Andrew Harrison

Atticus Finch made a ‘mockery’ of the Gr2 Allied Steelrode-Onamission Charity Mile field at Turffontein on Saturday finishing with a flourish to out-gun the Sean Tarry pair of Callmegeterix and Rodeo Drive.

Alec Laird, son of ‘The Bear’ Syd Laird, who was a master of Turffontein, appears to have prepared Atticus Finch in great fashion for his defense of his Gr1 Betway Summer Cup crown at the end of the month.

Suspended for an epistaxis after his run in the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July, Laid has plotted a trip to his title defense and all going smoothly there must be great hope in the yard that he can go back-to-back in the Cup.

Atticus Finch finished with a flourish behind smart three-year-old Tin Pan Alley in the Gr2 Jo’Burg Spring Challenge over 1450m but many thought that the mile under top weight against arguably stronger opposition would still be on the short side.

However, given a patient ride by Calvin Habib, he benefitted from a solid gallop up front from Rodeo Drive. Sean Tarry’s filly was game in the closing stages but unable to hold off the attentions of stable companion Callmegeterix but both had no answerers to the late charge from Atticus Finch who sailed past to won as he liked.

Now a winner of seven races with 16 places from 26 starts, the six-year-old son of Master Of My Fate took his stakes earnings to R5,059,000 for owners Lance Clark, Gary Basel, Gary Cornwall & Phil Gregory.

 Unfortunately the well fancied Confederate went ‘wrong’ at the top of the straight and was eased out of the race by Rachel Venniker.

 In earlier action, bookmakers got the better of exchanges with punters.

Muzi Yeni is dynamite in a small package and you don’t get past him easily in a tight finish. But he’s not just a dynamo, he is also a canny rider as she showed when getting outsider Cosmic Star home in the Golden Loom, a Listed sprint over 1000m.

In the scrum early as King Of The Gauls set off on his own out front before causing traffic problems as he faded out over the final furlong. Favourite African Pride was in full cry  as he took over from King Of The Gauls but he was not able to pull clear of the pack as Yeni managed to navigate the traffic. It was touch-and-go at the line with Cosmic Star holding on gamely from Taxi To The Moon and African Pride who saved a load of Place Accumulator tickets.

Veteran trainer Robbie Sage knows his way around a racehorse but like many, does not get the support of the high-profile owners. But when he does get a good one he is quite capable as Kaiden Brewer extracted the best out of Valentina Balducci  to get the better of Ovation Star, the Gr3 Starling Stakes finishing in a two-horse contest as the pair pulled clear of the opposition.

Valentina Balducci  had led most of the way but after shaking off most of the opposition, Ovation Star moved in to challenge. It was a 200m duel to the line with Valentina Balducci  staying on stoutly to hold off her rival with the balance well beaten.

Tin Pan Alley was the best rated in the Gr3 Graham Beck Stakes but a tricky 12 gate will have been a note of caution for many of his supporters. But gelding appears to have brought out the best in Sean Tarry’s runner as he followed up on his last win in the Gr3 Jo’Burg Spring Challenge. Gavin Lerena navigated the draw masterly and pressed for home when it mattered. It got a little messy on the inside rail in the closing stages but Tin Pan Alley was clear and ran on strongly to hold off a late charging Trust to deny legendary golfer Gary Player a 90^th birthday present in a sport close to his heart.

St John Gray marches to his own drum. The only breeder, owner and trainer in the country where owner-trainers were once common place and he has had many successes with his home-breds from his KZN-based Graystone Stud. Gray seldom sends his mares to the commercial stallions and often uses home-bred sires but he is one of the shrewdest operators.

Twostep Queen was at any price for the Listed Yellowwood Handicap but she ran them ragged. Sean Veale took her to the front from the jump and was never for the catching. She kept rolling and was never challenged with second-placed Lady Fallon never able to get on terms and finishing three lengths back.

Andrew Harrison

It is something of a mystery why Mark Dixon does not get more support because he is a more than capable horseman given the right stock. I suppose that goes for all but he was in the winner’s circle twice on Friday night starting with Cleartherunway in the card opener followed by Captain’s Christy in the seventh.

 Cleartherunway showed marked improvement on his modest debut to sweep all aside in the first. Tristan Godden pressed for home early along with favourite Light The Fire but while the latter was treading water, Cleartherunway was in full cry and won comfortably. First timer Eric’s Legacy was slow out of the gate and trailed  for most of the race but finished with a flourish and a clear second and could pay to follow.

