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Saturday Post Mortem with Chris Scholtz

by Chris Scholtz , 6 years ago

3 minute read

Chris Scholtz reviews racing around Australia on April 14.

THE STARS

WINX: We could devote all the space and copy in the world to praising the great mare but like everybody else, we have run out of superlatives! Everything she does from here on will only add to her claim of being Australia’s greatest ever – it’s a debate you will hear in every bar for years to come!

CHRIS WALLER/HUGH BOWMAN: Three Group Ones for the record breaking Rosehill trainer and a G1 double for the champion jockey including his fifth win in the ATC Oaks. The powerhouse team are the kings of Sydney racing and wil go down as being just as formidable as any of Tommy Smith’s great partnerships with George Moore, Kevin Langby, Malcolm Johnston and Mick Dittman.

DANIEL MOOR: Singapore-bound jockey rode into the history books by landing big odds winners in all four legs of the Caulfield quaddie, paying a monster $61,000 in Victoria and $58,000 in NSW. Just hope his mum backs his rides!

WHO SHOT THEBARMAN: Everybody loves grand old stayers, especially when they are as honest as this 9YO. What punter wouldn’t have a soft spot for a horse who finally gets his deserving win in a Sydney Cup at his fifth attempt as the oldest horse in the field! Let’s hope he gets to line up again in the Melbourne Cup for the fourth time – you never know!

LINDSAY PARK: Spread the team far and wide on Saturday for doubles at Randwick and Caulfield and a win at Morphettville.

ALIZEE: Terrific G1 win by a fine filly over the older mares to go with her Flight Stakes win in the spring. She flies over the mile at Randwick.

GRANT & ALANA WILLIAMS A big WA Oaks result for their stable by training first, second and fourth including the 60/1 winner Special Alert. They train the trio for fillies for Perth’s leading owners Bob and Sandra Peters.

SIMON MILLER: Perth’s top 2YO stable dominated the west’s major juvenile race with a quinella result in the $500,000 Karakatta Plate with the unbeaten Valour Road and Lady Cosmology.

BOUQUETS AND BRICKBATS

TRIPLE TREATS: Another Morphettville trio for Adelaide’s racing queen Jamie Kah while owner Mick Crooks had three of his “Mishani” team win at the Sunshine Coast. Crooks spreads his team around as his winners Mishani Honcho, Mishani Bullitt and Mishna Hustler are with three different trainers.

DOUBLE DELIGHT: Chris Waller took the honours with his G1 treble but there was double joy for a big list at Randwick with two winners each for Damian Lane, Jason Collett, Team Snowden and the Lindsay Park stable .

MAGIC AND MAYHEM: It was another Magic Man horror show at Randwick on Outback Barbie but the Hong Kong champion Joao Moriera redeemed himself with his cool winning ride on Catchy, ending a long losing sequence for the superstar jock on his Sydney visits that stretched back to 2016.

SATURDAY SHOCKERS: I shouldn’t be too hard on Moreira as there were some other rides on Saturday that left punters distraught, if not fuming. Hugh Bowman’s efforts on Isaurian and Viridine at Randwick were lamentable while the navigation of Larry Cassidy (Bergerac), Lee Margorian (Irish Optimism), and Robbie Fradd (Tversky) at the Sunshine Coast cost their mounts dearly.

KRIS LEES: OK, he had seven in the final field but he still got the result with Serene Miss winning the $500,000 Provincial Championship Final from the outside gate after a fine ride by Jason Collett.

TAHLIA HOPE/PAUL PREUSKER<: They were the money team at Caulfield with the rising apprentice combining with the Horsham trainer to land two confident betting plunges with strong rides on Kalpaluenko and Magic Consol. Hope has come a long way since her riding led stewards to stand her down from riding at metropolitan meetings.

PORT MACQUARIE PARTY: The party rolls on at the NSW north coast track after local trainers Jenny Graham and Marc Quinn landed winners at the Sunshine Coast with Backhouse Billy and Cogliere, a week after Graham’s big win at Randwick with Victorem (she also had a local win on her home track on Friday!).

