Soubrettes provided the highlight of the day with perhaps the most devastating turn of foot in a sprint race seen in New Zealand since the days of the big turbo closer Mr Tiz (seven G1 wins including the Railway Handicap hattrick (1989, 1990 and 1991 and the first of them was a deadheat) and the Telegraph Handicap twice (1989 and 1990 and the first of them was a deadheat remarkably too). To accelerate so quickly in an already fast run sprint takes gears and Soubrettes served up an awesome display to win the G3 event easily at just her fifth ever start. The days of being inexperienced and not being deep ended in stakes class are over because if you are good enough then why delay the inevitable. Soubrettes sat wide in the midfield then got cover across the top before rider David Walsh let the mare idle up closer turning for home and he was yet to push the detonation trigger. She coasted into third at the 250m then Walsh hit the show me what you have got button with the response like a drag racer after the Christmas tree lights goes green for go. The warp speed response second rated the rest and the race was over in blink of an eye. This 4yo mare by High Chaparral clocked 1:08.68 to win by three and a half lengths under a grip with the after burners already turned off well before the line and that is the staggering aspect. Matt and Mandy Brown have a good one on their hands and Walsh knows it too and will be not getting off anytime soon. She has broken 1:10 in every start this season and won them all. The time today it must be tempered is the Riccarton chute (like Trentham) and they must always be taken with a boulder of salt. A maiden filly won a race earlier today easily in 1:09.49 and therefore clocked less than a second inferior to Soubrettes to give some perspective. Soubrettes could have broken 1:08 had Walsh not cooled off the jets well before the post. She has never been tried clockwise yet but with the only other track in New Zealand having a bionic left hand chute being Trentham the G1 Telegraph early next year is a logical target. Toma Valea ran on well for second from the back and Natuzzi got home hard too from worse than midfield for third. Natuzzi carried 59kg so gave the winner 6kg and that is impossible when it wins like Soubrettes, while Toma Valea carried 54kg and could find the line with just 1kg more than the winner. Valiant shard a fast pace with The Diamond One and they ended up fourth and fifth respectively. The former is a natural leader so ridden as per normal but the latter was a poor ride by Mark Du Plessis and cost the mare. She is a closer and to be exposed outside the leader was madness. He slaughtered her in the G3 fillies and mares race this meeting last year when second beaten a head after sitting three-wide in the open so may not get back on her again. The rest got found out either by weight, the race pace or just misbehaved. Antonio Lombardo scrambled away at the start so for an on pacer that had 59kg his race was over early. Statham despised being covered up between runners and over-raced badly from the 800m to the 400m, so wasted energy and gave his rider a devil of a time. The winner looks exceptional and untapped does not properly describe the 4yo mare. Natuzzi is set to be right in the big sprint races over summer in New Zealand again and his rematch with Soubrette, if it happens in the G1 Telegraph Handicap at Trentham, is a promoters dream.
Previous Winners
Date | Horse | Jockey | WT | Trainer | BP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DURHAM TOWN
(NZ)
6G FALKIRK (NZ) - DURHAM WALK (NZ) MARJU (IRE) |
JAMES MCDONALD | 59.5 | PAUL RICHARDS | 9 |
|
KING MONTROSE
(NZ)
6G KING'S CHAPEL (AUS) - DORRINGTON (NZ) TIGHTS (USA) |
H S TINSLEY | 56.5 | NEILL RIDLEY | 3 |
|
EL CHICO
(NZ)
7G STRAVINSKY (USA) - LAS CHICAS BUENAS (NZ) CLASSIC FAME (USA) |
L J ALLPRESS | 55.5 | MICHAEL PITMAN | 1 |
|
COUP ALIGN
(NZ)
5G ALIGN (AUS) - DIAMOND SNIP (AUS) SNIPPETS (AUS) |
L J ALLPRESS | 58.5 | MICHAEL PITMAN | 11 |
|
COUP ALIGN
(NZ)
4G ALIGN (AUS) - DIAMOND SNIP (AUS) SNIPPETS (AUS) |
L J ALLPRESS | 53.5 | MICHAEL PITMAN | 12 |
|
SAN BERNARDINO
(NZ)
3G GOLD MINE (USA) - MISS KATELLA (NZ) THE COMMANDER (NZ) |
D G BRADLEY | 52.0 | GRAEME ROGERSON | 4 |
|
COUP BLOOMSBURY
(NZ)
6G CENTAINE (AUS) - WINDS OF CONQUEST (USA) QUEST FOR FAME (GB) |
D M WALSH | 54.5 | MICHAEL PITMAN | 9 |
|
O'CARTIER
(NZ)
4G MY HALO (ARG) - CARINDA (NZ) THE JOGGER (USA) |
N G HARRIS | 53.0 | J F PARSONS | 11 |
|
CLIFTON PRINCE
(NZ)
5G VOLKSRAAD (GB) - TRICKERY (NZ) STRAUSSBROOK (AUS) |
O P BOSSON | 58.0 | PETER MCKAY | 16 |
|
CLIFTON PRINCE
(NZ)
4G VOLKSRAAD (GB) - TRICKERY (NZ) STRAUSSBROOK (AUS) |
A CALDER | 56.5 | PETER MCKAY | 3 |
|
OPIKI
(NZ)
4G TOWKAY (AUS) - CAUSE FOR APPLAUSE (NZ) WESTMINSTER (NZ) |
B HIBBERD | 52.0 | J G SARGENT | 7 |
|
FINGALBUNT
(AUS)
4G MIESQUE'S SON (USA) - KOOELOAH (AUS) ROYAL ACADEMY (USA) |
L M ROBINSON | 52.5 | L DIDHAM | 9 |
|
IMA ROYAL
(NZ)
4M HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS (NZ) - I'M A ROUGHIE (NZ) ROUGHCAST (USA) |
J C BATES | 52.0 | KELLY THOMPSON & JIM CURRAN | 2 |
|
LIFE OF RILEY
(NZ)
6G KREISLER (IRE) - GO NORN (NZ) CLAY HERO (AUS) |
M C SWEENEY | 54.0 | GRAEME ROGERSON & STEPHEN AUTRIDGE | 9 |
|
TOOTH
(NZ)
6G WAIKIKI STAR (USA) - SANTA LUCIA (NZ) POMPEII COURT (USA) |
T J RUSSELL | 51.0 | STEVEN PRINCE | 8 |