year-old fillies' form has been franked and we could see one of them measure up in a major race this spring? Not necessarily.
The race has held together reasonably well for a winter Listed event, but if you're talking about taking on the best horses in four months' time, the ratings need to be higher already.
Surfs Up riding the right wave
I've liked the progression Chris Waller-trained 3-year-old filly Surfs Up (Flying Artie) has shown in Sydney.
Last spring she looked every bit a stakes-class filly when testing Point Barrow (Blue Point {Ire}) at Caulfield. This preparation, with more realistic targets, she's begun putting wins together and there's every reason to expect further improvement.
She was forced to produce the sixth-fastest final 200-metres of the day to win her BM78 over 1400-metres at Rosehill on Saturday.
Allocated 59.5kg, she effectively carried 57.5kg courtesy of Siena Grima's claim.
The key to taking this filly to another level could simply be getting her further down in the weights. She's got genuine dash and those types often respond well when the handicapper eases up. Don't be surprised if she proves more than competitive when she rises in grade.
King Pedro delivers the performance of the day
Without doubt, the performance of the day belonged to King Pedro (NZ) (Eminent {Ire}), who ran 3 lengths inside standard time and was particularly slick over his final 600-metres.
This was one of those "out fast, home fast" performances you'll often hear me talking about. It simply means both his early and late sectionals were inside standard, with his overall time the product of sustained pressure throughout the race.
Is he a Grafton Cup horse? Or perhaps connections head towards the Wyong Cup before giving him the opportunity to prove himself as a metropolitan-class horse during the spring.
Spring horses to keep on your radar
With spring just around the corner, here's a handful of horses worth considering in the futures markets. This will also be my final column until September.
Guest House - runs time, but needs tempo
The G1 Golden Slipper winner can run time, there's no doubting that.
His greatest asset is his ability to absorb pressure and, like many editions, this year's Golden Slipper was run at a genuine tempo.
The challenge is finding races that are run fast enough. Without tempo he can over-race and simply doesn't possess an explosive turn of foot.
Guest House | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Many early spring races are run at only moderate speed, so don't be surprised if he's beaten early before bouncing back later in the carnival when the grand finals are typically run at stronger tempos.
Early in the spring, I'll also be watching Tron Bolt (Toronado {Ire}) closely. I think he's the horse that announces himself among the best of his generation - if he hasn't already.
He's got genuine dash and will carry residual fitness into the G2 Run To The Rose.
Tron Bolt | Image courtesy of Inglis
Progressive rising 4-year-old
The G1 Epsom Handicap, like many of the major spring handicaps, is an ideal race for an emerging 4-year-old.
Skyhook (Written Tycoon) has always possessed above-average class within his crop and his Queensland campaign suggests he's now turned the corner, culminating in his G3 Gunsynd Classic victory.
Skyhook showed his speed comfortably extends to 1600-metres and he should receive a competitive weight in the Epsom. He'll likely need only two lead-up runs to have him right on the day.
Skyhook | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Potential Cups horses
I'm always cautious about betting into the G1 Melbourne Cup before the veterinary scans are completed.
For the G1 Caulfield Cup, the obvious horse is Aeliana (Castelvecchio). She ran outstanding time in the G1 Tancred Stakes and her two career-best performances have both come at 2400-metres.
Aeliana | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Standing in her way is Apulia (Fiorente {Ire}), an older gelding with that valuable combination of speed and stamina.
He's the type of horse capable of winning or placing in a G1 Turnbull Stakes before becoming a particularly attractive Cups proposition with a light weight.
