Hipster sports fans, or those who have swallowed a dictionary, might call it nominative determinism – the idea that a person or a thing’s name has a direct impact on how their life or function flows.
You know, the chap called Walker who turns out to be a marathon hiker; the bloke called Ball who excels at footy, the girl surnamed Cash who becomes a millionaire.
In the case of horses it probably has more to do with wish fulfilment, but those who gave the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman trained sprinter I Wish I Win his monicker struck the jackpot.
The admirable New Zealand bred son of Savabeel has already earned almost $12 million and will be looking to add to his tally this spring, beginning with his first up run in the Moir Stakes at The Valley this Saturday.
He will have bigger fish to fry over the next couple of months and the 1000 metre dash round the Valley will be unlikely to suit given three of his seven wins have come over 1200 metres, two at 1300 metres and one apiece at 1400 and even as far as 1500.
Still, expect him to be hitting the line strongly as he gears up for what should surely be another excellent preparation.
The Valley brains trust look to have been rewarded for their decision to bring the group 1 Moir forward to this early part of the spring with a top notch field, especially as we will get to see the first major clash of the generations this season thanks to the presence of the three year olds Lady of Camelot, Hayasugi and Coleman.
The trio get in with very light weights but that has to be balanced against their immaturity: history suggests that three year olds fare much better against the older brigade a bit later in the year, but there are always exceptions to the rule.
Will Lady of Camelot turn out to be one such exception? She danced every dance as a juvenile, running second in the Blue Diamond before winning the Golden Slipper and then as runner up in the Percy Sykes Stakes.
There can be little doubt about her gameness and toughness, and she clearly took high rank against her own age cohort but this is a different kettle of fish altogether. If she can take this out she will certainly enhace her reputation and mark herself out as a potential champion sprinter this season.
Fast horses only need apply for the Valley feature, and that is also the case at Randwick where another group of the nation’s speediest gallopers will be stepping out on a road that all will hope lead them to Everest glory later in the spring.
The Concorde Stakes might only be a group 3 contest but it has assembled a group 1 field (at least at the top of the weights) with the likes of Giga Kick, Private Eye and the remarkable mare Bella Nipotina all resuming in this 1000 metre event.
Giga Kick, the 2022 Everest winner, has been on the comeback trail for the past 12 months: his last start was this weekend last year when he ran third in the McEwen Stakes at The Valley, after which he succumbed to injury. He has had two recent trials in Sydney and will have the services of Sydney champion rider James McDonald: he should go well but it would be some achievement by Clayton Douglas to have him cherry ripe for this race when his major goal is still several weeks away.
Private Eye is a reliable benchmark having twice been placed in the Everest behind Giga Kick and then Think About It last year. He too has had two trials, but the seven year old has never won at a distance of less than 1100 metres in his 35 start career, so this will likely be on the short side for him.
The most popular winner would surely be the iron horse Bella Nipotina, whom Craig Williams is riding north to partner as she looks to nudge her earnings beyond the $11 million mark.
The now seven year old mare has run 52 times already in her decorated career and she shows no signs of shirking any of the tasks which confront her.
Last year was quite a remarkable one for the Ciaron Maher trained daughter of Pride of Dubai who ran 14 times, invariably in the highest of classes in a series of campaigns which saw her race in Sydney Melbourne Perth and Brisbane.
She saved her best to last, winning the group 1 Doomben 10,000 before narrow defeats in the group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup and Stradbroke before signing off with a triumph in the group 1 Tatts Tiara for fillies and mares.
She never knows how to run a bad race, seems as good as ever and even if you don’t fancy her as a winner she would surely be an each way or place banker: she should also have a fitness edge given that the Tatts Tiara start was at the end of June, so she has been freshened rather than roughed off for several months. A recent Warwick Farm trial should also have sharpened her up.