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All Too Hard has once again showcased his star qualities and a captivating turn of foot by claiming the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick last Saturday.
Photo by Racing and Sports
The Team Hawkes-trained galloper had his Melbourne preparation disrupted because of a virus where after convincing wins in both the C.F Orr Stakes and the Futurity Stakes, appeared a certainty to claim the Australian Guineas.
Scratched from the event due to a virus and with a potential Royal Ascot trip in the balance, a lot was riding on All Too Hard’s performance during last Saturday’s Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m).
The boom colt took on a strong field which included glamour mare More Joyous, Rain Affair and Epaulette who ran second behind All Too Hard’s champion half sister Black Caviar the start prior in the TJ Smith Stakes (1200m).
While not expected to fire first up, the likes of dual Group 1 winner Rangirangdoo and 2012 Melbourne Cup runner up Fiorente further added to the star studded line-up.
Regular rider of All Too Hard Dwayne Dunn positioned the colt one out and one back as Rain Affair charged to the lead.
Rain Affair with race fitness on his side still held a sizeable margin at the final furlong however All Too Hard had begun to accelerate.
While Rain Affair was gallant in defeat, All Too Hard’s class prevailed as he claimed a fourth Group 1 win and his third against the older horses.
Joe Pride’s stable star Rain Affair held on for second in the All Aged Stakes again after finishing runner up to Atlantic Jewel last year while the surprise packet out of the race was Fiorente charging into third late.
The gelding has run to 126 in posting each of his All Aged Stakes minor placings.
Gai Waterhouse stable star More Joyous disappointed, running 17 pounds shy of her peak in finishing seventh and 3.8 lengths off the winner.
More Joyous reportedly had heat in her neck on the Thursday however subsequent vet checks passing the mare fit and a course of antibiotics meant she took her place.
The underwhelming display has already had ramifications with prominent owner John Singleton removing his horses from the care of Gai Waterhouse with a full Stewards inquiry to follow later in the week.
She will now be trained by Peter Moody.
On a sad note, the honest Rolling Pin ran fourth with a career best effort only to break down shortly after the winning post.
Just a fortnight after watching Black Caviar maintain an unbeaten record with what ended up being her final race start in the TJ Smith Stakes (1200m), her half brother delivered an impressive performance which sees him close in on the champion mare’s master Timeform rating of 136.
All Too Hard’s All Aged Stakes victory yielded the colt a new peak Timeform figure of 129, exceeding his previous best by one pound when saluting in the Futurity Stakes (1400m).
Making the win even more exciting is the fact All Too Hard was not at optimum fitness yet still delivered a captivating sprint over the final 250m.
A winning effort of 129 is the equal highest rated performance seen in the event with only the mighty Sunline having achieved such heights when taking out the 2000 and 2002 All Aged Stakes renewals by decisive margins.
The All Aged Stakes Honour Roll over the past few seasons is an impressive one which also includes 2012 winner Atlantic Jewel [128] and Hay List [127, 2011].
While impeccably bred, All Too Hard’s stallion stocks continue to rise as he adds to his Group 1 tally.
All Too Hard’s appeal not only lies in the colts pedigree but his versatility with Group wins ranging from 1200m to 1600m plus a gallant second behind Ocean Park in the Cox Plate (2040m) during the spring.
Global interest in the colt will hit fever pitch if he goes to Royal Ascot for the Queen Anne Stakes (1600m).
A decision on All Too Hard’s immediate future will be made this week with a Royal Ascot tilt one of the main options.
It is there he could emulate the feats of fellow Australian Haradasun who claimed the 2008 renewal with an effort assessed at 125.
Haradasun’s Queen Anne Stakes (1600m) was one of the weaker renewals of the event conducted in the past decade which has been claimed by champions such as Frankel, Canford Cliffs and Goldikova during the past few seasons.
A peak figure of 129 however puts All Too Hard somewhere around the mark of both Canford Cliffs and Goldikova when they saluted in the Queen Anne Stakes.
All Too Hard will be one of the favourites for the Queen Anne Stakes and looms as a great chance of successfully flying the flag for the Australian racing industry in the prestigious mile event during the Royal Ascot carnival.