Aft Cabin takes flight to confirm Caulfield Guineas favouritism
Son of Astern emphatic in Prelude to leave Group 1 mile at his mercy as Godolphin dominate Melbourne and Sydney cards
A torrential downpour enveloped Melbourne as the runners for the Caulfield Guineas Prelude (Gr 3, 1400m) leapt from the gates yesterday, but the relentless rain was not enough to overshadow the Godolphin juggernaut that continues to take spring by storm as the royal blue silks were again to the fore, with seven winners across the Caulfield and Randwick cards, and asserting their dominance on Victoria’s leading three-year-old scene.
Last weekend at Rosehill, Godolphin runners In Secret (I Am Invincible), who became the first filly to win the Run To The Rose (Gr 2, 1200m), and Ming Dynasty (Gr 3, 1400m) winner Golden Mile (Astern) cemented a stranglehold on the Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), Sydney’s leading three-year-old contest this spring.
The daughter of I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) heads the market for the Golden Rose from her stablemate Golden Mile and it was another son of Darley stallion Astern (Medaglia D’Oro) who took centre stage yesterday with an emphatic performance.
The James Cummings-trained Aft Cabin, who announced himself onto the spring scene in August with a six-length maiden success at Sandown, showed early pace under Jamie Kah to sit outside the leader, Zamborghini (Zoustar).
That rival’s petrol appeared to run out at the 300-metre mark, leaving Aft Cabin to soar into what was to be an unassailable lead, the remainder of the field toiling in the treacherous conditions. Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) colt Meridius came through for second, three and a half lengths from the winner, while Amenable (Lonhro) emerged from the dark clouds to collar Sir Bailey (Impending) for third, another two lengths behind.
Kah, who has ridden Aft Cabin in all bar his debut second at Warwick Farm in July, believes the colt has the right credentials to be a major player in next month’s Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), for which he is now the $3.20 favourite from his fellow son of Astern, Golden Mile at $5.50.
“The feel he gave me was amazing,” she said. “I couldn’t see how far in front we were but he’s a star on the rise and it’s nice to see him back to 1400 metres.
“He was really sharp at that trip and further is just going to be a bonus.
“He just relaxes. He doesn’t give you much of a feel that he’s got a lot there until you go for him like he did at Sandown, but God, just the length of his stride is unbelievable.”
Godolphin stable representative Sam Keogh confirmed the Caulfield Guineas on October 10 would be the destination for both Aft Cabin and Golden Mile.
“It was an extraordinary watch. He’s a quality animal and overcame the conditions today. It was a tremendous win,” he said.
“We took him here on Tuesday and he put in a solid piece of work. He’s absorbed a lot of peculiar circumstances pre-race here today and he managed that well. He looked wonderfully balanced in the run and when Jamie slipped him a bit of rein, away he went.
“It’s a wonderful testament to Astern to have these two colts.”
Rival contenders seeking to break Godolphin’s apparent grip on the Caulfield Guineas can perhaps take solace from the fact that, while in Sydney four of the last ten winners of the Run To The Rose have gone on to win the Golden Rose Stakes, you have to go back 11 years to find the last horse to complete the Caulfield Guineas Prelude – Caulfield Guineas double, that being Godolphin runner Helmet (Exceed And Excel).
Aft Cabin (3 c ex Shelters by Lonhro) is the sixth foal out of Darley’s metropolitan-winning mare Shelters (Lonhro), herself a sister to BRC TJ Smith Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Benfica and dam of stakes winners Veranillo (Medaglia D’Oro) and Multaja (Medaglia D’Oro).
She has a yearling colt by Harry Angel (Dark Angel) and was covered by Brazen Beau (I Am Invincible) last year.
Godolphin’s prolific day was headlined by a fifth Group 1 win for Anamoe (Street Boss) in the George Main Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at Randwick, while further stakes wins were landed at Caulfield by Zapateo (Brazen Beau) in the How Now Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) and at Randwick with Alegron’s (Teofilo) success in the Kingston Town Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m).
Other winners for Godolphin included dead-heat scorer Lascars (Sepoy) in the three-year-old handicap (1000m) at Caulfield and Ingratiating (Frosted), who won the card-closing 1100-metre open handicap.
In Sydney, James Cummings claimed the quinella in the final race on the card, when Brigantine (Astern) defeated Larkspur Run (Shamardal) to win the Benchmark 88 contest over 1200 metres.
Godolphin added an eighth winner at Newcastle through Tavistock (Montjeu) gelding Marquess.
Boogie Dances in the Caulfield rain to announce Thousand Guineas credentials
The impending deluge was not feared by everyone at Caulfield yesterday. Indeed, a look skyward for connections of Boogie Dancer ahead of the preceding race was welcomed with glee, as the track downgrade to a Heavy 8 prior to the Thousand Guineas Prelude (Gr 2, 1400m) played right into the hands of the Sooboog (Snitzel) filly.
