Unforgotten boosts prospects for ATC Australian Oaks recording fast sectionals in Phar Lap Stakes win
Bouncing back quickly after suffering a cardiac arrhythmia attack in her last place finish in the Surround Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) when resuming at Randwick on 3 March, Unforgotten remained at the tail of a ten-horse field before coming with a brilliant late bid to score narrowly but impressively.
Unforgotten was timed to run her final 400 metres in 22.49, last 600 metres in 33.67, last 800 metres in 45.32, last 1000 metres in 57.32, last 1200 metres in 1:08.53 with her final 1400 metres in a fast 1:20.22.
She went widest of all from the 300 metres and overhauled the well-supported Mick Price-trained colt Holy Snow (Fastnet Rock), recent winner of the Autumn Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Caulfield, and scored by a short-head, going away.
Unforgotten has now raced seven times for four wins, achieved when unbeaten in three starts last preparation, and she went to the post in a manner to suggest the extra trip of the 2400 metre ATC Australian Oaks should suit her well.
Noteworthy in her pedigree is that she is a daughter of the Irish-bred Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare Memories Of You, which supports the prospect that Unforgotten should cope with a longer journey.
The third-placed filly Hiyaam (High Chaparral), also from the Mick Price stable, was another filly in the race to enhance her claims for the upcoming ATC Australian Oaks, which is to be run on day two of The Championships at Randwick on 14 April.
She was having her first start since finishing third behind Pinot (Pierro) in the VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) at Flemington on 9 November and Hiyaam worked from a wide barrier before racing outside the leader and then fought on well for third.
Adding merit to Hiyaam’s performance was the fact that she returned a fast early sectional of 57.37 for her 1000 metres (from the 1400m to the 200m) so she did well in holding on as well as she did for third considering those circumstances.
Another filly headed to the ATC Australian Oaks at Saturday’s Rosehill meeting was the progressive David Payne-trained filly All Too Soon (All Too Hard) who came from near last to finish second to Multifacets (O’Reilly) in the opening race, a Benchmark 82 Handicap (1900m).
All Too Soon was disadvantaged by a pedestrian mid-race tempo that saw an 800 metre section (from the 1400m to the 600m) covered in only 50.93 (12.73 200m rate).
That resulted in a sprint-home developing from the final 600 metres, which saw All Too Soon return a fast 33.86 for that section with a 200 metre breakdown of 11.05, 11.20 and 11.61.
Some of the feature races at Rosehill included the final lead-ups to this Saturday’s Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) with Sunlight (Zoustar) and Written By (Written Tycoon) both confirming their place at the head of betting for that $3,500,000 race.
Written By went to the front, was hotly challenged at the 300 metres and then fought back gamely to score a half neck victory over Sandbar (Snitzel) in the Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) in a time of 1:10.22 on the Good 4 track.
His closing sectional times were also impressive with his last 1000 metres in 56.74, last 800 metres in 45.82, last 600 metres in 34.18 with his final 400 metres in 22.50.
Impressive also was the fact that Written By clocked a fast early 200 metre section of 10.92 (from the 1000m to the 800m) and especially another fast 200 metre section (from the 400m to the 200m) of 10.93 – a latter part of a race that does not normally see a sub-11 second split.
Sunlight, a juvenile filly that has only tasted defeat once in a stunning six-start career to date, also ran a great trial for Saturday’s race with a marvellous all-the-way win in the Magic Night Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) overcoming mid-race pressure to score by just over a length.
Her time for the 1200 metre journey was a quick 1:10.74, which was 0.52 seconds slower than Written By recorded in taking out the Pago Pago Stakes over the same distance.
Sunlight’s closing sectionals were also slightly inferior to Written By, Sunlight running her last 1000 metres in 57.37, last 800 metres in 46.80, last 600 metres in 35.03 with her final 400 metres in 23.30.
In the main race of the day, the Coolmore Classic (registered as TAD Kennedy Stakes) (Gr 1, 1500m) the highly consistent Ron Quinton-trained mare Daysee Doom (Domesday) staged a very good performance to win despite racing on a taxing early tempo.
She was smartly away from her wide barrier (14) and eventually crossed to settle outside the leader before getting to the front halfway down the straight.
Daysee Doom then dug deep when challenged to score by a short neck from Oregon’s Day (Domesday) with Silent Sedition (War Chant) a half head away in third in a packed finish that saw the first six horses across the line less than a length apart.
Time for the 1500 metre journey was 1:28.28 (11.77 200m rate), equivalent to 1600 metres in a fast 1:34.16.
Daysee Doom’s early sectionals are also worth highlighting, her 200 metre breakdown (from the 1400m) being: 10.69, 10.95 (400m in 21.64), 11.81 (600m in 33.45), 11.50 (800m in 44.95), 11.44 (1000m in 56.39), 11.50 (1200m in 1:07.89) with her final 200 metres in 12.10 to give her a final 1400 metres in a really fast 1:19.99.