Saturday summary: Godolphin’s Anamoe and Golden Mile shine at Caulfield

Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

Anamoe comes out on top of thrilling Might and Power

Racing so often has the ability to stir the imagination and in recent years Godolphin’s headline horse Anamoe (Street Boss {USA}) has provided more than his fair share of memorable performances and on Saturday at Caulfield he chalked up another, when he produced a practically foot perfect performance to snare his sixth elite-level race in the G1 Might And Power S.

In the next race on the card, the imagination was served a second dose of inspiration when Golden Mile (Astern) emulated Anamoe when quickly adding to Godolphin, James Cummings and James McDonald’s elite-level-winning haul with an ultra-impressive triumph in the G1 Caulfield Guineas, handing Darley stallion Astern with his first Group 1 winner.

Despite being in insatiable and unbeatable form this preparation, there has been a few doubts surrounding Anamoe following his recent win in the G1 George Main S. after it was reported he had pulled up lame.

However, it didn’t take long for the injury cloud to lift, with Cummings and his team reasurring racing fans the 4-year-old was still on track for what many people believe could be a spring to remember.

But if there were any doubts of the opposite lurking in the back of anyone’s mind they were surely expelled after Saturday’s latest win, as Anamoe showed he truly deserved to be considered among some of the best the sport has ever seen, when beating I'm Thunderstruck (NZ) (Shocking) by 0.2l, while Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) was the same distance away in third.

An emotional Cummings admitted he was worried at the top of the straight, but had given McDonald strict instructions not to make a wide run from the 600-metre mark, which he followed down to the last inch.

“At the top of the straight he might have been cursing my thinking that I might have made him leave his run too late, but that was a proper horse race with Alligator Blood who is capable of skipping away at weight-for-age level, a Stradbroke winner and so good in the Underwood,” Cummings said.

“Zaaki was like burning before the turn and building up the revs and what about I'm Thunderstruck getting the perfect run through, so Anamoe had to be the best horse.

“He had to be the champion and he's a serious racehorse. I'm so rapt to see him trotting back to scale beautifully and free in his action.”

Meanwhile, McDonald was equally enamoured with the win.

“He deserves it, the horse, he's a great racehorse,” McDonald said. “He had to lift off the canvas today, it's probably the proudest I've ever been for him.

“Everything has been pretty easy for him, but I was wondering at the 400 (metres) if he was going to be there for me and he was there in spades.

“I think he just crabbed around Caulfield, I really do, I would have lost two or three lengths on the bend. I was right up the clacker of Zaaki and then I ended up drifting right back. I was going to need those horses to come back to me a tad. It wasn't until we balanced up, stretched, he's a champion racehorse.”

Anamoe will now head to G1 Cox Plate, a race he was narrowly denied victory in last year, and he will likely clash once again with Zaaki, I’m Thunderstruck and Alligator Blood (All Too Hard).

Mile produces Golden performance

A mere 40 minutes later, it was Godolphin, Cummings and McDonald show again, as 3-year-old colt Golden Mile lived up to his enormous potential when he produced a thrilling performance in the G1 Caulfield Guineas, a race Anamoe soared to victory in 12 months ago.

The son of Astern landed his first stakes race when triumphing in the G3 Ming Dynasty H. and he warmed up for his tilt at the G1 Caulfield Guineas with a good fourth place finish in the G1 Golden Rose S.

However, the run up to the race was not smooth for Godolphin, with Golden Mile being promoted to number one seed for the operation after it was reported his stablemate Aft Cabin (Astern) was out for the spring after he bled from both nostrils.

However, being suddenly thrust into the spotlight seemed to come naturally to Golden Mile as he showed an explosive turn of foot to beat Elliptical (Dundeel {NZ}) by 0.2l. Osipenko (NZ) (Pierro) finished another 0.3l away in third.

“(Grandfather) Bart and Chin Nam used to laugh amongst each other about going from the zenith of hope to the abyss of despair and that's how I felt walking off the track last week,” Cummings said of Aft Cabin’s defection.

