Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
None of the three Group 1s run at Flemington last Saturday broke standard time, but each had a genuine excuse. Especially one.
Stakes Day capped off a remarkable four days at Flemington – the best Cup carnival I've seen in a long time.
The Victoria Racing Club has done a tremendous job engaging the next generation, an area where Randwick's Everest Day crowd had previously led the way. It's beyond pleasing to see 20-something-year-olds becoming affiliated with our sport, and I don't think it matters that most of these youngsters aren't wagering much.
I love a punt, and while wagering is what makes our industry tick, we have to remember that most people fall in love with horse racing for the sport – the wagering comes next.
And if all we do is market gambling products, then that's all we will be seen as. That removes our right to argue that horse racing is much more than just gambling.
Barrier placement to blame for Champions Sprint's tempo
One criticism I have of the VRC is the combination of aerating the outside part of the track and positioning the barriers for straight races towards the outside rail.
It meant horses like Tempted (Street Boss {USA}) and Joliestar (Zoustar) ended up in positions where they simply couldn't win.
As Point Barrow (Blue Point {Ire}) reeled off the fastest last 200 metres of the meeting to win the G1 Champions Sprint, all the talk on social media was about how badly Chad Schofield and James McDonald rode Tempted and Joliestar.
That chat is complete garbage - and it was the same with those who bagged Luke Nolen's ride on Sheza Alibi (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) in the G1 Golden Eagle (we will get to that in a minute).
The problem was that both Schofield and McDonald were taken there by the field because the barriers were positioned towards the outside fence.
The fix? If you need to aerate the track because of gallops, that's fine. But move the barriers towards the inside rail so those drawn towards the outside in a major Group 1 race don't get put into the quicksand. The slow tempo of the Champions Sprint allowed Point Barrow to show off her greatest asset – acceleration.
Steady Mile at the mercy of Autumn Glow
The G1 Champions Mile was nothing more than a track gallop, with Lindermann (Lonhro) going around 10 lengths below standard. It meant Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun), who pulled up lame in the off fore, wasn't tested, and she was able to win the feature six lengths outside standard time.
Her last 1200 metres was the second fastest of the day. Only Buckaroo (GB) (Fastnet Rock) went quicker, and his eye-catching performance bodes well for a WA campaign.
Champions Stakes placegetter impresses
Birdman (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}) is off to the G1 Japan Cup after taking out the G1 Champions Stakes. This was the fastest of the three Group 1s on Champions Day, but still below standard both overall and early.
That slow tempo suits Birdman, who is hit and miss in a testing 2000-metre contest. His last 400 metres was quicker than Autumn Glow's, and he loves a patient ride.
In my opinion, the horse of the entire spring carnival was the runner-up, Cosmic Crusader (NZ) (Maurice {Jpn}). He resumed in the G3 Bletchingly Stakes, contested both the G1 Caulfield Cup and G1 Cox Plate, winning the latter, and then ran a good second here.
He is the real deal, and they are not afraid to test him.
Can't compare the 3-year-old talent
Go back to Thursday, and Proxima Dea (Tarzino {NZ}) was way too good for her rivals in the VRC Oaks.
It is rare to see a 3-year-old caught three wide without cover and still win over 2500 metres.
Her time was pretty much bang on average, but given the run she had, the extra four or five lengths lifts her rating into good territory.
But talk of her being competitive with Point Of Law (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is nonsense. They are worlds apart at this stage of their careers. What he did over the final 200 metres in the G1 Melbourne Cup is reserved for stars.
Between the 1000 metres and 800 metres, he clocked 11.04s, then went 11.08s between the 400 metres and 200 metres. To then run 11.6s for his final 200 metres after 3000 metres and two sharp sectionals is simply outstanding. It is the reason he won so easily.
If you ask me, rival jockeys handed the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes to The Next Episode (Snitzel) on day one of the carnival. That colt has a dynamic turn of foot. The way to get those types beaten is to make them work in the run.
Instead, he was able to cruise through the first 600 metres in a time seven lengths below standard and still be only five lengths off the leader.
Stormy Marco (Wootton Bassett {GB}) surprised me by winning the G1 VRC Derby, but he didn't surprise the market, with punters backing him into $4.40 as the clear second pick.
The race was one length inside standard, but the late sectionals suggest there was nothing more in the tank from these, and it's hard to imagine any of them winning a Group 1 weight-for-age race in the autumn.
Lady Shenandoah blooming in Empire Rose
The market was hard on Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel) in the G1 Empire Rose Stakes, and she didn't disappoint.
Aided by a peach from McDonald and the fact that her main danger, Surfin' Bird (The Autumn Sun), was wide without cover, made this the best Group 1 win of the carnival outside of the Cup.
Lady Shenandoah's time was almost five lengths inside standard and she produced sharp late splits – she's come of age this spring, becoming a proven weight carrier against the males under handicap conditions, and a dominant force at set weights against her own sex.
Not forgetting the Golden Eagle
Lastly, we go back to Luke Nolen and Sheza Alibi in the Golden Eagle.
The horse went through her first 1000 metres at an average of 11.74s per 200 metres. That's faster than she's ever gone out of the barriers before. So, to those saying Nolen should've pushed her through a gap, consider this: perhaps the horse simply couldn't go any quicker.
The figures certainly support that argument.
And let's not take anything away from Skyhook (Written Tycoon), who has won three of his four starts this preparation and ran inside Golden Eagle standard time here.
