Without A Fight battles bravely to land Caulfield Cup
Son of Teofilo hand Anthony and Sam Freedman their first win in the time-honoured Group 1
Teofilo’s (Galileo) outstanding reputation as a sire of stayers leapt skywards again when the Darley stallion took the quinella in yesterday’s Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m), as Without A Fight vindicated a tough choice for jockey Mark Zahra to outlast West Wind Blows in an epic edition of the race.
Zahra’s angst-filled week concerning his choice of Without A Fight over his Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) hero Gold Trip (Outstrip) received validation when the Anthony and Sam Freedman trained gelding gritted his way past his former Simon and Ed Crisford-trained stablemate West Wind Blows to score by a head. Gold Trip, ridden by Ben Melham, took third, finishing another two lengths away.
Annabel Neasham’s British-bred French import Bois D’Argent (Toronado) took fourth at $101, ahead of the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Right You Are (So You Think), who was the first Australian-bred home.
Without A Fight became the 24th global Group 1 winner for the former Darley shuttler, 19-year-old Teofilo, who covered his final book of mares in Australia in 2017, after six dual-hemisphere seasons. His top-level winners here included 2018 and 2020 Melbourne Cup winners Cross Counter and Twilight Payment, as well as Happy Clapper, Humidor and now Darley-based resident Kermadec.
With Zahra’s expertise in and out of the saddle emphatically proven by a second Caulfield Cup triumph, following his 2020 win aboard the Chris Waller-trained Verry Elleegant (Zed), the gifted rider deployed his latest piece of judgement to urge Without A Fight’s connections to pursue the Cups double with the gelding.
Without A Fight was brought to Australia last year by the Crisfords – trainers of West Wind Blows – but disappointed when 13th in the Melbourne Cup under William Buick.
Zahra was aboard for his subsequent two starts – Brisbane winter carnival wins in Eagle Farm’s Lord Mayor’s Cup (Gr 3, 1800m) and The Q22 (Gr 2, 2200m) – after which he said the 2040 metres of the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) should be the prime spring target for the seven-year-old.
After yesterday, he revised that advice, and said the gelding should be given a second attempt at Australia’s greatest race.
“You’ve got to have a crack,” Zahra told Racing.com of the Flemington showpiece on November 7.
“That [the Caulfield Cup] was second-up from a spell. A great training performance from the Freedmans to get him right today, so you think there’s got to be a little bit of improvement.
“In Brisbane I thought he won’t run past 2000 metres so I said send him to the Cox Plate. But he just came back so much more relaxed, so you’ve got to have a crack [at the Melbourne Cup].”
Without A Fight last night firmed into a $26 chance for the Cox Plate. He is a $7 third-favourite for the Melbourne Cup behind $4.50 favourite Vauban (Galiway) and Gold Trip ($5).
Yesterday, he went to the start as a steady $8.50 chance, while firm support came for West Wind Blows ($5.50 fav) and Gold Trip ($6.50).
Jumping from barrier seven, Zahra found a cosy position just worse than midfield on the fence, trailing West Wind Blows and Zahra’s good friend Jamie Spencer, as the leaders set a frenetic pace. As Spencer made his run seven-wide around turn, Zahra went two horses wider, keeping Gold Trip in a pocket.
While West Wind Blows hit the lead at the 200-metre mark, Without A Fight was soon at his girth, the pair drawing away to slug it out over the final 100 metres, and Zahra’s mount gaining the upper hand in the last few strides.
Zahra said he’d been agonising all week over his decision to choose Without A Fight over Gold Trip. With Melham booked for the latter, Zahra was then made to sweat further on Thursday when Without A Fight was deemed lame in a pre-race Racing Victoria veterinary inspection. He was finally cleared to start on Friday.
“I didn’t sleep Wednesday night just thinking about it. It was like someone stealing your missus, someone else getting the ride on Gold Trip, and I was just a bit shattered,” Zahra said.
“On Thursday, I said it was time to stop worrying about Gold Trip and time to focus on Without A Fight. Then the vet stuff came up.
