Twas a Sydney spring, showered with hundreds of thousands (bucks, not confectionery), of much content.
A few weeks back Bruce McAvaney, the all-round sporting authority educated in the southern states, beamed regarding the benefit of the extended program here in answer to the traditional Melbourne extravaganza, including Flemington, one of the world’s great race meetings.
Nobody does enthusiasm like McAvaney but this dinosaur, rusted into tradition, winced at the suggestion. Derby day at Flemington has long been a personal favourite and feature of the racing calendar. The Melbourne Cup is sacrosanct, and on Saturday the final day dazzled with an array of group 1 events.
Surely the talent pool was too thin to provide the necessary high standard racing in the two centres?
Flemington lived up to expectations with the fourth program, featuring the old Mackinnon (now the Champions Stakes) overwhelming the previous three.
Topliners abounded but the opposition was strong, confirmed by the Mackinnon in which Anamoe, Australia’s best over the 2000m, couldn’t run a place behind Zaaki.
Maybe the Rosehill standard didn’t match Flemington but the racing was worthwhile. Yes, the $1 million prizemoney for green two-year-olds in the Golden Gift, was extravagant. But the success of Barber after bounding at the start under Hugh Bowman will long be remembered.
Cox Plate winner Anamoe (centre of frame) couldn’t run a place in Flemington’s Champions Stakes.Credit:Getty
Weaving through the field it was a Bowman pearl. Not so his effort Laws Of Indices, four-wide for most of the event before finishing third in the Five Diamonds.
The inaugural running of that race was taken out by Ellsberg, a proven group 1 performer possibly not as good as Alligator Blood, successful in Flemington’s Champions Mile, but a worthy rival. I decreed that Cabochon, one of the best over the journey, would have been too good for any sprinters racing on Saturday. After the brilliance of Alligator Blood, all muscle and bone for Gai Waterhouse–Adrian Bott and Tim Clark’s immaculate timing, I’m not so sure.
While Nature Strip went down in the Champions Sprint his courage was undaunted.
Under pressure 100 metres out the eight-year-old gelding refused to quit, fighting every centimetre of the hectic straight-six while the outstanding three-year-old Giga Kick, winner of The Everest, looked unlucky with jockey Craig Williams under the microscope.
Queen’s Cup winner Soulcombe looks to have a bright future for Chris Waller.Credit:Racing Photos
The stewards report revealed the gelding was “blocked for running” (went back to near last) between the 600 metres and 500 metres but then wanted to “lay in”. Giga Kick was beaten under a length. The jockey later commented: “He didn’t turn up today.”
Maybe the Ciaron Maher-David Eustace team, due to the Melbourne Cup success of Gold Trip, stole the thunder of Chris Waller last week but Soulcombe, prepared by Sydney’s premier trainer to take the Queen’s Cup at Flemington, gets the pat as the most promising type seen on Saturday in either city.
Thus, Flemington lived up to expectations but Sydney, once going into recess after Randwick’s Epsom–Metropolitan meeting, boomed over recent weeks due mainly to The Everest, the Golden Eagle and the Five Diamonds.
Rosehill on Saturday emphasised the new vitality of racegoers. Dinosaurs became extinct because they didn’t adjust. McAvaney, though, is on the right side of 70 so he doesn’t qualify.
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