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Saturday Post Mortem with Chris Scholtz

by Chris Scholtz , 5 years ago

3 minute read

Chris Scholtz reviews the Randwick and Caulfield meeting on October 13.

THE STARS – RANDWICK

Sydney racing climbed a new mountain when more than 40,000 defied the adverse weather to flood through the gates for the second running of The Everest. After a week of mixed headlines the attendance – the biggest in more than 15 years at Randwick - vindicated that old saying that any publicity is good publicity!

Picture: Racing and Sports

The Everest is a runaway winner with the public but the on-going debate will focus on justifying the intention by Racing NSW and the ATC to pour more money into the race to take it a new peak. The flak will come from, those holding the view that the field by majority is replicating what we get in the TJ Smith in the autumn for $10 million less.

REDZEL: Two Everests – two wins! It was deja vu with this grand sprinter replicating his inaugural Everest win and in the process racing past some of our modern day greats to become the second highest stakeswinner in Australian racing history with more than $15 million. Not bad for a $120,000 yearling raced by a big syndicate of everyday Australians who shared the $6 million first prize pot with Chinese billionaire slot holder Zhang Yuenshing’s Yulong Investments.

THE SNOWDENS: Absolute professionals in every sense of the word. Peter Snowden and his son Paul live for their horses and their success with Redzel after his setback in the lead-up is testimony to their skill and dedication.

PIERATA: Wow! Left everybody thinking what might have been if he had gained an Everest slot after blitzing his rivals in the Sydney Stakes. On the clock it says he would have won the Everest by lengths, even with an allowance for some deterioration in the track conditions. We’ll never know but with the blinkers on he produced his trademark electric acceleration, leaving no doubt that he is as good - perhaps better - than any who made the big dance.

HIGHLIGHTS

BELFLYER/JOHN SHELTON: The popular trainer from Grafton reaches the pinnacle of his career with Belflyer winning the inaugural Kosciuszko for a home town syndicate who could not believe his generous odds. A great result to kick off a race certain to become a crowd favourite.

ADAM HYERONIMUS: He’s made his name with the Waterhouse stable in Sydney but he didn’t forget his roots when he won the Kosciuszko for his first boss John Shelton.

MOSS N DALE/JACK MARTIN: It all fell right on the day for the wet track specialist, giving his rider a notable first Group win in Sydney in the Craven Plate and more Randwick success for the popular Derby winning Gelagotis brothers from Gippsland.

CIARON MAHER/DAVID EUSTACE: The hurdler Big Blue outstayed them fair and square in the St Leger, aided by a smart front-running ride from Jay Ford. The gun Victorian training team have won three Sydney races in 14 days, their excellent strike rate is a fair indication of the impact they could have on Sydney racing if they press ahead with plans for a permanent satellite stable.

ANAHEED: Another sharp 2YO winner for the Snowdens. Regardless of Redzel, young horses are their speciality.

MATT DUNN: Tristan De Angel makes it 19 wins in Highway races for the city class Murwillumbah-based trainer. At least Canberra stables will stem his domination now they are back in the fold.

LOWLIGHTS

VEGA MAGIC/SHOALS: They were the big flops in the Everest. The conditions should not be used as an excuse although Shoals was 1/5 lame.

KAONIC: Has struggled to take the step up n class that was expected of him.

HARIPOUR: A lot more was expected after big backing. Weir stable don’t often get it wrong when there is this type of support.

CRISTOBAL: Plainly disappointing.

MEDITERRANEAN: We’ve seen the last of him after a second bleeding attack.

CAULFIELD

While Randwick had the hype and publicity to attract the new generation of partying racegoers Caulfield was the only place to be for racing purists who lapped up four G1 races contested by some outstanding thoroughbreds from around the world. This is the real international racing that the Everest aspires to become!

For those with long memories, what we saw from The Autumn Sun in the Caulfield Guineas and Yucatan in the Herbert Power was a throwback to the 1970s when Sobar and Suleiman produced like performances in the same races.

