The Everest

It was a great days racing on Saturday with the initial running of the 10 million dollar Everest and the Caulfield Guineas meeting from Melbourne. Redzel was successful in the Everest and the flashy Not A Single Doubt colt, Mighty Boss got up at 100/1 to win the Guineas. We also saw the retirement of the five time group one winner Lankan Rupee who is now heading for a life of showjumping. 

Redzel -- The Snitzel colt, raced by the Triple Crown Syndicate and trained by the Snowden's added the inaugural running of the 10 million dollar Everest to his growing tally of victories. The upfront bias of the Randwick track set it up for the Keiron Mcevoy ridden Redzel who sat on the speed and kicked clear after straightening to win convincingly from Vega Magic and a fast finishing Chautauqua who weaved a passage on the inside of gallopers.

The Everest

Not A Single Doubt and Mighty Boss -- What  a brilliant day for the Not A Single Doubt family on Saturday. In the showpiece event at Caulfield we saw the Mick Price trained Mighty Boss and his flashy mane, get a run up along the inside for Michael Walker, to score in the 2 million dollar, Caulfield Guineas. He is out of a Encosta De Lago mare, Bullion Mansion. There were three earlier winners of Not A Single Doubt at Caulfield and Randwick with Qafila, winning the two year old race to open the day at Caulfield and at Randwick, we saw the 3yo filly Torville in the listed Reginald Allen Quality win as well as Lord Condor, score in the second event.

Mighty Boss Caulfield Guineas

Classic Uniform -- Good to see the Gary Moore trained, Al Maher gelding get another win on the board in the 2000m Craven Plate on saturday. Tim Clarke rides him well and he is a gutsy little fighter when he leads them up. Happy Clapper tried hard all the way down the straight but just could'nt reel him in. 

Al Maher at Emirates Park 

I Am Invincible and Invincibella --  Another top ride by Tim Clarke for Chris Waller saw the I Am Invincible mare, record another win, in the Star Mile. She is out of Abscond, a mare by the amazing Galileo and this was one of the light bulb moments over the weekend. His broodmares are producing the goods worldwide. On Sunday, Folkswood was successful in the Cranbourne Cup and is likely to head for the group ones and a possible clash with Winx, over the carnival. He is also out of a Galileo mare. In the group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes saw the Bott/Waterhouse trained filly explode from the barriers , cross the field and lead all the way with Steve Baster in the saddle. In the Schweppes Hcp 1050m at Morphetville, Invisible Girl won under Joe Bowditch's riding for Lloyd Kennewell. She is out of a More Than Ready mare.

Super Cash -- To finish the day in the Schillaci Stakes saw Kate Mallyon get up on Super Cash with a strong ride just falling in for victory. Earlier in the day I think she just misjudged her run on the international horse Johannes Vermeer. The Written Tycoon, 5yo mare is certainly on the ball, fresh.

Lord Fandango --  The winner of the Herbert Power Stakes will now head to the Melbourne Cup and being out of a Monsun mare. I would'nt be at all surprized if he ended up winning the big one. He is by Lord of England who stands in Germany. 

Lope De Capio and Lope De Vega -- Durbridge Stakes a listed race over 1200m, saw another win for Lope de Capio and another good ride by Joe Bowditch. Vega Magic is the standout right now for this breed and was unlucky not to score a win in the Everest but there are plenty of others making their mark, like this gelding, who is out of the Danzero mare, Dance of the Ocean.

Ballyinch Stud in Ireland  

Lope De Vega 

Jockeys of the Week -- Joe Bowditch, Tim Clarke

Winx is Ace High

This was another legendary Winx weekend. The legend of the great mare just keeps growing and we are all on the ride. Strong success for the High Chapparal and Snitzel''s over the weekend. Ace High has lifted his profile the last month and is now well in contention for the Derby's. 

Winx -- The Turnbull Stakes at Flemington turned into a track gallop for the wonder mare on Saturday as they turned for home she was jogging and left her rivals covered in dust down the straight. In my opinion she has to rank as nearly the best of all time. They go on about her not beating much but i never see her out of second gear no matter her opposition.

Winx winning the Turnbull Stakes 

Bring Me Roses and High Chapparall -- In the Group 2 Edward Manifold for the fillies we saw a storming finish by Bring Me Roses. The Tony Mcevoy trained, Luke Currie ridden filly was way too strong for them and the breed also had the runner up in Hyaam. The High Chapparal's really do love the big tracks. While in Sydney, the Group 1 Champion Stakes over 2000m was run and the breed were to the fore again with the promising derby prospect, Ace High, leading all the way. He is trained by David Payne and was ridden by Tye Angland. After the race, Tye said " he was on empty but he got the job done". Across to Adelaide and we find another High Chapparal successful at Morphetville for the in form Mcevoy/ Jamie Kah combination with Dollar for Dollar winning the 1600m event.

