Breakthrough Randwick victory sparks Caulfield Cup dream for Royal Supremacy
Jockey Alysha Collett and Pride racing manager Orla Pearl both hailed the win as'unbelievable' when they met after the win. Pearl said taking off the ear muffs and the quick back-up had been the keys on Saturday.
King's Secret, aided by a gun ride from Andrew Adkins, won the 1100m benchmark 72 for three-year-olds by a half-length. It was his fourth win in six starts this preparation and likely his last run before a spell.
The Saturday Sydney double was Pride's third in four weeks and was capped by a Monash Stakes win at Caulfield with In Flight. He also had a Sydney treble on June 7.
Adkins also had a double on Saturday, after earlier winning on Pensativa.
Getafix swoops to stamp potential
Trainer Tom Charlton was confident Getafix could rise to stakes level after the three-year-old produced a booming finish to nab Cool Jakey on the line in the 1400m benchmark 88.
Coming off a midweek Kensington track victory, Getafix provided the most thrilling finish of the day and gave jockey Jason Collett a double.
'He's go the ability to feature in good races,' Charlton said. 'Even today, he probably didn't relax perfectly, but he's a pretty useful horse. At the end of the two-year-old season, he and Linebacker were the ones we thought could shape up well, and he's just taken a bit more time.'
Collett earlier led all the way on David Pfieffer-trained Oh Diamond Lil in a benchmark 78 handicap (1600m). Pfieffer was looking to the Coffs Harbour Cup, or another Randwick benchmark race in two weeks, with the mare.
Tomato Toastie hot hope for autumn
Trainer Adrian Bott believed Tomato Toastie, a half-sister to his two-time group-winning mare English, could return an autumn carnival contender after a gritty victory at Randwick.
Competing 10 days after a Warwick Farm win at her second start, the Too Darn Hot filly raced outside leader Pillow Fight for jockey Regan Bayliss in the 1400m handicap for two-year-olds before taking over at the 300m mark. She then survived a late lunge from Crossbow to win by a short half-head.
Tomato Toastie is out of the same dam, Al Naifa, as English.
'She was out on her feet late,' Bott said. 'She's not an overly big filly, but she's got a stack of improvement to come. We made the call to come here today, to go one more run now while we can, then we can give her a good break that she deserves.
'I think rushing around for the spring is not going to be the right thing to do. This might set us up nicely for a good autumn campaign.'
Scone filly on Highway to success
Scone trainer Lou Mary will give filly Pensativa a short break before preparing her for another campaign aimed at a Highway race after she broke through at Randwick on Saturday.
The three-year-old, second in her first Highway Handicap two weeks earlier, raced behind leader Smart Jazz under Andrew Adkins in the class 3 Highway Plate (1600m) before hitting the front at the 150m and beating Kranich by a long neck.
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Pensativa went to three wins and four placings in 13 starts with the victory.
'She's very consistent and she's very brave, and every time we raise the bar, she seems to turn up,' Mary said. 'We are probably going to give her a break now. I think she goes better on top of the ground, and she's still eligible for one more Highway.'
Mary said Braebrook Thoroughbreds filly would have four to six weeks off before coming back and working towards another Highway.
Import strikes again on front foot
Co-trainer Will Freedman believes Walking Painting can step up in grade, with the help of wetter ground, after he pulled off another all-the-way win in benchmark 72 Midway Handicap level.
The import ended a drought in Australia with victory at Scone over 1700m on May 17 before two losses at 1800m in a higher grade. He came back to 1600m and 72 level on Saturday at Randwick and produced an even better front-running effort, winning by three-quarters of a length under three-kilogram apprentice Will Stanley.
'I think he probably has to go to 78 grade, but fortunately he handles heavy ground,' Freedman said of the six-year-old's next target. If he gets it wetter, then he will be competitive, but he just doesn't run 1800.'