“But to have turned it around seven days later and still emerge with the winner, you can't imagine what a sense of satisfaction and the fatalism for us is pretty important, pretty special to us.

“He (Golden Mile) started at Crown (Sydney) and won on debut from Carbine (Melbourne). But at Osborne Park, the guys there, these are seriously talented people behind me, and they deserve the accolades they get because they can produce colts like Golden Mile and Anamoe.

“They saddle up perfect, present perfect and they savage the line like they're the underdogs and that's the way they should.”

In total, Astern has sired six stakes winners in total and Cummings was quick to pay tribute to the high-class stallion and believed bigger and better things were to come from him.

"The emergence of Astern as a powerhouse stallion and we're very lucky to have him in the barn and if he keeps producing horses like Aft Cabin and Golden Mile then we're well and truly there with a big advantage and we've got that to look forward to.”

Paulele to scale The Everest?

Godolphin’s day began at Caulfield in the best possible way as classy sprinter Paulele (Dawn Approach {Ire}) led home a quinella for the operation in the G2 Schillaci S.

Godolphin have played a waiting game in announcing the horse they want to represent them in The Everest next weekend, but after his performance on Saturday, Paulele may be too tempting to ignore.

In the days leading up to the race, Godolphin Australia’s Managing Director Vin Cox had indicated that Paulele, who is an entire, would be kept within black-type company, status The Everest does not carry, however after he let down impressively to beat his stablemate Ingratiating (Frosted {USA}) by 0.8l, Cummings said both horses would now be considered for the race next Saturday.

“We've got to talk about what horse we'll run in The Everest,” Cummings said. “Both these bulls are capable of a seven-day back-up.

“I backed Paulele up once with confidence in the Randwick Carnival and he ran third. I backed up Ingratiating into a Blue Diamond and he was only just beaten.

“Both are capable, and we'll talk about what we do. Meanwhile, the Manikato is sitting there and they're going to run slashing races if we hold them back for that, so we've got some options with both.

“They're cracking horses with excellent 2-year-old form, good-looking horses and I promise you that they're very hard to make so we have to look after them.”

Tuvalu provides Fry with his first Group 1 winner

The Lindsey Smith-trained Tuvalu (Kermadec {NZ}) produced an impressive display to win the G1 Toorak H. on Saturday and in the process provided jockey Jarrod Fry with his first Group 1 winner, while the victory also meant every Group 1 staged at Caulfield were won by progeny of stallions based at Darley.

Tuvalu signalled he was in the type of form that could see him snare an elite-level victory when he finished third in the G1 Sir Rupert Clarke S. and he elevated that form, defeating Laws Of Indices (Ire) (Power {GB}) by 0.8l. Military Expert (Redoute’s Choice) came home another 0.2l away in third.

“You always dream of it,” Fry said. “I'm very lucky that Lindsey has been backing me along with this ownership group.

“This is not just for me, but all of the staff have been good to me. I could sit there for hours naming them all. I really enjoy working with them and it's good to get the reward with them.”

Smith expressed his delight for Fry and was quick to shift the spotlight onto the jockey, happy to allow him to bask in the limelight.

“It's all about Jarrod and the horse today,” Smith said. “The owners have been special people to me but just for Jarrod and all his hard work.

“He's always felt like one day he'd win one of these. I'm glad it came sooner than later. The barrier helped and a perfect ride and the way the map worked out.”

Tuvalu was purchased by his trainer and Craig Rounsefell of Boomer Bloodstock (FBAA) at the 2019 edition of the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and he is out of placed mare Hangin’ Touch (Exceed And Excel), who is herself a three-quarter sister to Group 1 winner Helmet.

Of Kermadec’s five stakes winners, three are now Group 1 scorers, with Tuvalu joining Montefilia and Willowy and he stands at Darley's Nortwood Park base for a fee of $16,500 (inc GST).