Ace High Champion Stakes Group 1 

Main Stage and Reliable Man -- This is my highlighted stallion of the week, Reliable Man.The grey stallion who stands at Westbury Stud in New Zealand continues to get winners everywhere and on saturday, Main Stage in the UCI Stakes continued that winning streak with a powerful finis down the flemington straight. The 3yo gelding was ridden by Michael Walker for the Busuttin/Young yard. Just keep an eye out for this breed a major win is close.  Hugh Bowman on Reliable Man, "I've ridden some good horses and when Reliable Man won the Queen Elizabeth that was an amazing victory. It's just great to be riding such a supreme athlete - it's something you dream of as a jockey."

His first foals were on the ground in 2014 check them out !  

Snitzel -- An epic start of the day for the Snitzel's with a double in the first two at Flemington and a win by the 3yo colt Goodfella, in the first at Randwick.The Hayes/Dabernig trained Nomothaj opened the day for the breed and then the Weir/ Yendal combination won with Snitzepeg in the Listed Antler Stakes in the second. This continued a golden couple of weeks for jockey Dean Yendal after being injured earlier this season Dean had been struggling for the winners but right now he is on song.

Jockeys to Follow -- Dean Yendall is a prolific rider of winners in Victoria and became known for being especially dominant in country areas. He waited more than 30 years for his first Group I win which came when Yankee Rose won the 2016 Spring Champion Stakes. Yendall also won another Group I in 2016, on I Am A Star in the Myer Classic. Last season Dean Yendall rode 145 winners and the most successful stable partnership in the past year has been Darren Weir followed by David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig.

Jamie Kah is on fire in Adelaide right now with her winning connection with the Tony Mcevoy stable as well as being an enormously skillful rider. If you watch her during a race you can see this young lady is going places .
Justin Huxtable is a young apprentice in Adelaide showing heaps of promise and I have noticed the last couple of weeks he is beginning to get some quality rides . Definately a jockey too follow.

Group One for Happy Clapper

Happy Clapper and Teofilo -- There could'nt have been a more popular win on the weekend, than when Happy Clapper saluted in the Group 1 Epsom Hcp. Perfectly ridden by Blake Shinn the 7yo Teofilo gelding finally broke his duck after regularly running into the mighty mare, Winx and after fifty years, trainer Pat Webster finally got his long awaited group one.Tom Melbourne got out late and chased hard but the race was really never in doubt. The Galileo stallion, Teofilo is out of a Danehill mare. His 3yo colt Ataraxia was successful in the earlier run Dulcify Quality to make it a double for the breed at Randwick and gave James Cummings and Godolphin a great day out with Azilee given him his first group 1 for the stable. 

2017 Epsom Happy Clapper 

Classic Uniform -- After a frustrating run of seconds the Al Maher gelding led them up, in a jog and kept finding, to score in the Group 2 Hill Stakes, ridden by Michael Walker . Gary Moore, said "he got it easy in front and that probably helped his cause but never the less it was a good victory".
Alizee -- In the group 1 Flight Stakes on Saturday saw victory go to the James Cummings trained and Glyn Schofield ridden well bred filly by Sepoy out of  Exceed and Excel mare, Essaouira . She came from last to beat Champagne Cuddles, once again, the bridesmaid .She is half sister to last years star colt, Astern.
Lope de Vega and Santa Ana Lane -- In the 1400m Group 1 Rupert Clarke we saw a breakneck speed which suited the Tony Freedman trained Santa Ana Lane, as jockey Dean Yendal sat back and waited for the last shot at the sitting duck and that duck was Mr Sneaky who shot clear on straightening only to be run over, on the line. The Lope de Vega gelding is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Fast Fleet. The breed have had a red letter week and tend to love sitting off the pace and swooping late . In Adelaide in the 1100m listed Wiley Hcp we saw the unbeaten Desert Lashes get run over late by Lope de Capio who made it 7 wins from 23 starts. The owners of the stallion ceased shuttling to Australia in 2015 because they rated him to valuable commodity. 

Exceed and Excel winning the 2003 Rupert Clarke

Bonneval -- Another group one win for this mare by Makfi, out of the Zabeel mare, Imposingly. It brings  her tally now to six in a row and her Caulfield campaign is well on target. There was heaps of pace on, in the Underwood Stakes which set it up for the back markers and even though Hartnell, come off her back . He was no match for the mare and she looks almost assured of more spring glory. Bonneval's is a dual Oaks winner and was recently voted New Zealand, Horse of the Year, Three-Year-Old of the Year and Stayer of the Year.

Foundry -- The 8 year old gelding by Galileo won the group one Metropolitan Hcp at Randwick. Its been a long wait for the Williams camp but it could well give them another runner in the big ones this spring. 

Galileos most famous son Frankel 

 

Perast -- The Snitzel colt is now got the Caulfield Guineas on his radar, after a good win in the prelude. He came off the back of summer Passage, the other snitzel colt to grab victory with unbeaten Royal Symphony chasing back in fourth. Trainer Paul Perry believes the extra 200m of the Guineas should be no worries.

 Teofilo Stands at Darley