Group 1 Caulfield Cup, Caulfield
Race Summary:
International raider Best Solution (IRE) (Kodiac {GB}) defied his topweight and a wide early run to give Godolphin and trainer Saeed Bin Suroor a second victory in the spring carnival feature.
Jumping from a wide gate, the 5-year-old had to work overtime under Pat Cosgrave to get on the pace.
Best Solution was in front at the top of the straight and he showed outstanding reserves of stamina and a will to win to get home at the expense of Homesman (USA) (War Front {USA}).
The Cliffsofmoher (IRE) (Galileo {IRE}) was next home ahead of Duretto (GB) (Manduro (GER}) and The Taj Mahal (IRE) (Galileo {IRE}) in an all European-bred finish.
Bin Suroor first won the Caulfield Cup with the 50-1 chance All The Good (IRE) (Diesis {GB}) a decade ago.
Pedigree notes :
Out of the Kingmambo (USA) mare Al Andaylla (USA), who failed to place in her racing days, Best Solution was a 90,000 guineas Tatts October Yearling Sale purchase and signed for by John Ferguson.
He is the only winner for the mare, who is a grand-daughter of the G3 Doncaster Park Hill S., winner Eva Luna (USA) (Alleged {USA}) and she’s been a treasure in the breeding barn.
She is the dam of the multiple Group 1 winner Brian Boru (GB) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}) and the Group 2 winners Sea Moon (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}) and Moon Search (GB) (Rainbow Quest {USA}).
Group 2 Caulfield Sprint Handicap, Caulfield
Race Summary:
Eduardo (Host {CHI}) didn’t enjoy the easiest of runs, but it mattered not to the exciting 5-year-old.
He got posted three wide from a tricky gate before he improved near the turn and hit the front 200 metres out. Rider Brian Park then asked for the supreme effort and the bold chestnut responded in style.
At just his fifth start, Eduardo never looked like shirking his task and he was too good for She Knows and Bons Away.
Pedigree notes :
Eduardo’s mother Blushing (Fantastic Light {USA}) was unraced and she’s doing a tidy job at stud with all three of her foals to race having been successful.
The third dam is the G3 Lightning H., winner Peggy Ann (NZ) (Bletchingly) and she is a daughter of Avon Angel (NZ) (Avon Valley {GB}), who won the G1 Rosemount Wines Classic and was a multiple Group 2 winner.
Group 2 Tristarc S., Caulfield
Race Summary:
Shumookh (Dream Ahead {USA}) continued her excellent campaign with her second Group 2 win in mares' company in a month as she led all the way to win the Schweppes Tristarc S. at Caulfield.
Given a perfectly rated ride by Tim Clark, Shumookh jumped to the front and never looked like being headed, powering to a 1.75-length win over Invincibella (I Am Invincible), with Aloisia (NZ) (Azamour {Ire}) third.
The 4-year-old mare is now a winner of three of her nine starts, two of them at G2 level after her win in the G2 Golden Pendant at Rosehill.
Co-trainer Gai Waterhouse is likely to step Shumookh up in distance and class to the G1 Myer Classic at Flemington on VRC Derby Day.
Pedigree Notes:
Shumookh is the sixth foal from the three-time Group 1 winning mare Shamekha and the only one to win at stakes level. It's an Emirates Park family through and through, going back to Shamekha's dam Lifetime Story, who was a half-sister to multiple Group 2 winner and stallion Brave Warrior.
All of the five previous foals of Shamekha have been winners, while the younger half-sister Shuwaamekh is also with Waterhouse and Bott.
Group 3 Ladbrokes Classic, Caulfield
Race Summary:
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Thinkin’ Big turned the race into a procession with a dominant front-running performance.
He was beautifully-rated by jockey Tim Clark and after kicking clear into the straight his rivals were chasing a memory with the colt having a wide margin on runner-up Chapada (High Chaparral {IRE}).
Thinkin’ Big handed Waterhouse her third victory in the event, having won in 1995 with Nothin’ Leica Dane (Danehill {USA}) and in 2002 with Platinum Scissors (Danehill).
Pedigree notes:
A brother to the G3 Chairman’s H., winner Stampede, Thinkin’ Big is out of Nothin’ Leica Cat (NZ) (Tale Of The Cat {USA}), who was a winner and finished runner-up in the G1 Queensland Oaks.
She is out of a half-sister to the G2 Champagne S., winner I Am A Ripper (Mukaddamah {USA}) and to the dam of the G3 Blue Diamond S., winner Murphy’s Blu Boy (Blu Tsunami {USA}).
Group 3 Nivision S., Randwick
Race Summary:
Godolphin celebrated the 150th stakes winner for Darley stallion Exceed And Excel, with Resin's win in the Group 3 ICD Property Nivison at Randwick.
The lightly-raced 4-year-old mare made it five wins from nine starts with a dominant performance as she relished the soft conditions to beat stablemate Almanzora (Lonhro) with Eckstein (I Am Invincible) third.
James Cummings and his team hold a strong opinion of Resin, who was worked nicely through her classes to now be a black-type winner.
Pedigree notes:
Resin is one of only three named foals from the Group 1 winning mare Beaded, and the only one to have joined her dam as a black-type winner. Her older half brother Bezel (Street Cry {Ire}) is a five-time winner, while there is a 2-year-old full brother to Resin called Lesage, as well as a yearling colt by Medaglia D'Oro, who was the last from the mare, who died last year.
Beaded's half-sister Rarefied was a Group 3 winner, while their dam, Subtle was a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Undue as well as Listed winner Absurd.
