Quinton holds Celebration for autumn
Ron Quinton will likely look to the autumn with consistent 3-year-old Royal Celebration (Excelebration), who broke through for a much-deserved win in the 2019 Membership Hcp at Randwick.
Royal Celebration had finished second at his last three starts, including to subsequent triple Group 1 winner The Autumn Sun (Redoute's Choice) at his final start of last preparation, but was dominant on Saturday, sitting outside the pace before surging clear to beat Evalina (I Am Invincible) by 1.3l.
Quinton said post-race, it was an important win for the colt, given he'd seemingly lost the habit of winning.
"It’s lovely to win with him, because sometimes they run all these seconds and continue to do it. It’s nice from him to break through again," he said.
"He's still not fully mature for a 3-year-old colt. I think he'll be a better horse in the autumn. He's had a couple of hard runs, we’ll just see what we do with him."
A $35,000 buy at the 2017 Classic Sale, he is out of the unraced Crimson Code, who has produced city winner Barcode (Kaphero) and comes from the family of Sir Alberton, Alberton Star and Lady Alberton.
Carrum no surprise for Laing
Robbie Laing was just about the only person of the 40,000 on course at Moonee Valley unsurprised by Stars Of Carrum's (Fiorente {Ire}) win in the G2 Drummond Golf Vase.
Stars Of Carrum saluted at odds of $51 in the traditional Victoria Derby lead-up, but Laing was always confident that the colt could measure up, given the right luck,
"It's no surprise for me, he probably should have won the Hill Smith Stakes (in Adelaide) and with clear running in the Stutt Stakes (at Moonee Valley) he probably runs second to Leonardo Da Hinchi," Laing said.
"He worked the place down this week."
Laing is hoping to recreate his success with Polanski (Rakti {GB}) in the Derby five years' ago. But he feels Stars Of Carrum has had a much tougher 3-yer-old campaign.
"I would have loved to have given him the same prep as Polanski going two weeks between runs but the problem was when there was a race at Flemington a few weeks ago, all the sprinters got into it as they had more prizemoney and a genuine stayer like him got balloted out and had to go to Adelaide," he said,
"It wasn't fantastic for him, he lost a bit of weight (on the trip) but he's a tough horse, you can serve it up to him because he's a good eater."
Double joy for Widden
Widden Stud enjoyed a day out at Moonee Valley on Saturday with Sebring having his 50th stakes winner and Zoustar his fourth.
Shoko's win in the Group 3 Powerflo Solutions S. saw her notch up the half century for her sire, having progressed all the way to a black-type win in her first campaign.
She is likely to head to the paddock now, with new trainer John Sadler well-and-truly satisfied with her efforts.
Soon after, Charge, sporting the Qatar Bloodstock colours, won the G3 1300 Australia S.
He joins the stars of Zoustar's first crop, Sunlight, Zousain and Lean Mean Machine, as stakes winners for the Widden stallion.
Zoustar
Terrific treble
Brendan and Jo Lindsay were familiar faces in the winners’ enclosure at Ellerslie on Saturday.
The Cambridge Stud principals enjoyed a memorable meeting with a winning treble.
The 2-year-old Bavella (Snitzel) started the ball rolling with a debut success in the Partners Life Juvenile before Save The Date (NZ) (Savabeel) struck in the Mondiale H.
In the closing event, it was the turn of Prince Jabeel (NZ) (Savabeel), whose brother Fratello won at Pukekohe on Friday, to join the party when he produced a strong staying performance to claim the Coverstaff H.
The three Ellerslie winners are prepared at Karaka by the Lindsay’s private trainer Lance Noble.
Guineas hopes shine
The Chosen One (NZ) (Savabeel), Sir Nate (NZ) (Nadeem) and Media Sensation (I Am Invincible) have drawn further attention to the Group 1 prospects.
The former was untested to remain unbeaten after the Listed Zacinto S., at Riccarton for trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman.
Media Sensation winning the Listed Zacinto S.
He made the jump to black type company with ease in his second appearance ahead of the G1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas.
Last season’s Listed Wellesley S., winner and G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce S., placegetter Sir Nate sealed his trip south for the Riccarton feature when he beat the older horses in the Harrisons Curtains & Blinds H.
The colt was out of the frame in the G2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas, but he bounced back to his best at Trentham for trainer Lisa Latta.
Media Sensation won for the fourth time in her five-start career when she was victorious in the G3 Parrtners Life Soliloquy S., at Ellerslie.
Trainers Peter and Dawn Williams elected to back the mare up following her success at Rotorua seven days ago in order to have her rock hard fit for the G1 gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas.
Princess rules again
Smart filly Princess Amelie (Snitzel) returned to winning ways way at Trentham to remain in the Classic mix.
She was a first-up winner for the season at Hastings before she was unplaced off the outside gate beat her in the G2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas.
“It was a big ask in the Guineas and hindsight is a great thing, we probably should have scratched her,” trainer Lisa Latta said. “We freshened her and dropped back to 1200 metres for this.”
Princess Amelie sat close to the pace and she was determined in the straight to beat More Wonder (NZ) (Mossman) and Beam Of Light (NZ) (Power {GB}).
The filly is still in the G1 gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas, although Latta has yet to commit to the Riccarton feature.
Princess Amelie as a yearling
All go for NZ Cup
High Spirits (NZ) (Darci Brahma) has booked her passage south for a staying feature.
The 6-year-old triumphed in Saturday’s BCD Travel Des Coppins RWC Japan Tour H., to confirm plans for a tilt at next month’s Christchurch Casino G3 New Zealand Cup.
“She’ll get the points for a start now so bring on Riccarton,” trainer John Bary said.
High Spirits has already showed her depths of stamina and last preparation she was successful over 3200 metres and also finished fifth in the G3 Wellington Cup.
She is out of the Montjeu (IRE) mare Spiriting, a half-sister to the G3 Kingston Town S., winner Just Polite (Dehere {USA}).
3YO on his way home
Hasabro (NZ) (Savabeel) will return home from Australia for a break.
The 3-year-old had crossed the Tasman to try and win a spot in the G1 VRC Derby and was luckless when runner-up at Geelong before unplaced runs at Cranbourne and in the Listed Geelong Classic.
“He had a tough run, he was caught three and four wide all the way and got galloped on,” McKee said. “We’ll bring him home and freshen him for a few weeks before we start again.”
A brother to stablemate Hasahalo, who won last season’s G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas, he was a NZ$220,000 purchase by Go Racing out of Waikato Stud’s draft at Karaka.
