Queensland stud Aquis Farms also coughed up the $1,800,000 for a slot. They are in earnest discussions with the connections of the flying Queensland filly Houtzen, winner of the Magic Millions. Houtzen also went around at Moonee Valley last night. She started a 1-3 favourite in the 1200m Scarborough Stakes. The owners are not too sure where to go with her. Take on the big guns in The Everest, or chase the G1, 3 year old races during the Spring Carnival? https://www.racing.com/news/2017-09-29/houtzen-no-lock-for-everest
British and Irish flat racing just doesn't have drama and excitement like this. Same old breeding operations churning out horses in the same old colours in the same old tired Group 1 format. Nice story Cyc, many thanks for posting
The Everest slot holders who each paid the $1,800,000. 1. Coolmore. 2. Greg Ingham's GPI Racing. 3. Mr. Zhang's Yu Long Invstments. 4. Aquis Farm. 5. TAB. 6. Inglis. 7. Australian Turf Club. 8. Jadeskye Racing. 9. James Herron Bloodstock. 10. Chris Waller Racing. 11. Whitby Syndicate. 12. Star Casino.
The eighth leg of the Global Sprint Challenge took place at the Nakayama Racecourse in Japan last weekend. The big grey Red Falx went in as favourite for the G1 1200m event and won the race for the second year running. It was some sort of effort. No 8. Red, white stars and arm band. Blue cap.
Looks like Winx has scared a lot of her rivals off, I see they have kept entries open till tomorrow to attract more Horses! Shame really, even tho it is great to see her keeping winning and is what racing needs, would be nice to see her in a battle and then win!
It tends to happen when ever a good one comes along Wooly. Seems as though she blasted through a final 200m of her work in an amazing 21 seconds. Scary stuff. One thing for certain though, is that when the Cox Plate rolls around, she'll be fully tested.
Would you risk your hard earned on this? A corporate bookmaking firm has announced that it will pump $50,000 into a novelty race called The Hotham. The object of the race is to give the worst nominated horses a start. They are going to reverse the ballot conditions. It's a race restricted to maidens. The horse with the most starts and least prize money gets in first, and so on down the line until the field is finally filled with duds. The race will take place in the Victorian city of Ballarat on October 12. Along with a decent winner's purse, the owners will also receive a monster trophy standing almost 10 feet in height. Gotta love a sport where the battler gets a look in from time to time. And on the subject of battlers cashing in, we'll see a little more of it this Saturday in the G1 Turnbull Stakes. Noting that Winx had scared the crap out of prospective opposition for the Turnbull, the connections of a horse called Skyfire have entered and secured a run for their 61 rated galloper. With just seven in the field, Skyfire is assured of a $10,000 pay day. There's a bit of a stink over it too, but what the hell, if there's a loop hole there, then jump in and take the 10K. Winx.132. Skyfire. 61. Winx.$1.16. Skyfire. 500-1.
The horse never ceases to amaze me Oddy. After her lead in runs in Sydney I seriously wondered if she's returned as good as last year, but that run was brilliant. Hugh Bowman said that she seems to favour the Melbourne way of racing as she likes to lead with her near front leg. I think I believe him.
Dermot Weld sent Zhukova to the US looking to secure a start in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, but needed a win in the G1 Flower Bowl Stakes to do it. Fail. The race went to one of the lesser lights, War Flag. No 2, green and white. Gets the run of the race behind the leading two.
Another win and you're in race at Belmont Park was the G1 Frizette Stakes for 2yos over the mile. Winner gets an automatic start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. No 4 in red and white. Separationofpowers. She did it the hard way.
Used to love a Knickerbocker Glory when I was a kid, bet I still would. Apologies, Cyc, for screwing around on this serious thread, I won't do it again.
Auteuil is one lovely looking course. Last Sunday it played host to the G2 Prix Georges de Talhouet-Roy run over 3600m. The race is restricted to 3 year olds. Reveley did a nice job getting Master Dino home. He was last in running but won in a cracking finish.
