Driving rain, mist, mud and wind – conditions which, according to custom, are supposed to produce upsets, deliver 50-1 winners and leave punters and experts alike scratching their heads at the results.
On a day when Flemington delivered only the third heavy track on the final day of its Cup week carnival in 50 years – 1985 and 2004 being the others – it seemed that might be the case once more, especially when the Jamie Melham ridden outsider Sunset Park led for most of the way to turn over the heavily backed She’s A Hustler in the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes in the fourth event of the day.
But where it really mattered, in the three Group 1 events – the Champions Sprint, Mile and Stakes – the proof of another old sporting adage was reinforced: that class tells.
Giga Kick, Ceolwulf and, spectacularly, Via Sistina, all showed that when the going gets really tough it is the truly exceptional gallopers who generally come to the fore.
While Derby Day kicks off the Flemington carnival in spectacular style, and Cup Day is the one where the entire nation tunes in to glory in the egalitarianism of a two mile handicap, it is Champions Day that has quickly established itself as the stand out day for racing purists.
Despite the weather no one would have been disappointed, with the sprint and the mile producing epic finishes while Via Sistina followed up her epic second Cox Plate success with another superb display to take out her second Champion Stakes victory under regular pilot James McDonald.
Giga Kick, now a six year old, has been at the forefront of the sprinting division for several seasons now after exploding onto the scene as a three year old when he won The Everest for young trainer Clayton Douglas.
While he has had his share of problems since then he showed that he was in good condition when he came back to win the Schillaci Stakes at Caulfield in October and he stamped that form in brilliant style when he responded to Mark Zahra’s urgings to gain a narrow victory over Magic Time and Michael Dee in the Champions Sprint.
The vision of the finish perfectly illustrated two top class horses responding willingly to their riders driving, stretching their necks to strain for victory as their jockeys pushed and cajoled in perfect rhythm.
If that was exhilarating, Ceolwulf’s triumph over Pericles in the Champions Mile took it up a notch.
This was the most eagerly anticipated contest of the day and the question hung heavily in the pre race air: would tearaway front runner Pride of Jenni adopt her regular tactics in such testing conditions? Could she break up the field with the ease she regularly manages and would she, in the testing ground, be able to hang on to her lead as her stride inevitably shortened in those last gut busing 100 metres?
Well, that was the script that most analysts had written, fully expecting Mr Brightside to be stalking her to have the final crack in the straight.
In the end neither was involved in the finish. Jenni led, as usual, trailed by her old rival Mr Brightside and the talented younger mare Treasure the Moment. But it was the latter who managed to stay in the contest the longest as the two market protagonist’s faded and the Sydney trained Ceolwulf and Godolphin’s Pericles came from off the pace to begin a final furlong slug fest that will also live long in the memory.
It looked for a while that Ben Melham on the Godolphin outsider (Pericles went off as a $20 chance on the TAB) was getting the upper hand to gain the win that would allow the male Melham to notch a group 1 victory to equal that achieved by his wife Jamie, who landed the Melbourne Cup on Half Yours.
But Ceolwulf, having his first ever start in Melbourne, was not one to give this up without a bitter struggle. Chad Schofield pushed and encouraged him on as he and Melham engaged in a head to head right to the line, Ceolwulf’s nose coming down fractionally ahead of his adversary to claim the prize.
Joe Pride, who rarely entertains an angel unawares, said afterwards that he now regarded Ceolwulf as the best horse he had trained – high praise indeed.
Of Via Sistina there remains little more to be said. The now eight year old mare has been a revelation since her arrival in Australia and has racked up successes at the highest level, this win being the 12th Group 1 of her career.
James McDonald had few worries as he gave his partner a patient ride before easing to the front in the straight to win comfortably from Zambardo, who defied his pre race rating of just 78 to take second place. That he was able to do so would have left ratings experts scratching their heads given Via Sistina came into the contest with a rating of 125 and the second lowest runner, Alenquer, held a rating of 100 – 22 points, or 11 kilos, ahead of Zambardo.
This was the 50th success at Group 1 level for the McDonald and Chris Waller combination, an extraordinary number which they have achieved together in a relatively short time.
While critics might say that is a reflection of the inflationary number of group 1 races in Australia, the fact remains that they are not simple to win, and the accomplishment of the pair is certainly something to celebrate.
Waller, or course, is no stranger to top class mares, having handled Winx throughout her extraordinary career. He confessed that he did not believe that Via Sistina would reach the levels she has when she first arrived, even though she had won the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes for fillies and mares at The Curragh when trained in England.
“We certainly didn’t. We were told she was a very good horse. Her international form was something special and it’s rare for us to get a really high class horse down here like her and she was just maturing. We’ve got her at the right time. They did an amazing job with her over there looking after her. She was a big, raw mare and don’t worry about her age. She’s just matured.
“What a great day it’s been with Ceolwulf, Giga Kick and now Via Sistina. Three serious horses on an amazing day of racing.
“They’re tough horses and when you look after them, they look after you.”
He was full of praise for McDonald.
“It is an honour to be working with him. It makes my job and possibly his job that little bit easier. There’s no pressure, no pre-race stress, and I didn’t even give any instructions. ”He said ‘I’ll go and ride her like Hughie used to ride Winx’, best horse in the race, give her some clean air, and I said, ‘that sounds good to me’.
“ The relationship works well. There’s less pressure when you trust each other. I’d go to war with him and he’d do the same for me.”
McDonald was, not surprisingly, effusive about a mare he has set records on.
”She’s an absolute pleasure to ride. They just prep them up beautifully, Waller and his team. She was cool today, real cool.
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She started her prep in amazing fashion. Certain things didn’t go her way but when you’re riding a dual Cox Plate winner on Champions Day and the last group one of a fantastic four days, it is very special.
“It felt like every man and his dog was on her today but she duly obliged and the race couldn’t have panned out any better for us, to be fair.
“It was just like riding a trial early and letting her blend in at the six (hundred), four, two, and that’s all she did.”
“We’re(he and Waller) are not far off one of the greatest combinations in racing history. That’s something to aim up at. He’s been a great supporter of mine and I’m happy to be a part of his team and when you ride superstars like this, it’s always a pleasure. It was basically a copy and paste from last year, sit back and let her rip.”
”She deserves her champion status and I thought being a dual Cox Plate winner it’s very satisfying. She sits alongside some of the greats that have ever graced our racetracks and I think she really deserves that because she’s been a long servant and a fantastic one at that.”
