Colossalbet Blog

Tag: Melbourne Cup Field

  • Mr Brightside ready for Champions tilt

    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 next stop in winning Roll

    Guineas the likely next step for daughter of Shamus Award

    Katherine Coleman has always known Roll On High was 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 gives Zahra back-to-back Cup wins

    Without A Fight has provided Mark Zahra with back-to-back victories in the Melbourne Cup.

    Imported galloper Without A Fight has 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 aiming to uphold family tradition

    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.