Cover image courtesy of Trackside Photography
Can a legend announce themselves in the Winx Guineas?
Back in 2015, the race that is now the G3 Winx Guineas was run back in May, and it hosted the start of the most remarkable winning streak for the race’s namesake. It is not fair to measure the winners since against Winx (Street Cry {Ire}), but the race has produced more than one talented horse in the last 10 years.
G1 All-Aged Stakes winner Tivaci claimed the race in 2016, and in 2023, it became the first black-type win on the record of G1 Melbourne Cup hero Knight’s Choice (Extreme Choice). It is the best win on the record of 2019 winner Baccarat Baby (Casino Prince), but she has gone above and beyond in the breeding shed, with her first foal being G1 JJ Atkins Plate winner Tron Bolt (Toronado {Ire}).
Kohler Kid | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
Sixteen 3-year-olds will line up to add their names to the honour roll on Saturday, hoping this can be their kick-off to a legendary career, and amongst that number is Kohler Kid (Spieth {NZ}), a last start winner of the $150,000 TL Cooney for Michael Lakey. He has chalked up three wins in nine starts to date, also including the $100,000 Capricornia Yearling Sale 3YO&4YO Handicap at Rockhampton.
A homebred for central Queensland’s Beak family who paid $3000 to keep him come sale time, the grey gelding has yet to win past 1400 metres, which is the only thing that gives Lakey much concern. Part of that is due to his tendency to overrace.
Michael Lakey | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
"I think that part of it might be in his DNA, his Mum was a bit of an over-racer," Lakey told racenet.com. “He does travel strongly, but he wears a shadow roll and he has got a high head carriage anyway. Talking to the jockeys who ride him, they say he is going hard in his races but not as hard as you might think.
"Talking to the jockeys who ride him (Kohler Kid), they say he is going hard in his races but not as hard as you might think." - Michael Lakey
"He is super quiet just to trot and canter around the track, anyone could ride him. But once he gets into a race, he wants to get things over and done with. I think he is getting better, sometimes his over-racing is magnified a bit."
One looking to continue an unbeaten streak is Rustemo (Russian Revolution). The Kris Lees-trained gelding returned this preparation in top form to score three straight wins up to 1400 metres, with his last hit-out resulting in victory by nearly a length at the Sunshine Coast.
Rustemo | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
"He's jumping in grade, we are under no illusions there," Lees said. "But at this time of year, he won at the track last start and where his ceiling is, I'm not too sure.
"We are probably aiming a touch high, but there is really good prizemoney up for grabs so we have to give him his chance. He has got a nice gate and handles all going."
"We are probably aiming a touch high, but there is really good prizemoney up for grabs so we have to give him (Rustemo) his chance." - Kris Lees
Top seed Platinum Pantheon (Hanseatic) will be looking to step out of Kohler Kid’s shadow, having run second to him in the TL Cooney, as well third placegetter Call Da Vinci (Under The Louvre).
The fillies' half of the field hosts some real talent looking for their breakthroughs, including Within The Law (Lucky Vega {Ire}) chasing a return to winning form after her seventh in last week’s G1 Tattersall’s Tiara and multiple Group-performed Tupakara (Trapeze Artist) hoping for her stakes breakthrough.
Kris Lees | Image courtesy of Sportpix
‘Raw’ Star Of Macedon bidding for Taj Rossi springboard
Connections of the John Symons and Sheila Laxon-trained Star Of Macedon (Zoustar) can get off on the right foot in Saturday’s Listed Taj Rossi Series Final and set himself up for bigger goals in the spring. The juvenile has placed in all three starts to date, reeling off an impressive burst of late stage speed in his most recent start over 1420 metres to finish third to Fontein Jewel (Lucky Vega {Ire}) by less than a length.
