3 minute read
Mandy Cottell and Brenton Le Grand look back on the 10-race program at Randwick and bring you the talking points of the undercard.
No Honour for Sydney carnival
Dubai Honour has been ruled out of the Sydney autumn carnival after suffering a setback in training.
The horse was being prepared for a defence of his Queen Elizabeth Stakes crown, but trainer William Haggas confirmed this week that the English galloper would not be making the trip.
"We're disappointed to announce that Dubai Honour has had a setback and is unable to travel to Australia for the upcoming carnival in Sydney," Haggas told the Racing Post.
"It's particularly frustrating as we felt he was in the form of his life."
Haggas said he remained hopeful of getting Dubai Honour to the QEII in Hong Kong at the end of April with the horse likely to have one lead-up run in England.
While Dubai Honour is a high-profile omission from Sydney's feature race nominations, released on Saturday, Haggas will still be represented at the carnival.
The champion horseman confirmed Mujtaba remained on target for a shot at the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) and Post Impressionist for the Sydney Cup (3200m).
A total of 121 entries were received for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, 11 of them from overseas, while there were 97 nominations for the Sydney Cup, including five internationals.
The Doncaster Mile attracted 187 entries, six of those northern hemisphere trained horses headed by Japanese Golden Eagle winner Obamburumai.
Martial Music too speedy in the Midway
He put the writing on the wall with a dominant trial win last week and the Anthony Cummings-prepared Martial Music ($4.20 fav) has returned a winner again, taking his first-up record to three victories from just four attempts.
After leaving the machine cleanly from gate eight, the son of Your Song managed to settle outside the early leader before letting down with authority to salute by 1-1/4 lengths over Mad Darcey ($5) with Rebel Dean ($4.40) a further three-quarters of a length back in third.
While no stranger to training a high-class galloper, Cummings was in awe of his four-year-old gelding.
"He's probably about the fastest horse I've ever had, in terms of just raw speed," Cummings enthused.
"He hasn't helped himself a few times along the way, a couple of times he's gone too quick in the early stages to be able to finish off properly.
"But when he's right and on song much as today, he's run close to a record."
Winning hoop Chad Schofield had partnered Martial Music to his trial win on February 8 and was happy to get back aboard on race day.
"He trialled really well last week and I just rode him the same," Schofield said.
"He's a horse that does go a bit keen but I just sat on him and travelled the best as I could.
"He found a nice rhythm and cruised into the straight and when I released him he quickened and won well."
Semana survives protest in Triscay
Jason Collett and Semana have survived a protest from Tommy Berry aboard runner-up Olentia to snare a valuable Group 3 win in the Triscay Stakes (1200m).
With the margin on the line a long neck, Berry fired in a protest alleging interference at the 1000-metres when Olentia was forced back to the fence following a shift from the winner.
"Obviously it is a long way from home, and you could say I've got a long time to pick Jason up," Berry told stewards.
"But I shouldn't have been put in the position I was (and) onto the rail at that stage of the race.
"I feel if I hadn't been put in that position, then I clearly would have won."
While Semana made an uninterrupted run down the outside to win, Olentia was forced to squeeze through a narrow gap on the fence in the straight, a move that briefly halted her rhythm before she regathered to charge at the post.
Chief steward Steve Railton agreed Olentia was luckless but said that given the stage of the race where the interference occurred, they couldn't be satisfied she would have overturned the margin on the winner and the objection was dismissed.
Johann Gerard-Dubord, representing Semana's trainer Ciaron Maher, said the winner would be kept fresh for a shot at next month's Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill.
"She just keeps delivering, it doesn't matter what the track is, what the distance is, where we ride her, she's just a good horse," Gerard-Dubord said.
Fab Four for J Mac
He has a habit of showing up on the big race days and gun hoop James Mcdonald has done it again, stringing four wins together on the card.
He opened his day saluting on the promising two-year-old colt Switzerland before tasting Group 2 success in the Expressway Stakes (1200m) aboard King Of Sparta.
He then had an armchair ride on Fangirl to win by an ever-widening 2-1/2 lengths in the Apollo Stakes and rounded out his four-timer with a stirring victory on the Annabel Neasham prepared Redstone Well.
After not breaking a sweat when piloting Fangirl, McDonald had to earn his jockey commission on the Neasham import.
"I had to work for that one," McDonald quipped.
"Nice, progressive horse. He tugged in the run a fair way, travelled really strongly but he showed the audacity to stick on quite well.
"He'll have a bright future, he's tough."
Quote of the Day: "I let him be fast today, which I didn't do last time. I think I got it wrong last start and we nearly pulled it off today." – Josh Parr after Malkovich led and was collared on the line for a close third in the Expressway Stakes.