Well it's all happening at Randwick tomorrow. The Everest, the world's richest turf race, an event worth $10,000,000, has draws together a field of 12 of the best sprinters in the country to do battle for the big bikkies. And the race betting is wide open, which is a bit of a surprise. There are just so many decent chances that nobody seems to know which path to follow. As it stands at the moment, the Hayes & Dabernig trained Vega Magic holds sway at 4-1. The team also have Redkirk Warrior in the race and say they can't split the two, so I guess that makes the latter value at 8-1. Between them, the field has amassed more than $25,000,000 in prize money. They can add another 10 tomorrow. THE EVEREST. 1200. WFA. $10,000,000. 1. 176 CHAUTAUQUA. (5) 58.5 B. Avdulla. 9-2. M,W & J. Hawkes. Once rated the best sprinter on the planet but age seems to have wearied him a little. As usual, he's been getting well back and rattling home late, but looks as though he needs a bit further. With the weather looking to throw down a wee bit of the wet stuff, and a hectic pace up front, he could thunder home over the top of them late. It would be amazing to see him pull it off, but he's going to have to reproduce that magic he owned a couple of years ago. I'm not sure he's value though. Still, he's been set for this race and his finishing sectionals in his last 2 runs have been amazing. 2. 111 VEGA MAGIC. (10) 58.5 C. Williams. 4-1. Hayes & Dabernig. Has won 2 G1s a G3 and a listed event in his last 4 starts. The stable is hot for him, but he's has not met this type of company before and never raced in Sydney. His barrier is a nightmare too. Me thinks taking a punt on him is to be done on faith. He showed outstanding pace to lead last time out, but there's some serious speed drawn under him this time. If they fly, he could sit mid-field and come hard at the end. There's been quite a bit of debate of late about the merits of Sydney form v Melbourne. He's a very good horse though and a win wouldn't surprise. 3. 111 REDZEL. (4) 58.5 K. McEvoy. 13-2. P & P Snowden. Winner of G1, 2 & 3 of late. Has been placed at his last 7, all black type events. His last win, in the Shorts, was sensational. Three of his last four wins have been on this track while carrying big weights. Possesses some serious speed and will be close in running from the good alley. If there's to be a problem, it could be the last 100m or so. But he's in career best form, loves the track and beat both Chautauqua and English in the Shorts over the 1100m. As stated, the jump between the 1100 and 1200 could be his undoing. He's in cracking form though. 4. 051. REDKIRK WARRIOR. (3) 58.5. R. Bayless. 8-1. Hayes & Dabernig. A very interesting runner. Started his race life at Yarmouth winning a maiden over 2020. Then backed it up in a 95 rated, 2012m Ascot event which he won. Then he was sent abroad. He has 5 runs in Hong Kong, winning one before finding himself in Melbourne. After being placed at the Valley, he won a G3 race over 1500m at Sandown. Then pulled off a major shock in taking out the 1200m G1 Newmarket at Flemington, at 30-1. He was on pace for the entire event. He was then sent to Sydney for the G1 Doncaster but finished mid race. They gave him a crack at the G1 All Aged Stakes while in Sydney, but he again failed. Back to Melbourne for the 1200m G2 Bobby Lewis. He absolutely bolted in. The team think he'll be a better proposition in Sydney this time. I don't know what to make of him to be truthful, but his Syd failures are a bit scary. He's in great shape though. 5. 133 CLEARLY INNOCENT. (6) 58.5 H. Bowman. 13-1. K. Lees. A much improved galloper. Three runs back won 1300m G1 on a bog track during Brisbane Winter Carnival. Came from well back with whirl wind finish to win by 3l. Then stepped out in the 1350m G1 Stradbroke in Bris and again flew home, but for third this time. He's had just the one run back home in Syd since then for a fine third in the 1200m G2 Premier Stakes. Settled back and held up for a run, the charged home again. Looks to have his work cut out against these over the 1200m, but watch out if the sky opens. He growns an extra leg in the wet. 6. 411 DEPLOY. (7) 58.5 J. Parr. 14-1. G Ryan. A horse who's blossomed of late. He's had 16 starts but couldn't crack it until he went up country to take a weak maiden at his fifth start. 10 days later in a benchmark 67 in the boonies, he finished second. Then he was gone for 37 weeks. The break did him the world of good as he won four on the bounce in Sydney on return. The best of these a benchmark 84. Clearly the trainer knew something the rest of us didn't. He gave the horse 3 month off and set him for the big time ... black type races. He ran second in a Listed, won a G2 and finish fourth in a G3. He was put away for 2 months and aimed for the biggies at this time of year. He's had two runs back and won both. He ran track records to boot. In the first he settled just off the pace and won a 1200m G3, then last up, flew to the front and won by 4 lengths over the 1300m trip. He's an amazing price for a horse who holds the track for this distance on this course. 