Headed by the stablemates, Autumn Glow and Aeliana with Sheza Alibi hot on their hooves, Australian racing, with fillies and mares to the fore, is having a boom period as good as any.
Time inflates memory but the Chris Waller pair with Autumn Glow’s 11 out of 11, the current staying power of Aeliana, highlighted in the Tancred Stakes at Rosehill Gardens last Saturday was special, coupled with the potential of three-year-old Sheza Alibi out to leave a significant mark on Saturday’s Royal Randwick Doncaster, a handicap but, in my opinion, our best race.
Usually the Tancred, following the Golden Slipper program a week earlier, is an anticlimax. Down south the Australian Cup on Saturday was once on the following holiday Monday. Traditionalists rue the change.
Likewise, the Australian Cup at Flemington is renowned for thrilling endings. Light Infantry Man, a French-bred, nosing out the incredible Pride Of Jenni will go down with the greats. Last week I mentioned Lonhro’s hair-raiser against outsider Dalzao (2004) while I’m told Bonecrusher getting a lip decision over At Talaq in 1987 was just as exciting.
Certainly Saturday’s was outstanding due to the front-running and grit of Pride Of Jenni, now an eight-year-old mare and a training triumph for Ciaron Maher, who also tuned Light Infantry Man.
Pride Of Jenni was having her 44th in the Australian Cup, mostly blood and guts leading, after kicking off in a $25,000 Wangaratta Maiden over 1100 metres in September 2020. Despite being beaten on Saturday she took her prizemoney to over $11 million.
Pride Of Jenni is another reason that makes the current period so good while Birdman, the hot favourite against her on Saturday, was BAD.
Sure, tinged with financial grief, I have near seen a horse going so easily at the furlong being so gutless at the finish.
Later jockey Ben Melham commented that “the minute I took him off the bridle, in the ground, he struggled.”
Still Birdman, from Ireland, has acted in the wet, slow and heavy, and over the 2000 metre journey. Maybe he just lacks the heart required at Group One.
Mind you, imports can be delicate (or unreliable). Consider the French bred, Wootton Verdi, who, like Birdman, is trained by Waller. Wootton Verdi at $2.60 favourite was a dismal fifth at his previous start on good ground over Saturday’s 2000 metres at Rosehill.
But in the Neville Sellwood on slow the gelding scored, albeit after easing from $4.20 to $5.50, while stablemate, Barnavara, $1.70 hotpot, was a shabby fourth. There was a time punters would have howled for blood.
Barnavara, also from Ireland, cost Yu Long Investments $9.6 million. Only a four-year-old she looked ready and Waller will find the key as he has with so many others.
Of course, on Aeliana J-Mac overcame the unruly Dubai Honour, and Belle Cheval, successful in the Vinery, a joy to some, but UGLY to others.
J-Mac adapted to Marquand swinging wide in front making little if any attempt to maintain a straight course while Zac Lloyd on Belle Cheval did not stop riding until he moved out considerably. It was a bold and strong performance by Lloyd who had a great day with four successes. The record-breaking J-Mac has taken zing out of just how good Lloyd is.
Maybe he was lucky in the subsequent protest lodged by Brian Egan on After Summer. Moving out Lloyd did stop riding at a relevant point, did not touch the runner-up but Egan had to cease riding for a stride that cost him the race considering it was a centimetre finish. Don’t the rules maintain if a horse is racing erratically the jockey has to straighten the mount?
Marquand on Dubai Honour wasn’t taking any prisoners but J-Mac adapted.
Was the change of tactics on Dubai Honour notified? In previous successes here Dubai Honour has come from behind. Anyway, it’s a bad rule which takes initiative away from jockeys.
Horse-sense: The recently deceased Albert Stapleford, 95, figured high in the category. When I kicked off the soul of racing was the backyard horsemen, now replaced by huge string operators. Stapleford prepared horses, small in number but big in results, at Gosford, a negative he overcame. With few horses he notched 500 winners and 930 placegetters, the best being Magic Albert named after him. A top jockey of the era told his manager: “Accept any offers to ride for Albert Stapleford.” The manager replied: “Albert who?”.
