Jameka and the Caulfield Cup

International results this week 

    Almanzor the brilliant french 3 year old colt beats the Arc winner Found in the Champion Stakes group 1 at Ascot to keep his spot as Europes number one thoroughbred and maintain his world ranking of 4th behind California Chrome. Almanzor now has had 17 starts for 13 wins. This week Winx has a chance to try and nudge ahead of Almanzor in the Group 1 Cox Plate where she clashes with the in form Hartnell and make it 13 in a row. Click here to watch the Champion Stakes win.

                                                           Almanzor Champion Stakes

Caulfield Cup Jameka

Jameka wins the Caulfield Cup in a completely dominant win by the four year old My Boy Charlie mare and looks a really good chance of completing the cups double in this years Melbourne Cup even with the one and half kilo penalty. She finishes her races off so strongly and the cup on the first tuesday in November looks ideal for her. There is a lot of internationals to contend with but she handled them easily on saturday and I really fancy that she can do it again. 

Jameka on the morning after with her Cup . Jameka was bred on Gilgai Farm by Rick Jamieson who bred the champion Black Caviar !

Click here for Jamekas Caulfield Cup replay

Jameka as a Foal at Gilgai Farm

Other Australian Thoroughbred Results
Our Boy Malachai the eight year old Rockhampton rocket made it 19 wins from 26 with a win in the group 2 Caulfield Sprint. First Seal the 5 year old mare that in her three year old days beat Winx twice got back into the winners circle in the group 3 Tristarc Stakes. She is by Fastnet Rock out of Episode. I think you can look for another win or two from her and in the last the group 3 Moonga Stakes was won by that super honest I Am Invincible gelding Voodoo Lad who made it 10 from 18 starts . His jockey Brad Rawiller suggesting he should be given another shot at a group one.
Off the Track News
Octagonal dies age 24 . The big O thrilled crowds in the nineties with his incredible will to win often only winning by the smallest of margins with his last dive.
Last years Melbourne Cup winner Prince of Penzance retires . Here he is a few days back.

This Weekend coming up

The Cox Plate and the clash between Winx and Hartnell with the highly rated French horse Vadamos and three year old filly Yankee Rose thrown in. Check out Winx and her brilliant trackwork on saturday. Click Trackwork Friday night sees the Manikato Stakes group 1 with Chautaqua battling it out with old Buffering and the three year old Capitalist .

Breeding Check

Almanzor breeding by Wootton Bassett out of a Maria Mon's mare. It may look an obscure bloodline but if you look back in Wootton Basset you find the Nureyev,Danzig connection with Mr Prospector thrown in as well.

Winx and the Superstar Three Year Olds

       This weeks racing in Australia and the world. After last weeks international performances with the running of the Arc and California Chrome's continued success in the USA it needed some good performances from down under this week to keep our resume in good order and i can tell you the three year olds in Australia at the moment must arguably rank as the best of all time.They remind me of that superstar 1996 group which included Octagonal,Saintly and Nothing Leica a Dane, Our Maizcay and Filante. Octagonal being by Zabeel who was out of Lady Giselle a Nureyev broodmare. The great Zabeel who died a few months back has left a dynasty in New Zealand which will have a long lasting effect on Australian racing. Octagonal was out of the great broodmare Eight Carat.

 The Eight Carat Dynasty 

Octagonal victory in the 1996 Australian Derby 

       The win of Extreme Choice in the Moir Stakes defeating Chautaqua was the first three year old on show last week.  Then we saw Russian Revolution hold off Astern who i still believe is the best of the crop and now this week we have seen Star Turn take on the older horses and win the Schillaci in arrogant fashion. Now the fillies have begun to show their colours as well with Yankee Rose flying home to win the Spring Champion Stakes. 
     The Caulfield Guineas the race for stallions was run and won by another awesome prospect, Divine Prophet who was narrowly beaten by Impending a couple of weeks ago after Impending having the sit on him but in the Guineas on saturday he was the one with the run of the race and it did the trick. Divine Prophet is by Choisir the Danehill line out of the Encosta De Lago mare Prophet Jewel. This win lifted his value to heavenly heights and now possibly onto the Cox Plate to take on Winx with Yankee Rose heading in the same direction. This Cox Plate could easily be a superstar plate with Hartnell in epic form and the arrival of the French horse Vadamoss and add the three year olds in the mix. We could witness a gem of a Cox Plate in a fortnight. 
     I think if Winx is able to win two plates in a row against this field she could be on her way to legendary status but she has to get past these super up and comers. I am sure there could easily be a superstar amongst these three year olds we have in Australia this year and Winx's crown could be under threat. Winx didnt reach her peak until later in her three year old season so anyone of these could be her nemesis . The Queen is under siege ! 