Group 3 Ethereal S., Caulfield
Race Summary:
Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) continued her path toward the G1 Kennedy Oaks with a hard-fought victory in the New Zealand Bloodstock Ethereal S. at Caulfield.
The filly, having just her second start for Darren Weir, showed her staying credentials over the 2000m trip for the first time, coming from off the pace to overpower Aristia (Lonhro) in the final stages and win by 0.5L with Sizzleme (Sizzling) a further 1.5l back in third.
It is the third win of her five-start career and more importantly for her future breeding prospects, her first stakes-win. However, given the way she won this race, it looks unlikely to be her last.
She started her career with Nick Bishara at Ardmore in New Zealand, having her first three starts there before being sold and sent to Australia last month.
Pedigree notes:
Verry Elleegant becomes Grangewilliam Stud's stallion Zed's second stakes-winner in Australia.
She was bred by Dan Goodwin out of the mare Opulence (Danroad), who has already produced the handy horses Black Lace (Towkay) and Verry Flash (Zed {NZ}). A colt by Haradasun sold for $10,000 at the yearling sales earlier this year, while a foal by Zed arrived earlier this month.
Further back, the fourth dam is the excellent producer Cotehele House, the dam of Danewin and Commands, who is also Zed's third dam and was out of the great Eight Carat.
Group 3 Moonga S., Caulfield
Race Summary:
Sircconi (Nicconi) made amends for an unlucky defeat seven days' ago to easily win the G3 Ladbrokes Moonga S. at Caulfield.
Sircconi had finished an unlucky third in the Listed Weekend Hussler S. last week, his final start for trainer Peter Morgan, but bounced back in his first for John Sadler, with Linda Meech giving the 4-year-old a perfect ride for a 1.75l to win over Dreamforce (Fastnet Rock) with Perast (Snitzel) third.
Sircconi has only had three wins in his 16-start career but two of them have been at Group level, with Saturday's success adding to his win in the G2 VRC Sires' Produce S in 2017.
Pedigree notes:
Nicconi was a $80,000 pick-up for Peter Morgan at the 2016 Classic Sale having been sold as weanling for $25,000 as a weanling 12 months earlier.
He is out of On Credit (NZ) (Viking Ruler) who has also produced the winning filly Tap 'n' Go (Drumbeats). It is a strong New Zealand black-type family featuring his third dam, The Dimple (NZ), who produced Irish Chance, The Cheek and The Grin, who is the dam of The Jewel and Star Affair.
On Credit has a 2YO Eurozone filly, a yearling Domesday filly and a Capitalist filly born in August.
Group 3 Coongy Handicap, Caulfield
Race Summary:
Imports Mask Of Time (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Best Of Days (GB) (Azamour {Ire}) couldn’t be separated at the end of a dramatic G3 Ladbrokes Coongy Cup at Caulfield.
In a thrilling finish, Mask of Time looked beaten in the final stages by Best Of Days, but dug deep to stick his nose down on the line and dead heat with the favourite, who would have won the race if he'd run straight in the final stages.
Kerrin McEvoy on Mask of Time then took his case to the stewards' room with a protest, but that was dismissed and the result stood.
It is Mask Of Time's first win for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace since arriving in Australia a little over 12 months ago, and his third in a 20-start career.
Best Of Days, who was a Group 2 winner in England, has now won two of his five starts for James Cummings since arriving on Australia in April.
Pedigree notes:
Best of Days is the first foal from Baisse (GB). His second dam Best Side (Ire) (King’s Best (USA) was also a listed performer who produced G3 winner Azmeel (GB), also by Azamour. While black-type performers Grand Ducal (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and Hurricane Floyd (Ire) (Pennekamp {USA}) also feature on the pedigree page.
Mask Of Time is out of the Galileo mare Mission Secrete (Ire), who is a three-quarter sister to black-type winner Mer de Corail, from the family of Miss France, Alsace Lorraine and Beach Bunny.
Group 3 Barneswood Farm S., Ashburton
Race Summary:
Xpression (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}) galloped her way to favouritism for the G1 gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas with a convincing victory.
The gifted filly settled off the speed before she followed Fire Show (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}) into the race. Under rider Sam Collett, she ambled to the front 250 metres from home and stayed on strongly.
The previously unbeaten Our Flying Ace (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) ran on gamely to cut Fire Show out of second money.
Pedigree Notes:
The winner is closely-related to Hardline (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}), who crossed the Tasman a few years back to add to trainer Liam Birchley’s winning tally in the Karaka Million.
Xpression’s third dam is the black type winner Midnight Madame (NZ) (Kaapstad {NZ}) and she produced the G1 Doomben Cup winner Perlin (NZ) (Carnegie {IRE}) and the Listed Galilee Series Final winner Almodovar (NZ) (Pins).
Group 3 Sweynesse S., Rotorua
Race Summary:
A fresh Volks Lightning (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}) returned in a blaze of glory under rider Jake Bayliss.
The Team Rogerson-trained mare, who was placed in the G1 Railway S., last season, bounded to the front and she kicked off the bend.
Volks Lightning was tiring in the closing stages, but the 6-year-old just had enough in reserve to see of the late lunge of Indecision (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) and the favourite Julius (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) did well for third after missing the start.
Pedigree notes :
A $60,000 Karaka purchase out of Windsor Park Stud’s consignment, Volks Lightning is a son of the unbraced Stravinsky (USA) mare Next Century (NZ) and boasts a strong international flavour to her pedigree.
It includes the imported G2 Zipping Classic winner Au Revoir (IRE) (Singspiel {IRE}), the G3 Princess Margaret S., winner Bluebook (USA) (Secretariat {USA}) and the G3 Nell Gwyn S., winner Myself (GB) (Nashwan {USA}).