With Yucatan winning for Aidan O’Brien and Godolphin’s UK trainers landing the Caulfield Stakes quinella the message is clear – this is the strongest overseas contingent to hit the Melbourne spring both in class and numbers - and boy do they mean business!

THE AUTUMN SUN: Sobar was the sensation of the 1972 spring after his explosive Caulfield Guineas win (a week later he won the Caulfield Cup!) and we have his second coming in this super colt who progressed from his Golden Rose win to show he is classes above his current 3YO rivals. Let’s hope he gets to take on Winx in the Cox Plate – what a race we would have under the wfa scale with this colt carrying only 49kg! But a sobering word – Toorak winner Land Of Plenty ran more than a second faster over the 1600m than The Autumn Sun.

YUCATAN: Kiwi stayer Suleiman became a hot favourite for the 1975 Caulfield Cup when he thrashed his rivals in the Herbert Power at his first Australian start and we got something similar from this exciting Irish stayer. His arrogant performance has changed the Cups picture completely, but historians will remember Suleiman could only finish third a week later in the Caulfield Cup.

GODOLPHIN: The boys in blue from the UK laid their Cox Plate cards on the table with a big G1 quinella from Benbatl and Blair House in the Caulfield Stakes. What a satisfying win it must be for Saeed bin Suroor after his years of frustration in Melbourne.


DARREN WEIR: His Caulfield treble included two G1 wins with Land Of Plenty and Amphitrite. He’s sure to give Chris Waller a race for top G1 trainer this season.

HIGHLIGHTS

CRAIG WILLIAMS: He was on song with three wins including a G1 success in the Thousand Guineas.
PAT COSGRAVE: UK jockey gets a G1 win at his first ride in Melbourne.

BALL OF MUSCLE: Probably the most travelled horse in Australia in the last 18 months. He’s made more than 10 interstate trips from Sydney and has never raced better – he’s a credit to Joe Pride’s training.

SUNLIGHT: Class filly bounces back for her seventh win in 10 starts to set up a crack at G1 targets.

]TOBY EDMONDS/RYAN MALONEY: Enjoying their Melbourne spring with a good mare in Winter Bride.

LOWLIGHTS

CAULFIELD CARNAGE: Big days and big prizemoney puts the jockeys under pressure. Stewards warned them there would be consequences and six paid the price with careless riding suspensions including James McDonald, Craig Williams and James Doyle.

SMART MELODY: Cracked under the high pressure of trying to lead over the mile. Stablemate El Dorado Dreaming (throat condition) was also a letdown for Kris Lees.

BLACK HEART BART: Lame. Is he near the end?

RIDE OF THE DAY

JAMES McDONALD: His ride on The Autumn Sun wasn’t pretty but it was an example of the confidence he had in the colt’s talent to sit three wide and then put them to the sword. In the end it was arrogant ride.

Honourable Mentions: Ryan Maloney (Winter Bride) and Damien Lane (Land Of Plenty) at Caulfield and Adam Hyeronimus (Belflyer) and Hugh Bowman (Esperance) at Randwick.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

JAMES McDONALD (The Autumn Sun): “I wanted to be wide with cover but he jumped too well and that was the undoing of my position. I was worried - I could feel the punters hands tightening around my neck."

THEY SAID IT…!!!

PETER V’LANDYS (Racing NSW CEO/The Everest): “I'm just very thrilled we again attracted the under 35 audience. This race is for the new generation to make their own and they're doing that.”

PETER SNOWDEN (Redzel): “I can’t believe this. To win it once I thought we were very lucky, to win it again is unbelievable - I hope I don’t fall out of bed tonight and this is all a dream. I might have got a bit of help from the guy upstairs. It was a wet track, we wanted that and we got that - it has gone perfectly.”

KERRIN McEVOY (Redzel): “This is euphoria at its best - it is such an electric feeling. It’s a huge buzz to win it again, unbelievable. From the gate Plan A was to control it from the front. He loved the ground and is such a little warrior, all he wants to do is gallop and gallop hard - he is a little gem, he is my little gem.”

LYN SNOWDEN (Peter’s Wife): “I think we have got our Winx”.

