Inglis Millennium winner Fully Lit headlines Sunday’s Black Opal at Canberra.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrain Bott will be well represented in the nations capital’s biggest day of racing, headlined by unbeaten two-year-old colt Fully Litin the Group 3 Black Opal Stakes (1200m).
The stable are enjoying an unprecedented two-year-old season with 19 total wins, including Fully Lit, with the Hellbent colt set to star a short-priced favourite for Sunday’s Black Opal, which the stable hope see him present as yet another Golden Slipper chance.
“He’s come through his last win in the Millennium beautifully and he’s trialled nicely since,” Bott said.
“He’s in great order, and obviously has plenty of upside. He’s improving every start.”
Gai Waterhouse holds the record with seven Golden Slipper winners, one of those in partnership with Bott, who says Sunday’s race will be another piece in the puzzle as to Fully Lit’s standing in the Sipper pecking order.
“I’d like to see him perform well in the Black Opal to see where he is at. It’s always a competitive contest so this will give us a great guide.”
Fully Lit is the $1.50 favourite for the Black Opal after drawing barrier three with Regan Baylissto maintain his association with the colt. Peter and Paul Snowden have the only other two horses in single figures with Holmes A Court at $6 and King Of Roseau at $9. Meanwhile, in a far more open affair, Waterhouse & Bott will saddle up recent Magic Millions winner So United in the Listed Canberra Cup (2000m), who has drawn barrier seven in a field of 11 with Tim Clark onboard.
“We thought So United was great last start…before that he was really impressive when he won at the Gold Coast. He’s progressive and continues to improve,” Bott said.
So United is a $5 second elect behind the Kris Lees trained Almaniaat $4.20, who will jump from barrier 10.
James McDonald has bestowed high praise on unbeaten colt Storm Boy saying, “he’s as good as you get”.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrain Bottdon’t just have their sights set on the Golden Slipper with Storm Boy, they are also eyeing off a clean sweep of the juvenile triple crown.
As the raging Slipper favourite made light work of his Skyline Stakes (1200m) rivals at Randwick on Saturday, Bott was already thinking of the bigger autumn picture and the heights the $60 million colt might reach.
He revealed that he and Waterhouse were keen to target the youngster, not just at the Golden Slipper (1200m), but at the ATC Sires’ Produce (1400m) and Champagne Stakes (1600m) as well.
“We’ve had to prepare for the Golden Slipper, but we’ve got big targets for the triple crown as well,” Bott said.
“I’d like to think he is only going to be better suited getting over the 1400, 1600 metres in time.
“It’s very exciting for everyone involved.”
Having his first start since demolishing his Magic Millions rivals, Storm Boy wasn’t the best to begin but quickly mustered speed to take up the running under new jockey James Mcdonald.
As the pressure came on at the top of the straight, the $1.18 favourite found another gear, extending his advantage and cruising to the line 1-1/2 lengths clear of stablemate Prost($12) with Duvana($18) another 1-1/4 lengths away third.
Bott said it was a relief to see Storm Boy return so well from his Magic Millions foray and tick the final box in what will be his last start before the Golden Slipper in three weeks.
“It’s always a little bit nerve wracking seeing these profile horses come back off that turnaround,” Bott said.
“He’s a lovely style of horse, he’s got plenty of gears.
“It’s his first run (back) and at 1200 metres off a while between races and a freshen up – he’s only had the one trial and he’s a lovely, big colt – so I think condition-wise, that will tighten him up nicely.”
McDonald was having his first race day feel of Storm Boy and came away brimming with praise for the Coolmore colt.
He believes there is still more under the bonnet and expects the youngster to thrive in a high-pressure race like the Slipper.
“He’s as good as you get,” McDonald said.
“He’s strong, he knows he’s really good and the more you ask him the more he keeps giving.
“Until he gets into a high-pressure race, I think that is when you’ll see a fair dinkum horse.”
Connections are yet to decide if McDonald will keep the Slipper ride, or if it will go to English jockey Ryan Moore, who jetted in to claim last year’s two-year-old centrepiece for Coolmore on Shinzo.
However, McDonald made it clear he is keen to stick with the Skyline Stakes winner.
