THE PETLEY REPORT: WHAT A DAY OF RACING!

By Jack Petley | Sunday, April 11, 2021

What a day of racing and highlights at Royal Randwick yesterday.

WHAT a Day for the Kiwi breeding industry, 1st (Explosive Jack), by Jakkalberry, 2nd Young Werther (by Tavistock) and 3rd, Lion's Roar (by Contributer). All were sold at Karaka with Peter Moody, then an agent taking the Derby winner out of the ring of Luigi Muollo's Novarra Park Stud for $100,000. Such bad luck, though, the sire stood four seasons before a premature death and Tavistock, also is no longer. The narrow win gave John Allen his 11th Group 1 and Explosive Jack is the first three-year-old to win the Tasmanian-AJC Derby double.

WHAT a day for Kiwi James McDonald, three winners, two at Gr1 level … the $2.5m TJ Smith on Nature Strip, and the $1m Sires on the cracking colt Anamoe … and also on former South Island galloper Matchmaker. Both his Group 1 wins were achieved with ease. Nature Strip sat behind Eduardo early, took command before the home bend and won so easily. What next … well the $15 Everest in the spring, but perhaps a short trip to Brisbane, said Chris Waller. Anamore was in a class of his own. "The Rolls Royce of two-year-olds," said McDonald, who took his Gr1 tally to 52 with those two majors.

WHAT a day for the Cummings family. James captured three races with Paulele, Cascadian and Anamoe while his brother Edward, not so long off a partnership with Dad Anthony, gained his biggest win of his short career with the filly Duais in the Adrian Knox and she, if she does well in the next day or so, will go on to the Oaks and her odds have been slashed there after the fine win and with Hugh Bowman, saying afterwards that the Oaks journey of 2400 metres would certainly not be a concern. "She went the 2000 metres today very strongly,” Bowman said.

Paulele, said James Cummings, will now head to spell and he looks to have the ability to make into a Classic three-year-old with his record already three from five. And of Anamoe, a brilliant colt, he may stay in work and tackle the Champagne Stakes. That will depend on how he comes through this latest win, but he won with ease. "Can't see why he can't run if he pulls up well and does well in the meantime," said Cummings. And long term, Classics in the spring, but maybe a look at the $15 Everest which has been won by a three-year-old in Yes Yes Yes

And the latest betting for the Everest: $4.50 Nature Strip, $6 Classique Legend, $8 Masked Crusader, big big run for 2nd yesterday behind Nature Strip, $11 Anamoe, Gytrash, Stay Inside, $15 Eduardo, September Run, Haut Brion Her.

WHAT a day for the glamour lady rider Jamie Kah. She hit Sydney with 80 winners to her credit in Victoria this season streets ahead of her rivals. She was just supreme on the Godolphin galloper Cascadian in the $3m Doncaster bringing the galloper home hard late to down Icebath and Dalasan and become the first lady ride to win a Doncaster and this gave her a fifth Gr1 win, now equal with Michelle Payne. Kah had Cascadian arrive late for his narrow win and she said she knew the horse well having seen him beat her on runners in Melbourne. "I knew I had to keep him for that right run."

WHAT a day for NZ born Chris Waller. He won three with Kiku, Nature Strip and Matchmaker and he has now won a massive 121 Gr1s and this season alone his stable has topped the $31million mark and there is still much more to come. Kiku will now rest said the champion trainer from Rosehill and he said he has no concern that she will measure up to the best of class next spring. "She has always looked a special filly," he commented to the media.

WHAT a day for Tommy Berry. He won two, the Country Championship on the Terry Robinson trained, smart galloper Art Cadeau and the Carbine Club on Kiku and he has now won two country championships. The Championship win by Art Cadeau says much for the training of Terry Robinson as he qualified the star galloper for the big event back in February and since then has kept him right up to the mark for big race. Now, he said, he will rest his stable star and then aim for the $1.3m Kosciuszko.

WHAT a day for Kiwi training partnership Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman. They won the Chairmans’ with back to form Quick Thinker, who has now firmed to $15 from $32 for the Sydney Cup but then later in the day had two of their other stars, Aegon and The Frontman fail in majors, The Frontman in the Derby and Aegon in the Doncaster. Quick Thinker showed great courage under Damian Lane to hold out the former Kiwi mare Rondinella, now with John O'Shea over the last 50 metres. It was a game effort by the mare and she is certain to win for her new trainer before the season end.

And WHAT a day for the ATC and NSW racing … 15,000 packed the track, betting high and more to come this next weekend with the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and that clash between the two star gallopers ,the UK raider Addeybb and the great NZ red mare, Verry Elleegant. Latest market, $3 Addeybb, Verry Elleegant, $8 Mugatoo, Sir Dragonet, $15 Colette, $21 Avilius, $26 Kolding, Lions Roar.

And good to see Michael Walker combine with Chris Waller to win the Chairman’s Club at Caulfield with Mohican Heights.

Big news from the UK, the Grand National won by Rachael Blackmore on Minella Times, the first time the big event has been taken by a lady rider in 173 contests and in front of an ever so small crowd with England still hard hit by Covid 19. "This is unbelievable," she said.

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