A WEEKLY REVIEW

The Good

Maybe it wasn’t a Liam Martin shoulder charge but hell for leather featured in Saturday’s The Metropolitan at Royal Randwick, as well as the Rugby League Grand Final the following night.

Striving for his first Group one success Reece Jones on Land Legend withstood apprentice Zac Lloyd who slather and wacked on Zardozi to go down by a bob of short half heads in a two-horse war.

Lloyd protested on the grounds of a bump by Land Legend at the 500 metres but the stewards, racing’s bunker, considered they couldn’t be “comfortably satisfied” it made any difference to the centimetres result.

Centimetres, too, figured in the no try by Melbourne’s Jack Howarth who crossed the line but didn’t ground the ball, according to the bunker. Andrew Johns, for one, reckoned it shaved the grass. An optical illusion?

Anyway Penrith and Melbourne produced long remembered Rugby League, appreciated by those impressed by defence rather than fast and loose play. The Panthers were a tad too strong, led by Liam Martin, and more bomb resistant. Melbourne defended with grit, unlike the limp debacle involving of the Swans in the AFL Grand final the previous week.

Also Epsom – Metrop day was better than GOOD. Apart from the main events, note the effort of Lady Shenandoah in the Flight Stakes.

“Lady Shenandoah produced a dominant performance in the Group one Flight Stakes, running an impressive 100.5 rating – a figure that aligns with the median for winners of this race since 2016,” Don O’Sullivan, reported from the Rating’s Bureau. “While the scratching of the $1.50 favourite Autum Glow leaves a lingering question of what could have been, it’s worth mentioning where they sit on exposed form now. Lady Shenandoah 100.5 rating out strikes the 98.5 Autumn Glow managed in her first two starts. Based on current ratings Lady Shenandoah has set a higher benchmark.”

Perhaps Ceolwulf’s win will not go down as an epic Epsom, more along the lines of what the gelding will do in future while the vision of Land Legend and Zardozi is a treasured memory.

Historically The Metrop has not been a great Melbourne Cup pointer but Land Legend, a French-bred with only 12 starts under his girth, and Zardozi, a four-year-old and AJC Oaks placegetter, have scope for improvement.

With a kilo penalty for the Melbourne Cup, Land Legend now has 53kg. Stewards noted Land Legend at times “raced keenly”, “pulled hard”, and “laid in”, the situation with Zardozi when he came into contract with her on the turn, hardly the recipe for major staying success but traits that can be rectified.

Despite The Metrop being over 2400 metres, and the youth of both riders, the whip rule wasn’t breached, a credit to the wielders in a demanding situation.

Once the top staying event was run on the holiday Monday with the corresponding meeting down south being on a provincial circuit, probably Bendigo. Melbourne punters would be at Randwick to joust with J.K. Waterhouse and Arthur Browning in the instate betting ring where you could get set for a Sheik’s ransom.

Yes, I miss The Metrop on Monday which ended the Sydney Spring. Top horses then moved south for the Melbourne carnival, but the next two Saturdays at Rosehill Gardens and Randwick are enthralling.

Certainly next Saturday at Caulfield, historically one of the best programs of the season, Melbourne has an edge highlighted by the Caulfield Guineas, due to the presence of Broadsiding, the Might And Power, Toorak and Herbert Power compared to Rosehill’s Allan Brown, Hill Stakes, Tapp-Craig and Gloaming.

However, the following week Sydney takes on the Caulfield Cup with The Everest, hardly superior, but King Charles, the Kosciusko, and ATC St Leger, provide a spectacular card.

The Bad

BAD, though, was Saturday’s Premier Stakes at Randwick, a mess in more ways than one involving what a wise guy decreed as a “$1 million barrier trial for Bella Nipotina.”

Still stewards only gave it a couple of lines in the report compared to an in-depth examination of Think About It, who jumped fast and was hauled back to last. 

Jockey Craig Williams told stewards Bella Nipotina was “bumped” on jumping and directed to the outside of Mazu who shifted in at the 200 metres before taking the minor placing, beaten just over a head.

Airman, the winner, began slowly and was behind Bella Nipotina. Also there appeared to be a passage inside Mazu at the vital stage in the straight but the gelding was moving about and Williams sought the safe way on the outside of him costing him the race, run at a dawdle to the 800 metres.

Jason Collett on Think About It, prepared by Joe Pride, was following instructions from the trainer who figured stablemates Coal Crusher and Mazu would supply a genuine tempo but what eventuated disadvantaged back markers.

Bella Nipotina should have won: an error in judgement or bad ride, take your pick. But it should have her prime for The Everest.

The Ugly

Trailing in last Snowman, strongly fancied at $5 under James McDonald in Saturday’s Energy at Randwick, was indeed UGLY.

Trainer Chris Waller divulged that Snowman will now be gelded. Connections will take comfort in the knowledge of what the cut did for stablemate Buckaroo, beaten narrowly in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington.

Stallion traits have been to the fore recently and Buckeroo has gained a leg this campaign since losing his entire status.

In seven previous Australian starts as a stallion Buckaroo failed to win, but in four since, has notched two successes and the close second.

Word is out that Linebacker, a flasher before recent races, will also undergo the gear change and being a three-year-old it was probably an even more difficult decision.

The question was asked just what can be done when a colt comes into the enclosure with stud instincts to the fore?

I was at Royal Ascot when a two-year-old created a buzz, ready to hump, in the mounting yard before a race. He was ushered out back to the dressing down stalls. Being the favourite, I followed. A bucket of ice was produced and applied to his undercarriage. The colt returned, raced, and finished last.