“Ryan (Moore) is obviously their number one and we’ll see what happens, but if I get the opportunity, I’d love to ride him,” McDonald said.
The Michael Freedman-trained Manaaltook out the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) for the fillies to remain the only non-Tulloch Lodge two-year-old to claim a black-type race in Sydney this season.
Manaal also denied Waterhouse and Bott when capturing the Gimcrack Stakes in September and while Freedman said she would most likely press on to the Slipper, he admitted the males looked hard to beat this year.
“She is one of the better fillies around, whether they can stack up against the colts remains to be seen,” Freedman said.
“We thought we could come here and get the job done, we’ll have a think about the Slipper.”
The Golden Slipper picture took further shape last week when Storm Boy had his first start since the Magic Millions carnival and while he did not elevate his peak rating, he tightened his grip on Slipper favouritism.
While he will still be favourite after Saturday night, the Slipper market is set to be reshaped and a main danger defined this weekend with the Todman Stakes and Reisling Stakes to be run at Randwick.
Mr Brightside will chase Group 1 honours in the Champions Mile at Flemington.
The Lindsay Park team of Ben, Will and J D Hayes would like a little luck to go their way in what has been a frustrating week at Flemington.
After Mr Brightside was touched out in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley, the Hayes boys have suffered narrow losses with Apulia and Crosshaven earlier in Melbourne Cup week.
“With a bit of luck, we could be having a great Cup Carnival,” Ben Hayes said.
The Lindsay Park stable is pinning their hopes in Mr Brightside to end Cup week with a Group 1 win in the Champions Mile (1600m) on Saturday.
Hayes said the stable made the decision to come back from the 2040m of the Cox Plate when beaten by Romantic Warrior to Saturday’s journey with a view of a potential trip to Hong Kong.
“He’s an elite miler, so if we do decide to go to Hong Kong, it gives us more options,” Hayes said.
“We can stay at the mile or go to 2000 metres in Hong Kong, but we’ve got to get through this run first and see how he recovers from it.
“We haven’t committed to anything yet. He’s in the sixth run for the prep and these good horses, you do need to look after them.
“It’s something we’ll discuss with the team after the run.”
Hayes said Mr Brightside had remained at Flemington since his Cox Plate defeat and had freshened up nicely for his tilt on Saturday.
Mr Brightside will also be racing in blinkers again as the gelding looks to improve on his fourth in the corresponding race in 2021, when run as a handicap, then third last year.
“He’s probably due and there will be no excuses,” Hayes said.
“He hasn’t missed a day’s work. We’ve kept him at Flemington since the Cox Plate and we’ve always said that he thrives racing two weeks, two weeks, and that is what is happening here.
“He’s done so well and is a happy, enjoyable horse.
“I never get sick about talking about Mr Brightside, but if I ever do, slap me.”
Guineas the likely next step for daughter of Shamus Award
Katherine Colemanhas always known Roll On Highwas a filly with above-average ability and now the rest of the world does too after she charged into Thousand Guineas contention at Flemington on Tuesday.
The daughter of Shamus Award now occupies a place on the second line of betting on the Group 1 at Caulfield on November 18 after decisively winning the $175,000 Desirable Stakes.
The 1400-metre event was only the fourth start for Roll On High, following a Pakenham maiden win on October 20, but Coleman said the Slade Bloodstock galloper had earned her crack at a valuable Group 1 win.
“Definitely, if she pulls up well then she’s probably earned her spot there,” Coleman, who trains in partnership with Peter Moody, said.
Roll On High ($12), who is from the High Chaparral mare All Highs On Me, came with a sweeping run down the outside to score by three quarters of a length from Joliestar($9.50) with Kimochi($4.20) filling another minor placing, two lengths away in third.
Even though Roll On High was up in grade, winning jockey Billy Egan said she relished the set up of the Desirable Stakes and would take benefit from the outing.
“She was going this good when she won last start but she didn’t have that many horses to pass last time so she was a little lost when she got to the front,” Egan said.
“Today she had one more to drag her a long way down the straight and she was very willing to pass it but when she hit the front she was still a touch green but she has a touch of class there.”
Commemorative, the $3.30 favourite, enjoyed an economical run on the fence and presented as a winning hope early in the straight but weakened late to finish sixth, beaten just under six lengths.
