Beauty Generation staying put

The John Moore-trained Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road To Rock) has been ruled out of a trip to Japan for the G1 Yasuda Kinen.

Owner Patrick Kwok said following discussions they have decided to remain at home.

“We hope that he would, under sufficient rest and training, continue to carry your hopes and continue his winning streak in the future races.”

Upsets a family trait

Pennino (Easy Rocking) continued the family tradition of springing major upsets in black-type races when she won the G3 Brandons Gold Coast Guineas.

Trained by Darryl Hansen, Pennino led all the way to claim the age group feature and is a sister to Balboa Rocks, who won the Listed Sunshine Coast Cup at odds of 90-1

While Pennino started one of the outsiders in the Guineas, Hansen said he was quietly confident she would go close. "She's won on a heavy track previously and even though a few of the others fell by the wayside I was pretty sure she would handle it," Hansen said.

Cup target

Former Kiwi stayer The Lord Mayor (NZ) (Rock ‘n’ Pop) is likely to head toward next month’s G2 Brisbane Cup over 2400 metres.

"The Lord Mayor ran in the New Zealand and Australian Derbies last season and didn't have much luck. He can chase some black-type up here," trainer Chris Waller said.

The 4-year-old opened his carnival campaign with success in the Heineken Gold Coast Cup and settled well off the early pace before rider James McDonald got serious. The gelding circled the field and held a strong gallop to down stablemate Vaucluse Bay (Al Maher).

Collett at the double

Jason Collett completed a top day at the Gold Coast when Demerara (Commands) maintained her impressive first-up record in the Listed Attwood Marshall Silk Stocking.

Forty minutes earlier, Collett won the day's highlight, the G2 Hollindale S. aboard Life Less Ordinary (Thewayyouare {USA}).

Nacim Dilmi, stable spokesman for trainer James Cummings, said was confident Demerara would handle with the heavy track. "She's by Commands out of a Canny Lad mare so we thought she would handle the ground.”

Strong Derby hand

Trainer Anthony Freedman looks set to have two leading chances in the G1 South Australian Derby after Ridgewood Drive (Sebring) pressed his claims with a strong win at Flemington.

"If he pulls up well he will certainly head in that direction," assistant trainer Sam Freedman said.

The stable also has Declarationofheart (Declaration Of War {USA}) on target for the Derby after he won the G3 Chairman’s S. last Saturday.

Empress returns for GI win

Serengeti Empress (USA) (Alternation {USA}) bled and was vanned off after finishing seventh, beaten 50 1/4 lengths, in the GII Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 23. Now, just one start later, she’s a GI Longines Kentucky Oaks winner.

“She’s such a fast filly,” said winning rider Jose Ortiz. “She took me to the front and she fought the entire way around there. This is an incredible win. Tom [Amoss] gave me a lot of confidence in her. I had never been on her, and he told me, ‘Ride her like you own her.’ And that’s what I did.”

This was by far the biggest victory of perennial leading trainer Tom Amoss’s career, who has saddled no fewer than 3,638 winners.

Improvement to come

Jockey Brett Prebble said there is still plenty of upside to 2-year-old Moldova (Snitzel), who has started her racing career with wins at Bendigo and now Flemington.

Moldova raced on the pace in Saturday's Jack Styring Plate and drew clear in the closing 400 metres.

"She's a big strong filly with plenty of scope about her," Prebble said. "She's got plenty of upside. She doesn't know what she's doing and she's still winning. If she gets a bend and a rail to follow you will probably see a better horse.”

Champagne feeling

Co-trainer Michael Pitman listened from afar when All About Magic (Showcasing {GB}) won the Listed Berkley Stud Champagne S. at Riccarton.

His wife Dianne accepted the congratulations as her husband is in England with the dual Group 1 winning sprinter Enzo’s Lad (Testa Rossa) preparing to tackle the Royal Ascot carnival in June.

“He keeps setting the alarm and waking up to listen to each race,” she said. “She is a very smart horse.”

Plans in disarray

Trainer Tony Gollan plans with his star 3-year-old and ruling G1 Stradbroke H. favourite Zoustyle's (Zousain) winter were thrown into chaos by a heavy track.

Gollan was forced to withdraw Zoustyle from the G3 Gold Coast Guineas and there are now doubts the unbeaten gelding will make it to the Stradbroke.

Pot of gold for filly

Rainbow Dash (Showcasing {GB}) added further valuable black-type to her outstanding 2-year-old campaign with a gritty victory in the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO S.

The Jenna Mahoney-trained filly has only finished further back than second on one occasion in her six starts to date, that coming when sixth on an unsuitable heavy track in the G1 Sistema S.

“She definitely has a lot of positives about her as she tries really hard, although she is only small, so that is a good sign,” trainer Jenna Mahoney said.

Jockeys uninjured

All jockeys escaped serious injury after four horses were involved in a fall after the winning post in the fourth event at Ipswich.

Ipswich was rated in the good range in the morning, but the race was run in driving rain and the meeting abandoned after 30mm fell in 30 minutes.

Steward Neil Boyle said Scott Galloway, Jackson Murphy, Anthony Allen and Jake Bayliss were all dislodged. He said the jockeys had all been checked by medical staff and cleared of any serious injury.