Saturday summary: Magic Man Moreira guides Buckaroo to dominant G1 Underwood S. win—Melbourne’s big three await!

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Many options beckon for Underwood winner Buckaroo

Champion international jockey Joao “Magic Man” Moreira gave Buckaroo (GB) (Fastnet Rock) a stunning ride to win the G1 Underwood S. with a 3.5l thrashing of his classy rivals. In a field littered with Group 1 winners, Buckaroo was sent out as a $9 chance by punters, courtesy of his last start win in the G2 Chelmsford S. in Sydney.

The widest on the turn heading into the straight, Buckaroo started to fly home, chasing the leader Pericles (Street Boss {USA}), then simply bolted past leaving all in his wake in a thoroughly impressive performance.

“It feels amazing, you know. That's what horse racing is about. When you get one up, the feeling doesn't get any better,” he said post-race. “Impressive the way how he won, isn't it? He has a tricky manner in the gate, he wasn't really kind for me in there. He began a little bit worse than what we were hoping.

“(Buckaroo) found itself a little bit too far back. But as the race disenrolled itself, it kind of got him into the race. When I turned for home on the outside, with him having great momentum, I was always confident he was going to get up. Nice horse makes a jockey's life so much easier, isn't it?”

The win was Chris Waller’s only one at Caulfield on Saturday, while he enjoyed a treble in Sydney. In second was the Peter Snowden-trained Huetor (Fr) (Archipenko {USA}) with Pericles holding on for third. Buckaroo is nominated for the three big Melbourne races, the G1 Melbourne Cup, the G1 Caulfield Cup and the G1 Cox Plate and the stable is yet to decide on which way to head.

“As a colt, he was actually too laid-back but now, as a gelding, he's actually got a bit of spring in his step and he's a bit more vibrant,” stable representative Charlie Duckworth said. “Ozzie Kheir, he’s a massive supporter of the game and a massive supporter of Chris, so it's pretty special to win a Group 1 for him.”

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Buckaroo took his record to five wins (two in Australia, being his last two starts) from 20 starts with earnings over $1 million. A half-brother to Ciaron Maher-owned and Melbourne Cup-aimed Group 3 winner Middle Earth (GB) (Roaring Lion {USA}) and stakes-placed winning 3-year-old Siege Of Troy (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), Buckaroo is out of Listed winner and Group 3-placed Roheryn (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), herself a daughter of Group 3 winner La Chunga (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}).

Shorts a copycat of Concorde S. for I Am Me

Ciaron Maher’s sprinting mare I Am Me (I Am Invincible) is poised to join stablemate Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) in The Everest after securing consecutive victories in the G2 The Shorts, following her G3 Concorde S. win two weeks ago. Jockey James McDonald mirrored Nash Rawiller's winning strategy from the Concorde, stalking the leaders before sprinting home to win by 0.2l over Bjorn Baker’s Stefi Magnetica (All Too Hard), with the Joseph Pride-trained Mazu (Maurice {Jpn}) finishing third.

“That's what James said before the race, just copy and paste, and that's exactly what he did,” Maher's Sydney foreman Johann Gerard-Dubord said.

“To do it first-up, obviously is one thing, but to repeat it two weeks later like that is a good effort. Especially after a hard run like that, two-week back-up, there's always a bit of a question mark, but she's come back better.”

Of The Everest Gerard-Dubord said, “She has beaten (many of) the same ones twice now, 1200 (metres) will only suit her. She is full of confidence now and those mares in form, it's hard to stop them.”

The tough sprinting mare has now won 11 of her 23 starts with earnings over $3.6 million, and she was $210,000 purchase by Dynamic Syndications and Dean Watt Bloodstock from Segenhoe Stud’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale draft.

One of 108 stakes winners for three-time Champion Sire I Am Invincible, I Am Me is the only winner for five-time winner Mefnooda (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}), a half-sister to G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (Fillies) winner One Last Dance (Encosta De Lago), being out of G3 Thoroughbred Breeders' S. winner One World (Danehill {USA}), from the family of sires Royal Academy and Storm Cat.

Fangirl returns from near death to win 7 S.