Without A Fight has provided Mark Zahra with back-to-back victories in the Melbourne Cup.
Imported galloper Without A Fighthas etched his name into the history books by taking out the 163rd running of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
Brought out to Australia for last year’s Melbourne Cup under UK trainers Simon and Ed Crisford, Without A Fight was not suited on the wet conditions, fading to finish 13th behind Gold Trip.
But 12 months later, and in the care of Anthony and Sam Freedman, Without A Fight appreciated the firmer Flemington track that was upgraded to a Good 3 after the Melbourne Cup (3200m) on Tuesday, to race to a comfortable win under a brilliant ride from Mark Zahra.
After settling back in the field, Zahra was able to weave a passage through the field from the hometurn to take Without A Fight ($8) to a 2-¼ length victory from Soulcombe ($9.50) with outsider Sheraz ($151) a further half-length away third.
In winning Tuesday’s Cup, Without A Fight became the first horse since Ethereal in 2001 to complete the Caulfield – Melbourne Cup double and the 12th overall.
Zahra won the Cup last year on Gold Trip and had to make the difficult decision on whether to ride that galloper again or stick aboard Without A Fight after winning the Caulfield Cup on the gelding 17 days ago.
“Mark Hunter is a good friend and I rate him as one of the best judges in Australia,” Zahra said.
“I spoke to him at length about it and he said ‘you know, there’s not much in it, but if you can get him to settle, he’ll run it’.
“We went through the race, the weather forecast.
“The stars aligned for Gold Trip last year and they aligned for this horse this year.
“I don’t get to pick the result, I have to pick them before then and there was just a few things, the weight and the way he won the Caulfield Cup, I was confident he’d run it out today.”
Zahra said drawing barrier two and hugging the rails throughout allowed Without A Fight to have an easy run.
He said he was fortunate that he had some of the best jockeys in the world to follow.
“I was following Alenquer, probably not the best chance but D Oliver, in front of him was Gold Trip, in front of him was Vauban,” Zahra said.
“So, I thought I’m just going to stay here. They all made their moves, which opened up for me and I was on a horse you can just sit on.
“He’s got an electric turn of foot, and he just pulled me all the way to the line, and it was all over.
“I stood up in the irons and gave them the two fingers for two winners.
“I don’t know what I was thinking – idiot.”
Without A Fight’s victory adds the father-and-son training team of Anthony and Sam Freedman to the record books.
Anthony was part of Lee Freedman‘s haul of five Cup winners before the four brothers, Lee, Richard and Michael, went their separate ways.
The last win for the Freedman family came in 2005 with Maybe Diva and Sam Freedman said it had been a long time between wins in the Cup for the family.
Freedman senior is rarely seen at the races and Sam Freedman has been the face of the team.
“It’s been a great race for the family,” Freedman said.
“It’s been a while between drinks but it’s good to get another one and credit to the old man.
“He’s been incredible through all of this, his wisdom and experience in nursing a horse through like this.
“He went up to Queensland with him and looked after him up here and got him right into form and brought him back to Victoria and he’s been brilliant ever since so credit to him.”
Ozzmosis out to become the fourth generation Coolmore winner
Ozzmosis has the job of continuing his family’s amazing connection with the Coolmore Stud Stakes when the $2 million Group 1 is run at Flemington this Saturday.
The Bjorn Baker-trained colt is out to become a fourth generation winner of the 1200-metre event that has risen to become the most significant race for three-year-old colts on the Australian calendar.
Ozzmosis is by Zoustar, who won the Coolmore Stud Stakes in 2013, five years after his sire Northern Meteor won the race.
Back when the race was known as the Ascot Vale Stakes – before it moved to Derby Day, which coincided with its elevation to Group 1 status – Northern Meteor’s sire Encosta De Lago won it in 1996.
Baker recognises the 19-horse field that contains the Golden Slipper trifecta of Shinzo, Cylinder and King’s Gambit, plus local stars including Stretan Angel, Steparty and I Am Unstoppable, is not going to be easy but is an obvious target for his classy colt.
“He is a well-bred colt, he’s got a great attitude and I think he can run a big one,” Baker said.
“It is obviously going to be a very hard race, but he is in good order.”
