Refreshing
It’s already September which means that next month (yes next month!), all bloodstock industry eyes will be focused on Australia. Until this past Saturday, one date stood out, namely Saturday, October 18 when world star sprinter Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) is due to line up in The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) at Randwick. The excitement over his presence is building towards what many believe could be the race of the year.
Then again, this past Saturday may have altered that belief as we all witnessed a special moment when Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) produced a dominant performance to win the Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m). Suddenly, The Everest has some competition but that will depend on two major stars to align in connection with Australia’s traditional weight for age championship, the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m), which takes place a week after The Everest.
On Saturday Treasurethe Moment arrived at Caulfield with nine wins (eight in succession) and two seconds in 11 starts. As a three-year-old she landed Flemington’s VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) in the spring and in the autumn secured Randwick’s Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m). Five days prior to her first Oaks she succeeded in the Wakeful Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m), her maiden stakes win. Prior to her second Oaks she added two Melbourne Group 2s then headed north to Sydney for back-to back Group 1s. First was the Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) then she wrapped up her three-year-old career with her Australian Oaks triumph.
Given her clear preference for races at 2000 metres and beyond (all three of her Group 1s), her Memsie victory over a much shorter distance was all the more stunning. When making her challenge at the 250 metres she caught a decent bump but unfazed drove through the gap and put away a top class field in a split second before racing away for a fabulous win. With this classy performance she left Caulfield with a fourth Group 1 scalp, creating a world of possibilities.
Instead of just one day, October 18, it could be an unbelievable week. Sydney might be upstaged but plenty of water has to go under the bridge in the meantime. Anything and everything can happen during a campaign, that much we know. Yulong must be pinching themselves at the prospect of Via Sistena (Fastnet Rock) and Treasurethe Moment accepting for the $6 million Cox Plate but there is the possibility that Treasurethe Moment’s schedule could include a tilt at the Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m).
However, the clashing of champions is what racing is all about and it was so refreshing to read Yulong’s Sam Fairgay’s comments in yesterday’s lead article by Trevor Marshallsea. Fairgay stated that their two stars are in different stables and it should be up to each respective trainer to decide the mapping of starts. That map may have Via Sistina and Treasurethe Moment as foes on as many as three occasions. Of those, the Grand Finale, the Cox Plate, is the most tantalising.
The competition between the NSW and Victoria racing jurisdictions is quite apparent but should Yulong give the public what it wants, that competition could reach a new level of intensity. Let’s see how it unfolds and keep our fingers crossed.
Only one question
Now that Platinum Diamond (Hello Youmzain) has franked her super two-year-old stakes winning winter form, by taking out Saturday’s Wanganui Guineas (Listed, 1200m), there is just one question that she needs to answer: How will she perform on firmer going?
It’s a question that trainer Lisa Latta is also aware of, having commented: “We were hoping for a better track today to give us a nice line on her, but it was a stronger field and she just keeps stepping up. She does everything so effortlessly and easily.”
The filly encountered heavy going when landing the Castletown Stakes (Listed, 1200m) and the Ryder Stakes (Listed, 1200m) in June and July. Wanganui was no different.
It’s a fair question because the chances of a heavy track for Riccarton’s New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), her ultimate goal, scheduled for November 8, are unlikely. All four of Platinum Diamond’s wins have taken place in the heavy including three successive Listed wins.
Her Wanganui Guineas win is her best yet against a pretty good field yet she gave her opponents a start when slow from the stalls. Gaining quickly to sit midfield she sat three wide with half the journey to run then rushed up four wide into the straight. In no time she levelled up to the leaders and took over at the 200 metres before going on to a convincing win.
Ahead lies a possible trip to the South Island where there are three lead ups into the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas. She could start in either the Canterbury Belle Stakes (Listed, 1200m) on September 13 or the Barnswood Farm Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) on October 11. Riccarton’s War Decree Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m), set for October 25 is the natural final decider before the Guineas.