“By Friday, I was finally right.”
Sam Freedman said training the winner of the Caulfield Cup with his father was a special day, and thanked the homebred’s owner, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, for entrusting the horse to them after he stayed here following last year’s Melbourne Cup.
Freedman built a relationship with the Sheikh while working in England with Roger Varian, at the time when they enjoyed Group 1 success with Postponed (Dubawi).
“It was with Postponed, and I’m thankful to have a little bit to do with [Sheikh Obaid], and met him at the races going back seven years and kept up the connection,” Freedman said. “Down the line, here we are.”
Without A Fight (7 g Teofilo – Khor Sheed by Dubawi) is the best of four winners, from five runners, for the Italian Group 3-winning mare Khor Sheed (Dubawi), who was a 28,000gns purchase for BBA Ireland on behalf of Yulong at the 2023 Tattersalls February Sale.
Zahra, who came to racing relatively late, now has 27 Group 1s including two this season, having piloted Gold Trip to his previous start win in Flemington’s Turnbull Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) on October 7.
The 41-year-old will have some time to reflect on this Caulfield Cup triumph, having incurred a seven-meeting ban, and $50,000 fine, for over-using the whip in the race. The ban will be served between Melbourne’s next major race days – Saturday’s Cox Plate meeting and the following Saturday’s VRC Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) programme.
Meanwhile, Spencer was full of praise for the effort of West Wind Blows.
“He did everything right. He stepped slow away (which) probably helped him because they went fast fractions,” he said. “Won the battle, lost the war.”
Melham was also impressed with Gold Trip, who carried 58.5 kilograms – three kilograms more than the winner, and 4.5 more than West Wind Blows.
“He had a lovely run, he was just really made to carry that weight with the frantic speed. It never let up,” Melham said. “I had the chances, one and two just in front of me and four or five kilos in the end was the finish.
“The horse is going terrific moving forward, whether they go to the Cox Plate or Melbourne Cup, especially the Melbourne Cup the horse couldn’t be in any better order.”
Maher echoed Melham’s sentiments and said the Cox Plate, a race he finished ninth in 12 months ago, was still on the agenda for the six-year-old.
“He’s going fantastic. He ran second in this race last year and third this year. He’s going into the Melbourne Cup proven at the trip and now he’s shown he can carry the weight today,” Maher told Racing.com.
Chris Waller’s import Soulcombe (Frankel, $8) made strong ground late after blowing the start to finish seventh, beaten five and a half lengths, while his stablemate Montefilia (Kermadec, $11) disappointed in 13th place.
Brilliant win for “special” Coeur Volante
Seasoned trainer Mike Moroney labelled exciting filly Coeur Volante (Proisir) one of the best horses he had trained – after only four starts – following her outstanding victory in yesterday’s Thousand Guineas Prelude (Gr 2, 1400m) at Caulfield.
Aided by a supreme ride by Melbourne’s premier jockey Blake Shinn, Coeur Volante powered home to win by a length and a quarter over Vivy Air (Hellbent), with Zourion (Zoustar) a close-up third. The $4.20 favourite Inhibitions (Zoustar) had to settle for fifth.
Despite drawing the outside gate of 14 from Caulfield’s demanding 1400-metre start, Couer Volante was a firming second favourite at $4.60 following her previous start victory over Inhibitions in Moonee Valley’s Scarborough Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
And while Shinn duly won plaudits for his ride, his filly helped him greatly with an explosive start and was first away from the barriers, after which Shinn was able to slot in behind the leading division one off the rail.
Shinn pushed to the lead at the 300-metre mark and Coeur Volante was never in danger from then on.
Moroney said he’d been confident the NZ$90,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka buy would prove her quality “for some time – but you have to put a lid on it until they do it”.
Following this win, however, he was effusive in his praise.
“She’s a pretty special filly,” he said. “She is probably one of the better ones I’ve had.”
The “special” rating was also uttered by senior part-owner Rupert Legh, and supported by Shinn.