In March this year, Fangirl (Sebring) sustained an injury to her leg in a stable accident that had her fighting for life, and only six months later, she has gifted her owners Ingham Racing, including Debbie Kepitis, an emotional win in the 7 S. The emotions were higher, given that the Kepitis family had lost their dual Derby star Riff Rocket (American Pharoah {USA}) to colic only a week before.

“It's an amazing industry, these horses that we look after so well and when you lose one… it's really tough,” Waller said, fighting back tears. “There are so many aspects of it, the strappers, the owners, but Fangirl has made Debbie (Kepitis) smile today.”

Fangirl, ridden by James McDonald, was last on the bend but powered home to win by 0.56l from Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald trained My Oberon (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Royal Patronage (Fr) (Wootton Basset {GB}) in third.

“This year the Cox Plate is one week after the King Charles, so it's unlikely,” Waller said of a Cox Plate run. “The King Charles is the number one goal.”

Jockey James McDonald gave Fangirl a lot of work to do, saying, “She's so good. I wasn't pleased with the position we're in today. I was looking up, and I was saying, 'Zougotcha... Oh! Royal Patronage, beautiful! That was the only saving grace, but in saying that she still had to do it the hard way.

“We've all come to realise that she's one-dimensional, so we all know where she's going to be, and I think Chris and I, we put our heads together, and obviously we're going to ride her to her strengths, which we've obviously nailed down.

“The last prep when she came back, she won like Winx, so you start riding accordingly. She's not Winx, so we have to come back a notch and ride her properly but she should have won the Winx Stakes, there's no two ways about that and that wasn't her fault. She was set too much of a task. Today, smaller field, it's going to work out alright but again, the next race we're going to have to come up with a bit more.”

Fangirl took her record to nine wins and nine placings from 27 starts with earnings over $8.5 million. She is one of eight Group 1 winners for Sebring, who has 82 stakes winners in total.

Beautifully bred, Fangirl’s first three dams are all stakes winners, being triple Listed winner Little Surfer Girl (Encosta De Lago), triple Group 1 winner Special Harmony (Spinning World {USA}) and Group 3 winner Marooned Lady (Marooned {GB}).

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Fangirl is one of five winners for Little Surfer Girl who has a 2-year-old filly named Bella Wahine (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and a yearling colt by Home Affairs and she has just had a foal by Home Affairs.

Thrilling G3 Foundation Cup goes to Positivity

Andrew Forsman-trained Positivity (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) clinched a spot in the G1 Caulfield Cup with a narrow victory in the G3 Foundation Cup at Caulfield. In a photo finish with four horses nearly neck and neck, jockey Harry Coffey maximized Positivity's effort to edge out the Ciaron Maher-trained Future History (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) by just 0.15l. Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald’s Gear Up (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) finished a close third, followed by Future History’s stablemate Saint George (GB) (Roaring Lion {USA}) just behind in fourth.

“All you can do is win, that’s two really consistent runs in a row so I suppose she’s going to get in with no weight, I might have to get on the brown rice diet to ride here but all you can do is win and that’s what she’s doing so she’s going the right way,” Coffey said.

Ciaron Maher trained Jameka (Myboycharlie) who previously won this race when it was known as the G3 Naturalism S. before going on to claim the G1 Caulfield Cup. Positivity’s victory marks her third win at Group 3 level, bringing her total to four wins from 10 starts and earnings exceeding $450,000.

Purchased by B Kwok at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale for NZ$160,000 from Woburn Farm, Positivity is one of 19 stakes winners for young sire Almanzor (Fr). Positivity is the only winner for Listed winner Pussy O’Reilly (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) who won five races and was Group 1-placed. Pussy O’Reilly is a sister to G2 Wakefield S. winner Pussy Willow (NZ), and a half-sister to Listed winner Inside Agent (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}) and stakes-placed winner Caricature (NZ) (Power {Gb}), the dam of last season’s juvenile Listed winner Depth Of Character (Deep Field).

G3 Bill Ritchie winner McHale off to Epsom

Will we see the Chris Waller-trained 4-year-old gelding McHale (Shooting To Win) in the G1 Epsom H.? “Yeah, my word,” said Waller after McHale won the G3 Bill Ritchie H., a race which gives the winner a ballot free entry into the Epsom.

