Ceolwulf, a Cox Plate contender, is my sort of horse, still untapped, in my chosen race type: weight for-age over 1600 metres.
Perhaps it’s a dinosaur view but the Cox Plate, promises to be the race of the season featuring Via Sistina and the highly promising Treasurethe Moment, and rings more bells for me than The Everest with Ka Ying Rising, a Hong Kong superstar, the top drawcard.
Certainly Lady Shenandoah, from the Chris Waller ensemble of scintillating mares, winner of five out of seven, is gifted and adds interest in the Concorde, but hardly the horse power of Via Sistina.
So what am I doing at the non-TAB Mendooran, featuring the McGirr and Associates $16,000 Mendooran Cup?
“Doc” McGirr, long gone, was one of the great characters of my time. He managed Jim Curruthers, our first boxing world champion. As a racehorse owner he gave Theo Green’s champion apprentice jockeys, then green youngsters, including Ron Quinton, their first rides. Quinton hails from Mendooran.
Rotund of shape but sharp of wit, “The Doc” was best holding court at Mick Doyle’s Watson’s Bay pub with the “Lolly Pig”, Jack Hogan. Great comedians, of their time were Roy Rene, known as “Mo” and “Stiffy”, his straight man. “Mo” and “Stiffy” had nothing on them.
Mudgee, too, is special. Banjo Paterson captured the magic. “The bush has friends to meet him and their special voices greet him.”
Carol Burns, from Goolwa, also came onto my radar at Mudgee with a reputation for finding winners. Racegoers trailed her around the betting ring like “Hollywood George” in his hay day at Randwick.
For instance Waller’s Lindemann, under Nash Rawiller, is no world beater but given firm ground can prove difficult to run down while stablemate Land Legend, not regarded in the elite category but very good, still has untapped talent plus the services of James McDonald.
The Chelmsford will be tactical as was Winx. J-Mac found the fast lane on Via Sistina, beating Ceolwulf, with Chad Schofield’s navigation wayward, downed under three lengths with Best Bets commenting Ceolwulf went: “via the carpark”.
Waller also has Birdman and Full Count Felicia engaged in the Chelmsford: sleepers possibly but with the potential to make their presence felt in the spring.
Do I want to take $2.10, the odds yesterday about Ceolwulf?
With Alex Johnston on the boil great South Sydney wingers are topical. Terry Fahey, one of our best, prepares a good thing, Ternini, in the $12,000 Stockyards at Mendooran with the stablemate menace of Great Flame also engaged. Ceolwulf they ain’t.
Hi Max,
My question for you for a rainy day – What Would a 50-Race Australian Group 1 Calendar Look Like?
Bren O’Brien, writing for The Straight, poses this bold question: What if Australia’s bloated Group 1 calendar was trimmed from 76 races down to just 50?
He notes that most racing administrators quietly agree there are simply too many Group 1s. With more on the horizon, O’Brien undertakes a theoretical exercise to imagine a leaner, championship-focused calendar.
He notes, that Group 1 races were originally defined in the 1970s as Classics and other contests of championship standard with major international importance and setting aside jurisdictional politics, and applying this lens to Australia’s current program, carvs out a proposed 50-race schedule based on merit, prestige, and competitive relevance.
The races he suggested for Demotion from Group 1 Status are:_
Two-Year-Olds
Champagne Stakes
Three-Year-Olds
One of: Surround Stakes, Flight Stakes, or Thousand Guineas
One of: Randwick Guineas or Australian Guineas
Two of: Australasian Oaks, South Australian Derby, Queensland Oaks, or Queensland Derby
Fillies & Mares
Robert Sangster Stakes
One of: Coolmore Classic or Queen of the Turf
♂️ Open Age Sprints (1000m–1300m)
Moir Stakes
Canterbury Stakes
William Reid Stakes
Kingsford-Smith Cup
One of: Doomben 10,000 or The Goodwood
Open Age 1400m–1600m
Winx Stakes
Memsie Stakes
Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes
Makybe Diva Stakes
Chipping Norton Stakes
One of: George Main Stakes or George Ryder Stakes
Toorak Handicap
All-Star Mile
Open Age 1800m–2040m
Northerly Stakes
Underwood Stakes
Ranvet Stakes
Doomben Cup
Open Age 2400m–3200m
The Metropolitan
Tancred Stakes
The races O’Brien suggests for promotion to Group 1 Status is confined to just one:-
Golden Eagle — A four-year-old race now considered a contest of consequence
The Everest — Not formally promoted, but its $20 million purse and elite sprinting field make it a de facto Group 1 in practice.
Max, what are your thoughts? It seems to me that this reimagined calendar isn’t just about just trimming fat, it’s about restoring clarity, prestige, and championship integrity to Australia’s top-tier racing. Whether you agree or not, it’s a conversation worth having.
As a footnote on the subject of the escalation of Group 1 races compared to the late 70’s when that status was introduced hiking the number from around 25 odd in the 70’s to 76 now, is the question around the comparative records of trainers, jockeys and horses when measured by the number of Group 1’s won. How do you compare Tommy Smith’s record with Waller or McDonalds with George Moore, or Tulloch with Winks?
Maybe a discussion for another day?
Speed,
Too many Group ones?
Certainly a subject for another day with too many races for too much prizemoney in Sydney while our racecourses are becoming derelict requires major attention.
Anyway Bren O’Brien, as you have pointed out, has opined positively for change in “The Straight” regarding the glut at the highest level.
Cheers
Max P