Day 2 of The Championships promises to deliver more high-quality racing with (touch wood) drier conditions.
The time-honoured Sydney Cup, along with Australia’s richest weight-for-age race in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, provide the most interest and look set to shape the Horse of The Year award.
The Queen Elizabeth favourite is Contributer, unbeaten this season, taking the Chipping Norton and Ranvet Stakes along the way. A win in the Queen Elizabeth against some tricky international opposition would catapult him to the top of the pecking order for the end-of-season honour.
A victory to Adelaide (a remarkable training effort from Chris Waller based on recent trials) would provide the four-year-old with wins in our two most prestigious weight-for-age races and therefore make him a shoe-in for the award. An amazing feat based on just two starts.
Spillway, Happy Trails and Criterion would all have minor claims as Horse of the Year with a Queen Elizabeth win, but an additional Group 1 is required for them to become a serious threat.
The Sydney Cup could also help determine the winner, with Protectionist looking to add the Sydney Cup to his Melbourne Cup. The double, last achieved by Makybe Diva in 2004, would surely press his claims for the title if the Queen Elizabeth goes to one of the less-fancied chances.
Interestingly, Protectionist was this week announced as runner-up in Germany’s 2014 Horse of the Year award, just behind Derby winner Sea the Stars. Third place went to Ivanhowe, the only horse to defeat See The Stars last season and who is now in the safe hands of Anthony and Lee Freedman. He will be a big player in the spring!
Last year Lankan Rupee was crowned Horse of the Year after his three dominant Group 1 win ahead of Fiorente. When we look at the multiple Group 1 winners this season, there is no clear standout.
Dissident is the only horse to have chalked up three Group 1s this season, however the Memsie, Makybe Diva and CF Orr Stakes are all run at the beginning of campaigns and didn’t attract quality fields – don’t get me started on the over burgeoning Group 1 calendar.
Hallowed Crown (Golden Rose, Randwick Guineas) and Trust In A Gust (Rupert Clarke, Toorak Handicap) are other multiple Group 1 winners, but I can’t see either being given serious consideration for overall honours at this stage.
The sprinters have all taken turns in winning the features, with Chautauqua the most consistent and will further press his claims by adding the All Aged Stakes to his CV.
Lankan Rupee has the Manikato and Lightning Stakes to his name, but failures in the Newmarket and TJ Smith have dashed any chances of him claiming back-to-back titles.
Brazen Beau (Coolmore Stud Stakes, Newmarket) is the only other multiple Group 1 winning sprinter and a Golden Jubilee Stakes victory would certainly entitle him to challenge the older brigade.
With the international participation at our carnivals ever increasing and targeting the middle distance classics, this could be one of the last years where we don’t see a sprinter take the crown.
I think Contributor will win on Saturday, confirming his place as Australia’s best horse and further strengthening the growing Goldolphin juggernaut.
Pugsy Malone
Guest
I think you're right in that Contributer would probably be entitled to claim the honour of HOTY if it wins tomorrow. However, if Dissident comes out and wins the All Aged as well, it will be a close call. That's looking like a hot field. I don't subscribe to the theory re Dissident that "they were all at the beginning of campaigns". Each horse was beginning their prep, so not sure it matters and to say the Memsie and Diva was not a top notch field is incorrect in my view. Anyway, very even bunch I agree and a tough job for the judges!
johnny nevin is a legend
Guest
Nice article. Just a quick correction the German horse of the year was Sea the Moon. Sea the Stars is his sire and one of the greatest thoroughbreds ever