Felix Majestic (Smart Missile), trained by Gary Nickson and ridden by apprentice Molly Bourke, looked to have stolen the victory when the 5-year-old gelding kicked clear by 1l down the straight and everything behind was working hard to make up ground. McHale, ridden by Rachel King, tracked Felix Majestic along the rail, then burned past to take the lead in dominant fashion while Tommy Berry was flying home on the Ciaron Maher-trained Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}). The two left Felix Majestic behind to dive at the line with McHale nosing out Gringotts for the win.

“He's always been thereabouts and not had a lot of luck, and things went against him in Queensland,” said Waller. “It was a great ride from Rachel, saved every inch of ground and got there where it counted. I was surprised to see his odds but when you see those odds, you sort of say, 'Oh gee, maybe I've got it wrong,' but yeah, he's a handy horse. He's always never far away and decent runs in a couple of Group races.”

McHale has won four of his 12 starts, and over $310,000. This was his first black-type win and he becomes the 11th stakes winner for Northern Meteor’s Group 1-winning son Shooting To Win. A $160,000 purchase by Star Thoroughbreds and Randwick Bloodstock (FBAA) from Edinglassie Thoroughbreds Inglis Classic Yearling Sale draft, McHale is the third stakes winner for Xaar’s Jewel (Xaar {GB}).

Xaar’s Jewel, a winner of three races, produced G2 Villiers’ S. winner Ninth Legion (Fastnet Rock) with her first foal, and he was a tough gelding winning eight races with multiple group placings as well as finishing fourth in the G1 Golden Rose and G1 Epsom Handicap and earnings over $1million. Her third foal, Tsarista (Dane Shadow) won the G2 Queensland Guineas, while her ninth foal is Group 3 placed winner Sing A Love Song (Your Song) and McHale is her 10th foal.

All up, she’s produced six winners from eight to race. She is a half-sister to Listed winner Kidlat (Snippets) who won 13 races, and to the dam of G1 NZ 2000 Guineas winner Tell A Tale (Tale Of The Cat {USA}).

Eliyass confirms G1 Metropolitan favouritism with Kingston Town win

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s classy import Eliyass (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) won the 2000-metre G3 Kingston Town S. to remain unbeaten in his three runs in Australia and confirmed his position as favourite for the G1 Metropolitan H.

Ridden by Tim Clark, he made short work of the field, kicking clear by 1l in the straight and holding off rival Joseph Pride-trained Ceolwulf (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) by 0.44l. Golden Path (NZ) (Belardo {Ire}) was third for trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr. Eliyas’ stablemate, former G1 Epsom Derby winner, Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was fourth.

“It's quite incredible and we don't quite know where the ceiling is yet,” Bott said.

“He's got that amazing will to win, that great constitution and I guess that's what separates those really, really good horses. I feel we've got a nice program for him, I feel he is improving every time he steps out and he's right on track.

“He is relatively well weighted in that race (Metropolitan) and it's hard to bypass that race where he is favourite and on his home track. He's got nominations for the Caulfield Cups, Melbourne Cups, they're all in the frame and we'd love to get him there because he's an exciting stayer.”

Eliyass' three runs in Australia have been well spaced, winning the Listed Lord Mayor’s Cup in June, the G3 Premier’s Cup in August and now the G3 Kingston Town S.

Winner of six of his eight starts in France including the Listed Grand Prix de la Région Grand Est, he was purchased by Astute Bloodstock (FBAA) at the 2023 Arqana Arc de Triomphe Sale of mixed stock for €330,000 (AU$544,000), his three starts in Australia have earned him over $390,000.

He is the second winner for winning mare Edilisa (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) who is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Edelmira (Ire) (Peintre Celebre {USA}) and to the dam of Listed winner Evina (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}).

Consistent Jay Bee Gee adds G3 Metric Mile

Heading into the G3 Metric Mile at Wanganui on Saturday, Jay Bee Gee (NZ) (Complacent) had secured two wins in his last three starts, including a thrilling victory in the G3 Winter Cup just two races prior. This time, he dominated with a 1.8l win. Jockey Kelly Myers sent him to the front, quickly opening a 3 to 4l lead at the top of the straight, leaving no doubt about the outcome. Chase (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) managed to close some of the gap to finish second, followed by Marko Mark (NZ) (Contributor {Ire}) in third. The win also marked a treble for Myers on the day.

