Champions in waiting are the stars of the autumn

My favourite two attributes in a thoroughbred racehorse are the will to win and wicked acceleration. It’s a rare combination that won’t necessarily result in the next Black Caviar but any horse that possesses even one of these qualities has the makings of a star.

I wrote recently that Octagonal was the thoroughbred that drew me to the races when I was a kid.

Octagonal won some the best races in the country – the Cox Plate, BMW (twice), Australian Derby and Australian Cup – but rarely was he convincing.

In fact, the ‘Big O’ was famous for winning by small margins; and even more famous for winning ugly.

Octagonal’s toughness endeared him to the public to the extent that the first words in a short documentary about ‘Occy’ were “Octagonal was public property”.

At stud, Octagonal was largely a flop. But he produced one horse that was at least as good as himself: Lonhro. And Lonhro still rates as my all-time favourite horse.

Lonhro was the antithesis to Octagonal. Lonhro wasn’t overly tough – he tended to shine in a race devoid of early pressure. But for a miler, he possessed a lethal acceleration. If Lonhro was a track cyclist, he’d be unbeatable in the Keirin – his burst of speed unable to be contained.

I witnessed many of Lonhro’s biggest defeats live at the track. I was at Moonee Valley when he finished third at odds-on in the 2003 Cox Plate, disappointed as a short favourite in the Doncaster of the same year and got pummelled in his last race, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

And they all hurt like a grand final loss. But I also saw Lonhro at his best many times.

His victory in the 2004 George Ryder was explosive. In front of a sell-out crowd in his home town on Golden Slipper Day, ‘the Black Flash’ produced a stunning turn of speed in his last appearance at Rosehill Gardens.

To this day, trainer John Hawkes maintains that no horse in the world would’ve beaten Lonhro that day. It’s hard to disagree. He made great horses like Grand Armee and Private Steer look second rate.

Watching Lonhro win the Ryder remains one of my favourite live sporting moments. The crowd, much like the horse they came to see, was amazing.

As the field swung for home, the JR Fleming Stand rose as one and before legendary race-caller Ian Craig declared, “the crowd is starting to cheer already, they’re sensing Lonhro’s win”, he had been drowned out by the roar. It was deafening. And it was exciting. It was Lonhro at his best.

In a handful of three-year olds that are due to step out tomorrow, the traits that made Octagonal and Lonhro special thoroughbreds are found.

In Sydney, Pierro will start a short favourite in the Hobartville Stakes (1400m, Group Two). Incidentally, his father Lonhro won the same race in 2002. And in 1995, Octagonal was second to Nothin’ Leica Dane.

All Too Hard, hot off two Group One victories, may have arrested the title of Australia’s best three-year old from Pierro for the time being but the Gai Waterhouse colt has the quality to take the mantle back quickly.

Pierro is Octagonal and Lonhro rolled into one. He is a combination of toughness and brilliance. He has the potential to be a world star.

It was evident in the Caulfield Guineas when he fought like a caged tiger in defeat. Cooked by a deadly combination of bad ride and bad luck, Pierro had every reason to turn it up in the straight. But his will to win made All Too Hard’s Guineas victory one of the highlights of the spring.

Before the Guineas, we saw the Lonhro in Pierro. His victory in the Sires Produce last April was breath-taking. He sat midfield, just as his father would, before killing off All Too Hard’s chances with a lightning move at the top of the famed Randwick rise.

The scoreboard in Pierro-All Too Hard match-ups is tied at two. Pierro two-nil up in Sydney, All Too Hard two-zero in Melbourne. When they eventually meet this autumn, it will be the most-talked about race of the Sydney Carnival.

But Pierro shouldn’t have it his own way on Saturday. Highly rated stable-mate Proisir resumes in the same race. He finished midfield in the Cox Plate (Pierro was third) but showed great promise over shorter distances earlier in the spring.

It’s A Dundeel beat Prosir in the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m, Group One, three-year olds) last October and he will attempt to continue his unbeaten run in Sydney in the Hobartville.

The New Zealander made headlines in the spring for his incredible last-stride victories that redefined the concept of ‘will to win’. Incredibly, on Saturday he meets another horse – Rebel Dane – who has the same knack of stealing a race with a late charge. And Rebel Dane has never lost.

In Melbourne, All Too Hard, a $1.33 favourite, shoots for his fourth Group One victory in the Australian Guineas (1600m, Group One, three-year olds).

The half-brother to Black Caviar promised stardom from the moment he crushed his opposition on debut 54 weeks ago.

For some months he failed to deliver on that promise. But finally, the gigantic son of Casino Prince has put it all together. Already in 2013 he has twice beaten older horses at Group One level; in the Orr (1400m, weight-for-age) and in last weekend’s Futurity (1600m, weight-for-age).

More than Pierro, All Too Hard’s style is reminiscent of Lonhro. Like Lonhro, he may be one-dimensional – sitting off the speed for most of a race before slaying his rivals in the straight with a supreme change of speed – but, sister aside, All Too Hard is the most exciting horse in Australasia.

He will continue to improve – his breeding says it’s a mere formality – and regardless of whether he comes out on top against Pierro in the coming weeks, I’m backing All Too Hard to make a massive impression in the English summer.

The Poms rate unbeaten three-year old Dawn Approach quite highly. He was tipped to win the English 2000 Guineas (to be run in May over a mile) before he even raced as a two-year old at last year’s Royal Ascot meeting.

A date with All Too Hard should prove to be one of the most anticipated clashes of the European season. I hope it happens.

After all, the first half of the year is always about the three-year olds. And tomorrow is testament to that.