Listed Vale Black Caviar (Paris Lane) S. won by Chrysaor
Trainer Chris Waller’s 4-year-old gelding Chrysaor (Better Than Ready) resumed in the Listed Vale Black Caviar S. (previously the Paris Lane S.). Ridden by Craig Newitt, he flew home from the rear of the field to stick his head in front on the line, just beating Lindsay Park trained Nicolini Vito (Nicconi) by 0.46l. The rest of the field, headed by third placed Holymanz (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) was more than 3l further back.
Now the winner of four of his 16 starts, Saturday’s win nudged Chrysaor’s earnings over the $1million mark. It was his second black type win after winning the G2 Callander-Presnell S. in the spring of 2023.
One of 12 stakes winners for his sire, Chrysaor was sold by Yarramalong Park for $60,000 at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale and was purchased by Lionrock Bloodstock and Bevan Smith Bloodstock. He was on-sold as a yearling by Bell River Thoroughbreds at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale to Star Thoroughbreds and Randwick Bloodstock (FBAA) for $115,000.
One of only two winners for New Wings (Choisir), who is a winning full sister to Listed winner Religify, Chrysaor is from the family of dual Hong Kong Horse Of The Year Silent Witness (El Moxie {USA}).
New stakes winner for Press Statement in SA Listed Wylie Handicap
Trainer Peter Hardacre’s 5-year-old gelding Press Down (Press Statement) came into the Listed Wylie Handicap at Morphettville with two wins from his last three starts, and punters overlooked his last start failure in the Listed Santa Ana Lane Final in July, sending him out at $3.80 favourite.
Punters were on the money with Press Down adding his first stakes win by 0.9l with jockey Neil Farley in the saddle. He took his record to seven wins from 22 starts with earnings over $389,000, and became the sixth stakes winner for his sire.
Not offered at auction as a young horse, Press Down is one of three winners for winning mare Down The Corridor (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).
Makybe Diva parades at Flemington
On a day interrupted by rain and hail, three-time G1 Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva (GB) (Desert King {Ire}) wowed crowds by parading before the race named after her. The winner of 15 races with earnings over $14million is now 26-years-old and is retired from breeding too. She had ten live foals for six winners led by Listed placed winner Divanation (All Too Hard).
Bathurst Cup for Jamberoo
Trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton will be out to secure a start in the Big Dance at Randwick in November when last start winner Jamberoo (Thunder Fire) contests the Bathurst Cup on Sunday. “He’s a handy horse with a good record,” O’Shea told racingnsw.com.au.
“He won a trial before we started him on the Kensington track and he won that race well. We’ve given him another trial since then and he ran second in that. He’s always shown talent in his career and it looks a nice race for him at Bathurst.” Jamberoo, a 5-year-old gelding, is the only winner for his sire, an unraced son of Uncle Mo (USA), who has only three named foals.
Fierce Impact filly, Zelio, brains them in NZ 2-year-old trial
Saturday saw the running of a sole 2-year-old trial at Riccarton and Zelia, a filly from the first crop of Fierce Impact (Jpn), stole the show winning by an estimated 10-15 lengths.
Trained by David Walsh, Zelia is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Bonham (Per Incanto {USA}), and Zelia was an $11,000 weanling purchase at the 2023 Inglis Sydney Weanling Sale by J Corcoran of Grangewilliam Stud.
Treble for Neindorf at Morphettville
Jockey Lachlan Neindorf rode a treble at Morphettville on Saturday aboard Andrew’s Memory (Belardo {Ire}), Zebella (Zebedee {GB}) and A Samurai Mind (Shamus Award) who took his record to four wins from eight starts.
Around The Nation: 3-year-olds
Outside the big stakes races on Saturday there were several interesting 3-year-old winners.
Kembla Grange’s meeting opened with Nathan Doyle trained filly Harlem Queen (Brutal {NZ}) winning her second in succession, and in the second Michael Freedman trained colt Insist (Extreme Choice) resumed with a win, after two starts at two. Later on the card, Brad Widdup trained colt Tenbury Wells (Fastnet Rock) won.
At Morphettville, Richard and Chantelle Jolly trained filly Sabaj (Manhattan Rain) won on debut in the first. Daniel and Ben Pearce trained filly Perfect Chant (Toronado {Ire}) made a winning debut in the first at Belmont, with Dion Luciani trained filly Real Deluxe (Sessions) taking her record to two wins from three starts in the second.
Eagle Farm’s meeting opened with Cameron H Richardson trained colt Pope Cody (Showtime) taking his record to two wins from four starts, while at Cairns, Stephen Massingham trained I’lltellyougo (Wanted) made it three in succession in the first.
Tassie apprentice on fire for Sunday
Fresh off a winning double in Devonport on Wednesday, apprentice jockey Chloe Wells hopes to continue her good form when racing returns to the venue on Sunday. Wells is based in Devonport and is indentured to her grandfather, Leon Wells.
“Riding in Devonport a lot helps a little bit, but also getting on the horses that are Devonport based is the big thing,” Wells told tasracing.com.au.