“She’s a really talented horse, as she displayed at Moonee Valley, and the job was going to be for me and the horse to overcome that draw,” Shinn said.
“That was really not my plan to do what we did but we called it as we jumped and she jumped probably half-a-length in front of the rest.”
Bookmakers shortened Coeur Volante from $13 to $6 into second favouritism for the Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) on November 18, with Arctic Glamour (Frosted), the Ryan-Alexiou stable’s recent Reginald Allen Stakes (LR, 1400m), retaining at $4.50.
The daughter of Rich Hill Stud’s star inmate Proisir (Choisir) was bought at Karaka by Moroney’s Ballymore Stables in conjunction with his brother, leading bloodstock agent Paul, and she has won both starts this campaign. The filly takes on extra credit considering her trainer encountered problems with her early in the preparation.
Moroney told ANZ Bloodstock News on Friday that the filly “wasn’t eating very well at all” on returning from her winter spell, and that it was “only in the last three days” before her first-up run that she regained her appetite.
“We were a little worried about the first-up run but she was really impressive,” he said.
Bred by New Zealand’s Fairdale Stud, Coeur Volante (3 f Proisir – Shanina by Testa Rossa) is the second named foal of five-time winning Australian mare Shanina (Testa Rossa). The first, Hasstobemagic (Scissor Kick), is Listed placed in New Zealand.
Shanina’s filly by Time Test fetched NZ$12,500 at Karaka Book 2 this year. She also has a yearling colt by Per Incanto (Street Cry), and was covered by Waikato Stud-based Noverre (Savabeel) last spring.
Couer Volante is one of two stakes-winners this season – after a New Zealand Listed success for Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) hero Legarto – for Rich Hill Stud’s champion sire Proisir.
Having claimed his first New Zealand general sires’ title in just his fifth year of runners last term, and with 14 stakes winners, headlined by five Group 1 scorers, from 248 runners overall, Proisir is currently serving a full book at John Thompson’s Rich Hill Stud for NZ$70,000 (plus GST).
Autumn Angel flies home in Ethereal
Three-year-old Autumn Angel became Arrowfield stallion The Autumn Sun’s (Redoute’s Choice) third stakes winner – and served notice she could soon provide the stallion with his first Group 1 – by taking out the Ethereal Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m) at Caulfield yesterday.
Ridden by Billy Egan, the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman trained filly sat fifth on the fence, before showing great tenacity to work into the clear in the straight and eat into the three-length lead enjoyed by short-priced favourite Tropical Squall (Prized Icon), catching her near the post, eventually beating that rivals by half a length.
The Emma-Lee and David Browne trained longshot Basilinna (Staphanos) was a further length and a half away in third.
It was Autumn Angel’s second victory, alongside three placings, from her five starts, and she confirmed her as a leading chance for her rise to the top level in the VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) at Flemington on November 9.
Bookmakers turned her into a $6 third-favourite for the $1 million Classic after yesterday, behind Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Tropical Squall ($4) and Godolphin’s Zardozi (Kingman) ($5), winner of Flemington’s Edward Manifold Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) on October 7.
Autumn Angel was a $230,000 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale buy for Dalziel Bloodstock and Moody Racing from the draft of Arrowfield Stud, who bred her with their major Japanese partner Katsumi Yoshida under their Jungle Pocket joint venture.
“We came here with a bit of confidence, and watching how the race panned out, I thought we were in all sorts of trouble, so she has done a fantastic job,” Coleman said after the race.
“She didn’t really get to build into it. She had to sprint, and she’s done a fantastic job.
“We’re thrilled with her, and hopefully she pulls up well, and we’re looking at the Oaks.”
Egan said he was confident he had the horse to haul in Tropical Squall, though he had a few nervous moments early in the straight before driving between tiring front-runners.
“I was thinking about what Moods would do to me if I didn’t get through,” he said.
“I was pretty firm on getting through, and I was lucky I’ve got a well-educated horse with a big heart to get through the gaps.
