Australia Day wrap / Feb 1-2 preview

Some impressive performances last week and a lot of important news emerging throughout this week, both on the track and off.

We have a combination of races, trials and rulings to discuss as well as an above average weekend of racing to dissect so let's dive right in...

LOOKING BACK

Most focus was on the two-year-olds last weekend and rightly so with Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield just three weeks away. Miracles of Life was dominant in the fillies division of the Blue Diamond Preview and the girls went 0.72 seconds faster than the boys with a faster closing sectional for the final 600m off the back of a faster opening 400m. So the question now is will connections pay the late entry fee? She isn't nominated but still heads bookies markets and it's not hard to see why after seeing the way she won.

Thermal Current was the run of the race for mine in the colts & geldings edition after running into more dead ends than a learner driver. The Moody trained gallopoer had every right to throw up the white flag but he kept attacking the line the way I attack an open bar. His stablemate Dissident also looked good in winning despite being a bit wayward in the straight and you would think he will improve with race experience.

Sea Lord kept his unbeaten record at Moonee Valley in tact with victory in the below-par Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) on Friday. That's four from four now at the tight, turning circuit for the gelding.

Lastly, Shadows in the Sun broke through for his first win in nearly two years when victorious in the Listed Australia Day Cup (2400m) at Warwick Farm. His owners may have been forgiven for thinking this guy was a bit camera shy with his last victory coming in May 2011 in the Group 1 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville.

Meanwhile several of our topline sprinters are stepping out this week in the lead up to the big sprint races in Melbourne.

On Tuesday unbeaten Perth galloper Barakey breezed through a Belmont trial and Hay List showed he's on track for his first start since March last year with an exhibition gallop at Wyong yesterday.

Black Caviar will have her own hit-out between races three and four at Caulfield tomorrow.

In other news trainer Con Karakatsanis (Black Piranha, Howmuchdoyouloveme) has vowed to fight a nine month ban handed down for charges stemming from a raid on his stables on Derby Day last November. It is alleged stewards interrupted an attempt to stomach-tube Howmuchdoyouloveme ahead of a Group 2 sprint that afternoon. His father Tony, a registered stablehand, received a two year penalty for the same incident and has also said he will appeal the decision.

LOOKING FORWARD

Proceedings kick-off tonight at Moonee Valley and again all eyes will be on the two-year-olds with some Blue Diamond hopefuls stepping out for the first time in the Sportingbet Plate (1000m). The Robert Smerdon trained debutante Politeness will likely start an odd-on favourite and is currently an $11 chance for the two-year-old feature, the only horse under $26 in the market who is yet to race. Mark Kavanagh also has an interesting first starter in Casquets. He's currently second pick and a $26 chance in the Group 1. The full market can be found here.

The Moody trained Kona Breeze has been scratched from tonight's event and will instead contest tomorrow's Listed Chairman's Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield, where he will again bump into last start conqueror Metastasio. The Snowden trained filly looked super impressive when winning on debut at Flemington a fortnight ago and appears to have been saved for this race after also being nominated last weekend. David Hayes and Dwayne Dunn combine on I Am Titanium who went under narrowly when well tried at his only start. Hayes and Dunn have the best strike rates of any trainer and jockey respectively in the Victorian Top 10.

Racing in Queensland and NSW will obviously take place on rain affected tracks in the aftermath of the big wet experienced in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald. Both venues anticipate some more rain in the next 24 hours so hold off on making your selections until the state of the track is finalised.

If racing does go ahead as anticipated then punters at Doomben may benefit from a Bart Cummings-like preparation as the 10 race card is sure to be a test of their staying potential. The feature event on the card is the Listed Nudgee Quality (1200m).

Rosehill sees the return of some above average gallopers with the Sydney carnival not too far away. Said Com resumes for Chris Waller in Race 5 and Race 8 sees the resumption of high class three-year-olds Better Than Ready, Ichihara and Raceway. The latter is having his first start since a gelding operation. Better Than Ready is being aimed at the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield in three weeks time.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

This was not how I planned on spending the Easter long weekend

- Jesus of Nazareth, Calvary Hill, 33 A.D.

Happy New Year 2013

Well after a long break to recover from my PTSD (Posttraumatic Spring Disorder) I am back again just in time for the Australia Day long weekend and a welcome return to some quality racing.

Action kicks off on Friday night at Moonee Valley with the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) at w-f-a. Saturday sees the Blue Diamond Previews (1000m) at Caulfield headline a raceday that features two other Listed races. In Sydney they head to Warwick Farm for the Listed Australia Day Cup (2400m) and in Queensland the Sunshine Coast has a rare Saturday Metro TAB meeting with the feature being the Listed Sunshine Coast Cup (1400m).

