Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Group 1)

IT’S the Pride Of Jenni paradox. If I take the field up to her I lose, If I wait for someone else to do it, I probably lose also. As a result Pride Of Jenni has elevated herself to the top echelon of racehorses in Australia, albeit with unorthodox methods, winning Sydney’s Autumn jewel, the A$4 million Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

Over 2,000 metres, the Pride Of Dubai six-year-old mare - as is her pattern - went to the front as Declan Bates tried to coax her into a sustainable rhythm.

The margin went out to 10 lengths, then and up to 35 lengths in front with 700 metres to run. Still with a 50-metre gap on her pursuers as they hit the 300-metre mark, Bates and Pride Of Jenni, though tiring, had done the damage.

Second, six and a half-lengths in astern was the Irish-bred Fastnet Rock mare Via Sistina, with the Bullbars gelding Mr Brightside third.

Craig Williams, who has had to chase Pride Of Jenni on Mr Brightside in three of his past four Melbourne starts, led the chasing field but clearly didn’t want to do too much of ‘donkey work’ for another to storm over the top and win. As a consequence the disorganised nature of the chasing group allowed Pride Of Jenni to run away with the win.

“That was all her today,” said Bates. “Over the last six months, the times I’ve ridden her we had a nice rhythm with each other and when I’d ask her to come back she’d come back a bit.

“But today, when the horse [Mr Brightside] came up on the outside, she grabbed the bit and she didn’t drop it at any point. I couldn’t tell you what the sectionals were. Generally, once we’re doing it nice and smoothly, I’m aware. Today, I just knew we were going quicker than I wanted to so it was a matter of coming back, coming back, and she said ‘nah I’m going’. She knows better.”

An Inglis Classic Yearling Sale purchase for $100,000 who was trained by David Brideoake and then Symon Wilde before finding her way to the Ciaron Maher stable less than two years ago, Pride Of Jenni has won four of her past six starts since November which includes three Group 1s and over $8 million in stakes prize money.

“Unbelievable!” said Ciaron Maher. “I’ve never seen anything like that, ever. Just phenomenal. Leading by 40 in a Group 1, and not just any Group 1. I don’t think it will get any better than that. That is the biggest win I’ve ever seen, let alone had anything to do with.

“I never doubt Dec [Bates] and she must have given him some amazing feel. Full credit to him. Incredible.”

Star Australian Oaks (Group 1)

ALL the hype in Saturday’s Group 1 Australian Oaks at Randwick was justifiably around the $1.65 favourite Orchestral, winner of her past two starts in the Zealand Derby and Vinery Stud Stakes. But as their stable had done seven days earlier, trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman defied the narrative to produce The Autumn Sun filly Autumn Angel in perfect condition to claim a maiden Group 1 win for herself and Arrowfield’s second season sire.

Drawing away from the favourite and her fellow equal second favourite, Autumn Angel won by a length from the Kingman filly Zardozi with the Savabeel filly Orchestral third.

“I knew I’d be going good the whole way and I was able to ease back, get in the clear and it was a great feeling the three of us coming together,” said jockey Mark Zahra. “It’s great for the sport, and I was the strongest. I’ve never heard Moods (Peter Moody) so upbeat about a horse. Races like the Queensland Oaks and Caulfield Cup would definitely be on the radar for her, I would have thought.”

Moody form

Autumn Angel was a A$230,000 yearling purchase from Arrowfield’s 2022 draft at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale as well as being Peter Moody’s 59th Group 1 winner. Earlier in the day, the stable also won the Group 2 Percy Sykes Stakes with the two-year-old Exceed And Excel filly Eneeza, defeating the Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot.

Schweppes Sydney Cup

(Group 1 Handicap)

THE former King Charles-owned Circle Of Fire plundered the Group 1 Sydney Cup at Randwick. The Almanzor colt, ridden by the Hong Kong-based Sardinian jockey Andrea Atzeni, was too strong for a 16-horse field stacked with 14 bred in the northern hemisphere.

