Family skill with fillies and mares, empathised by the mighty Emancipation, again resounded with Grahame Begg and the highly promising She’s A Hustler at Caulfield.
Emancipation, so good in the 1980s, successful in 19 of 28 starts including the Ryder Stakes and Doncaster amongst other Group ones, was trained by Neville Begg, now 94 and going strong. Son Grahame is carving a remarkable reputation in a more demanding era for what was once considered the weaker equine gender.
Being the best, with mares particularly, must go to Chris Waller considering the champion Winx, Verry Elleegant, and Via Sistina.
Waller achieved his greats under different circumstances: far bigger numbers matched by his expertise. Fillies and mares now fly with wings that accelerate rather than flutter.
Following his father, Grahame was a Randwick fixture. Many figured he pulled the wrong rein switching from headquarters, a great training centre, in Sydney to Cranbourne, provincial Victoria, in 2016.
He had a steady stream of winners, colts and gelding also, but more recently developed the outstanding mare, Magic Time, bred by John Muir, from a Pakenham winner to earning over $4.5 million. Magic Time was picked up recently by Yu Long Investments for a stack.
Apart from She’s A Hustler on Saturday, Begg also scored with another mare, Ruska Romana, in the Listed Twilight Glow at Caulfield.
With the Group two $750,000 Zipping Classic, She’s A Hustler, also giving jockey Jordan Childs a double on the Begg pair, took her record to seven wins out of 11 with four seconds.
Now a still learning five-year-old, her best is yet to come, She’s A Hustler was only a $70,000 New Zealand yearling purchase, adding to NZ-breds doing so well recently.
Upcoming Begg has the other mares Cilacap, winner of four out of seven and Samangu, with five out of seven on her score sheet.
Sure, Grahame and Childs have a long way to go to rival them but the Begg’s age well.
Mainly Caulfield, with Begg a feature, was GOOD as was the suggestion that Brian Fletcher, formerly of Hawkesbury and Penrith Rugby League empire, could play an active role with the Australian Turf Club.
“You need young, fresh ideas now,” Fletcher, the wrong side of 70 but the light is still shining, declared regarding his Penrith departure.
However, a capacity with the ATC is intriguing. Could the Mr Big, Peter V’Landys, be testing the water regarding him as an administrator?
Anyway the $200,000 Eclipse Stakes was BAD considering its Group three status.
Yes, major races can have a common chapter but Casino Seventeen, an eight-year-old with a benchmark of 101, equal top-rated horse, scored on Saturday over the 1800 metres from another mare of the same vintage, Rumbled Again, in a nine-horse field.
By comparison the Festival at Rosehill Gardens was also Group three, albeit for $250,000, and taken by Yorkshire, a talented five-year-old with only 54kg. Yorkshire accounted for 15 rivals, including Robusto, the Darby syndicated gelding, only seventh in a rare first three miss over the Rosehill 1500 metres.
It was not Darby’s day.
For instance, Snack Bar, having his first start for them, was runner-up in the Stowe Australia Handicap at Rosehill. Indeed UGLY.
Going down by a neck Tom Berry on Snack Bar protested against the winner Lyles, the $1.70 favourite. The grounds were interference at the 700 metres. It was not a love tap but a check for what Zac Lloyd on the winner, was judged as being sufficiently vital to be suspended. Lloyd looked on the inside shortly before. Tactical?
Alas stewards could not be comfortably satisfied it affected the result. At times I wonder whether a jockey applying a ball and chain to a rival would them make them “comfortably satisfied”.
It’s argued that Snack Bar had his chance to down Lyles later, but had Lloyd ridden to the rules and not created a problem? Surely if there is a doubt, it should be given to the offended party.
Darby was also beaten in a bob of heads finish with Overpass by Libertad in the Group one, $1.5 million Winterbottom at Ascot in Perth.
HORSE SENSE: “I had a bit to do with Observer (the Victoria Derby winner) who is by the same sire (Ghaiyyath). They get on the chewy (resent being restrained) a bit like they won’t stay but they are very tough and they do,” Mark Zahra after his triumph on Different Gravy, another promising type, in the Melbourne Classic at Caulfield on Saturday. Obviously the Irish-bred stallion is putting much needed substance into our staying ranks. Zahra will now go on holidays showing scant respect for his lead in the Melbourne Jockey’s premiership.
