The Australian racing season’s last Group 1 is upon us, 294 days after the first.
Is there any racing fan who can’t remember all the way back to that day, and Atlantic Jewel’s Memsie Stakes romp?
It was a thrilling victory, the exhilaration of which may not have been bettered in almost a full season of racing since. Certainly, it is a race that must be in the reckoning for the most memorable Group 1.
Others may look to the daring wire-to-wire Chad Schofield ride on Shamus Award in the Cox Plate. Polanski’s Victorian Derby win was something special. Lankan Rupee’s domination of the TJ Smith would find supporters, and perhaps his Newmarket win too.
Some might go for Chris Waller training the first four home in the Doncaster, including Sacred Falls’ back-to-back win.
If you’ve got any others, throw them down in the comments below, and we can look back on another years racing together.
Perhaps the Tattersall’s Tiara will provide a memorable send-off to Group 1 racing in 2013/14 in this country. There are some very good mares engaged capable of doing so.
The history of the race suggests it is open to either a proven mare peaking again after an autumn campaign, or an average one peaking at the right time in the right race.
Red Tracer is the class mare of the field, rarely beaten when taking on her own sex, and if so, not by much. She’s got a couple of Group 1 placings to her name from the Autumn, and comes into the race off a nice effort in the Stradbroke. Returning as the defending champion, she’ll be in the mix again.
Her stablemate, Catkins, might be the biggest danger, and the early markets suggest some punters are inclined to think so. She’ll be two months between runs, coming off a flop in the Queen of the Turf during The Championships. She’s also had a set-back along the way, scratched from the Dane Ripper two weeks ago, which isn’t ideal and may deter some from backing her.
The winner of that race was the three-year-old Gai Waterhouse filly Cosmic Endeavour, who took the Group 2 out with authority. Her form has been first class in recent times, and Tommy Berry will be able to give her the cushiest possible run from barrier five, no doubt looking to box seat once they jump.
Like Chris Waller, Waterhouse also has a second ace in the pack in the form of the Group 1 Sangster winner earlier this campaign, Driefontein. She ran up to her best in the Dane Ripper, but wasn’t strong enough at the end of 1400m to hold out Cosmic Endeavour. Her stamina in the last half furlong will once again be the question.
Steps In Time might be the forgotten horse of the field, despite taking out the Coolmore only two starts back. She couldn’t back it up on the heavy in a high class TJ Smith field, her first exposure to those conditions.
The knock is that she’s run in this race twice before, to be beaten around eight lengths each time.
Avoid Lightning has always been a good stakes grade mare, and is in the peak of her career form. Any cut out of the track is in her favour, and genuine rain will bring her right into the reckoning.
Not too many horses run at Swan Hill in the start before a Group 1, but Lonhspresso presents as the interesting runner from the Darren Weir yard. She’s still untapped for a four-year-old mare, but this is tough at level weights.
Peron always has admirers, and will again. She was third on the line of betting in this race last year when running tenth, and hasn’t shown enough in recent times to suggest she can turn that around.
It’s hard to make a case for any others, and the winner should really come from those in the first third of the market.
Selections: 1. Cosmic Endeavour 2. Steps In Time 3. Red Tracer 4. Catkins
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