“You can’t do it without the horse being willing.
The fifth foal of quadruple stakes-victor Angel Of Mercy, Autumn Angel (3 f The Autumn Sun – Angel Of Mercy by Hussonet) is now the third stakes-winner from 47 runners for Arrowfield’s second-season sire The Autumn Sun, now standing his fifth season at stud for $66,000 (inc GST), after covering 159 mares last year.
She follows Autumn Ballet, a dual two-year-old Group 2 and Group 3 winner, and Coco Sun, a Listed winner in Adelaide, as the stallion’s other stakes winners. Tutta La Vita, another daughter of the stallion, was third at the top level in the Flight Stakes earlier this month.
Yoshida bought Angel Of Mercy for $575,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2014, then saw her narrowly miss a Group 1 victory when she finished second in Eagle Farm’s Tattersall’s Tiara (Gr 1, 1400m), after which she retired to the breeding barn.
Autumn Angel is her dam’s fifth foal. Her younger sister was passed in at this year’s Inglis Easter sale, Jungle Pocket also has a yearling sister.
Tropical Squall’s co-trainer Gai Waterhouse praised her filly’s brave effort to almost lead throughout despite the challenge of barrier 12 from Caulfield’s 2000-metre start, especially with her three-kilogram penalty for winning the Flight Stakes under the set weights and penalties conditions.
“The weight tells you a bit of a story,” Waterhouse said.
“We got the penalty and carried 59 kilograms, three more than the winner and she did have to do some work early from the wide gate.
“Favourites have been beaten in this race before carrying the weight and have come back and won the Oaks so we’re hoping the same for her.”
Wrote To Arataki takes out Tristarc Stakes
New Zealand-bred mare Wrote To Arataki (Wrote) added more black-type to her CV with a stirring all-the-way victory in yesterday’s Tristarc Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Caulfield.
Sent to the front by comeback jockey Dean Yendall, the Matthew Williams-trained five-year-old defied all comers in the straight and held on to win by a neck from Shuffle Dancer (I Am Invincible). Well-bred mare Call Di (Frankel) and Group 1 winner Madame Pommery (No Nay Never) finished third and fourth respectively.
The win followed Wrote To Arataki’s success in February’s Bellmaine Stakes (Gr 3, 1300m) at Sandown-Hillside, and was her fifth win from 15 starts.
“She’s been racing well and Dean was able to rate her perfectly today. It all worked out perfectly,” Warrnambool-based Williams said.
“She’s just so honest. The Caulfield straight is not that long but it seemed a fair way today.
“Through her career she’s been very honest and sometimes she’s just done a bit too much work early and that has found her out late. When you get that early part of the race right, she is very genuine.”
Wrote To Arataki (5 m Wrote – Galloping Gerte by Align) is from the first New Zealand-born crop, and is the best-performed runner, by High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) stallion Wrote, who stands at Highview Stud for NZ$6,500 (plus GST). The mare is one of two stakes winners for the stallion, with Group 3 winner Best Seller the other.
Bred by Noelene Bishop, the mare is the first foal of multiple winning mare Galloping Gerte (Align), who now also has a yearling sister to Wrote To Arataki, and was covered by Wrote again last spring.
Yendall, who recently returned from a broken collarbone, was thrilled to be back claiming another black-type winner for Williams, a long-time supporter.
He said the mare’s win made up for her last-start third in the Blazer Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Flemington, when a change of tactics didn’t work.
“It has been a great thrill to get back to where I am now with all the support behind me including the likes of Matthew Williams, Price-Kent and Paul Preusker,” he said.
“It’s a great feeling to win on this mare today. She ran a bottler last time at Flemington.
“It was no fault of my own. I just tried to ride her a bit quieter and it didn’t work out. I got caught wide but she still relished it late.
“Today, it looked like there was no speed whatsoever. She didn’t fly out of the machines but I was able to dictate and get across at my leisure and let her go at a nice striding gallop and relax within herself.
“Then I asked her to kick off the turn and the rest was history.”