The colt’s pedigree hints he should well appreciate the step up to the mile, being out of Savabeel mare Construe (NZ) who won over 1550 metres and descended from the versatile Electrique (Zephyr Zip {NZ}), who won from 1200 to 2000 metres including the G1 Flight Stakes and the G1 Australia Stakes.
Star Of Macedon as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
"Give him another six months and he's a real chance to be a Group quality horse," the colt’s regular jockey Dylan Dunn told racenet.com on Thuesday.
"Give him (Star Of Macedon) another six months and he's a real chance to be a Group quality horse." - Dylan Dunn
"I've sat on him from when he's been in for three weeks until now and every week, he's just consistently getting better and better."
What has held Star Of Macedon back so far has been his slow gate speed, which Dunn chalks up to the colt’s relative inexperience leaving the barriers.
“"We just had to get him to the races off the one jumpout, which just hindered us into the first couple of runs that he's had," Dunn said. "At his first start, he got away with it, but at the last two starts, he's got a bit fractious in the gates and hasn't stepped as clean.
Dylan Dunn | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
"The other day at Flemington, while he didn't step as well as we would have liked, we were half expecting, from that gate (barrier 14), that I would cut back to the inside anyway and just ride for luck. We knew if he got the gaps, he'd be there late, which he was, but we just ran out of straight."
He heads back to Flemington on Saturday with another furlong to wind up, and if he can deliver, Dunn will be suggesting chasing a Guineas path in the spring.
"I think the great thing with this horse (Star Of Macedon) is that he's still so raw and still learning his craft." - Dylan Dunn
"I think the great thing with this horse is that he's still so raw and still learning his craft," he said. "He's still a colt, but you wouldn't know it. He's the most laid-back character, which is a great characteristic for a potentially good horse, and he still hasn't fully furnished and turned into a man."
Early autumn experience gives Satin Summer a winter edge
A winning debut at Randwick in January, defeating subsequent G2 VRC Sires' Produce Stakes placegetter Zambales (Pinatubo {Ire}), and a fifth placing in the Listed Lonhro Plate has given Satin Summer (Written Tycoon) the valuable experience to make her shine in the juvenile event on Saturday’s Rosehill card.
The half-sister to Listed Gimcrack Stakes winner Satin Slipper (Pierro) is resuming off the back of two strong trials, winning the most recent one over subsequent Warwick Farm winner Pin Up Sheila (Pinatubo {Ire}). Tim Clark was aboard for that trial, and he takes the reins again on Saturday in the 1100-metre event.
Satin Summer | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“There are some nice horses coming through and Chris' horse (Omolong) won well at the midweeks, but she's in her second preparation and she'll be ready to go," Clark said. "She is a pretty sharp type of filly. I had a sit on her Tuesday morning as well, and was very happy with her work.
"She (Satin Summer) is a pretty sharp type of filly." - Tim Clark
"She is a really straightforward, easy sort of filly to do anything with. She knows her job, and she is well educated. I think she is going to look the winner at some stage in the straight."
The Michael Freedman will have to contend with $850,000 yearling and sharp debut winner Omolong (Extreme Choice), who gets his chance on the Saturday stage, and the equally expensive Kotor (I Am Invincible) who has been unbeaten in two trials for the Baker stable.
Tim Clark | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Neither are the most expensive yearlings in the field though, with that honour going to $1.4 million yearling Defensemen (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who arrives off a last start third at Canterbury. He is almost one of the most seasoned runners in the field with four runs under his belt - a number equalled by $160,000 Max Lees Classic winner Seeiaye (Russian Revolution), who won a recent trial on the Rosehill surface.
Creswick to Kosciuszko for Miss Finland’s granddaughter
Chains Of Love (I Am Invincible) will get another chance to be the next black-type chapter in her family’s story on Saturday when she lines up for Flemington’s Listed Creswick Stakes, and trainers Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich are hoping the 3-year-old filly can show she has the potential to head to the $2 million Kosciuszko in the spring.