“The Devonport horses generally have a love for their home track, which helps a lot.” On Sunday she rides Disclevaboy (Dissident), Champagne Cinders (The Factor {USA}), and Noble Exception (Exceed And Excel).
Sharp N Smart ready for Sunday
Co-trainer Graeme Rogerson is looking forward to stable star Sharp N Smart (Redwood {GB}) taking the second step on a journey to the G1 Melbourne Cup in November when he steps out at Te Rapa on Sunday. He resumed a fortnight ago, flashing home very late. “His run in the Foxbridge was tremendous and his last furlong that day was just amazing,” Rogerson told Loveracing.nz.
“He was a pretty sick horse during his four-year-old prep and we never saw anywhere near the best of him. This time in he has given us plenty of signals he has shaken all that off and he is ready to climb back to the top this spring. He has a hell of a weight tomorrow (63.5kgs) with no claim, but in saying that I think he could still win if we get a dry track.” Winner of three Group races at three including the G1 Spring Champion and G1 NZ Derby, Sharp N Smart hasn’t won since the Derby.
Tributes for Golden Sixty
Connections of ten-time Group 1 winner and world’s highest earning racehorse, Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) who retired on Friday, added further tributes on Saturday.
“Of course [he was life changing]. He helped me to build up my name and actually I would say he taught me how to train,” trainer Francis Lui told scmp.com. “The horse helped us all to build up our names and he gave the team confidence about how to train.”
“He’s a horse who taught me to be a better athlete and a better jockey. From him I’ve grown a lot, mentally as well,” regular jockey Vincent Ho said. “From receiving all the pressure of riding in a Group 1 on a horse like him to enjoying myself in a Group 1 and winning, it’s another feeling. That’s what he taught me and gave us all. He is special because no matter what, he did his best all the time. Even if he wasn’t the fittest sometimes and not feeling his best, he still gave his all and made things happen. This is something everyone can learn from. Every time I rode him, I learned something new. I really appreciate what he has done for us.”
Golden Sixty
“He’s the best horse I’ve seen in my time here in Hong Kong,” rival jockey Zac Purton said. “He was the perfect racehorse, really. Firstly it was heartbreaking, just to be behind the gates and in the races with him knowing that you’re basically going to run second. He was such a good horse. I loved his will to win, the way he pinned his ears back, the acceleration he showed – that turn of foot is very rare to see horses run home in the sectionals he would run home in, over the distances he ran. I always love seeing horses of his calibre race and although it was difficult through those years to go up against him, it also made it challenging to try find a way to beat him. Fortunately I did a few times, but not enough.”
Wathnan’s Aesterius adds G2 Flying Childers S.
Wathnan Racing's 2-year-old colt Aesterius (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) embellished his record with a game victory in Friday's G2 Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Flying Childers S. at Doncaster. He has now won four of his six starts.
“He's a very talented two-year-old and we're very lucky to train him. I think next year is the time to explore six furlongs. The Breeders' Cup will be his end-of-season target and it should really suit him. The question mark is do we have a crack at the [G1] Prix de l'Abbaye in the meantime,” said trainer Archie Watson.
Aesterius is the first of three foals produced by Jane Doe (Ire) (Hallowed Crown), a half-sister to G3 Horris Hill S. victor and G2 German 2000 Guineas third Tawhid (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). His multiple Grade 3-winning second dam Snowdrops (GB) (Gulch {USA}) is out of the stakes-placed Roses In The Snow (Ire) (Be My Guest), whose descendants include G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Tiger Tanaka (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}).
Tabiti wins G3 Dick Poole Fillies S.
Ralph Beckett was convinced that 2-year-old filly Tabiti (GB) (Kingman {GB}) had the speed for six furlongs and he was proved spot-on as the Juddmonte homebred mastered her first stern test in Friday's G3 Dick Poole Fillies' S. at Salisbury.
“She's a smart filly and she's shown she's a good filly by winning that, but I hope we can go on to even bigger things. She's in the [G2] Rockfel in a couple of weeks, so we will see how she comes out of this. We will aim high and I hope she will progress into a really nice filly at a mile next year,” said Beckett.
Tabiti's dam, Lilyfire (USA) (First Defence {USA}), is now responsible for four black-type performers, with the others being G2 Linlithgow Stakes winner Old Flame (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), the G2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes-placed Chaleur (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and her G3 Ballysax Stakes-placed full-sister Dalvey (GB). The second dam is the G2 Dahlia Handicap winner and GI Gamely Handicap third Didina (GB) (Nashwan {USA}), a significant broodmare whose descendants include the sires Cityscape (GB) and Bated Breath (GB), the top-level winners Logician (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Whitebeam (GB) (Caravaggio) and Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}).
Jockeys headline National Racehorse Week in UK
Jockeys from all over the UK helped facilitate public engagement, especially with young people, during the fourth annual National Racehorse Week from Sept. 7-15.
The week-long event is a nationwide celebration of the thoroughbred racehorse, giving the public a chance to attend 100+ free events. Over 13,800 free spaces at events were made available to the public and an additional 4,000 people are engaged through the 50 community events which have been taking place, 10 of which being school visits.
