Rain soaked the Flemington track on Saturday, but the cream still rose to the top. Master trainer Chris Waller ran one-two in the group 1 Turnbull Stakes and as a result reordered betting for the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate.
His well-fancied and well-credentialed imports Via Sistina and Buckaroo, and their world-class jockeys Damian Lane and Joao Moreira, staged a driving finish in the 2000m group 1 event in what could become the form race of the spring.
Via Sistina, right, holds out stablemate Buckaroo to win the group 1 Turnbull Stakes.Credit: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images
At the end of 2000 metres and the damp Flemington straight, Via Sistina and Lane held on by a head.
It was a quick return to form for the Yulong-owned mare, who flopped last start behind Mr Brightside, and she will now challenge for favouritism in the October 26 Cox Plate (2040m).
“Her run last start was so far away from her true form that you could do nothing else other than put a pen through it,” Waller’s racing manager Charlie Duckworth said.
“Obviously, Buckaroo is the man on the scene at the moment. He was going for three wins in a row and he’s dug deep and still been narrowly denied. So fantastic for the whole team.”
Buckaroo’s path forward is less clear, but equally exciting. After pushing Via Sistina right to the wire, the gelding is now favourite for the October 19 Caulfield Cup (2400m).
But Duckworth said Buckaroo’s ownership group might instead set their sights on the Cox Plate.
“It is a tricky one,” Duckworth said post-race of a potential rematch with Via Sistina around the tight-turning Moonee Valley course. “We won’t worry about that today. We’ll just enjoy the win and enjoy the placings.”
Someone who enjoyed the moment was former AFL chief Gillon McLachlan who presented the winner’s trophy as part of his new gig. The TAB were major sponsors of the Turnbull Stakes.
The day did not end well for Lane, who was suspended for 10 meetings for careless riding in an earlier race and with the penalty to start on Monday week, he will miss the Caulfield Cup. Craig Newitt will start an eight-race suspension on Monday.
Waterhouse shines bright
Gai Waterhouse won the golden ticket, but you would swear she had won the Oscar.
She waltzed down the steps of Flemington’s grandstand with a beaming smile and a thumb in the air.
Her front-running stayer Just Fine had just won the group 3 2500m Bart Cummings, which guarantees the seven-year-old gelding a golden ticket start in next month’s Melbourne Cup – a race that Waterhouse has won once with Fiorente in 2013.
Waterhouse brightened a gloomy day. Before she made it to the bottom of the steps, she had time to compliment a woman in the crowd on her white socks and Doc Marten shoes.
Then as she sat trackside for the TV cameras, she took the time to reapply her lipstick before flipping closed her pocket mirror and planting a kiss on broadcaster Jason Richardson’s cheek.
On Just Fine’s win, she said: “I can’t tell you what a kick I got out of that.
“He’s a lovely horse. He looks so good. His tail, his coat, everything about him. I knew once he got into the rhythm they just wouldn’t catch him.”
It was a typical catch-me-if-you-can Waterhouse run. Just Fine and jockey Jordan Childs stretched to a four-length lead at the 300m mark of the Bart Cummings before the challengers emerged from the pack.
Childs timed his run to perfection. They were able to hold off the fast finishing Point King, which has already qualified for the Melbourne Cup, and veteran Amade by a head.
The race was not without its dramas. The start was pushed back 35 minutes and the horses returned to their stalls while a lightning storm swept across Melbourne. But the dark clouds could not dampen Waterhouse’s enthusiasm.
She said Just Fine’s ownership group were “going to have a lot of fun running in our biggest race”.
Waterhouse would have again been smiling after the Turnbull Stakes. She didn’t win, but her third-placed Eliyass stamped itself as a genuine Cups contender.