The daughter of Stay With Me (Street Cry {Ire}), the G1 One Thousand Guineas-winning daughter of champion mare Miss Finland (Redoute’s Choice), has won three starts from five, including taking out a $120,000 Highway Handicap at her most recent start by a wide margin.
Chains Of Love | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
It is a similar profile to former Messara-Gavranich runner Shalstar (Shalaa {Ire}) who headed to Victoria off the back of three consecutive wins only to be pipped in the Listed Alinghi Stakes by Sydney raider A Very Fine Red (Deep Field).
"You travel to Melbourne and you find a Sydney trainer," Gavranich told racenet.com on Friday when recounting the event. "To be honest with you, if you watch the replay, I don't know how we lost! I'm still sure we got the bob in."
The Messara-Gavranich stable won last year’s $2 million headline country trainer event with an equally well bred mare in Clear Thinking (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Clear Thinking is a daughter of G1 Galaxy Handicap victress Sweet Idea (Snitzel).
If Chains Of Love can measure up on Saturday, she could be set on the same path to a seven-figure payday, but also with important black-type under her belt. It would make her the second stakes winner for her dam, who has already produced dual Listed winner Waltz On By (I Am Invincible).
Leah Gavranich | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
"This race being the last stakes race of the season we can get for this filly, it's a bit of a no-brainer to send her down and see if she can measure up," Gavranich said. "She's an incredible specimen, for a 3-year-old filly she's enormous.
"She's (Chains Of Love) big, she's imposing, she's always looked like a really classy animal." - Leah Gavranich
"She's big, she's imposing, she's always looked like - from the first day she stepped in the stable, obviously she has a pedigree behind her - a really classy animal."
The filly has had one run at stakes grade in the Sunshine State, finishing sixth, so Gavranich is hoping that the Highway win will have brought her on for her Victorian assault.
"It's baby steps with her, and heading in the right direction,” she said. “One step after another trying not to drop her into the deep end too quickly.”
Caloundra Cup’s prize money draws Bestower to back up
Last year, the Listed Caloundra Cup was worth $300,000 when secured by Half Yours (St Jean {Ire}) ahead of the gelding’s Cup double, and the boost to $500,000 in 2026 has been enough to entice Kris Lees to put perennial bridesmaid Bestower (NZ) (Contributer {Ire}) on the seven-day back-up from last week’s Listed Tattersalls Gold Crown.
The 5-year-old mare has recorded 10 second placings in her 31 starts, and a further three third place finishes to go with three wins. She missed the placings by a head in the Crown, finishing fourth at her first flurry at stakes level.
"It was such a softly-run race last week when I dropped her back in distance," Lees told racenet.com on Friday. The Crown was over 2100 metres, a step back from the 2400 metres the mare contested in the previous start at Kensington, where she was fifth.
Bestower (NZ) | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
"Because of her style, she certainly didn't over-exert herself. She was out the back and just worked home into fourth, in some ways it was like a track gallop.
"There is half a million dollars in prize money for the Caloundra Cup and this mare handles any ground. If she gets a good tempo, she can run terrific late sectionals.”
"There is half a million dollars in prizemoney for the Caloundra Cup and this mare (Bestower) handles any ground." - Kris Lees
Lees just hopes Bestower can find her feet a little earlier when back up to 2400 metres, aware of her propensity to give the race away early.
"Her achilles heel is the first half of the race, she sometimes puts herself a bit out of contention,” he said. "That's why she has run so many seconds, she always charges home."
Standing in Bestower’s way is the likes of Fawkner Park (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), the top weight with a rating of 106, and impressive Listed Ipswich Cup winner Kaluakoi (Zoustar) who will be chasing an eighth career win. Also to contend with will be Bjorn Baker’s Thebudgiesmugla (NZ) (Redwood {GB}), who chalked up a sixth win in 12 starts in mid June when winning the 2400-metre Listed Winter Cup at Rosehill.