You can find a full list of upcoming feature races here.

But the red light is on and the starting signal has been given so it's time for us to look at the weeks ahead.

HORSES TO FOLLOW

Black Caviar

Well duh. It's a no brainer, but not for the reasons you'd expect. All the questions have been answered. She's unbeaten. She's done it at home and abroad. She's done it at handicap level and at w-f-a, right handed and left handed. So why is she a horse to follow? Because I want to see how she has recovered from that gruelling trip and race at Ascot. Because I want to see how many more times they go to the well and risk that unbeaten record with a mare who's rising seven. Because I want to see if any of the brash young upstarts progressing through the ranks can get her out of her comfort zone. And lastly, simply because I want to. Nothing draws attention to a sport like a superstar. It's like a train wreck, you know how it's going to end but you just can't look the other way.

The Others

As I've just mentioned we have some other handy sprinters around and it will be interesting to see who picks up the scraps left behind by the mighty mare. Hay List is back again and from all reports is bigger and stronger than ever, which is frightening because he already looked like he should be pulling a wagon full of beer barrels. And what of the unbeaten Perth gelding Barakey? Those in the know in WA say the times he's been running in winning are the equal of the likes of former star sprinters from the West like Miss Andretti and Scenic Blast. Then there is Sea Siren. Has she recovered from her Hong Kong disappointment? If she has she will be up to her eyeballs in anything she contests, having claimed three Group 1's already (BTC Cup, Doomben 10,000 & Manikato Stakes) in just 11 career starts. Buffering can't be forgotten either. The perennial bridesmaid deserves to break through for a Group 1 after no less than six placings at the highest level in the last 14 months. He was edged out in both the Doomben 10,000 (Sea Siren) and Stradbroke (Mid Summer Music) after an injury interrupted prep, he was pipped in the Newmarket by Hay List and led home the chasers behind Black Caviar in the Lightning and the Patinack. Throw in a third to Foxwedge and Hay List in the William Reid and surely he must be due. But they'll have their work cut out for them judging by Black Caviar's jump-out at Sandown earlier this week.

3-y-o's

Pierro and All Too Hard were head and shoulders above the rest of the crop and proved it with a stirring finish in the Caulfield Guineas and then backed it up with super runs in the Cox Plate. But what sort of a toll will that take on a young horse? We all saw what happened last year with Helmet and Manawanui. They never recaptured their form upon resuming in the Autumn, and only time will tell if these guys can avoid the same fate. I'm not saying they can't, I'm just saying I won't be jumping out of any windows to take skinny prices before I've seen they've come back fit and healthy.

Stayers

Puissance De Lune was the name on everyones lips after his slashing win in the Queen Elizabeth on the final day of the Flemington Carnival. But bookmakers putting him up a $7 favourite for this year's Cup already? You have got to be having a lend of me. A day is a long time in racing, a year is an eternity. Again, not bagging the animal, he is undeniably talented but he has to reproduce that form, then has to maintain that form, has to stay sound and has to get into the race with a winnable weight. And even if he does you'll probably get something like that price next November without the risk because the money will come for the imports as it always does. Sit on your hands!

THIS WEEKEND

The horse to watch will be Miracles of Life in the fillies division of the Blue Diamond Preview. She isn't nominated for the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes but nonetheless is currently the $7 favourite for the feature. She made it two wins from as many starts with a dynamic nine length victory last time out and 29-year-old apprentice Lauren Stojakovic retains the ride despite a host of senior Melbourne riders throwing their hats in the ring.

In the same race Gai Waterhouse has Swing Vote after her impressive win on debut at Warwick Farm on January 5, and Darley has nominated boom filly Montsegur after she romped home on Boxing Day at Caulfield. 

That stable has also nominated Kuroshio for the colts and geldings division where Peter Moody saddles up last start Flemington runner-up Thermal Current and first starter Dissident.

Meanwhile Sam Kavanagh has nominated debutant Mon Gateau and says the gelding has shown above-average ability including an impressive trial win against older horses.

Friday night's Australia Stakes has attracted just eight acceptors and with the early scratching of Skytrain there will now be no third dividend. No surprise really with all the A-grade sprinters preparing for races like the Lightning, Oakleigh Plate and Newmarket. Pinwheel heads the field.

Lastly we have the Australia Day Cup at Warwick Farm on Saturday aka the Dad's Army Stakes featuring the likes of Fiumicino, Ironstein, Macedonian, Tullamore and Reuben Percival - all of whom are nearly old enough to vote.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I really enjoy gardening. Sometimes I'll still be out there at 3am in the morning, still diggin' away...

- Fred West, Gloucester, 1994