“He (Jay Bee Gee) is special, and the Bulls are a special family,” Myers said of trainer Adrian Bull, who shares ownership with his son Harry. “It’s so, so nice to win in these colours. I was happy to sit outside Tobias today, but then I thought, you know what? He only has 53.5kg, so we’ll take the bull by the horns. The inside part of the track was still good, so it worked out.

“He pulled himself up something chronic halfway up the straight. He thought it was Sunday and pricked his ears and loafed to the line. He had a lot more up his sleeve. I don’t know whether we should put some blinkers on going forward, but he’s a talented horse going through the grades.”

Bred by Pencarrow Thoroughbreds, Jay Bee Gee was offered by Bradbury Park in Book 2 of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka in 2019, where Harry Bull bought him for NZ$26,000.

One of two stakes winners for Complacent, Jay Bee Gee is a half-brother to dual Listed winner William Wallace (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) and unraced Hirondelle (NZ) (Sepoy) who is the dam of G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce S. winner Pignan (NZ) (Staphanos {Jpn}). Their dam Huluava (NZ) (Pins) won three races and is a half-sister to Group 2 winner and G1 Livamol Classic placed Hasselhoof (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) and Listed winner Vercors (NZ) (Catbird). Huluava’s third dam is the 1971 Melody Belle (NZ) (Taipan II {USA}) who won 10 races including the G3 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders S., a race that is now a Group 1. The 2014 born Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) was also a brilliant race mare, although unrelated, winning 10 Group 1 races.

Brave ride from Kah to win Testa Rossa on Another Wil

Another Wil (Street Boss {USA}) is heading to the G1 Toorak after a brave rails ride from Jamie Kah saw him cope with a gap closing on him then opening up again in the Listed Testa Rossa S. at Caulfield. “It wasn’t pretty,” Kah said on dismounting.

The pair sprinted away once they had clear running winning by 1.5l from the Symon Wilde-trained Wishor Lass (Mshawish {USA}) with the Michael Moroney and Glen Thompson-trained, and Blake Shinn ridden, Run Harry Run (Written Tycoon) a further length back in third.

“Blake (Shinn) rolled two horses out and then rolled back in. I don’t know why. The race was always going to be messy. I wanted to stay one-off, and I think the whole field knew I wanted to stay one-off. The gap was there on the fence and Blake closed it on the turn when we were already in there. Luckily, he’s (Another Wil) grown into a man now and pushed his way out of it.”

The result comes only a few days after Kah was given a three-week suspension by stewards for not taking a gap in a similar situation, albeit in worse weather, on Letsfacethemusic (I Am Invincible) in the G3 McNeil S at Caulfield on August 31.

Gallery: Images courtesy of The Image Is Everything

“He’s a big horse, with a big stride, so it does take him a little while to regain balance,” said Maher. “He’s got a bit in hand and is very progressive. My brother and the team at Ballarat have done a really good job with him. He's, you know, he's settling down with each run. He was really fresh last time. He raced a little bit better today. He's still coming into the coat. And fantastic for Colin, Denise, and family and friends. He's on track, and hopefully we can raise the bar now.

“Like, he seems to handle dry, wet. He can race forward, back. And you need to be able to when you're raising the bar. That (Toorak H.) looks like the obvious next target. He seems to be pretty in control of himself there. So, still hopefully, handicap conditions will suit him up to the mile. It's ideal. And then we can work it out after that. I think he's a scoping, clean-winded, good action horse. His brother (Wil John) won (at) 4600 metres, so I'd say he's a good chance (to run out the 2000 metres).”

He will head to the G1 Toorak H. next, and he took his record to seven wins from 10 starts with earnings over $$580,000. He shares a sire with brilliant multiple Group 1 winner Anamoe with the pair being just two of Street Boss’s (USA) 73 stakes winners.

Another Wil is the fourth winner for Arohanui (Biaconi) who won twice at 1900 metres and 2050 metres, suggesting that Another Wil can get further, and Arohanui is also the dam of stakes placed Wahine Toa (Dalakhani {Ire}) and tough galloper Wil John (Reset) whose twelve wins include the Jericho Cup, Grand National Hurdle and Thackery Steeplechase.

Blake Shinn pleaded guilty and was given a 10-meeting suspension to begin after the G1 Golden Rose meeting.