But the racing is strong, with Chris Waller and champion jockey James McDonald holding the aces, for Saturday’s Rosehill Gardens opening for the Sydney autumn although the Group One $1 million sprint is hardly vintage.
And has there ever been a Group race where a trainer has had seven of the nine acceptors like Waller in the Sky High Stakes?
Fresh from six Randwick winners last Saturday J-Mac handles eight early favourites of his nine engagements, seven prepared by Waller.
Rarely, if ever, has a top jockey had such a grip on a significant program. Still what is the worth of a champion and how much difference do they make?
The answer could come with J-Mac and Lazzura, the $4.40 favourite in the Coolmore Classic. A J-Mac pearl will be required.
Being the most innovative turf outfit of our time, the STC elevated fillies and mares with the Coolmore Classic in 1973, a year after the Queen of the Turf, both races later achieving elite status.
Sunline was the greatest to take the Coolmore Classic while Emancipation and Bounding Away were outstanding with Typhoon Tracey (2009), prepared by Peter Moody, hot on their heels.
With the exception of Waller, Moody, now in partnership with Katherine Coleman, has few peers when it comes to fillies and mares.
Consider the champion Black Caviar, Sheza Alibi, so good in the recent Randwick Guineas, notched the Rosehill feature with Plucky Belle (2015) and will be out to take the current chapter with the filly Ole Dancer, already successful in the Group One Caulfield Guineas.
On the historical line Graham Begg has Cilacap engaged this year. Begg was Emancipation’s strapper and Kris Lees (You Wahang), is the son of Max Lees, who won 1500 metres sprint five times.
However Waller and J-Mac have the recent credentials: the last two with Lady Shenandoah and Zougotcha. Waller also scored with Espiona previously.
Apart from Lazzura, Waller has a worthwhile second string, Firestorm, who gets back and finishes fast.
Prior to the Waller influence, fillies and favourites have been slack in the Coolmore Classic: Lady Shenandoah, prepared by him, was the first filly since Typhoon Tracey (2009), and the last outright favourite to triumph before Zougotcha.
Lazzura is topweight (58kg) and from the eight gate J-Mac should give her the run of the race. When resuming she ran out of steam when downed by the race fit, Cinsault and gets a return bout. My danger is Begg’s Cilacap. When resuming after a two-month break, she was beaten just over three lengths in a slow surface section by Cinsault and Lazzura. She meets them on much better terms: Lazzura five kilos. From three gate Rachel King can give her a sweet passage.
Wise guys are arguing if J-Mac is a champion why was he so common on recent two-year-olds, Pembrey, again short priced favourite ($2.70) in the Magic Night on Saturday, and Central Europe, $2.40, in a demanding Pago Pago.
Racing To The Max subscriber Howard Walter emailed: “If I may be devil’s advocate re Pembrey. From one start, seemingly a natural frontrunner, bolts in on debut (think Vo Rogue, think Rancher) …. who knows whether or not it is a one hit wonder…. only one way to find out…keep doing what works until it doesn’t…. the ‘new’ ball rider J Mac admitted to thinking about the 1000-1200m (Sky banged on about that all morning without saying she is in good hands) … (trainer Tony) Gollan admitted he gave no instructions…nothing beats jockey familiarity…….I call another witness – G Boss x 3 (Melbourne Cups on Makybe Diva) …even Waller would rather scratch than replace Hugh (Bowman) on Winx……..Gollan needs to embrace the likes of Thompson, Maloney. Jones et al ‘until it’s broken.”
To be succinct Winning Post described the Pembrey’s defeat in the Sweet Embrace as a “train wreck” while Central Europe in the Skyline was a “cert beat”.
How can the best be so bad? Champions, too, are subject to human error, particularly as Walter stresses, on first ride mounts. Connections seek the champions in the hope of getting that extra half-length in the pressure test of Group races, so many great spectaculars seen at Rosehill.
Racing owes much to the Sydney Turf Club, more entrepreneurial than the Australian Jockey Club who ran the sport, now an industry, so well but less raucous and adventurous than its rival.
Now the amalgamated Australian Turf Club is battling to survive against a foe who should be an ally, Racing NSW has decided to appeal.
Alexander The Great never lost a war. But his army went on strike and he had to retreat.
