Curtain comes down prematurely on Single Gaze’s wonderful career

The one and only mare Winx will be there we trust – barring some overnight misadventure – and an emerging female with star quality is set to take the ATC Oaks. That, in my view, is Hiyaam who would certainly then become the best of her sire High Chaparral’s female progeny.

But first a word on Single Gaze – the only mare in history to contest a Golden Slipper at two and later be placed in the Group One Caulfield Cup at, of course, twice the distance.

Not to mention that she also contested the Magic Millions as a juvenile and won the Group One Vinery Stud Stakes, at 2000 metres, at three; was a Group Two winner at four and a multiple Group One placegetter at five in a season which saw her also contest the Melbourne Cup.

Her earnings of $2,361,600 from five wins and 12 placings could easily have been doubled with a touch of luck here and there and the bias not against her in races like the Caulfield and Australian Cups.

She was placed in the Magic Millions features at two and three and ironically denied victory, in the latter, by Mahuta who was sold by her breeders, the Middleton family’s Redbank North Stud, in Adelaide in 2014.

Single Gaze’s career, under trainer Nick Olive’s care, began remarkably with a Rosehill two-year-old win at 80-1 in November 2014. She beat a well spruiked line-up in a promise of things to come. Last was Exosphere, who won five of his next six starts including the Group One Golden Rose. The ‘miss’ was when he again finished behind Single Gaze in the Golden Slipper.

Not quite Winx, of course, but she’s been a very fine race mare. You could well argue that her best winning performance was in the 2016 Vinery Stud Stakes when she worked hard, without cover, in the early part of the race and displayed her typical resilience and courage.

It would also be a convenient way to get us back to Winx and Hiyaam. High Chaparral has sired three of the past four Vinery Stud Stakes winners, with Hiyaam joining Montoya’s Secret and Fenway either side of Single Gaze.

Hiyaam, like Fenway, is by the son of Sadler’s Wells from a Zabeel mare which is the cross that also brought us the 2013 ATC Derby winner Dundeel along with the untapped Alpine Eagle and other talents including Hidden Asset and Show The World.

Fenway established herself as the best of the female High Chaparrals with that Rosehill victory, where she beat First Seal, who was practically unbeatable at the time; while Winx, who became unbeatable after one more run when second in the Oaks, finished fifth.

The Mick Price-trained Hiyaam can usurp that Fenway mantle this afternoon. I don’t understand why she’s not favourite for the Oaks given that she held a margin of almost two lengths on Unforgotten, who does head the market, in the Vinery Stud Stakes. Mind you, her price has trimmed over the past 48 hours.

Hiyaam ran a quicker overall time in the Vinery than was recorded by the subsequent Derby winner Levendi in the Tulloch Stakes at the same course and distance. She was quicker early and quicker late.

She again draws barrier one and can either lead or enjoy the run of the race. There’s been much hoo-ha about likely greater pressure on pace in the Oaks but I doubt that will be the case. Most of these are on trial at the trip.

Yes, Hiyaam was beaten into third place in the VRC Oaks but I like the fact that she’s had a lighter preparation for this version. She arguably turned in the best staying performance in the Flemington race after her momentum was interrupted and trainer Price is hitting bulls eyes of late (and the in-form stable is a factor which should never be underestimated).

Meanwhile Winx chases her 25th straight win and her 18th at Group One level. The 25 would, of course, equal Black Caviar’s winning run.

Perhaps connections would consider doing a ‘Mark Taylor’ and declaring it’s over if she wins. The then Australian captain Taylor finished day two of the second Test against Pakistan, in 1998, on 334 not out, equalling the highest Test score of the legendary Sir Donald Bradman. Taylor declared the following morning!

It would be a nice touch, I suppose, if she were to bow out level with Black Caviar but I’d rather see her chase that fourth Cox Plate assuming all is well with her physically. And that’s win or lose today.

She’s already level with Black Caviar on 24 consecutive stakes wins as Black Caviar’s first start was not in a black type race. Third on the list of successive stakes wins, incidentally, is another mare – Zenyatta. It is the era of the mare.