The wonder season so far for the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman stable just keeps getting better as they totally dominate the New Zealand training premiership and are even scoring G1 goals in Australia now too. This only G1 event for fillies and mares in the entire season is much sought after was as strong a field as could be assembled with Diademe winning her seventh race today and first at the highest level. The stable quinella of Sports Illustrated saw the pair significantly almost two lengths superior to the rest at the line after racing second and fifth respectively throughout. The winning time of 1:33.46 was slick but needs to be tempered by the fact clockings were fast all day and the race that followed this for Ratings 65 (many grades inferior) was 1:34.75 (only seven lengths slower). The third and fourth finishers Abidewithme and Atacama came from the back with strong surges and the former deserves the G1 placing after being perhaps the unluckiest galloper this season. Pondarosa Miss ran a sound fifth but could not give Noel Harris the fairytale ending too his riding career and a world record in the process. Harris needed one more Group One win to be the oldest jockey in the world to do so but you cannot write your own script in thoroughbred horse racing. Include was honest for the South Island when sixth but did sit on the fence the whole way. The seventh finisher Lauren Tate came with a late run down the outer from last and could soon have the mantle as the unluckiest galloper if her efforts this campaign are anything to go by. She clipped a heel and almost fell early and has had the most extraordinary bad luck at G1 three times this year with two close up fourths and now a seventh. Waikaha was forgivable as back and wide throughout. There will be heap of form to come out of this race into next season as there always usually is when the field depth is so considerable.
Previous Winners
| Date | Horse | Jockey | WT | Trainer | BP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
VIADANA
(NZ)
6M TOWKAY (AUS) - YEAH NAH (NZ) KINJITE (NZ) |
C J GRYLLS | 57.0 | L NOBLE | 6 |
|
|
XANADU
(NZ)
4M ELUSIVE CITY (USA) - FOREST DREAM (AUS) FOREST GLOW (USA) |
M T COLEMAN | 57.0 | KEN & BEV KELSO | 5 |
|
|
SAY NO MORE
(NZ)
4M PENTIRE (GB) - OUR LUCY (AUS) WALKING RING (IRE) |
R J MYERS | 57.0 | P DUNCAN | 15 |
|
|
BARINKA
(NZ)
6M SHINKO KING (IRE) - HAY BARLU (NZ) HEY BABA RIBA (NZ) |
H S TINSLEY | 57.0 | K ZIMMERMAN | 14 |
|
|
JUICE
(NZ)
4M BERTOLINI (USA) - CALL MINDER (NZ) CHRISTMAS TREE (AUS) |
H S TINSLEY | 57.0 | J R WHEELER | 7 |
|
|
DANE JULIA
(SAF)
5M CAESOUR (USA) - PRECIOUS JULIA (AUS) DANEHILL (USA) |
M J WALKER | 57.0 | D L FREEDMAN | 3 |
|
|
SPECIAL MISSION
(NZ)
3F TOWKAY (AUS) - TE AKAU TREK (NZ) KHOZAAM (USA) |
JAMES MCDONALD | 54.0 | PETER MCKAY | 14 |
|
|
CAPTIVATE
(NZ)
4M STRAVINSKY (USA) - CAPPIE (NZ) KAAPSTAD (NZ) |
S C SPRATT | 56.5 | STEPHEN MCKEE | 16 |
|
|
ARLINGTONBOULEVARD
(NZ)
4M SPINNING WORLD (USA) - GOLDEN BRIDGE (NZ) GOLD BROSE (AUS) |
J L WADDELL | 56.0 | MARK WALKER | 13 |
|
|
ROCKABUBBLE
(AUS)
4M BUBBLE GUM FELLOW (JPN) - BLOND ROCKET (AUS) RORY'S JESTER (AUS) |
B R JONES | 55.5 | T COLE | 11 |
|
|
SURPRIZE SURPRIZE
(NZ)
6M PRIZED (USA) - IMPOSSIBLE DREAM (NZ) IMPOSING (NZ) |
G COOKSLEY | 56.0 | K H HUGHES | 13 |
|
|
ZIRNA
(NZ)
4M DEPUTY GOVERNOR (USA) - RIVERLY LASS (NZ) GLEAM MACHINE (USA) |
A CALDER | 55.5 | DAVID WALSH | 1 |
|
|
SAINT CECILE
(NZ)
5M POMPEII COURT (USA) - DELGATIE QUEEN (NZ) SPECTACULAR LOVE (USA) |
D M WALSH | 56.0 | NIGEL AURET | 11 |
|
|
SAINT CECILE
(NZ)
4M POMPEII COURT (USA) - DELGATIE QUEEN (NZ) SPECTACULAR LOVE (USA) |
L J MUMBY | 55.5 | NIGEL AURET | 9 |
|
|
TALL POPPY
(NZ)
5M KAAPSTAD (NZ) - FUN ON THE RUN (NZ) RACING IS FUN (USA) |
J W WALKER | 56.0 | NOEL EALES | 11 |
