Standout performers of the 2012 Sydney Carnival

The 2012 Sydney Carnival comes to a close on Saturday and after some of the best racing seen in Sydney in years, it is time to acknowledge the standouts of the Carnival.

Horse of the Carnival: Manighar
We might be going before acceptances here because Manighar is set to face off with More Joyous on Saturday in the Group I Queen Elizabeth over 2000 metres and if MJ wins, it would be her fourth victory in Sydney this autumn. However, Manighar has been the star of the autumn to this point.

He won the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill over 2000 metres and then became the first horse ever to win the Australian Cup, Ranvet Stakes and BMW when he took out the 2400 metres BMW on Golden Slipper Day.

Manighar was the plugger’s idol – slow, tough and honest. However, since being transferred to Peter Moody’s stables at the end last year’s Spring Carnival he has newfound speed.

Manighar has transformed into Australia’s best middle-distance horse. I suppose that’s what living with Black Caviar can do!

The Let-down of the Carnival: Manawanui
Manwanui won the Group One Golden Rose last spring at Rosehill before finishing second in the Caulfield Guineas and sixth when favourite in the Victoria Derby in Melbourne.

He entered the Sydney autumn threatening to tear the Carnival apart but after three starts without victory he was quickly spelled.

The three-year old spring form has been exposed throughout the entire autumn and maybe it is because the Melbourne classic three-year old races are too hard on these maturing horses.

Is it time to move the 2500 metres Victoria Derby at Flemington to 2000 metres?

Stuff up of the Carnival: Gerald Mosse (Americain)
Never was there more reason to replace the first ‘s’ in a man’s name with an ‘o’ than after Gerald Mosse’s shocking ride on Americain in the BMW.

In what was a tactical 2400-metre affair, Mosse only had to make two or three decisions on Americain and Gerald completely stuffed them up.

At the start of the race he chose to keep Americain wide and at the back of the field when he could have easily slotted in and given his mount a soft run. Then, after racing wide for the entirety, he decided to cut the final corner only to be held up for a short period at the top of the stretch.

Americain showed great heart to run into a second-place finish. I don’t think ‘the French waiter’, as Mosse is known, will be returning to Australia for a while.

The Rising Star: Pierro
With victory in the Champagne Stakes on Saturday, Pierro (having already won the Slipper and the Sires Produce) would become the first horse to win the two-year old Triple Crown since Dance Hero in 2004.

This horse is sired by Lonhro but he reminds me of his grandfather Octagonal. He has some dash but it’s his desire to win that stands out most.

Pierro is bred to run as far as 2000 or 2400 metres. He will be worth following in the spring.

Trainer of the Carnival: Gai Waterhouse
Heading into the final day of the Carnival, Gai has trained the winner of five Group Ones and a host of minor races this autumn.

Credit must also go to jockey Nash Rawiller who has partnered many of Gai’s winners this autumn.

Waterhouse’s biggest wins were with Pierro in the Golden Slipper and More Joyous in the Doncaster.

On the weekend, she won her seventh Doncaster Mile and she could record her second Triple Crown if Pierro wins on Saturday.

For a trainer that’s only had her licence since January 1992, she has an extraordinary CV.

Horse to watch in Melbourne: Western Symbol
Western Symbol is unbeaten this preparation and has won twice at the Carnival in 2000-metre Stakes races.

Gai Waterhouse is his trainer and she will send him up to Brisbane for a crack at June’s Brisbane Cup but I think this horse could take out a major in the spring.

He’s currently $21 to win October’s Caulfield Cup. I think it would be a good race to aim him at.

Break-out of the Carnival: Tommy Berry
This was a tough one to decide. The sun had finally broken out and presented us with our first dry Sydney Carnival in years but I’ve given the nod to jockey Tommy Berry here.

Berry is Gai Waterhouse’s number-two hoop and he has ridden outstandingly throughout the entire Carnival.

He has booted home six winners this autumn and has emerged as the next star in Sydney’s riding ranks.

Berry is two years older than 19-year old kiwi James McDonald who rode four winners on Saturday at Randwick. In five years, McDonald and Berry may be Sydney’s best two jockeys.

Flop of the Carnival: Peter Snowden and Darley
The final award goes to trainer Peter Snowden who has trained only one winner in the entire Carnival. Snowden heads up Darley’s $500m Australian operation and the immediate future looks bleak.

Snowden doesn’t have a flagship horse anymore after Helmet and Sepoy were transferred to Darley’s Arab headquarters last month.

I wonder if Darley chief Sheikh Mohammed will put any pressure on Pete. It would be the first time since Darley entered Australian racing in 2007 that Snowden would find himself under the pump.