Platinum Diamond is one of two winners from Spritz (Thorn Park), a half-sister to Group 1 placed Corsage (Volksraad), the dam of Wakefield Challenge Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m) winner Aotea Lad (Savabeel). Her great-granddam, Seamist (Beaufort Sea), was crowned the South Island filly of her year and won 12 races.
Her win is good timing for her sire, Cambridge Stud’s Hello Youmzain (Kodiac), just as the new covering season begins. In all likelihood Hello Youmzain’s bookings are as expected but if there are breeders who have not yet committed to stallion, Platinum Diamond is certainly a worthwhile and timely advertisement. His oldest southern crop have just turned three from which he has two stakes winners plus a further four in the northern hemisphere.
Two from two
Also at Wanganui and unbeaten in two starts was Humza Bey (Belardo), winner of the Benchmark 65 handicap over 1340 metres. This was a good effort as he hesitated from the jump but recovered quickly to drive up into a share of third with cover. Rounding into the straight three deep he had the lead at the 250 metres and defied his opponents all the way to the line in brave fashion.
This boy has big bold action and races with great determination but is still quite green. “I just about had two hands on the inside rein as he is just young and immature,” said rider Kate Hercock, “but once the penny drops he is going to be not a bad horse. He was three wide early on, had every chance to get beaten and just kept kicking.”
It will be no surprise to see Humza Bey carry on through the grades. He is the only foal of his dam, Torba (Elusive City), to race. His granddam is a half-sister to St George Stakes (Gr 2, 1800m) winner La Rocket (Rock Of Gibraltar), while their dam is the quality racemare La Bella Dama (Desert Sun) whose seven wins were all stakes including the Mackinnon Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), five Group wins and one at Listed level. La Bella Dama was also twice placed at Group 1 level.
Belardo (Lope de Vega) no longer shuttles to New Zealand and has recently been relocated to Turkey, but he has developed quite the reputation as a sire of wet weather runners. Old timers may remember the stallion Head Hunter (Big Game) who, back in the 60s and 70s, had the same sort of results. We have yet to discover if Humza Bey is only effective on rain affected tracks. As the tracks improve we won’t have too long to find out.
That didn’t take long
Last week’s Kiwi Chronicles detailed the developing record of the good staying mare Jennivamoose (Vadamos) subsequent to some very good recent Melbourne form. A week on, her year younger half-sister Bozo (Satono Aladdin) added to the family’s fortunes when taking out her sixth win in 26 starts with a workman-like victory in Wanganui’s open handicap over 2040 metres.
Bozo has a strong preference for heavy going and four of her first five wins were established in such conditions. Consequently she relished the heavy Wanganui surface and scored her first open win against a field which included the 2025 Auckland Cup (Gr 2, 3200m) winner Trav (Almanzor). When the pace quickened at the 600 metres she cruised into fourth then three deep into third turning for home. She didn’t reach the lead until the 150 metres but once in front was never going to give up the lead for win six and earnings of $220,270.
Satono Aladdin (Deep Impact) will no doubt be busy from this week as he has claimed a premier spot among New Zealand based stallions. Rich Hill Stud is letting breeders know that from just 94 Australasian runners he has sired 11 stakes winners, a rate of 11.7 per cent, with anything more than ten per cent rated as exceptional.
Rose to bloom
While only fifth in her Australian debut, Damask Rose (Savabeel) appears to be in similar form to that she revealed as a three-year-old last season in New Zealand. The Te Akau representative was her usual tardy self and sat a clear last with 600 metres of the Cockram Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) remaining. Widest and still last at the 300 metres, and sharing last at the 200 metres, she finished very strongly and two strides past the past was second, in a slashing effort.
She won’t have to improve much to take out a feature during her next few starts, based on her two super wins at Ellerslie last season in the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (RL, 1600m) then the rich NZB Kiwi (Listed, 1500m). We know how good she is but now it’s time for her to show a different audience.