Northerly Stakes (Group 1)

THE French-bred Light Infantry Man, placed five times at Group 1 level in France when trained by David Simcock, has broken through at the elite level, taking out Saturday’s Northerly Stakes over 1,800 metres at Ascot, the final Group 1 of the Australian calendar year.

The $1.5 million race was Light Infantry Man’s second win in Australia, his first, the Listed Chester Manifold Stakes on Oaks day during the Melbourne Cup carnival.

With regular rider James McDonald on duties in Hong Kong, Ethan Brown took the mount as the Fast Company gelding was sent out at $11.

“I spoke to James (McDonald) and he was adamant he probably should have won the other day,” said Brown of Light Infantry Man’s unplaced run in the Group 1 Railway at Ascot two weeks earlier.

“It did look like that. Drawing out today (barrier 14 in a 16-horse field) really helped us and he was able to lob in a beautiful spot. We were able to control the race and that’s what he wanted.”

Winning by length, Light Infantry Man defeated the My Admiration mare Admiration Express with the winner’s stablemate, the Sioux Nation mare Socks Nation, third.

DYLAN Browne McMonagle rode a double on Ballarat Cup day, registering his first Victorian wins this time back in Australia.

In the McKellar Mile, McMonagle got the $15 chance Place Of Gold home for trainer Cliff Brown with a comfortable two-length margin. “He was very tough, straightforward,” said McMonagle. “I ended up a little bit wide, but I didn’t want to be taken back off a slowly run race.”

The double was completed three races later on the $31 chance Dublin Journal, an Irish-bred Teofilo gelding.

“He knows this horse very well. He was the jockey that first brought Dublin into form. He’s a horse that just loves to be peeling through the field, and today couldn’t have worked out better,” said Will Hayes, who trains Dublin Journal in partnership with his brothers, Ben and JD.

Bred and trained by Jim Bolger at the beginning of his career, Dublin Journal got his first Australian win in December last year with McMonagle on board, as the pair combined for consecutive wins at Caulfield and Flemington.

“This fella gave me my first winner last year, and he sent me off on a high in Flemington. I think it’s a 100 per cent strike-rate, three out of three, so I’m delighted,”

KILCULLEN-born apprentice Amy O’Driscoll landed her first treble on the weekend.

The 2021 RACE graduate brought up her trio at Albury, improving upon the double she had ridden at their preceding meeting.

The 2.5kg claimer took her wins on Ossified for Donna Scott, Swinging High for Martin Stein and Altrove for Rob Wellington.

At present, O’Driscoll has ridden 13 winners from 88 rides this season to go with her nine winners from 54 rides in her maiden Australian season in 2023/2024.

New Zealand

Mufhasa Classic (Group 1)

THE Allan Sharrock-trained Ladies Man came from well back in the field to defeat the dual Group 1 winner La Crique, the odds-on favourite in Saturday’s Group 1 Mufhasa Classic over the Tenthham mile.

Ridden by Opie Bosson, the win was Bosson’s 99th at the elite level, and the second for Ladies Man, who took out the 2023 Livamol Classic.

A seven-year-old gelding by Zed, Ladies Man won a neck to the Vadamos mare La Crique, the pair putting a three-length gap into the third-placed Iffraaj gelding, Perfect Scenario.

“Opie’s ride was a 10 and a half out of 10 today,” said Sharrock. “He’s just so silky. It makes a big difference when you’ve got someone like him on in a Group 1 race.

“In a lot of my Group 1 wins, I’ve had guys like Opie, James (McDonald) and Leith (Innes) riding. You need those top jockeys. We’ll be going to the Zabeel Classic (December 26th) with a little bit of confidence now.”

Bosson was just four rides in from a two-month break. “That’s 99 Group 1 wins now and I probably should be up around 110 by now, if I kept my life on track,” said Bosson light-heartedly. “But that’s life, isn’t it? It’s great to get this win today.”