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Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Baker looks to spring targets after Robusto rises to Winter Challenge
The $12 Sportsbet chance overcame the consistent Joe Pride-trained sprinter, which made life difficult for him and jockey Tom Sherry in a messy finish. It followed a heavy track win at Warwick Farm carrying 61 kilograms when first up off a 17-week spell and one trial. The five-year-old now has seven wins and 15 placings from 36 starts. 'He's not one of these million-dollar horses, he was just bred in a back paddock with the owners, and it's just wonderful for them and that these stories can happen,' Litt said. 'He'll go on with this, and I'm hoping there's a couple of races coming up, maybe in listed grade, that he can be competitive in.' It was part of a treble for Sherry, who earlier won on Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained Yoshinobu, which was first-up off a gelding operation. Sherry finished the day with victory on Peter Snowden-trained King Of Roseau. Storm The Ramparts' jockey Reece Jones was fined $400 for an audible obscenity in the scales area after the defeat. He said his frustrations had boiled over, and the breach was out of character. He said he had been 'absolutely hammered' by race goers on the way in. Roper lucky to walk away Jockey Josh Parr labelled wayward country galloper Highway Strip 'dangerous' after its part in the fall of apprentice Anna Roper and Rob Agnew-trained Pony Soprano at Rosehill. Roper, who was stood down by the club doctor from the rest of the day, was fortunate to walk away from the fall. Pony Soprano appeared to escape serious injury. The pair fell near the 750m mark of the 1100m Highway Handicap when Danny Williams-trained Highway Strip shifted out, forcing Roper's mount onto the heels of Never Fails. Roper said Highway Strip was racing ungenerously on her inside, and she believed the fall came from a combination of him hanging out and Never Fails cutting across. Parr told stewards he expressed his disappointment to the stable about the horse's poor racing manners and said 'at no point did I feel I had control of that horse'. 'There was no response from the horse from any command that I gave him, and I'd go as far as to say it's a dangerous horse,' Parr said. Highway Strip, the race favourite, hung out on the turn but finished strongly for fourth. Highway Strip had been sent back to the trials previously for its poor racing manners, and Williams told stewards the horse had worked and trialled well since his last-start second at Randwick on January 25. Stewards ordered that Highway Strip trial twice to their satisfaction before being allowed to race again. Three-year-old Shropshire Lad ($8.50) won the race, breaking through for his first Highway win. Knights Armour Knights Armour provided a career highlight for Braidwood cattle farmer and hobby trainer Ross Lavis and Swedish apprentice Rebecca Bronett Prag when the six-year-old gave both a first Saturday city win. Bronett Prag raced Knights Armour ($12) into second-last spot in the 2400m benchmark 78 handicap before cutting the corner with an inside run on the home bend. Knights Armour, the only horse Lavis trains, made the most of the economical trip to land a half-length victory over Good Banter. 'He tries his heart out, and I knew the 2400, he was going to see it out no worries at all,' Lavis said. Bronett Prag, who came to Australia as a teenager, also scored her first metro midweek win with Knights Armour. Maher 2YO scores surprise win Ciaron Maher-trained Without Peer will race into the spring after scoring a surprise win on debut at Rosehill on Saturday. Coming off two unplaced trials, the Pierata gelding was a $12 Sportsbet chance and near last in the 1200m two-year-old handicap before storming down the centre of the track for jockey Chad Schofield to hold off Spice Prawn by a short neck. Maher assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord said the win 'surprised us a bit'. 'He's a gelding, so we will just go through the grades with him and space his runs heading into the spring,' Gerard-Dubord said. 'He's got a lot of talent, but he's still very raw, and we saw that in both of his trials, especially his first one. 'I don't think it was the deepest two-year-old Saturday race, which is why he ran today. 'We just felt 1200 around Rosehill would be a very good starting point. We just wanted him to have a good experience. 'He's still doing a few things wrong, so I think there's a lot more to come.' Loading Big talent on way to success Premier trainer Chris Waller expects Useapin to kick on after she was strong late to win second up at Rosehill on Saturday. The three-year-old daughter of Waller's Everest winner, Yes Yes Yes, fought off Scott Singleton-trained Dollar Magic to claim the benchmark 78 handicap over 1200m for fillies and mares. It was a 14th runner-up effort from Dollar Magic. Waller expected more success after Useapin's fourth victory in 11 starts. 'It was a long straight and Zac [Lloyd] got her out into plenty of air, but she looked like she was going to be vulnerable with 200 to go, but she did enough and she was brave the last bit,' Waller said. 'She's a big girl and she's always shown us promise, but through that big size has struggled to put it together every start, but she's on her way and she should have a good six months.'
