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Yulong buy Oaks winner
Yulong have bought VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Strictly Business (Grunt). By the operation’s resident stallion Grunt (O’Reilly), the Thomas Carberry-trained three-year-old filly produced a brilliant performance to win the Group 1 following her second-placed finish in the Wakeful Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) five days earlier. “Strictly Business represents everything we value – class, toughness, and depth of pedigree,” Yulong founder Yuesheng Zhang said. “She is an exciting addition to our broodmare program and reflects Yulong’s continued commitment to excellence in Australian racing and breeding.” Strictly Business has been spelled and her autumn campaign will be decided upon in due course.
My Gladiola primed for Thoroughbred Club Stakes
After finishing runner-up in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), My Gladiola (I Am Invincible) is set to return to fillies’ company in Saturday’s Thoroughbred Club Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Caulfield, which carries a $1 million purse for the first time. “She’s a good-doing filly – a big, strong thing that has always bounced out of her races really well,” jockey Jamie Mott said. “When this race was put on and was worth a million bucks, if she pulled up well out of the Coolmore they were always going to have a look at it, and she has come out of the Coolmore really well. She’s going there 100 per cent.” The John McArdle-trained filly has been partnered by Mott in all seven career starts, producing six top-two finishes. Her only unplaced effort came in this year’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m). My Gladiola debuted with a Blue Diamond Preview (Gr 3, 1000m) win and later took out the Cap D’Antibes Stakes (Listed, 1100m) during her current campaign. She has drawn barrier one for Saturday’s race, a gate Mott is more confident about than when she faced the same starting position at Flemington for the Coolmore. “It’s quite a big field, so if you’re drawn out, you need a lot of luck anyway, so we know she’s going to get a good cushy run,” the rider said. “We just need a bit of luck getting out.”
Clear Thinking set for The Hunter
Paul Messara is confident he made the right call to skip last weekend’s Hot Danish Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) as he prepares emerging mare Clear Thinking (Dubawi) to tackle the $1 million The Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle on Saturday. The six-year-old, who has won five of her seven starts, heads to the race off a brilliant Kosciuszko (1200m) victory in October, when she stormed home from the second half of the field to score impressively. While she has been Group placed, Clear Thinking is yet to register a stakes win, and Messara hopes this weekend’s rich feature can serve as a springboard to that goal. “The way it’s worked out, that’s probably the better race for us,” Messara said. “She has been working very well, it’s 1300 [metres], and it’s not too far from home. “It’s a good prize-money race and the Hot Danish, with the set weights, I thought she’d be better off in The Hunter. Where it falls at the end of the carnival, it’s hopefully a touch softer than some of these very competitive races so we’re hopeful she can springboard off this to other things.” Messara, who trains in partnership with Leah Gavranich, said the mare had come through her Kosciuszko win in good order and would continue to be placed carefully with a view to building her profile. “We’re keen to get her some black type, that’s the key for her, just to nail down her residual value,” he said. “There are a couple of other races potentially for her heading towards December. But also, it will depend on how far we think she is going to run so we’ll just take it race by race.”
Sketch breaks through for first win at Caulfield
The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained filly Sketch (Brazen Beau) recorded her first career victory when taking out the opening maiden plate (1600m) at Caulfield on Wednesday. The Godolphin-owned filly is out of the Illustrate (Street Cry), making her a half-sister to Blue Diamond winner Daumier (Epaulette). Craig Williams, aboard for the win, said it was a pleasing result for her future breeding profile. “The bigger picture is breeding, so that’s a great way to win her maiden by having a city win for her as well,” Williams said. Sketch started favourite after showing promise in minor placings at Kilmore and Ballarat over 1200 metres and 1400 metres in her first two starts for the Freedmans, following two earlier unplaced runs for James Cummings. Jumping well, Williams settled Sketch behind the leaders before finding clear running on the outside turning into the home straight. She proved strongest over the final stages, scoring by 0.75 lengths from Icaro (Needs Further), with Sky Deel (Dundeel) another 1.75 lengths back in third. “She had the nice run, she jumped out of the gates and gave me some options early and she was solid through the line,” Williams said. “She had no problem today settling out to the mile, it was a slowly run race and she picked up when I needed her to.”