CHRIS WARD (Redzel syndicator): “Archer won the first two Melbourne Cups and now we have Redzel winning the first two Everests. To win the first was unbelievable, to win the second one is beyond our wildest dreams.’’

JAMES McDONALD (The Autumn Sun): "He's going to be scary in the autumn as he's still a baby. The horse came here for the first time and got around like a dream."

CHRIS WALLER (The Autumn Sun): "I'm a punter at heart. I'm addicted to the sport and he's one of those horses that make you go 'wow, how good is he'. I don't want to pre-empt anything because that wouldn't be fair to the punters but he won't be getting rushed off to stud."

SAEED BIN SUROOR (Benbatl): “That's given us confidence to run in the Cox Plate. I've had that target for him since January when he was still in Dubai but the superstar Winx is in the race. She's the best of the best.”

PAT COSGRAVE (Benbatl): “I went seven years without a Group 1 and now I’ve had three in the last eight weeks.”

NICK WILLIAMS (Yucatan): “I’d be saying to you that he is the Melbourne Cup winner in waiting. He has only got to get a run - that’s as impressive a win in a proper race as you will ever see.”

JAMES McDONALD (Yucatan): “They said, ‘This is our Melbourne Cup horse. He is as good as we have ever bought out.’ I said, ‘Gee you are putting a lot of pressure on me here’.’’

JAMES McDONALD (Yucatan): “That was an incredible performance, not many can do that. He doesn’t feel like a two-miler, he feels like a miler, that is how fast he is’.’’

TOMMY BERRY (Pierata): “This means a lot to me. I was born and bred at Warwick Farm so Greg Hickman has been a big part of my career. He gave me a lot of help early on and a lot of rides.”

DARREN WEIR (Amphitrite): “It’s amazing where these horses can come from. She showed a little bit first prep but nothing like this. She went out, matured and now she’s a big, strong filly - most of the time something goes wrong, but not with her.”

CRAIG WILLIAMS (Amphitrite): “I’m four for four on this filly so look out Winx – only another 23 to go.”

CRAIG WILLIAMS (Ball Of Muscle): “I thought he was named after me.”

DAMIEN LANE (Land of Plenty): "It's great to be a part of the Weir camp, they're flying."

THAD KING (Belfyer): “We went looking for a horse that comes from near home and Belflyer was it. John Shelton is a legend, we’re so pumped. The Kosciuszko is a winner for the country.”

ADAM HYERONIMUS (Belfyer): “John had the horse set for it from the moment The Kosciuszko was announced. This is so good - to win it for John makes it even better. I was apprenticed to John - ever since I left Grafton, to this day we speak every day.”

MANNY GELAGOTIS (Moss N Dale): “We haven't seen a wet track for the poor bugger for a while. He's a gun."

ANNABEL NEASHAM (rep for Ciaran Maher – Big Blue): "He must be the first horse to come to Randwick and win off the back of two hurdle wins. It was really good planning by Ciaron - I thought he was joking when he said we are coming up here.”

PETER SNOWDEN (Anaheed): "She's pretty much a no-fuss filly. She's a real loose-walking filly, great attitude and she's really stamped herself as something. She's got a bit of money in the bank - it's all about that at this stage.

TONY McEVOY (Sunlight): "She's a high quality filly with a great constitution that loves to be trained - and I love training her."

BLACKBOOKERS

BISCARA: Luckless debut. Looks talented.

FREEHEARTED: Held up and untested. Forgive run.

WALL OF FIRE: Looking good for rest of the spring.

REVENIRE: Set for a successful campaign.

THE CLIFFSOFMOHER: Class import. Follow through the carnival.
Racing and Sports

tags

REDZEL PIERATA Belflyer Big Blue ANAHEED Tristan De Angel VEGA MAGIC SHOALS KAONIC HARIPOUR CRISTOBAL MEDITERRANEAN THE AUTUMN SUN YUCATAN Benbatl Blair House Land Of Plenty Amphitrite BALL OF MUSCLE SUNLIGHT Winter Bride SMART MELODY BLACK HEART BART

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