La Crique headlines another brilliant day for Rich Hill Stud

The seven day wait proved no obstacle for La Crique (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}) as she finally notched a victory at the highest level to her record with a win in the G1 Arrowfield Stud Plate at Matamata on Saturday, providing her sire Vadamos (Fr) with his first Group 1 winner.

It was another brilliant day for John Thompson’s Rich Hill Stud as another of the New Zealand nursery’s residents, Proisir, was handed his eighth stakes winner courtesy of Pier’s (NZ) win in the G2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas.

The Katrina and Simon Alexander-trained La Crique had been a heavily backed favourite to take the race at Hastings last weekend but with heavy rain forcing the abandonment of that meeting, connections had to wait an extra week before lining up in the Group 1 feature on their home track after it was transferred to the Matamata meeting.

After being settled in beautifully by regular pilot Craig Grylls, the mare looked the winner from a long way out, eventually coming away to seal victory, beating Mustang Valley (NZ) (Vanbrugh) by 3.8l.

“As soon as I saw her go at the 700 metres and he (Grylls) had to say wait, I was pretty confident,” Katrina said. “He had very clear instructions when we legged him on and that was to not let them stack it up with the pacemaker and he rode her just awesome.

“It was great to see her get back to her style of racing as she has fantastic tactical speed and she just loves that freewheeling style. She bloody deserved that.”

Alexander advised that there was a strong likelihood that she would back La Crique up in the G1 Livamol Classic at Hastings next Saturday.

“It has been talked about (tackling the Livamol Classic) as the fact is we can get her home from here in forty minutes and she can have her head down in the paddock which means her recovery will be fantastic,” she said. “It’s definitely not off the cards to go there (Hastings).”

In winning the Group 1, La Crique becomes the first Group 1 winner for Rich Hill Stud-based sire Vadamos, who stands at stud for a fee of NZ$15,000 plus GST.

Meanwhile, Pier could now be headed for a start in the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas after he defeated Mr Mojo Risin' (NZ) (Deep Field) by 2.3l.

“It was pretty stressful but good to have the family around for this one,” said Darryn Weatherley, who trains alongside Briar. “I actually ran second in this race a couple of times when I was riding, so it is a nice one to tick off.

“It is a time-honoured race and one that I am proud to say I’ve trained the winner.

“I left it up to Michael and told him to see how he began and how he was travelling and he gave him a 10 out of 10 ride.

“On the better track today (Saturday), he had a great sprint and finished well, so I’m very happy and it looks good for Christchurch.”

Proisir’s progeny is headed by dual Group 1 winner Levante (NZ) and this season’s G1 Tarzino Trophy winner Dark Destroyer (NZ).

Best Of Bordeaux flies in the Roman Consul

The Kacy Fogden-trained Best Of Bordeaux (Snitzel) etched his name onto the G2 Roman Consul S. illustrious roll of honour when he returned to his brilliant best in the Group 2 at Randwick on Saturday.

The son of Snitzel was enjoying his third win at stakes level, having taken out the G3 Canonbury S. and G2 Silver Slipper S., finishing second in the G1 Golden Slipper S. on his final start as a 2-year-old, but had failed to get his head in front this preparation, with his best effort coming last time out when second in the G2 Run To The Rose.

However, he put to bed any doubts that he had failed to train on, motoring home to beat Sweet Ride (Deep Field) by 1.8l and Willinga Beast (Snitzel) was a further 0.1l away in third.

The G2 Roman Consul S. has a reputation for producing some of the most exciting stallions in recent memory, with Exceed And Excel (2003) and Fastnet Rock (2004) amongst the most well-known winners of the race, while Zoustar (2013) and Brazen Beau (2014) also took out the race and Newgate Farm’s young guns Russian Revolution (2016), Cosmic Force (2019) and Wild Ruler (2020) triumphed in the Group 2.

Coolmore’s Tom Magnier, who races the colt with their other partners, said another stallion-making contest, the G1 Coolmore Stud S., could be on the cards for the high-class colt.

