The footy finals are over, and Saturday is when racing takes centre stage in the sporting sphere, kicking off with Turnbull Stakes day at Flemington.
The Turnbull Stakes is usually a marquee race packed with a host of Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup hopefuls competing against each other before forking off for their respective targets. But this Saturday is different, with the wonder-mare Winx scaring off most legitimate challengers.
It was a huge boon for the Victorian Racing Club, Flemington members and Victorian race fans in general when Chris Waller announced his plans for Winx after her George Main Stakes win. Waller felt that a six-week gap between that run and the Cox Plate was best split by a 2000-metre run in the middle, and Sydney has no suitable race this weekend.
Peter V’Landy’s has made no bones about his disregard and distaste for Victorian racing, so we can only imagine how he privately felt about his star drawcard coming down to Melbourne against his own perceived timeline of how her campaign should have played out.
Winx’s preparation has been lively to say the least, each run giving fans a cause for concern at various stages.
In the Warwick Stakes she famously stood in the gates and missed the kick by four or five lengths. In the Chelmsford Stakes the tearaway leader, Red Excitement, almost stole the race. In the George Main she was under hard riding much earlier than expected and looked to be faltering.
All three times she did what she always does, which is win. We love seeing a champion win, but we love it even more when they do so after being challenged.
Winx lost in her first go at 2000 metres when she was a three-year-old filly and subsequently at 2400 metres the next start, which have proven to be her last two losses, all the way back in March and April of 2015.
In her five starts at 2000 metres-plus since her 21-win streak began, including two Cox Plates, her average winning margin is almost five lengths.
The big question on Saturday is: if Winx misses the start or gets out of her comfort zone in the run, is Humidor good enough to test her? It is almost certain he will have to come from behind her to win, which will make the task challenging indeed.
The two best runs of Humidor’s career have been at Flemington, which is a tick in his corner, with both wins coming in similar fashion – charging home in blazing sectionals from the tail of the field.
His win in the Australia Cup back in autumn was first class, beating home Jameka, who we know took home the Caulfield Cup and BMW double last season, being dominant in both.
Humidor’s Makybe Diva Stakes win last start was probably his best yet, leaving Hartnell, ostensibly Australia’s second-best horse, and Black Heart Bart, five-time Group 1 winner, in his wake.
Races where Lloyd Williams has multiple runners, as is the case here, are usually run at a genuine tempo, which means Humidor will get things as he likes them, although we only have to hark back to Winx’s Cox Plates to see what she can do over this distance off strong gallops.
Of the other runners, Ventura Storm is ticking along okay for races over further, Assign usually improves markedly second-up, Sir Isaac Newton found a little bit of form in the Naturalism, while Magicool and Skyfire are there to pick up a $10,000 check for connections by running sixth and seventh.
Selections: 1. Winx, 2. Humidor, 3. Assign, 4. Ventura Storm
(Image: AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Randwick has its own Group 1 on Saturday, with the running of the Spring Champion Stakes for three-year-olds over 2000 metres.
Past winners include Kingston Town, Tie The Knot and It’s a Dundeel, so the race can often produce a star, but more often than not the winner doesn’t graduate to WFA class the following season.
The Gloaming Stakes, run a fortnight before, is usually the strongest lead-up reference, while the Dulcify also provides runners with some trainers opting for the quick back-up from last week.
The first five home in the Gloaming are all engaged here, although there was some space in the margins behind winner Ace High.
Ace High was too tough in the Gloaming after making all the running. He had an easy time of it early but was challenged mid-race when All Day circled the field. Jockey Tye Angland didn’t panic, though, and reasserted his authority.
The most pleasing aspect of Ace High’s performance was when Sanctioned moved up to eyeball him at the top of the straight, but he simply out-worked and out-toughed that horse in the run to the line.
Sanctioned ended up a length and a half second behind Ace High in the Gloaming and has put together a handy spring so far with three placings in good races, finding one or two better each time he steps out. He’s an honest type that will likely go forward from the widest gate and find a spot on the speed.
The lone filly in the race, Coral Coast, was third in the Gloaming but more than five lengths from the winner, while Sully and Astoria were fourth and fifth respectively and even further in arrears. It’s doubtful an extra 200 metres is going to be enough for any of these to turn the tables on both Ace High and Sanctioned, but Coral Coast looked 1000 to 1 to run a place at the turn and showed she at least had heart.
A blanket covered the first four home in the Dulcify last week, of which Dissolution and Tangled were two. Such a finish isn’t usually the best pointer to coming winners when the horses step up in grade, particularly given Dissolution is still a maiden and was well handled by Astoria the start prior.
Surprise Bullet is coming off a Gold Coast maiden and will take up a forward position but will likely be found wanting in the closing stages. He might be an interesting wrinkle for Ace High and Sanctioned to deal with.
Selections: 1. Ace High, 2. Sanctioned, 3. Sully, 4. Coral Coast
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