The Peter Moody-trained Boogie Dancer was held up in the second half of the field by Luke Nolen, but as the leaders waded through the sodden track, the filly circled wide round the bend and glided across the turf inside the final 200 metres, coming clear unchallenged to win by three and a quarter lengths.
Godolphin filly Sumatra (Lonhro), who is out of Darley’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Earthquake (Exceed And Excel), finished second, while New Zealand raider She’s Licketysplit (Turn Me Loose) finished third, a further length in arrears.
The win for Boogie Dancer saw her cut to $8 for the Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) on October 12, behind In Secret ($6) and yesterday’s Tea Rose Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) winner Zougotcha (Zoustar) ($5).
Boogie Dancer, who with victory yesterday became the first individual stakes winner for Kitchwin Hills resident Sooboog (Snitzel), was a $50,000 buy for Wylie Dalziel and Peter Moody from the Rushton Park draft at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale last year.
“It definitely gave us confidence,” Dalziel said of the pre-race rain. “It was good timing, it gave the track a bit of a sprinkle and we were never worried about that, we thought she’d get through it nicely.
“Just the barrier [11] we thought was going to be the issue, but gee, she’s won convincingly and I’m just rapt for all the owners and Peter Moody.
“The way she’s won today, we’re off to the Thousand Guineas. We’ve had runners in the race before but probably nothing as strong as what we’ve got going into it this year.”
Boogie Dancer, who won the Vobis Gold Ingot (1400m) back in July, defeating last weekend’s Exford Plate (Listed, 1400m) winner Berkeley Square (Territories), has kick-started the stud career of Kitchwin Hills resident Sooboog, a winner of the Aurie’s Star Handicap (Gr 3, 1200m) on the track.
The filly is one of 132 live foals from the second crop of Sooboog, who stands this season for $8,800 (inc GST) having stood his previous five years at a fee of $13,200 (inc GST). He has 65 juveniles and 74 yearlings.
Sooboog is also the sire of the stakes-placed juveniles Birdsville and Port Albert. He has had 122 runners to date.
Boogie Dancer (3 f ex Search For Fame by Quest For Fame) is the sixth named foal out of Quest For Fame (Rainbow Quest) mare Search For Fame, herself a three-quarter sister to Group 2 winner and Group 1 runner-up Impaler (Draula). She is also the dam of Birthday Card Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) winner Miss Exfactor (Your Song).
Search For Fame was purchased by Viv Oldfield for $3,250 in an Inglis Digital auction in April this year in foal to Your Song (Fastnet Rock).
Zougotcha the Princess of Randwick turf
Zoustar (Northern Meteor) will bid to become the first sire since Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) in 2008 to claim a clean sweep of what is now known as the Darley Princess Series, after his daughter Zougatcha won yesterday’s Tea Rose Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Randwick, with just the Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) remaining on October 1.
Zougotcha secured her second win of the series, adding to her victory in the curtain-raising Silver Shadow Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick on August 20. She did not contest the Furious Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), which was won by North Star Lass (Zoustar).
Samantha Miss, a champion daughter of Redoute’s Choice, landed all four races of the series in 2008, a feat also achieved by Angst (Kala Dancer) in 1993.
Sent off the $1.95 favourite, Zougotcha led home a quinella for Chris Waller, as she defeated Madame Pommery (No Nay Never) by a half-length with Wolverine (Tivaci) in third, a length and three-quarters from the winner. North Star Lass finished fourth.
Waller revealed it was always the plan for Zougotcha to skip the Furious Stakes and have a month between runs, while adding he possesses no concerns over the step up to a mile for the final leg of the series in the Flight Stakes, for which she is the $3.20 favourite ahead of In Secret ($4.50). The filly is also the current market leader for the Thousand Guineas at Caulfield, held 12 days later.
“She had to fight today. The stablemate almost took it away,” Waller said. “She doesn’t have a lot of condition on her yet and she just came out of a very short spell.
“We wanted to look after her as best we could and space her runs as best we could. [She’ll have] the three runs, this one and the Flight Stakes is the third.
“I think she will be fine [over a mile] because she settles so well and she certainly wasn’t soft at the end of 1400 [metres] today.
“On a better track she might even improve, too. I wouldn’t swap her for anything. She went through her gears. She is obviously a quality horse and it was a good step today. She’s just all class, it’s as simple as that.”
Zougotcha (3 f ex Fast Talker by Fastnet Rock), a $500,000 buy for Waller and Guy Mulcaster from the Widden Stud draft at the Inglis Easter sale, carries the colours of Noel Greenhalgh, with Widden maintaining a share in the filly.
She is out of the stakes-placed Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Fast Talker, herself a daughter of Listed winner Crystal Wit (Distorted Humor) and half-sister to Group 3 winner Crystal Dreamer (Stratum).
Fast Talker is also the dam of Listed winners The Actuary (Sebring) and Persuader (Zoustar).
Having not produced a foal in the last two seasons, she is due to foal to Written Tycoon (Iglesia) this year.