Championship Wrap

By Harley Walden

The first day of the Championships held at Royal Randwick on Saturday, April 2 lived right-up to its name with the finish of the opening event having the big crowd on their feet and guessing the outcome.

The Waterhouse-O’Shea trained colts, Astern and El Divino staged a two horse war down the testing Randwick straight with the judge declaring a dead heat at the end of the 1100 metre Group 3, $200,000 Kindergarten Stakes.

Both youngsters are superbly bred – Astern is by Vancouver’s sire, Medaglia, out of the Exceed And Excel mare Essaouria, and El Divino is a son of Snitzel and a half-brother to Winx.

New Zealand trainer Natalie Young broke new ground in one of the oldest feature races on the Australian turf when Tavago scored in the Derby.

First run in 1861 and Young became the first female trainer to prepare the winner of the famous three-year-old classic.

Co-trainer with her partner in life Trent Busuttin, the pair engineered the biggest Derby boilover in the modern era when their $31 outsider streeted his rivals.

Tavago, given the run of the race by Tommy Berry, proved the strongest stayer as he careered away to win by a widening three and quarter lengths from the game filly Jameka ($8) with Tally ($8) just over a length away third.

Young and Busuttin train at Cambridge in New Zealand but revealed plans to move their stable base to Cranbourne in Victoria from August.

Trainer David Vandyke might have to revisit his decision to leave Sydney after preparing his first Group 1 winner with Yankee Rose winning the $1 million ATC Sire’ Produce Stakes (1400m).

Yankee Rose who was coming off a great second in the Golden Slipper was a $10,000 yearling and is raced by an eclectic group mainly first-time owners from all over the nation.

She took her record to three wins from four starts and $1.4 million.

She was backed into $3.80 favouritism and simply outsprinted Telperion ($4) and Faraway Town ($51) finishing fast for thirds.

Winx settled the debate once and for all-she is a champion.

Even Chris Waller, who has always baulked at affording racings ultimate ranking to the mare, acknowledge she had nothing left to prove.

Before 22,615 adoring fans at Royal Randwick, Winx earned her place among the greats of the turf when she came from well back to score an awesome win in the Group 1, $3 million Doncaster Mile over 1600 metres.

Winx set all sorts of records with her Doncaster win including:
• At odds of $1.80 equalled the 90-year record of Valicare (1926) as the shortest Doncaster winner.
• Waller prepared his sixth Doncaster winner in nine years and Winx was his fourth in succession after Sacred Falls 2013-14 and Kermadec 2015.
• Winx became the first mare to win the Epsom-Doncaster double in the same season.
• She joined Sunline (2001-02) as the only mares to win the Cox Plate-Doncaster double in the same season; and
• Winx scored her ninth consecutive win and her sixth at Group 1 level to take her prizemoney past $6.5 million to be eight on the all-time list.

It took Hall of Fame trainer John Hawkes to put some perspective on Chautauqua’s freakish win.

“He is the best sprinter we’ve ever had and his acceleration is the equal of Lonhro,” Hawkes said.

There can be no higher praise.

Chautauqua produced the sprint of the ages when he came from last to win the Group 1 $2.5 million Darley TJ Smith Stakes (1200m).

Two lengths last at the 600m, Chautauqua was chasing 14 of the best sprinters in the southern hemisphere.
Chautauqua scored his 11th win from 21 starts, his fourth at Group 1 level and became the first to win successive TJ

Smith Stakes. He took his career earnings soaring past $5 million.

Co trainer Michael Hawkes said, “We always aimed this horse at this race, we wanted to go back-to-back. We’re going to Hong Kong and hopefully we get there, and if we win in Hong Kong we’ll look at England.

He’s no guarantee to go to England but we’re definitely going to Hong Kong.

The Championships Day 2 took on a decidedly ‘Royal’ feel with the world’s richest 2000m turf race, the Group 1 Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

With a purse of $4 million up for grabs, Sydney witnessed some of Australia’s best thoroughbreds descended on the State’s premier track.

Plus, the $1 million Group 1 Queen of the Turf, the $1 million James Boag’s Premium Australian Oaks and the $2million Group 1 Schweppes Sydney Cup over 3200m, completed a first class day of racing.

Danish Twist led home a Kris Lees-trained quinella in the $400,000 Provincial Championships Final.

Lees saddled up eight of the 15 runners and it was the brilliance of jockey Damian Oliver as he weaved a passage hearer the inside before getting the horse to the outside where the pair launched their claim.

Danish Twist ($6) gave Oliver his first win at Randwick in two years as the Kris Lees galloper proved too strong in the run home to defeat Powerline ($41) by with His Majesty ($8) prepared by Kim Waugh at Wyong holding down third spot.

Sofia Rose completed a Kiwi double in Royal Randwick three-year-old classics but the $1 million Oaks was marred by a horrific fall involving Single Gaze and Kathy O’Hara.

As the Oaks field swung around the home turn, Single Gaze appeared to clip the heels of the runner in font, Happy Hannah, and crashed to the turf.

O’Hara took a heavy fall and then Single Gaze appeared to roll on top of her.

As O’Hara lay motionless on the track, ambulance officers were quickly on the scene as Single Gaze’s trainer Nick Olive and the filly’s owner sprinted up the straight to attend to jockey and horse.

Sofia Rose, ridden by Hugh Bowman took out the Oaks but all at Randwick then swept back to the top of the straight where O’Hara lay on the turf. O’Hara was conscious and fortunately seemed to have escaped serious injury.

However, she has a suspected broken right collarbone and concussion.

So, a week after the New Zealander Tavago won the ATC Australian Derby, the Kiwis were celebrating again.

Sofia Rose ($4.80) gave Bowman his fourth winner of the meeting when she defeated Ambience ($41) by a half-length with Believe ($61) a half-neck away third.

With Winx headed for the spelling paddock a new Queen of the Turf has emerge in the form of the Kris Lees trained mare Lucia Valentinia.

Last most of the way, nearly fell on the home turn, picked herself up and still sped past an outstanding field of weight-for-age stars to win Sydney’s biggest race with effortless ease.

Make no mistake, it was an outstanding win by Lucia Valentina in the Group 1 $4 million Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) before 25,195 race fans at Royal Randwick.

The Newcastle mare was sent out at ($8) and, after striking trouble on the turn, recovered and unleashed a blinding burst of speed to swamp her rivals to win by more than two lengths from the heavily backed United States ($4.60 favourite) with Happy Clapper ($7.50) a half-length away third.

Equine aristocrat Gallante frustrated owner Lloyd Williams so much that he nearly sent the horse home to Europe, but in the Sydney Cup he produced a superior staying performance to win the Group 1, $2million race at Royal Randwick.

Starting at $10, Gallante was rated superbly by Kerrin McEvoy and simply outstayed favourite Libran ($4), with Grand Marshal ($5.50) third and Who Shot the Barman fourth giving trainer Chris Waller the second, third and fourth placegetters.

Gallante gave Williams his fourth Sydney Cup after Major Drive (1987), Gallic (2007) and Mourayan (2013).