Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos
Race-day recap
The Ben, Will and JD Hayes-trained Stakes (Capitalist) was a tenacious winner of the 3-year-old Handicap on the Caulfield heath in the hands of Jye McNeil.
Queen Olympias (Wild Ruler) was a wayward but impressive winner at Eagle Farm, she showed great speed but nearly threw away the race late when running out badly in the hands of Mark Du Plessis.
Pretty Baby (Barbados) added another win to her already impressive record at Morphettville for trainers Gordon Richards and Damien Moyle in the hands of Caitlin Tootell.
Stakes does it tough and scores
There was no doubting that the Ben, Will and JD Hayes-trained Stakes (Capitalist) was a deserving winner of the 3-year-old Handicap over 1200 metres on the Caulfield Heath on Saturday, as he did it tough after being caught wide throughout in the hands of jockey Jye McNeil.
There was plenty of tempo early and, in the end, it was Dustee (Exceedance), in the hands of Jett Stanley, that led, with Tough Romance (All Too Hard) also prominent with who was Stakes caught three-wide.
Dustee kicked on straightening and, not long after, Logan Bates aboard Commit (Profiteer) peeled behind heels and looked likely, but it was Stakes in a tight finish that kept finding to score narrowly from Commit, with the Sword Of State gelding Put To The Sword (NZ) solid in third.
An eye-catcher of the race was the Ciaron Maher-trained Vallice (Maurice {Jpn}), who made his run very wide out and found the line strongly for fourth, beaten less than a length.
“He was exposed at the turn and halfway down the straight I was thinking thank God we put the blinkers on and that seems to have done the trick. It was a good tough effort by the horse,” said co-trainer JD Hayes.
JD Hayes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He’s been a horse that has really improved and had the ultimate gear change when he was younger, but he’s always been one that would develop into a lovely 3-year-old.
“To have that winter fitness under his belt really came to the fore late today and we are really happy for connections.”
“To have that winter fitness under his (Stakes) belt really came to the fore late today and we are really happy for connections.” - JD Hayes
Winning jockey Jye McNeil also thought the blinkers played their part.
"I think they made all the difference," McNeil said of the blinkers on Stakes.
"The other day he didn't participate in the race in the early stages and that put him out of contention.
Stakes winning at Caulfield | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
"Today, he jumped a lot better with the blinkers on, plus we were up 100 metres in distance. We had cover for the first part and then we were stuck in a position three-wide outside the speed.
"He's still so backward. He lays on the other horses, he was wayward in the straight and I had to go back to hands and heels in the straight to get the best out of him.
"The finished product is probably still a prep away, but he's got the ability there."
Sales info: Stakes was originally purchased for $160,000 by Darling View Thoroughbreds from the Attunga Stud draft at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale, before Attunga Stud offered him at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where Lindsay Park Racing and ARJB Racing picked him up for $300,000.
Stakes as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Pedigree info: Stakes is the third foal, and one of two winners out of the unraced Star Witness mare She’s Glamorous, who is very well-related, being a full-sister to the G1 Flight Stakes and G1 Thousand Guineas winner Global Glamour (Star Witness) and placegetter in the G1 Canterbury Stakes.
She’s Glamorous, since producing Stakes, has left a 2-year-old filly by Zousain, a yearling filly by Stay Inside and is due to foal to the G1 Golden Slipper winner again in late October.
Queen Olympias fast and wayward but a winner
The 3-year-old Handicap over 1200-metres at Eagle Farm was full of action and drama from the start right to the finish, as the speedy but wayward filly Queen Olympias (Wild Ruler) kept up the strong form of her sire with a strong showing of sustained speed in the hands of Mark Du Plessis.
The well-backed favourite Boonie Boom (Spirit Of Boom) missed the jump, which was the first piece of drama, and she settled well back in the field. Du Plessis aboard Queen Olympias showed great speed from an inside gate to lead, with Another Champers (Wild Ruler) settling on the outside.
Not a lot changed throughout the running and Queen Olympias kicked hard. The favourites weren't making ground out wide and the race looked hers into the keeping until, at roughly the 50-metre mark, she ducked out sharply, interfering with Run Like A Girl (Supido). Du Plessis straightened her back up abruptly and scored by just over half a length from the very unlucky Run Like A Girl, with Maria Clara (Doubtland) in third.
There was an inquiry, but the stewards' decision was for the results to remain unchanged.
Winning jockey Mark Du Plessis believed that his filly would have won by a big margin if she hadn't shied at something and was deserving to hold the race.
"She was quickening and then she saw something and shied, I had to stop riding," Du Plessis, who did well to stay on top and steer her to victory.
"She (Queen Olympias) was quickening and then she saw something and shied, I had to stop riding." - Mark Du Plessis
"I've got her head turned, trying to keep her on a straight course.
"My filly should have won by at least four lengths."
Sales info: Queen Olympias was passed in short of her $120,000 reserve at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and is now raced by her breeders Glenlogan Park alongside partners.
Queen Olympias as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Pedigree info: Queen Olympias is out of the Listed-winning mare Plutocrat (Rich Enuff), who won four times up to 1400 metres on the track.
Queen Olympias comes from the extended family of the Champion and 11-time Group 1 winner Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}), the G3 Adrian Knox Stakes winner Belle Detelle (Zed {NZ}) and the Group-3 winner Gogo Grace (New Approach {Ire}).
Plutocrat in recent times has left a 2-year-old colt named Curfew (Stay Inside), and has missed to Shinzo and Farnan the last two breeding seasons.
Pretty Baby shows her class again in Adelaide
Form in black type races is usually the best form when dropping back to lower class racing and so it proved again as the last-start Listed winner Pretty Baby (Barbados) got the job done again, with the drop back to 1050 metres proving no hindrance at all in the hands of her regular pilot Caitlin Tootell.
It was Sidebar (Sandbar) who led, with Inhabit (Stay Inside) on the outer while Azytass (Tassort) settled in the trail. The favoured runner Pretty Baby settled back, while the race favourite Chica Astuta (Toronado {Ire}) settled back last and was not travelling well early in the hands of Noel Callow.
Soon after straightening, it became evident that the runners prominent weren't travelling, but Pretty Baby was, and Tootell surged her to the lead at the 200-metre mark. She ran away to score by just over two lengths from Azytass, who came out of the trail and ran on well, and Inhabit, who battled on okay, another five lengths behind the runner-up.
Sales info: Pretty Baby was bred by Mr J McKinnon and is raced by him and his family.
Pedigree info: Pretty Baby is the third foal to race, and third winner, for Louisiana (Southern Image {USA}), who won twice up to 2050 metres. Louisiana’s first foal Dixie Whistler (Rebel Raider) was an eight-time winner up to 2500 metres.
Louisiana’s dam, Atwell (Flying Spur), is a half-sister to Listed winner Miss Cummings (Magnus), the dam of G1 Canterbury Stakes winner Mizzy (Zoustar) and the G2 Dane Ripper Stakes winner She’s Got Pizzazz (Zoustar).
Louisiana has a yearling filly by Cool Aza Beel (NZ) and wasn’t served in 2025.