“He’s had an interrupted prep. He’s been a serious candidate for the spring the whole way through and in fairness to Kacy and the whole team, they’ve handled this horse magnificently,” said Magnier.

“They’ve had some tough days but there are highs and lows in this sport and that’s one of the high ones.

“There is a great group of people involved in this horse and we will sit down and maybe think about the Coolmore or something like that.”

Bred by Gerry Harvey who remained in the ownership after trainer Kacy Fogden paid $425,000 for the colt at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and now race the colt with Coolmore and other partners after they purchased him following his second-place finish in the G1 Golden Slipper S.

Best Of Bordeaux is the second foal out of the winning mare Chateau Cheval (High Chaparral {Ire}).

Fine stakes-double for Deep Field

Newgate Farm’s Deep Field snared a fine stakes double on Saturday when his daughter English Riviera took the G3 Thoroughbred Club S. at Caulfield, before another of his daughters, Sky Command, showed her mettle when skipping clear of her rivals to land G3 The Nivision at Randwick.

Having finished a good third in the G3 Scarborough S. last time out, the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained English Riviera added a much-deserved stakes race to her CV when she took out the G3 Thoroughbred Club S. at Caulfield on Saturday.

The 3-year-old daughter of Deep Field was forced to dig deep for the win but showed her talent when defeating Mumbai Jewel (I Am Invincible) by 0.1l, while La Danseuse Rouge (Manhattan Rain) a further 0.3l away in third.

Bred by Alan Bell Racing, English Riviera was purchased by her owner Seymour Bloodstock’s Mark Pilkington (FBAA) for $260,000 from the Vinery Stud draft at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2021.

English Riviera is out of the Listed-winning New Zealand-bred mare Second Time Lucky (NZ) (Any Suggestion), who produced a filly by American Pharoah (USA) in 2021.

“She's a really good quality filly and not much was going right for her and to win this stakes race today really was so pleasing,” Tony McEvoy said.

He said the Listed Crockett S. at Moonee Valley on October 22 or the G1 Coolmore Stud S. at Flemington the following week could be on the agenda for English Riviera.

“She goes well down the straight and I've had a bit of luck with fillies in the Coolmore,” McEvoy said. “So, I'll talk to the ownership group. That was a big tick today (Saturday).”

Meanwhile, the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained Sky Command produced a demanding performance in torrid conditions when she beat Never Talk (No Nay Never {USA}) by 1.8l, while Heresy (Street Boss {USA}) was another 0.1l further afield in third.

The mare is bred and raced by Bert Vieira and in winning the Group 2 Deep Field’s stakes-winning haul moved to 19. The stallion stands at Newgate Farm for a fee of $88,000 (inc GST).

Vinnie’s got another good one

King’s Gambit (I Am Invincible) produced a performance from the gods when destroying his rivals in the Listed Debutant S. at Caulfield on Saturday and the $1 million Golden Gift could lie in wait for the talented juvenile.

Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, the son of I Am Invincible pulled effortlessly clear of his rivals to post a 5l victory over Pure Paradise (Capitalist), while Heuristic (Street Boss {USA}) was another 0.4l away in third.

“It certainly went to plan, it was as we thought the race unfolded,” said Peter Snowden. “He went very well.

“The end of his work has always been the best part of his work, so it was good to see him as strong as he was late.

“That is an option but if the horse has had enough in a couple of weeks' time, that'll be enough for us to tip him out. It'll depend how he's come through the run.”

Bred by Gooree Park, the son of I Am Invincible is raced by the Victorian operation alongside other high-profile breeders Newgate, China Horse Club and Go Bloodstock.

The colt is out of the Group 3-winning Group 1-placed mare Sultry Feeling (Encosta De Lago), who has already produced one winner in the shape of Wholesome Delight (Exceed And Excel).

Sultry Feeling herself is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Swift Alliance (Don Eduardo {NZ}) as well as stakes-placed New Day Rising (Fastnet Rock) and Tzu Hsi (Quest For Fame {GB}), the dam of Group 2 winner Rock Sturdy (Fastnet Rock).