Big guns James McDonald and Nash Rawiller return on Saturday to Royal Randwick, where Zac Lloyd and Jamie Kah lit up what looked a drab final meeting of 2023 with two rides that were opposites in application but both examples of what makes racing spectacular.
Lloyd took Luvoir to what appeared a suicidal long break in a 1400m handicap (a tactic once regarded as stealing a race), whereas Kah had Contemporary last and in a seemingly impossible position 100m out in 1200m race but navigated a bold and daring transit to score.
Zac Lloyd and Luvoir hold off the chasers after setting up a big lead at Randwick last week.Credit: Getty
Kah will ply her trade on what could be a difficult Gold Coast circuit today for rich Magic Millions prizemoney, but Lloyd has remained in Sydney to match skills with J-Mac, who is back from Hong Kong; Rawiller, who has had a festive season break; and other form hoops led by Tyler Schiller (up there with the best) and Tom Berry.
J-Mac will add his expertise to mixed prospects, but Rawiller, who was last seen at Randwick on regrettable beaten favourites on December 16, holds the whip hand on better fancies, including four last-start winners.
Hopefully, Rawiller gets a better passage on the aptly named I Am Good At This in the Highway for Matt Dunn than he did on the stablemate and odds-on favourite Emperor at Randwick on December 16.
The best of J-Mac’s rides could be Annabel Neasham’s import Hellsing, which is making his debut here in a 1400m benchmark 88 handicap.
Hellsing was placed in Irish group company and showed enough acceleration in a barrier trial here to indicate that he could be the most promising horse to come out of what appears a standard Saturday – although jockey skill, as demonstrated by Lloyd and Kah a week ago, can lift the mediocre.
Bold front-runners add to the thrill and excitement of racing. Can they last? Late bursts, too, at the finish are heart-stoppers.
Perhaps Lloyd will produce another Luvoir for emerging trainer Sara Ryanwith Roma Avenue over 2000m at Randwick. Roma Avenue likes to lead, but there is pace opposed to him, so the apprentice will be in a testing position.
Jamie Kah (blue silks) dives through late in a four-way finish on Contemporary.Credit: Getty
Unfortunately, busting a gut in a bold front-running display rather than rating at a gentler tempo has become unfashionable, but Luvoir rekindled memories of Pirate Bird, Scotch and Dry as well as Vo Rogue: fast and loose, well clear of the opposition.
More recently, Pride Of Jenni under Declan Bates was a Melbourne Cup carnival highlight with their catch-me-if-you-can wins in the Empire Rose and Champions Mile at Flemington.
Regan Bayliss was suspended and lost an appeal after applying the same tactics with Pride Of Jenni when beaten in the JR Plate at Randwick in April: a miscarriage of turf justice.
Young Lloyd certainly raised eyebrows on Luvoir. Racecaller Darren Flindell exclaimed incredulously that the apprentice “must have a New Year’s Eve party to get to”. No doubt Lloyd would have been in the hot seat before stewards if he was beaten.
Pirate Bird, which race in the 1970s, was controversial because his form was mixed. Bold pace-making where he lasted in some but got an early stitch in others contributed to the most irate punter demonstrations of his time.
Vo Rogue, with the assistance of the eccentric trainer Vic Rail and jockey Cyril Small, was the best of them and effective from 1200m to 2000m, including Australian Cups in 1989 and ’90 at Flemington.
Scotch And Dry, too, was a group 1 winner, taking the Underwood (1973) at Caulfield. Sceptics marvelled that “he goes down well without a chaser”.
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