RIDE OF THE DAY

All four winning riders in the Group Ones at Randwick should take a bow for their super efforts – but it’s hard to go past Daniel Moor’s four wins on the bounce at Caulfield to land the Quaddie. The Singapore-bound jockey went out and did his job without missing a beat, riding the track perfectly after the rain with faultless tactics.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

• “God forbid if something went wrong - it wouldn't be a good place to be - but she's so exceptional. She is able to overcome everything. The bottom line is she's got lengths on her rivals. It makes it easy for me." – Winx’s jockey Hugh Bowman.

THEY SAID IT

• "I knew I had done my job but it is always a relief when she wins. It's hard to describe what she can do.” – Chris Waller’s simple praise for Winx says it all.

• “I'm just so proud to be a part of it. She’s just an exceptional athlete, she creates so much attention, I’m just so elated - what can I say, I’m lost for words.” - more from Hugh Bowman.

• “She just went straight past like I was standing still. He ran into a once in a lifetime mare unfortunately but it was good to be a part of it anyway,” – Gailo Chop’s rider Mark Zahra pays homage to Winx.

• "He's been such a frustrating horse because he's run so many great seconds and thirds in Sydney Cups and Melbourne Cups. He's given us one hell of a ride. Year in, year out and every preparation he gives us something to hope for.’’ – Who Shot The Barman’s trainer Chris Waller.

• "We won't be rushing to step her up to a Caulfield Cup or a Melbourne Cup. We'll keep our sights low and see how she comes back as a four-year-old.” Chris Waller’s outlook for his Oaks winner Unforgotten.

• “I wasn’t to know what was coming from behind me, but it would have been a monumental effort to run me down because she was superb the last 500m.” – Unforgotten’s rider Hugh Bowman.

• "She is just about the best three-year-old in the country. She was trained up and showed what she can do when she gets to the Randwick mile. She absolutely loves it." – Alizee’s trainer James Cummings.

• "She's a special girl. You can see how big she is, I think she just takes a bit of racing to get really race fit." -Alizee’s jockey Glyn Schofield.

• "She could be the best filly we have trained.” - Peter Snowden’s opinion of Pure Elation, who bled but will be back after a spell.

• "It feels like getting the monkey off my back." – Joao Moreira after riding his first Sydney winner since 2016.

• "It's a mystery because everything upon arrival during our time in quarantine has been very smooth and we've had no issues. It's quite a surprise." Japanese owner Mashai Yonemoto, after Pre Stwick’s late scratching at the barrier from the Sydney Cup due to his scratchy action.

• "It's unfortunate the carnival ends today, I'm rapt with my last three weeks.” – a happy Damian Lane after a Randwick double added to his excellent run in Sydney.

• “She’s got great sustained speed, she just wants to run. I was just the pilot, I just sat there and held on.” - Damian Lane after his winning ride on the flying Quilista.

• “I had nice rides but they weren't single figure odds. They all had a chance and the weather played into our hands. It's good to get some winners from some good supporters of mine." – Daniel Moor sums his Caulfield quaddie.

• “It puts me in a horrible situation to protest against another jockey on these grounds, but Robbie does have an exaggerated action with the whip and he has knocked the whip out of my hand.” Larry Cassidy’s grounds for a protest against Robbie Fradd at the Sunshine Coast.

BLACKBOOK

DARK DREAM: Nice horse in the making.

OUTBACK BARBIE: Will get her chance at the Brisbane carnival.

NEWSFAN: Better than a provincial performer.

PATRICK ERIN: Mark him down for the Brisbane Cup.

INVINCIBELLA: Strong return. Set for another good campaign.

EMPHASIS: Eye catcher first-up. Good Brisbane class stayer.

ABDON: Strong Australian debut by another Waller import.


Racing and Sports

tags

DARK DREAM OUTBACK BARBIE NEWSFAN PATRICK ERIN INVINCIBELLA EMPHASIS ABDON

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