A look at some of the supporting races on Thousand Guineas Day at Caulfield.
Pisces shines in Blue Sapphire
It was a case of James Mcdonald picking up where he left off in Melbourne, steering the James Cummings trained three-year-old gelding Pisces to an easy win in the Group 3 Blue Sapphire Stakes (1400m).
It was McDonald's first of three rides on the card before an extended stint in Hong Kong with the champion hoop having broken his own record with 11 wins over the Melbourne Cup carnival.
The consistent son of Frosted was well backed to start a $3.20 second elect, sitting back under McDonald and tracking into the race powerfully to score by 2-½ lengths over Rue De Royale ($7.50) and Catoggio ($5). Race favourite Coleman was a noted drifter in betting and dropped out to be beaten seven lengths after leading into strong winds.
Cummings, who won the Blue Sapphire for the first time, said it had been a target race for Pisces after opting to resume him later in the Spring.
"He's been held back for a race like this and it has paid off. I loved the way James rode him from the inner gate. In his trials he was quite content to be further back and out of the breeze but he just cruised up to the opposition like he's really going somewhere," Cummings said.
"He's an exciting horse heading into his future as a lightly raced three-year-old."
McDonald filly surprises at big odds
Ben Melham says that Jasmin Rouge has a good career ahead of her after snatching victory in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Club of Australia Stakes (1200m) at $31.
Trainer Clinton Mcdonald and Jamie Kah, who rode the filly at her first start at Moonee Valley for a third placing, ran down $5 chance Tobeornottobe with the victory vindicating McDonald's and Kah's confidence in the daughter of top New Zealand sire Dundeel.
"It was Clinton's idea to run the filly and Jamie was adamant that she would run well," Melham said.
"They were proven right as I wasn't as confident.
"I'm happy to be wrong on this occasion."
"She has always shown good ability at home and she's a long way from the finished product so to come here as a maiden and win at her second start with the upside that she's got, it was great."
Torranzino swoops to rich payday in Country Cups Final
Paul Preusker's Torranzino ($10) delivered his owners a big payday in the $500,000 Country Cups Final, running on strongly down the outside under Celine Gaudray to score by a half neck from Charterhouse ($6.50) and Arran Bay ($7.00)
The pace was on early and the son of Tarzino produced his best, something Preusker says isn't all that common with the horse's traits.
"He's been a handful. He's brutal tough. Emily who rides him all the time at home - I chime in every now and then - she does well persevering. Quite a difficult horse but in saying that a good galloper.
"He's always been a bugger to lay in. Terrible trait. He's got no early speed so you know where he's going to be. It makes it terribly hard for riders."
"Full credit to Celine. I had the gut feel that she'd be the right girl for the job for a while. Good to see."
Torranzino had run third in the Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Final (1600m) at Flemington on Oaks Day and relished the rise to 2000m here, more than doubling his career prize money which now sits at $511,840.