Ozzmosis, a $250,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling, is out of the Darci Brahma mare No More Tears, who is a daughter of Ocean Of Tears.
Ocean Of Tears (Minardi) is from the Centaine mare Procure, which makes her a half-sister to Hips Don’t Lie, the dam of Acrobat, Lake Geneva and Ennis Hill, who is the dam of one of last season’s top two-year-olds Learning To Fly.
Ozzmosis did not debut until late May, when he won easily at Gosford, before a similarly impressive win at Randwick on June 10.
He was then put away to be prepared for his three-year-old season and made it three from three in the Listed Heritage Stakes before a third placing in the Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) won by Coolmore rival King’s Gambit.
The Darby Racing-owned colt tuned up for the Coolmore with a slick Flemington jumpout win last Friday, leaving Baker and raceday jockey Rachel King happy.
“Rachel was very happy with him, so that gives us a bit of confidence going into Saturday,” Baker said.
“He seems to have settled in well down there and we’re very happy with him going into the race.”
Zoustar is the only stallion represented in this year’s Coolmore Stud Stakes who is a past winner, but three others have supplied winners of the race.
I Am Invincible, who has King’s Gambit, I Am Unstoppable and Tiz Invincible engaged, is the sire of Brazen Beau (2014), Home Affairs (2021) and In Secret (2022), Cylinder’s sire Exceed And Excel is a two-time winner of the race, while Steparty’s sire Artie Schiller produced Flying Artie to win in 2016.
What began as a pipedream will become a reality when Strait Acer lines up in the Golden Eagle.
He might have a famous racing surname, but the effort of Edward Cummings to have a Cox Plate and Golden Eagle runner in the space of eight days has been a notable feat.
Cummings, the grandson of Cups King Bart and son of respected Sydney trainer Anthony, has a boutique team of just 22 horses in work at Hawkesbury.
Despite his small numbers, he saddled up Duaisto a luckless fourth in the Cox Plate (2040m) last weekend and will start Strait Acer in Saturday’s $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill.
While the latter is a $34 chance in pre-race markets, he arrives at the race in the form of his life.
Stringing together a hat-trick of wins in Midway and Benchmark grade, Strait Acer stepped up to the Silver Eagle (1300m) and despite a chequered passage in the straight, he motored to the line for an encouraging second to Vienna Princess.
If Cummings wasn’t certain he had a Golden Eagle contender going into the Silver Eagle, he was after it.
“Even though it was the plan and we got into the race fair and square, I thought I was half-mad just for trying it because he was so far out of the handicap,” Cummings said.
“We started his prep a month earlier than we normally do with our horses because he was that forward and because we needed to test him and get him up in the ratings quickly.
“We had one run where we could be unlucky and the rest of them would have to be runs where he was winning, and that’s basically how it has turned out.
“He put a few together and the last run in the Silver Eagle was really good.”
Cummings can see similarities between Strait Acer and a horse he trained in partnership with his father, 2018 Villiers Stakes winner Sky Boy.
After showing early promise, Sky Boy notched five successive victories during the spring and summer of that year and Cummings has used him as a barometer for Strait Acer.
“Watching a horse like him reminds me a lot of Sky Boy when he had that prep stringing five or six wins together, culminating in the Villiers,” Cummings said.
“We have gone on a very similar journey and that experience has informed a lot of what we’ve done with this horse.
“The horse is in great nick, and he is just learning and improving all the time.”
Cummings will also start Queenmakerin the TAB Handicap (1900m), the mare continuing to thrive as she prepares to line up for her sixteenth start in a campaign that kicked off in February.
“We did give her a month freshen-up (in July), she’s had five or six starts since then and it’s only her second racing preparation. She loves it,” Cummings said.
“Zac Lloyd goes back on and I think he’ll be riding her with a fair bit of confidence.”
Chris Waller has put blinkers on Kovalica to sharpen him up for a slight distance drop.
The Cox Plate came under serious consideration for Kovalica, but his performance in the King Charles III Stakes convinced connections the $10 million Golden Eagle was the right target.
The Queensland Derby winner was one of the few horses to make headway from back in the field, coming from last on the corner to finish fifth behind stablemate Fangirl.