Patterson celebrates breakthrough metropolitan win with Blaze Away
Flemington-based trainer Claire Patterson enjoyed a career-defining moment at Caulfield on Wednesday when Blaze Away (Doubtland) delivered her first metropolitan victory in a Benchmark 64 (1100m). Partnered by Lachlan King, the three-year-old took full advantage of the inside draw, settling behind the leaders before powering through along the rail to score by a length from I’mateez (Capitalist), a younger half-brother to Imperatriz (I Am Invincible). “I’m shaking, it’s so good,” Patterson said moments after the race. “I think I went a bit shrill at one point, but it was good.” King, who has ridden all but one of Patterson’s winners, was equally delighted to share in the milestone. “I’ve been riding for Claire for as long as I can remember and for the first two or three seasons we were just trying to get a winner, realistically,” he said. “But her last year has been really good and we’ve had a lot of luck the last few months. It’s a great family and I’m really happy to ride a winner for her.”
Plaintiff makes winning debut
Expensive Zoustar (Northern Meteor) filly Plaintiff got her career off to the perfect start when she broke her maiden in a 1200-metre event at Rosehill on Wednesday. Trained by Peter Snowden, the filly defeated Jaegers (Bivouac) by 1.2 lengths under Tommy Berry with Balmoral Castle (Exceed And Excel) finishing a further 0.8 lengths away in third. Plaintiff was bought by James Harron on behalf of her owner John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds for $2.2 million at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale from the Widden Stud draft. The filly is out of Group 1 winner Prompt Response (Beneteau), herself a sister to juvenile Group 3 winner Prompt Return. “I think she’s better ridden quiet, but the track’s been playing dynamite up on speed, and she was too short a price to be taking risks, so we decided to take bad luck out and put her in a good spot, Tommy rode her well,” said Snowden. “She’s had a few injuries and setbacks so it’s all about educating her now and we’ll see how far we go this time. It will probably depend on how well she does in the yard, but she’s got so much upside to her. She’s very, very raw. She’s a beautiful type, very well bred, and it’s good to have a nice horse for John Camilleri.”
Ascot on the cards for Yulong stars
Yulong’s star mares Magic Time (Hellbent) and Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) could be bound for Royal Ascot next year, with chief operating officer Sam Fairgray revealing European campaigns are under consideration for both. Fairgray told The Verdict podcast that Magic Time, who was narrowly beaten by Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) in Saturday’s Champions Sprint (Gr 1, 1200m), would first be aimed at another autumn preparation before a final decision was made on travel plans. “There is the possibility we might take her over to Ascot for a race like the Diamond Jubilee, or something like that,” Fairgray said. “There are plenty of options for her. We’ll see how she comes up in the autumn and make plans from there. It would be great if we could get her over to Ascot. Even beyond Ascot, a race like the July Cup may suit her, as well.” Yulong is also considering a Queen Anne Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) target for Treasurethe Moment, either in 2026 or 2027. “That would be a great race for her,” Fairgray said. Meanwhile, Fairgray confirmed superstar mare Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock) had come through her latest Group 1 win in good order but is likely nearing the end of her racing career. “I think the breeding barn is beckoning,” he said. “I’d be thinking the autumn will be her swansong.”
Mullins hails Melbourne Cup Carnival as world’s best
Willie Mullins has declared the Melbourne Cup Carnival the finest racing festival in the world after returning home from another visit to Flemington this year. “Melbourne is a tremendous meeting,” Mullins told Racing TV. “People ask me what the best meeting in the world to go to and I always say getting to Melbourne. They do it properly with the four days. One on Saturday, you get two days rest, then Tuesday and then another day’s rest before Oaks Day, or as they call it down there – blokes’ day – and then another day’s rest for the Championship race on the Saturday.” Mullins’ runner Absurde (Fastnet Rock) contested the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) for the third consecutive year, finishing eighth behind Half Yours (St Jean). The champion trainer also stayed on for Oaks Day, where he watched compatriot Thomas Carberry celebrate success in the Oaks with Strictly Business. “It was fantastic to be there for Tommy Carberry winning the Oaks,” Mullins said. “I stayed over for an extra day or two and it was fantastic to be there for that.”
Melham handed suspension over cup day incident
Melbourne Cup Day was a career-defining one for Jamie Melham, who became the first female jockey to complete the Caulfield Cup/Melbourne Cup double on Half Yours, but it ended on a sour note with a suspension handed down for a later ride. On Wednesday, Melham received a 30-meeting suspension following an incident that saw Blake Shinn fall from She’s Got Pizzazz (Zoustar) in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m), the race after her Cup win. Melham had been aboard Fancify (Niagara), trained by Michael Hickmott, which finished eighth. Shinn broke his leg in the fall and was unable to give evidence on the day, but the inquiry resumed ahead of Wednesday’s Caulfield meeting, where Melham pleaded guilty to careless riding. Melham had her licence suspended for 30 race meetings with the period to commence on November 16 and expire on December 17. In assessing the penalty, account was taken of her guilty plea, good record and that it was a Group 3 event and the incident resulted in a rider being dislodged.”