Unbeaten Multaja and Brutal provide the most interest at The Valley
And that’s aside from Winx’s triumphant return and the latest from the mother country including Mark Johnston’s record for the most winners trained in Britain; Aidan O’Brien’s lament of a deleterious stable ‘bug’ and the breathtaking wins of the three-year-olds Roaring Lion, Sea Of Class and Lah Ti Dar at the York Ebor meeting.
The action certainly continues here and abroad this weekend – from York overnight to Moonee Valley and Rosehill today along with the final meeting of the York meeting and a raft of stakes races from England (aside from York), Ireland, Germany and The United States.
Tonight’s St Leger Trial, from the Curragh, and York’s Ebor Handicap will feature no fewer than four previous Melbourne Cup runners and several 2018 aspirants so it will be worth tuning in.
The Moonee Valley card is highlighted by the Listed Carlyon Stakes but most interest will centre on the unbeaten three-year-olds Multaja and Brutal who are likely to start odds-on in their respective races.
The James Cummings trained Multaja is first to go, in race three, and whether she can stay in touch early may be the key to whether she can justify her short quote – given assistant track manger Tony Salisbury’s prediction that on-pace runners may be advantaged. She came from off the pace to win first-up at the track.
Blue Diamond runner-up Enbihaar is among her rivals and, at the odds, might be the better bet. At least on the basis of one unit the win and three the place. She’s favourably drawn; has early speed and there’s much to like about her form around Written By, Oohood and Seabrook.
The Hawkes’ family trained Brutal showed great speed to win on debut and any on-pace pattern is unlikely to be an issue for him even though he’s drawn out. The only other potential leader Tavisan is drawn immediately inside him and they should cross comfortably enough assuming they begin well.
The Carlyon Stakes looks wide open but I fancy that the class of either Hey Doc or Quilista might prevail even if the 1000 metres would ostensibly look to be too short. Both are capable of staying in touch and the speed looks genuine.
Overstep, in race five, and Odeon – in the last – also appeal each way on the Valley card. Both do not have to necessarily settle out the back but that perception may have them over the odds.
The jump-out saga has reached another turn with RVL announcing that all Victorian jumpouts will be filmed and archived online from October 1. I’m all for providing punters with information but I suspect that the easier solution would simply be to compel all newcomers, either those unraced or imports, to trial before they race.
The Victoria Racing Club, Melbourne Racing Club and Ballarat Turf Club are among those that already provide the fields and vision for jump-outs and the plan is that this will extend to training centres at Cranbourne, Geelong, Bendigo and Pakenham by mid-spring.
If it’s going to happen then these results and a link to the vision, must be displayed on Racing.Com and RISA form guides. That’s a must. And what of compelling horses trained at private set-ups to appear at least once at one of these jump-outs or trials?
Probably time to ditch the term jump-out really and brand them all as trials.
Action in Britain
The Yorkshire Oaks winner Sea Of Class has to be supplemented for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe but is now a deserved favourite after her stunning win on the Knavesmire.
Given that we’re yet to see Enable return to the track and Cracksman is a risk other than on soft ground then Sea Of Class is well entitled to be the number one seed with fellow three-year-olds Roaring Lion (I’m not yet convinced he doesn’t stay) and the untapped Lah Ti Dar looming as the most likely challengers. Three-year-olds have won eleven of the past 15 Arcs.
With just six winners from his past 54 runners (to Thursday) it was no wonder that Aidan O’Brien was happy to open up to the Racing Post about the respiratory illness that has afflicted Ballydoyle this season. All but one of those six winners have come in Ireland.
Fairyland scraped home in the Lowther Stakes, in which joint favourite Angel’s Hideway struck interference and failed to run her race, to give Ballydoyle just one York success from ten runners on the first two days.
O’Brien’s strike-rate in Britain this year is a paltry nine per cent. He’d not slipped below 14 per cent in the five previous seasons and I’d want to have seen some improvement overnight before committing to his runners over the weekend.
Mark Johnston trained winner number 4194 when Poet’s Society won at York to eclipse the record previously held by Richard Hannon senior. Fortunately, Frankie Dettori rode that milestone winner which added to the sense of occasion. How miserable it might have been had Ryan Moore been in the saddle.
The record is for career wins in Britain, flat and jumps combined. If the trainers’ championship were decided by number of wins, Johnston would have been champion 11 times. But it is based on prize-money and thus he has never been champion. His record tally includes just 13 Group 1 wins. O’Brien’s Group 1 tally, for the record, is 307.