THE PETLEY REPORT: ITS GOING TO TAKE A VERY GOOD HORSE TO BEAT THIS HANDSOME SON OF CAMELOT

By Jack Petley | Sunday, September 27, 2020

What a day of racing in Australia. Star gallopers put their hands up with super efforts while there were also disappointments. The top performances of the day in my book, Russian Camelot, Ole Kirk, Love Tap, I Am Superman, Windstorm and Instant Celebrity. The disappointments, and ever so costly for punters, Rothfire and Haut Brion Her.

Russian Camelot s now the favourite for the WS Cox Plate at $3.50 and equal with the NZ bred Surprise Baby at $8 for the Melbourne Cup after a stunning win in the Underwood. Usually in his races he drops back and then comes home wide. This time Damien Oliver had him just off the pace, in front off the bend … and cruising to a big, big win.

There is a big contingent heading from overseas for the Cup and Cox Plate but they will have to be good to beat this handsome son of Camelot. “The best I've had,” said Danny O'Brien. “A real weight for age horse ... so exciting," said Oliver.

The Phillip Stokes trained filly Instant Celebrity was just too good for her rivals in the 1000 Guineas Prelude clearing right away over the final stages for a dashing win and she has firmed even further for the Guineas and heads there with 4 wins from 4 starts.

Solid win also by the Hayes-Dabernig three-year-old Crosshaven in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude under a top ride by Kiwi Daniel Stackhouse … now a top chance in the Guineas.

Windstorm, in the hands of William Pike, produced a powerful finish to win over 1400 metres at Caulfield and he is one horse to follow through the carnival.

Lloyd Williams and Danny O'Brien may have another Cup runner along with Orderofthegarter and others from overseas for the big owner with Saracen Knight, a winner yesterday at only his second run in Oz after running down roughie Irish Flame in the shadows of the post. His odds have been slashed after the win by the son of Camelot.

Now for Sydney … what a result for Team Hawkes in the $1m Golden Rose with a mere head between their stable runners at the line with Ole Kirk an outstanding winner over North Pacific. Both colts, I see, are likely to now head south now for the Caulfield Guineas and both already are worth ever so much as stallions … certainly worth a great deal more than their sales prices … Ole Kirk, $675,000, and North Pacific, $800,000.

Rothfire, a $15 million Everest slot holder, was given little peace in the lead in the Golden Rose and he eventually ended up fourth some 3 lengths from the winner after sadly suffering an injury late in the running.

There was every indication that Haut Brion Her was being considered for Chris Waller's Everest slot but she raced a little wide early in the Golden Pendant, was under pressure off the home bend for James McDonald and wound up 7th. But Waller did have some joy, his other runner, the NZ bred Subpeonaed, by Rip Van Winkle, came with a strong finish to take out the event for the in-form Tommy Berry and the mare now looks a $7.5m Golden Eagle runner … although beforehand she will contest the Silver Eagle. She has now firmed to $17 for the Golden Eagle.

And I note that not long after the good win by the mare Waller produced the winner of the Toowoomba Cup, Alward, in the hands of Luke Dittman.

That was some win by the Freedman Bros three-year-old Love Tap, who is now four from four, not bad for a runner who kicked off his career with a win in the country at Nowra. Nash Rawiller took Love Tap to the front soon after the start in the Gloaming Stakes and then rated him ever so perfectly to win handsomely over Street Dancer... and with that win he has firmed into favouritism for the Spring Champion Stakes.

Jason Collett turned in a confident ride to gain the Colin Stephen Handicap on the Matthew Smith trained French bred galloper Attorney. It was an authoritative win and Smith said afterwards that he will have to give thought to a Metropolitan Handicap start but is a little concerned about the back-up.

Irish bred sprinter I Am Superman gained a big win for Team Snowden in the Shannon Stakes and he has an entry for the Gr1 Epsom although I note that the stable is leaning towards the Toorak in Melbourne. He is still a stallion, by Footstepsinthesand and so Group wins are an asset if he is to head down the stallion path later on.

It was a good run by the former Kiwi Riodini, now with the Bott-Waterhouse yard. Would not have beaten the winner but would have been closer with a clearer run in the home stretch.

Team Snowden also won with Wild Ruler in the hands of James McDonald and there were some good bets landed for that win. Likely he will now head to Melbourne.
Races at Kembla were called off with four to go after strong winds hit the area

In NZ the Te Akau two-year-old Quattro Quinta won the first two-year-old race at Ellerslie with the son of Darci Brahma striding away ever so strongly for Troy Harris.

Underrated galloper Supreme Heights, by Jimmy Choux, won handsomely in the Ready to Run Series at New Plymouth and the win brought up a milestone for Sam Collett, her 800th winner since she completed her apprenticeship back in the 2006-2007 season.