Romantic Warrior takes the Cox Plate for Hong Kong

G1 2040m MOONEE VALLEY Saturday 26 October

Australasia’s WFA Championship is no idle boast. It’s just over two minutes of great drama with the rough and tumble of the equines around the tight Moonee Valley course.

Many of the absolute champions of the turf have won this race with Phar Lap, Tulloch and Kingston Town amongst them. Besides the King’s trifecta there’s also been Super Impose’s mayhem Plate, the earth rumbling for Might and Power, Sunline and Northerly’s dual wins and Makybe Diva’s affirmation. Then there was Bonecrusher vs Our Waverley Star racing into equine immortality.

We thought we’d seen it all until Bart produced a fifth starter to score in the second fastest Plate in history with So You Think utterly dominant then he backed it up twelve months on. However Winx winning four straight will never be eclipsed.

More international success evolved in 2023 with Hong Kong’s Romantic Warrior nailing Mr Brightside right on the line giving James McDonald another Cox Plate.

2023 Race Details:
ROMANTIC WARRIOR (James McDonald/Danny Shum)
Barrier 7 - 59.0kg - $3.60
2nd Mr Brightside (C Williams)/3rd Alligator Blood (T Clark)

The Spring Champion goes to Tom Kitten

G1 2000m RANDWICK Saturday 26 October

The main race for the staying 3yos in the Sydney Spring is the Spring Champion Stakes.

It was originally known as the Australasian Champion Stakes before it swapped with the AJC Derby and that race became the major Autumn G1 classic.

So many good ones have tasted success in it when it moved to the Spring such as Kingston Town, Beau Zam, Tie The Knot and Dundeel to name a few.

A horse that had had not much luck in the lead up would win the Spring Champion with ease as Tom Kitten got out turning and charged away from rivals.

2023 Race Details:
TOM KITTEN (Adam Hyeronimus/James Cummings)
Barrier 1 - 56.5kg - $2.50
2nd Cap Ferrat (K McEvoy)/3rd Ganbare (B Prebble)

Chris Waller wins another Derby with Riff Rocket

G1 2500m FLEMINGTON Saturday 2 November

Victoria Derbys are for the 3yos to determine who is the best stayer at the time although there are often calls for a reduction in distance back to 2000m.

Whatever it is over, the Derby is the main spectacle on the first day of the VRC Cup Carnival. Efficient won the Derby in 2006 and came back a year later to add the Cup to the Lloyd Williams mantelpiece.

New Zealand took three in a row with Monaco Consul, Lion Tamer and Sangster all winning the Blue Riband. The race has been won by maidens in the past and another scored in 2014 as Preferment surged late as he had done in the Geelong Classic but this time he won by a head.

Chris Waller made it back to back in 2023 after Manzoice when favourite Riff Rocket just put his nose down on the line to win.

2023 Race Details:
RIFF ROCKET (James McDonald/Chris Waller)
Barrier 5 - 57.0kg - $2.20
2nd Apulia (M Zahra)/3rd Sunsets (J Allen)

The first international Golden Eagle winner to Obamburumai

1500m ROSEHILL Saturday 2 November

Racing NSW decided that one way to keep the best of the 3yos in training was to develop a new race for the new season 4yos.

So the Golden Eagle was created and run at the end of October at Rosehill over 1500m now worth $10million.

In its first year the Epsom winner Kolding dropped back and scored and then in the second it was another G1 winner Colette that won the prize.

Making in three G1ers on the bounce, Victorian I’m Thunderstruck just got home after taking the Toorak Handicap in a great drive to the line. Then the first time a non G1 winner won saw I Wish I Win score.

The first international winner was Japan’s Obamburumai who took inside runs and flashed home to beat the Godolphin pair.

2023 Race Details:
OBAMBURUMAI (Josh Parr/Keiji Yoshimura)
Barrier 2 - 56.5kg - $7
2nd Pericles (B Melham)/3rd Golden Mile (Z Lloyd)

Without A Fight takes the Cups double

G1 3200m FLEMINGTON Tuesday 5 November

The Melbourne Cup - you don’t need to say much more. Its history is its shining light.

And the one who shines brightest won it for the 12th time in 2008 as Bart conjured Viewed to win the Cup by a nose from Bauer. It may be a handicap but it’s the race every Australian owner wants to win just to say you are part of that history.

Doubtful we’ll see another Champion become a Legend in our lifetimes like Makybe Diva but we love the Cup anyway.

After back to back French winners, it was a former English trained horse, then at Mt Macedon, who won in a decisive manner in 2012. Green Moon was already a Turnbull winner but after disappointment as Cox Plate favourite, he loved the firm ground and the light weight at Flemington.

Fiorente made it another ex-Euro giving Gai Waterhouse her biggest success before a locally owned but overseas trained horse in Protectionist provided Germany with its first victory in the race that stops a nation and gave Ryan Moore the big double. He beat the gallant Red Cadeaux who was second again.

2015 saw more history made as a woman jockey won for the first time bringing a 100-1 shot up the centre. Prince Of Penzance took on a tough field of stayers but it was run very slowly. There were amazing scenes.

Lloyd Williams won another Cup as Rekindling gave Joseph O’Brien the win his father had sought several times and then another Euro 3yo would give Godolphin their first Cup as Cross Counter surged home from near last in 2018.

It wasn’t a French trained winner in 2022 but Gold Trip was a French horse who came to be trained by the Maher/Eustace yard and boy didn’t he love the wet tracks of the Spring. Another horse from overseas but trained here scored in 2023 with Without A Fight taking the Cups double.

2023 Race Details:
WITHOUT A FIGHT (Mark Zahra/Anthony & Sam Freedman)
Barrier 16 - 56.5kg - $8
2nd Soulcombe (J Moreira)/3rd Sheraz (B Mertens)

Zardozi was the dominant Oaks filly

G1 2500m FLEMINGTON Thursday 7 November

While the Derby has seen upsets, the Oaks is usually the domain for favoured fillies. Not so in 2016.

So many have been at or around even money and have gotten the chocolates. Not many in recent times have been as impressive as Samantha Miss who played with them after taking the Princess Series in Sydney.

Ciaron Maher would make it consecutive wins in the Oaks as Jameka followed a Vase victory with a strong win at headquarters.

A classy filly got the job done as favourite again last year as Zardozi showed a love of Flemington with an effortless victory.

2023 Race Details:
ZARDOZI (James McDonald/James Cummings)
Barrier 5 - 56.0kg - $2.70
2nd Aethelflaed (M Zahra)/3rd Basilinna (D Oliver)

Joliestar too good in the Thousand Guineas

G1 1600m CAULFIELD Saturday 16 November

The fillies in Melbourne are provided with their chance for a mile G1 but it has also been an important Oaks lead up historically. However that is not the case now with the move to after Flemington.

We saw half-sisters Atlantic Jewel and Commanding Jewel win in consecutive years and Fastnet Rock won another edition when Amicus sat on the speed in the first running of the race to be held on Caulfield Guineas day.

The first running of the Guineas in the new spot saw Waller and McDonald end another huge Spring with Joliestar winning with some ease.

2023 Race Details:
JOLIESTAR (James McDonald/Chris Waller)
Barrier 1 - 56.0kg - $4.60
2nd Kimochi (C Williams)/3rd Skybird (B Mertens)