Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes (Group 1)

NEAR the tail with 600 to run in the 1,600 metre Champagne Stakes for two-year-olds at Randwick, Broadsiding worked strongly through the heavy conditions to hunt down Linebacker and claim a maiden Group 1 with James McDonald up.

The Too Darn Hot colt had bypassed the previous two juvenile features, the Golden Slipper and Inglis Sires’ to be reserved for this, his second win in five career starts, defeating the Super Seth colt Linebacker and the Pierata colt Fearless.

“This is a big deal for the farm, to get the first two-year-old colt to win a Group 1 this season is amazing,” said James Cummings. “He’s been a real work in progress. He’s the type of horse that has improved with a lot of experience, a lot of handling.

“He’s excelled once he’s got to a mile and that’s the class of the European pedigree coming through, and that told in the finish.

“He’s just got this very interesting future about him, being by Too Darn Hot who is an emerging sire for us. He (Too Darn Hot) was a colt raced by Andrew Lloyd Webber for John Gosden and he was an exceptional two-year-old himself.

“He won by seven lengths on debut as a two-year-old over a mile on a softish track, and that gave me a little bit of confidence about today.”

Schweppes All Aged Stakes (Group 1)

TRAINER Grahame Begg landed a valuable Group 1 at Randwick on Saturday, taking out the All Aged Stakes over 1,400 metres with the Hellbent filly Magic Time.

Contesting the eighth race in heavy 10 condition that saw races nine and 10 abandoned, Magic Time proved her versatility adding to her first Group 1 win that was registered in the Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield on a good track in November.

“I said to (jockey) Mick (Dee) before the race, just keep her comfortable, get her in a good rhythm and help her as much as possible. It was going to be very trying conditions but she’s got a great will to win. It’s very exciting.”

Four lengths from the leaders with 300 metres remaining Magic Time finished strongly down the middle of the track to win by a half-length from the Lonhro gelding Amenable and the Al Maher gelding Private Eye.

“She’s a dream to ride,” said Dee. “She does everything you ask of her. She’s certainly a race day horse. In trackwork she’s pretty unassuming and she doesn’t usually work that well in trackwork. But come race day, she really switches on.”

The Kia Quokka

THE Bjorn Baker-trained Overpass, preserved his perfect record at Ascot in Western Australia on Saturday to win the A$5 million Quokka for a second consecutive year.

The five-year-old Vancouver gelding has now won three from three in the West having also landed the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes in December.

With two runners in the 14-horse field, the Baker outsider Malkovich shot forward from the 1,200 metre start, looking for all intents and purposes like a pacemaker as Overpass settled in just behind the speed.

At a tempo that disadvantaged the backmarkers, Overpass was perfectly placed to launch once the field straightened. Showing a distinct fondness for the Ascot surface Overpass surged away to win in style.

Second was race favourite, the Siyouni filly Amelia’s Jewel, with another locally-trained horse, Oscar’s Fortune, a gelding by Rich Enuff, third.

Our champion

“I’m a purist of racing so I’m not going to say he’s a champion, we’ve got to do a bit more with Group 1s yet but he’s our champion, he’s (owners) Ram Racing’s champion, he’s Darby Racing’s champion, he’s been a stable stalwart, I love him,” empahsised Baker.

“It’s not easy to win in Western Australia, I just think I’ve got the right horse for the right time because this horse is a bit of a warrior, he never shows you that much at home but when he gets into the thick of the fight, he just keeps giving.”

A $75,000 Inglis Easter Yearling sale purchase Overpass has now won eight from 26 and just over $7.7 million.

TOMMY Sherry guided Putt For Dough to a strong win in the Midway Handicap, the first of Champagne Stakes day at Randwick on Saturday.

“This is (trainer) Mick Attard’s first metropolitan winner and it’s great to be part of that,” said Sherry. “He’s got this horse going really well. I’ve ridden him at his last two starts and the horse has been looking for 1,400 metres.

“He found the right race today.” The win was Sherry’s 19th metropolitan winner and his 32nd in total overall this season.

“I rode winners on this track back in the day, although I can’t remember how many, but to train a winner on a big day like this is really good,” said Attard. “He’s a handful at home and a handful at the races but on his day he’s a good horse.”

RACE graduate Amy O’Driscoll came within a nose of riding a winning double at Albury on April 15th.

Apprenticed to Donna Scott at Hazel Park Racing, 19-year-old O’Driscoll won aboard Princess Halo in what was her sixth race ride in Australia. Legged up again by Scott three races later, O’Driscoll had the race in her grasp before her mount Keith faded in the closing stages to be caught right on the line and finish second.

“I am over the moon to be able to provide this kid with her first ever winner,” said Scott. “She works very hard and has overcome quite a lot since moving to Australia including a broken pelvis only a few months ago.”

From Kilcullen, Amy completed the trainee jockey course in 2020/’21 and “did very well across all assessments and coursework” according to our sources at RACE. Videos of her workout sessions in the gym with coach Wayne Middleton are still on social media as examples of how it should be done.

Amy completed her placement with Aidan Howard and signed on as apprentice to him. Amy had three rides in Ireland before moving to Australia in the 2022/’23 season. How great to see her hard work and perseverance paying off.