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
Baker looks to spring targets after Robusto rises to Winter Challenge
The $12 Sportsbet chance overcame the consistent Joe Pride-trained sprinter, which made life difficult for him and jockey Tom Sherry in a messy finish. It followed a heavy track win at Warwick Farm carrying 61 kilograms when first up off a 17-week spell and one trial. The five-year-old now has seven wins and 15 placings from 36 starts. 'He's not one of these million-dollar horses, he was just bred in a back paddock with the owners, and it's just wonderful for them and that these stories can happen,' Litt said. 'He'll go on with this, and I'm hoping there's a couple of races coming up, maybe in listed grade, that he can be competitive in.' It was part of a treble for Sherry, who earlier won on Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained Yoshinobu, which was first-up off a gelding operation. Sherry finished the day with victory on Peter Snowden-trained King Of Roseau. Storm The Ramparts' jockey Reece Jones was fined $400 for an audible obscenity in the scales area after the defeat. He said his frustrations had boiled over, and the breach was out of character. He said he had been 'absolutely hammered' by race goers on the way in. Roper lucky to walk away Jockey Josh Parr labelled wayward country galloper Highway Strip 'dangerous' after its part in the fall of apprentice Anna Roper and Rob Agnew-trained Pony Soprano at Rosehill. Roper, who was stood down by the club doctor from the rest of the day, was fortunate to walk away from the fall. Pony Soprano appeared to escape serious injury. The pair fell near the 750m mark of the 1100m Highway Handicap when Danny Williams-trained Highway Strip shifted out, forcing Roper's mount onto the heels of Never Fails. Roper said Highway Strip was racing ungenerously on her inside, and she believed the fall came from a combination of him hanging out and Never Fails cutting across. Parr told stewards he expressed his disappointment to the stable about the horse's poor racing manners and said 'at no point did I feel I had control of that horse'. 'There was no response from the horse from any command that I gave him, and I'd go as far as to say it's a dangerous horse,' Parr said. Highway Strip, the race favourite, hung out on the turn but finished strongly for fourth. Highway Strip had been sent back to the trials previously for its poor racing manners, and Williams told stewards the horse had worked and trialled well since his last-start second at Randwick on January 25. Stewards ordered that Highway Strip trial twice to their satisfaction before being allowed to race again. Three-year-old Shropshire Lad ($8.50) won the race, breaking through for his first Highway win. Knights Armour Knights Armour provided a career highlight for Braidwood cattle farmer and hobby trainer Ross Lavis and Swedish apprentice Rebecca Bronett Prag when the six-year-old gave both a first Saturday city win. Bronett Prag raced Knights Armour ($12) into second-last spot in the 2400m benchmark 78 handicap before cutting the corner with an inside run on the home bend. Knights Armour, the only horse Lavis trains, made the most of the economical trip to land a half-length victory over Good Banter. 'He tries his heart out, and I knew the 2400, he was going to see it out no worries at all,' Lavis said. Bronett Prag, who came to Australia as a teenager, also scored her first metro midweek win with Knights Armour. Maher 2YO scores surprise win Ciaron Maher-trained Without Peer will race into the spring after scoring a surprise win on debut at Rosehill on Saturday. Coming off two unplaced trials, the Pierata gelding was a $12 Sportsbet chance and near last in the 1200m two-year-old handicap before storming down the centre of the track for jockey Chad Schofield to hold off Spice Prawn by a short neck. Maher assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord said the win 'surprised us a bit'. 'He's a gelding, so we will just go through the grades with him and space his runs heading into the spring,' Gerard-Dubord said. 'He's got a lot of talent, but he's still very raw, and we saw that in both of his trials, especially his first one. 'I don't think it was the deepest two-year-old Saturday race, which is why he ran today. 'We just felt 1200 around Rosehill would be a very good starting point. We just wanted him to have a good experience. 'He's still doing a few things wrong, so I think there's a lot more to come.' Loading Big talent on way to success Premier trainer Chris Waller expects Useapin to kick on after she was strong late to win second up at Rosehill on Saturday. The three-year-old daughter of Waller's Everest winner, Yes Yes Yes, fought off Scott Singleton-trained Dollar Magic to claim the benchmark 78 handicap over 1200m for fillies and mares. It was a 14th runner-up effort from Dollar Magic. Waller expected more success after Useapin's fourth victory in 11 starts. 'It was a long straight and Zac [Lloyd] got her out into plenty of air, but she looked like she was going to be vulnerable with 200 to go, but she did enough and she was brave the last bit,' Waller said. 'She's a big girl and she's always shown us promise, but through that big size has struggled to put it together every start, but she's on her way and she should have a good six months.'
