Apollo Stakes Day February 25 2012
Not only was it the feature race in Sydney but we also had a bumper day at Caulfield featuring the Blue Diamond Stakes and the Futurity Stakes. It was a day of many highlights but you can only be in one place at the one time unfortunately !
I loved WOORIM'S Oakleigh Plate win....there's nothing like coming from the tail and passing every horse in the race. A mighty effort ! He is renowned for his big finishing bursts. A big congratulations to trainer Robert Heathcote on his first Group 1 win !
Samaready was so dominant in the Blue Diamond, if she was to contest the Golden Slipper she will give it a serious shake amongst other serious contenders from the Waterhouse stable.
Let's hail the king. KING MUFHASA. 9 Group 1 wins and more than likely still counting ! The evergreen NZ seven-year-old proved too good for the remainder of the field, dictating the pace from the very beginning. The plan is for him to come to Sydney now for the one or both George Ryder Stakes or the All Aged Stakes. I look forward to that.
Moving on to ROSEHILL GARDENS where most of the expected runners to race well did perform on the day , while many of those having their first or 2nd runs back impressed.
LASER HAWK for the Gai Waterhouse stable was strong in his win and looks like he will fare well in the big test the AJC Derby down the track. He is the little brother to one of my all time favourite horses in DESERT WAR. He is a big fella like he was and I can see some similarities between the two.
DEAR DEMI won well and was strong on the line, no doubt impressing owner John Singleton who flew in by helicopter earlier in the day. I was equally impressed with the Craig Carmody trained SINGLE (pictured), he's a real little winner after being held up. When he saw daylight he was impressive, Nathan Berry thought so too with his fist pump on the line. It was great to see NO EVIDENCE NEEDED back in the winners circle, "Joe" from Brazil rode her a treat and they couldn't catch her ! Secret Admirer ran well for her first up run and is on track for her big autumn goals.
Lastly , RAIN AFFAIR. Winner 2012 Apollo Stakes. He oozes class and I have no doubt we haven't seen the best of him yet. It's exciting the thought..how good can he be ? He has now won 10 from 11 and on writing this, he heads south for the Newmarket Hcp in a few days. It will be a test for him but I'm sure he'll step up another gear. He is the first horse in over 70 years to win 9 consecutive races on Sydney metro tracks. I thought the stayers Herculian Prince & Tullamore worked home well and Shoot Out hasn't put a hoof wrong so far. I'm sure he can win another Group 1 race and with Chris Waller putting the polish on him, it's very likely !
Until next week at Rosehill Gardens.... Silver Slipper Day. Rain stay away please...................... it's likely we'll be running on a heavy track.
L
