Weekend Racing Recap – Saturday 25th April
The Group 1 Carnival rolled into the “City of Churches” in Adelaide for the running of the Group 1 Australasian Oaks for the three-year-old fillies and the Robert Sangster Stakes for the sprinters at weight-for-age.
Australia’s leading trainers and riders descended on Morphettville for their chance at Group 1 glory. Leading the charge was the unstoppable Chris Waller/James McDonald combination aiming for another crack at a Group 1 win. James McDonald had not ridden a winner at Morphettville but it did not take him long to find the winners stall with a controlled on pace ride on the Hayes trained Tycoon Star in the Group 2 Tobin Bronze Stakes.
The first Group 1 for the fillies was the Australasian Oaks and the Danny O’Brien trained Getta Good Feeling was sent out a short $2.60 favourite coming off a dominant Group 3 win at Caulfield last start. Punters shied away from James McDonald’s mount in the Australasian Oaks and they sent out Panova at the juicy each-way odds of $11, but Chris Waller had this filly primed for her “Grand Final” and coming off the benefit of a JMac masterclass the daughter of Trapeze Artist came with a timely run and held off the fast finishing Mating Call ($6) to give Chris Waller his 199th Group 1 victory.
The sprinters stepped out for the running of the Robert Sangster Stakes over the 1200m in Race 8. The punters had learnt there lesson from the previous race and sent out the Waller/McDonald combination as a $3.90 favourite with the consistent Generosity. But it was not to be Waller’s 200th Group 1 as from her inside gate McDonald did get all that much luck in the big field and she was out a touch too late.
The finish of the Robert Sangster Stakes was thrilling with five horses hitting the line with a half length between them and it was hard to pick the winner, but the Group 1 victory went to the former Tasmanian trained mare Geegees Mistruth. The “Geegee” name is synonymous with Tasmanian racing and it was great to see the “Apple Isle” have claims on a Group 1 win on the mainland. Jordan Childs drove the mare to the line and won in the last stride beating Bridal Waltz ($6.50) and last year’s winner Charm Stone ($6.50) by the barest of margins.
There was a winner at Flemington which produced one of the more dominant performances over the weekend and that was the Charlotte Littlefield trained Concord Connie. It was only a Benchmark 70 race but this filly was only having her third start in a race and after being ridden quietly out the back she produced a devastating finish to demolish them winning untouched by 6 lengths. She is a filly to keep an eye on in better races.