Out of the Galileo mare Fiery Sunset, Circle Of Fire won by two lengths from the Almanzor gelding Athabascan and the War Command gelding Kalapour. The celebrations were tempered however by Atzeni’s heartfelt dedication to 23-year-old Italian Stefano Cherchi, who sadly passed away after a race fall at Canberra in March. “It is definitely for him. It has been a tough time for his family and it is amazing to see them here,” said an emotional Atzeni.

“We spent a lot of time together at Newmarket and I kept in touch with Stefano closely when he moved to Australia. I thought it was a great idea for him to come here and try his luck. Unfortunately it didn’t last very long. I came to see Stefano when he was still with us. I spent about 15 hours with him. I left because I was riding in Hong Kong on the Sunday and unfortunately I got the bad news that Stefano had left us. You think you’re prepared for something like this but when it comes to it, you can’t prepare.”

Grainshaker Vodka Queen Of The Turf Stakes (Group 1)

THE Chris Waller stable quinellaed the final Group 1 on Saturday’s card at Randwick, the Queen Of The Turf, as a short half-head was all that separated the winner Zougotcha, a filly by Zoustar, from her stablemate the Savabeel mare Atishu.

Ridden by James McDonald, Zougotcha looked to be the winner well out before Atishu came from the clouds to nearly snatch the race and repeat her Group 1 win in the race 12 months earlier. Third was the Winning Rupert filly Semana.

“Zougotcha has done a good job,” said Waller. “We gave her a decent break after she didn’t come up in the spring. We didn’t panic and we allowed her to be a racehorse. We gave her a proper break and she’s won three-from-three this prep. We just had to put her in the right races and she’s gone bang, bang, bang. Tough mare.”

A winner of the Group 1 Coolmore Classic a month earlier, Zougotcha was a A$500,000 Inglis Easter purchase from draft of Widden Stud and has now won eight of 15 starts, with this her third Group 1 win.

TE Akau Racing have retired the 10-time Group 1 winner Imperatriz. The five-year-old I Am Invincible mare won 19 of 29 starts and nearly A$7 million, with a record this season of eight starts for six wins (five at Group 1 level), a second, and fourth in her final race, the TJ Smith Stakes.

“Te Akau always puts the wellbeing of our horses first,” said David Ellis. “The indications are that another high-level racing preparation would not be in her best interests, so whilst sad, the decision is very straightforward. Her welfare is our top priority, and she will retire a happy and sound horse.”

A 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling purchase for A$360,000, Imperatriz led Te Akau’s establishment of a Victorian stable.

Incredible

“Imperatriz was simply an incredible racehorse, her determination and will to win was supreme,” said trainer Mark Walker. “She has been remarkable flag bearer for Te Akau’s new Australian stable and we will be forever indebted to her.”

MARCH’S Group 1 Newmarket Handicap winner Cylinder has been retired by Darley to stand next season at their Northwood Park property in Victoria. The three-year-old Exceed and Excel colt won five of his 13 starts from 1,100 to 1,200 metres that also included three Group 2s and a Group 3.

“A Newmarket winner, who is by Exceed And Excel out of a Group-winning Street Cry mare, from the family of Lonhro - Cylinder captures three great Darley stallions from the last two decades,” highlighted Darley’s Andy Makiv.

IT’S a long way since his winning ride for Robert Sangster in the 1985 Ascot Gold Cup on Gildoran, but three-time champion jockey Brent Thomson is back in the saddle.

“I haven’t had a drink for 17 months and don’t intend to again,” said 66-year-old Thomson.

“In that 17 months, your thought process changes quite drastically and it opens certain avenues to other areas of life. The basics of riding again is sobriety.”

Having hopped on one of Ciaron Maher’s horses at the beach in the Spring, Thompson has progressed to getting his Racing Victoria trackwork riders registration and partnering a few of the Maher horses at Fingal with a view to progressing to the Cranbourne training complex.

“Some people thought I was making a comeback. but I’m not,” added Thomson. “It’s one thing riding for pleasure but another to do all that again. The ultimate goal is just to get to a nice fitness level.”