That 1600m effort has proved the determining factor in resisting the temptation to step Kovalica up to 2040m in last Saturday’s Cox Plate and instead fit him with blinkers for a Golden Eagle (1500m) assault.
“Had he not sprinted as hard as what he did in the King Charles, the Cox Plate would have been the logical race to go to,” trainer Chris Waller‘s racing manager Charlie Duckworth said.
“But the fact he was reeling in older weight-for-age stars, and that he’s only four once …. the Cox Plate is still going to be there for him next year.”
Waller won the inaugural Golden Eagle with Kolding, who like Kovalica was raced by Neville Morgan and sported the prominent owner’s blue and white colours.
But they aren’t the only commonalities the horses share.
Both are by Ocean Park, both won the Queensland Guineas the previous winter and like Kolding, Kovalica will tackle the Golden Eagle fourth-up and off the back of a Group 1 mile run at Randwick.
Duckworth can make cases for all of the stable’s runners but says Kovalica’s fast finishing second in the Epsom Handicap (1600m) and his King Charles Stakes effort make him Waller’s top seed.
“He pretty much has to be,” Duckworth said.
“Despite only running second and fifth, you couldn’t have asked more from any horse in his last two runs.”
The commitment of jockey Tommy Berry has also been a confidence boost.
Berry has been retained for the Golden Eagle mount after riding Kovalica last start and hasn’t missed an opportunity to sit on his back since.
“Tommy has come in and galloped him on the Saturday, Tuesday, (last) Saturday and again on Tuesday.
“He is putting the hard yards in and he has got bags of faith in the horse.”
Kovalica ($10) will lead a five-pronged Golden Eagle bid for Waller, although he has been a market drifter since landing gate 16 at Tuesday night’s barrier draw.
His barn mates fared better with Redienerdrawing three, Osipenkoand Vienna Princess alongside each other in barriers eight and nine respectively, while Age Of Kings will jump from gate 11.
Simon Miller is confident Amelia’s Jewel can bounce back in the $10 million Golden Eagle.
His stable star may have been beaten for just the second time in her career last start, but Simon Miller couldn’t be happier with Amelia’s Jewel ahead of Saturday’s 1500m Golden Eagle at Rosehill.
Beaten 5.5 lengths as a $2.40 favorite in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) last start, Miller is confident the Group 1 winning mare is 100%, working her the Sydney way of going at Flemington on Tuesday morning.
“Her work was brilliant, really good, strong, weights good, she’s eating up again which is what she always does. I was just waiting for her to get back on her game before I increased her work again and she did,” Miller said.
Damian Lane will remain on Amelia’s Jewel this weekend, forgoing rides at Flemington to partner her, something Miller takes confidence in.
“He reverse galloped her last Tuesday… it was her first time proper reverse gallop, she got on the right lead straight away and then Saturday morning she launched onto the right lead straight away and he said “mate, she’s taken to this pretty good,” Miller said.
“He was glowing in his post-race gallop.”
Miller puts Amelia’s Jewel’s poor performance in the Toorak Handicap down to the occasion and an “off day”, something he noticed in her demeanour pre-race.
“We were tickled pink going to Caulfield, and then I got into the pre-enclosure and I thought we’re in a bit of trouble here, it’s amazing how externally they can look brilliant and internally there’s something not right,” Miller said.
Originally with a tough decision between the Golden Eagle or last Saturday’s Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m), Miller and owner Peter Walsh effectively had their decision made for them after her ninth placing in the Toorak.
“We were probably lucky we got three weeks to the Eagle… You can’t hit the Cox Plate like that… that extra week just let us idle her along so the timing was perfect,” Miller said.
Amelia’s Jewel will travel to Sydney on Wednesday night but won’t get a feel for the Rosehill track before Saturday, set to stable her with John O’Shea.
“I’m going to stay at Randwick, I’ve got to stay at my old bosses, at O’Shea’s, otherwise he’ll kill me… It’s interesting isn’t it, how will she go with it (Rosehill), I’m not sure. She’s pretty professional, she got around The Valley her first go… I think she’ll be fine,” Miller said.
Miller will bring Amelia’s Jewel back to Perth after Saturday’s Golden Eagle, for which she is the $4.50 favorite, and hasn’t completely ruled out running in The Pinnacles at Ascot in December.