7. 968 FELL SWOOP. (8) 58.5. T. Angland. 66-1. M. Dale. A real enigma of a horse. Has loads of ability, but just won't put it all together. H'e been placed so so many G races it's not funny. But on the bright side, it's allowed his connections to pocket a cool $1.6 million so far. We should all be so lucky. His last three runs have all be well below his best. Although he's only been beaten 3.3 and 2.1 lengths in his last two at G2. So who knows, but the bookies will love him if he salutes. Not this time around for me. 8. 212 BRAVE SMASH. (9) 58.5. J. Spencer. 30-1. D. Weir. A raider from Japan who's only won 3 of 16. Won a Listed 1600m event in 2015 in Toyko. Then 5 Group races culminating in the G1 2400m Japan Derby where he finished last of 18. A couple of months away, then third in 1400m G3. 5 more unproductive runs saw him leave for Australia. He's has 3 decent runs here, in Melbourne where he worked home solidly in each start. His trainer is a smart cookie and is capable of spring a surprise from time to time. I don't know about The Everest though. Likes a bit of give in the track and has the Weir factor behind him. Jamie Spencer in the plate. 9. 642 ENGLISH. (12) 56.5 B. Shinn. 10-1. G. Waterhouse & A. Bott. All but 1 of her 19 starts have been in Group company producing 1 G1 & 3 G2 wins. She's also filled a place 4 times. She's trained on this track and goes well here. The barrier is a shocker though. On the plus side, she put in her best run in a while last time out in finishing hard from well back for a second in a G2, 1200m race on this track. The rider knows every blade of grass on the course and the trainers are not unused to success. But hard to see her finishing close here. 10. 211 SHE WILL REIGN. (2) 51 C. Brown. 11-2. G. Portelli. The 3 year old filly comes into this race with a pull pull in the weights and a huge shout. Was the boom 2 year old in Australia, winning 4 from 5, culminating in her destroying of the 1200m G1 Golden Slipper field. She came from mid field and smashed them. In her only run since, as a 3 year old, she was taken to Melbourne for the 1000m Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley. She settled third last at the half mile. As they turned it on in earnest with 400m to travel, she was still tenth and 5 and 6 deep. She finished with a withering burst to get up on the line. It was a breath taking win. Much like her Slipper victory. Personally. I think she's the one they have to best, but can she spot some of those beasts in front of her a start and a beating? 11. 531 HOUTZEN. (1) 51 J.Lloyd. 25-1. T. Edmonds. Another crack 3 year old filly. Winner of the $2,000,000 Magic Millions as a 2 year old. Bolted straight to the front and ran them ragged. 2 starts later she appeared in the Golden Slipper as favourite. Again she flew across the face of the field from a wide draw and lead to the 200m on a bog track, but then ran out of gas in finishing fifth. She's had just the two runs since then, both at Moonee Valley. Last start in the G3 1000m Scarborough Stakes she again showed her speed to lead throughout. Her slot for this race was bought a long time ago and she's been set accordingly. Her trainer is in two minds about how she should be ridden, go to the front and set pace to suit her, or take a close sit from the perfect alley? If there's anyone who can figure it out, it'll be her rider Jeff Lloyd. The 56 year old marvel, winner of 5,000 races and 94 G1s spread across the planet, will leave no stone unturned in his effort to get the filly home. 12. 231 TULIP. (11) 51 T. Clark. 66-1. Hayes & Dabernig. The trainers also have Vega Magic and Redkirk Warrior in the race, and have often said that they won't give her a lesser chance than her more fancied stablemates. They're 4s & 8s, she's 66-1. It's a bit hard to believe though, but they'd know a damn sight more than me. The three year old likes the sting out of the ground, so connections will want to see a bit of rain, which is predicted. If she can reproduce her Slipper run where she finished third, she might figure in the race. Her two runs in have been encouraging. Second at the Valley, coming hard at the end and a fourth in Sydney in the G2 Tea Rose. Settled close to the lead, was about a length and a half away at the turn, and battled on to finish fourth, beaten just under 3 lengths. Despite the trainers confidence, it's hard to get enthused about her chances. EMERGENCIES. 13. 231 IN HER TIME. 14. 754 TAKEDOWN. 15. 425 BALL OF MUSCLE.
What a race! Excellent summaries, Cyc, would give She Will Reign a hell of a chance in this! Just had a butchers at the UK Racing Post and it gives the filly an RPR of 142, with the next nearest Tulip at 135!