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Has there been a more consistent horse this Sydney winter than Storm The Ramparts?
'He's been going super. What generally finishes up these winter horses is the dry tracks, and he'll get one this weekend. 'He's been on two dryish tracks and run well, but sooner or later one of them will pull him up. It's also his first start out of 78 grade, he steps up to a [benchmark] 88, but he's very consistent, and makes his own luck up in front. He'll be hard to beat again.' Storm The Ramparts is by Headwater, a stallion whose progeny are a bit like a poorly brewed beer – fizz and excitement early on, but prone to going flat quickly. Pride, however, said Storm The Ramparts had been able to improve with each preparation because of his mare, Quick's The Word. 'He's out of a really good mare, he's a half-brother to Dragonstone, which is probably what's carrying him along,' Pride said. 'He's a dream horse to own. A lot of people don't like that 'wet-tracker' term for their horses, but it doesn't bother me. If he's a wet-tracker, he's a wet-tracker.' Pride also starts Estadio Mestalla and Accredited in the feature Winter Challenge, with his pair, and favourite Robusto, the three horses that all slugged it out in a finish a couple of weeks ago in Sydney. 'I think they've got the market right, and I'll be shocked if my two or Robusto doesn't win,' Pride said. 'He's a dream horse to own ... If he's a wet-tracker, he's a wet-tracker.' Joe Pride on Storm The Ramparts 'Estadio Mestalla is racing well and will make his own luck up front again, while Accredited, the turnaround from wet tracks to dry tracks, it's massive when you look at his record. He's a different horse on top of the ground. He raced on a soft 7 last start ... he got through it, but not well. 'Saturday's track will be much firmer, and he'll love it. They're both in their grade now, and I'm happy to pick off races in their grade.' Meanwhile, Pride has a lot of time for two-year-old Reflect, the first horse he has trained for the Think Big Stud, whose white, black and yellow colours were made famous by late owner Dato Tan Chin Nam. The $310,000 Magic Millions purchase has already had one race start, but the big black filly has enormous upside, said Pride, which punters will see over time. Pride also confirmed several Godolphin horses that would be headed to his stable next month, including Caulfield Guineas winner Golden Mile, and Comedy, a two-year-old Snitzel colt that ran in the major lead-up races to the Golden Slipper. Thompson gives his Blessing Randwick trainer John Thompson won't have a runner in the feature Winter Challenge – a race he won last year with $31 shot Jojo Was A Man – but he is counting on the form and impressive fresh record of With Your Blessing to give him a winner at Rosehill on Saturday. With Your Blessing resumes in the July Sprint, an open 1100m handicap, after a 14-week spell and three sharp trials. The six-year-old raced just off the leaders before hitting the line in all three trials, winning the past two at Canterbury and Hawkesbury. The encouraging return follows an excellent summer campaign which included wins at Randwick over 1100m and 1300m in benchmark 78 and 88 respectively on good going, and a photo-finish second to Iowna Merc in the group 3 Liverpool City Cup (1300m) at the track on March 1 in his most recent outing. Thompson believed With Your Blessing was 'a great chance' to return with a win on Saturday. 'He's won a couple of trials, and he's going really good,' Thompson said. 'He had a great prep last prep, and he is first up, and he normally goes well fresh. He's had three trials waiting for this race, so he's ready to go.' Loading With Your Blessing, a $70,000 buy as a yearling, has won $568,205 across 29 starts, including six victories and 10 placings. Three of those wins and two placings have come when the son of Vadamos and Super Trouper was resuming. Thompson's stable will be searching for back-to-back Saturday city successes after Bundeena won first-up at Randwick last week in a 1000m benchmark 78 handicap. The five-year-old Spirit Of Boom gelding, plagued by wide draws last preparation, made the most of an inside barrier and trouble-free run to win by one and a quarter lengths. He has drawn barrier eight with Alysha Collett to steer.
