On The Watch

Strong pace saw Grunt produce a career-best performance in winning Makybe Diva Stakes

In fact, Timeform reacted by immediately elevating Grunt to a clear lead on their 2018-2019 Four-Year-Old tables after allotting him a high 125 rating after his impressive victory  – the only horse to return a higher rating so far this season being Winx (Street Cry) [129+].

Grunt settled nicely under Damien Oliver, back in fifth place, tracking the solid tempo set by the surprise leader Black Heart Bart (Blackfriars) that saw the 1000 metres (from the 1400m to the 400m) run in a fast 56.94.

Oliver then brought Grunt into the race nearing the home turn, taking the lead at the 200 metres and then went on to score impressively by two lengths, running the 1600 metre journey in a fast 1:34.91.

Grunt also produced impressive closing sectional times, with his last 1400 metres in a fast 1:20.57, then 1:09.03 (last 1200m), 57.66 (last 1000m), 46.17 (last 800m), 34.75 (last 600m) and 23.49 for his final 400 metres.

It was Grunt’s fifth win from eight starts and his second at Group 1 level, having taken out the Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) at Flemington in March.

Oliver later commented that the large Flemington track seemed to bring the best out in Grunt – but so too it seems, a fast pace as when he won the Australian Guineas he also tracked a fast tempo (leaders clocking 58.92 for the first 1000m) before winning in a quick 1:34.99.

That win was rated at 122 by Timeform, Saturday’s 125-rated victory giving Grunt a new career peak figure.

Grunt defeated a quality field in the Makybe Diva Stakes, runner-up being the Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) and Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) favourite Kings Will Dream (Casamento) with Group 1 winners Jon Snow (Iffraaj) third, Kementari (Lonhro) fourth, Happy Clapper (Teofilo) fifth, Comin’ Through (Fastnet Rock) sixth, Humidor (Teofilo) seventh and Black Heart Bart eighth.

Kings Will Dream clocking 1:20.72 for his final 1400 metres, then 1:09.12 (last 1200m), 57.46 (last 1000m), 45.97 (last 800m), 34.75 (last 600m) with his final 400 metres in 23.49.

And while the aforementioned group also went well on the watch, the fastest closing sectionals in the race were recorded by Comin’ Through, who made ground from the tail of the field to finish sixth.

Comin’ Through clocked 1:20.80 for his last 1400 metres, then 1:08.83 (last 1200m), 57.11 (last 1000m), 45.77 (last 800m), 34.63 (last 600m) with his final 400 metres in 23.26 and he is now expected to head to the Epsom Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) at Randwick on Saturday week.

The other Group 1 feature last Saturday was the Optic White Stakes (registered as George Main Stakes) (Gr 1, 1600m) at Randwick where the champion Winx  stretched her amazing winning streak to 27 in recording her 20th Group 1 victory.

The Chris Waller-trained mare has featured in this column on many occasions since she commenced her unbeaten sequence in the Sunshine Coast Guineas (Gr 3, 1600m) on May 16, 2015 – Saturday being yet another display of her brilliant acceleration.

Settled back in second last place in the seven-horse field by Hugh Bowman, Winx improved on passing the 600 metres and turned for home in fourth place, before sprinting brilliantly to score effortlessly by four lengths from three-time Group 1 winner Le Romain (Hard Spun) in a time of 1:34.21.

Winx’s 200 metre breakdown from the 600 metre point, which reads more like that of a Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) or Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m) sprinter, was 11.24, 10.82 and 11.08 for a final 600 metres in 33.14.

The phenomenal mare’s complete sectional times being: last 1400 metres in 1:19.89, last 1200 metres in 1:08.40, last 1000 metres in 56.57, last 800 metres in 44.72, last 600 metres in 33.14 with her final 200 metres in 21.90.

Winx is a hard (if not impossible) act to follow but a horse on the rise is the Godolphin-raced import Avilius (Pivotal) who maintained his unbeaten run in three Australian starts in taking out the Kingston Town Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m) at Randwick.

Ridden patiently again by Glyn Schofield, Avilius settled really well racing back in 12th place until the home turn, before producing his great turn of foot to score, seemingly with something in hand, by almost a length at the post.

Time for the 2000 metre journey was a very sound 2:02.01 but a feature of the win was Avilius’ very fast closing sectionals – his last 800 metres in 45.39, last 600 metres in 33.42, last 400 metres in 22.09 (10.89 and 11.20).

Trainer James Cummings subsequently elected to bypass Saturday week’s The Metropolitan (Gr 1, 2400m) at Randwick, where Avilius was the early favourite, in preference to a Melbourne Spring Carnival campaign.

His main targets now being the Caulfield Cup on October 20 and the Melbourne Cup on November 6.

Avilius, who had seven prior starts in France when trained by Andre Fabre, is relatively lightly raced, the Kingston Town Stakes being only his tenth start, his fifth win and he heads to Melbourne with very sound credentials.

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