       The Three Year Old Stars

        

      Astern Megadalio Doro out of Exceed and Excel mare

      Star Turn Star Witness out of Made of Gold mare

      Global Glamour Star Witness out of Testa Rossa mare 

      Divine Prophet Choisir out of Encosta De Lago mare

      Yankee Rose All American out of Xaar mare

      Russian Revolution Snitzel out of Stravinsky mare 

      Extreme Choice Not A Single Doubt out of  Hussonet mare 

      Impending Lonrho out of  Encosta de Lago mare

    Astern 

                 

 The Grand Matron Special and her Daughter Fairy Bridge

  Broodmares highlighted this week ! I have a feeling Australia maybe onto a successful formula right now. This double Northern Dancer through Danzigs son Danehill and the connection through that awesome matron Special the mother of Nureyev. Specials daughter Fairy Bridge produced the full brothers by Danzig they are Fairy King and Perugino and was also the mother of  the Northern Dancer stallion, Sadlers Wells . Encosta De Lago is producing a super dynasty at the moment with Chautaqua by Encosta De Lago  out of the Danzig stallion Lion Hunter mare Lovely Jubly . Encosta De Lago was by Fairy King and his full brother Perugino produced Testa Rossa so i think value wise some good Testa Rossa mares could produce just as good horses rather than paying the extra for the Encosta stamp approval.  

Testa Rossa winning Fillies 

International Racing 

 Vyjack sets mile all time record at Santa Anita Park on the weekend with a breakneck speed in front Vyjack sat back to have last crack at them. The Into Mischief six year old Group 2 City of Hope Mile win.

 

Sadlers Wells Weekend

Found

       The Aidan Obrien trained Found was a good winner in the Arc de Triomph on the weekend beating Highland Reel who finished third to Winx in last years Cox Plate. In third place was Order of St George completing the trifecta for Aidan. That horse is suppose to be heading down under for the Melbourne Cup and his win by 11 lengths in the Irish St Leger and now this must give him some chance. Found is by the Sadlers Wells stallion Galileo and with Hartnell winning the group one Turnbull Stakes in Australia it was a good weekend for Sadlers Wells grandsons. 

Found winning the Arc De Triomph from Highland Reel

California Chrome 
Another win for California Chrome on the weekend in the Awesome Again Stakes consolidating his spot as the number one thoroughbred in the world.

 

Jameka

    A four year old mare  By My Boy Charlie . This Danetime stallion producers good stock and the Group 1 Caulfield Cup looks an excellent target. Ran a awesome second in the Turnbull Stakes over the weekend and drops a good bit in weight for the cup. She did not settle early which could have meant she could have finished closer to Hartnell who had a perfect run in the race. 

Hartnell

    A great grandson of Sadlers Wells who was a great grandson of Forli . Has really come up this preparation and made it another group 1 on the weekend and looks to be a major threat to Winx in the Cox Plate in a few weeks if they choose to go that way instead of the Caulfield cup.

                                                 Hartnell and Jameka Turnbull Stakes

Hauraki

   A super performance from this five year old gelding on the weekend to come from last to win the group one Epsom Handicap . After his second to the amazing Winx a couple of weeks back looked a good bet. Its amazing how many times after a finishing second to the mighty Winx horses come out and perform enormously next start. Hauraki is by Reset the Zabeel stallion and of course Zabeel leads back to Special the great matron of the sixties through Nureyev. He is also out of a Dehere mare which takes you back to the mighty Secretariat . If you look back in the the pedigree of Jameka you can come across an interesting connection between all these four gallopers the sire of Special was Forli and you come across another of his daughters Thatch on the broodmare side of My Boy Charlie linking Jameka with Found, Hartnell and Hauraki. 

Hauraki drops from clouds 

 Winners to follow on the weekend in Australia

 Hell or Highwater by Not a Single Doubt 
Nozomi by Street Cry
Sylpheed by Real Saga
Khan by Exceed and Excel 
Russian Revolution by Snitzel
Global Glamour by Star Witness
Takedown by Stratum
The Quarterback by Street Boss out Encosta de Lago mare.
Serenely Discreet by Exceed and Excel
French Emotion by Snitzel
Ulman by Seabring out of Danehill mare.