Open Maiden’s with most entries on the limited side of the scale and not always reliable are seldom easy to decipher.  The Alyson Wright-trained Chimes At Midnight upstaged more fancied Priory Terrace in the second but it was not the stable companion and favourite that pressed to the line, but Champagne Problems who came from the back end of the field. Priory Terrace was always up with the pace set by Smart Star but failed to kick on when it mattered as Chimes Of Freedom kicked clear with the Champagne Problems closing from behind but the 4kg difference and a better draw proved decisive.

 Market rivals Director and Green Glow were drawn alongside each other in the first leg of the PA. After an alert start, Director bolted to the front under Sean Veale while Serino Moodley was content to settle Green Glow off the pace. The race evolved into a two-tier contest with Director running himself into the ground and Green Glow pressing clear of the second wave that was becoming more and more detached.

Director’s early efforts took their toll in the straight as he faded badly while Green Glow accelerated home to win as he liked.

  Amelia’s Legacy would always enjoy the step up in trip given her pedigree and she put the first leg of the Pick 6 to bed in style. Frikkie Greyling’s charge was drawn wide but Serino Moodley had her quickly on the fence and took the shortest way home with Amelia’s Legacy bounding clear to win comfortably. Debutante, Thought Control, found some good market support but had no chance with the winner, however, she was running on well and was clear of the rest of the opposition.

Sending veteran galloper Rodriguez over 2400m proved to be a master stroke by Louis Goosen who post-race credited Des Gonsalves, racing manager for owner Mario Ferreira, with the decision to try more ground.

The son of Twice Over had been running on too late in most of his races over shorter but given a smart ride by apprentice Baine Marx-Jacobson, Rodriguez came from well off the pace to run them all down. Admittedly he only shouldered 51.5kg but he won with authority which may augur well for the staying features come Champions Season where he could feature at the bottom of the weights.

Goosen was to the fore 30 minutes later as Averni Princess pinged the gate under S’Manga Khumalo and was not for the catching. She set a blistering gallop and maintained it all the way to the line with Whereverilaymyhat running on stoutly to edge Rhythm in the battle for the shallow end of the purse.

It was a double for Dixon and a third win for Moodley as Captain’s Christy finally found a race that suited her credentials and duly obliged, running on stoutly to get the better of long-time leader Vision To Achieve who herself was swamped late by Winter Rainfall and Sunset Siesta.

In the B Stakes, Golden Rule set a blistering early pace and had the field strung out turning for home but Khumalo had Imposing comfortable in the middle of the pack that was in no hurry to chase the speed but when the chips were down Golden Rule turned it up in a matter of strides with Imposing moving smoothly through an ever widening gap and going to the line a length clear of stable companion Wiccan Warrior.

 Queen Braganza backed up her maiden win with another good effort to keep her record intact but it did not appear to be as easy as it looked. Crossing the subway Callan Murray was scrubbing away without much help from his mount, but she gradually got the message and when the penny finally dropped she quickened up smartly to win going away.

The Stage is Set for the Race That Stops a Nation

The countdown is on for Australia’s greatest race, the $10 million Group 1 Melbourne Cup over 3200m from Flemington Racecourse this Tuesday. Following the excitement of Victoria Derby Day, the final field of 24 has been confirmed and the barriers drawn, setting the scene for a truly global contest.

 

This year’s Cup showcases international flair like never before, with contenders representing seven countries across four continents including Australia, Japan, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, and, for the very first time, the United States.

A decade after Michelle Payne’s history-making triumph aboard Prince Of Penzance, Jamie Melham is chasing her own place in Cup folklore aboard Half Yours, the Caulfield Cup champion. Trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, the mare will jump from barrier eight as she bids to become the 13th horse in history to claim the Cups double.

 

Cup-winning master Chris Waller will saddle up five runners, while Ciaron Maher lines up three. The barrier gods dealt a mixed hand with Waller’s Valiant King (10), Buckaroo (12) and River Of Stars (14) sit mid-pack, flanked by Maher’s Smokin’ Romans (11) and Middle Earth (13). Maher’s third contender, the Group 1-winning Royal Supremacy, will start from a testing gate 21, partnered with Robbie Dolan, last year’s winning jockey.

Meanwhile, Vauban returns with history on the line aiming to become the first horse since 1988 to capture the Melbourne Cup at his third attempt. Now under the care of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, the Irish import will jump from barrier two, hoping local knowledge makes the difference.

 

Ireland’s Joseph O’Brien again leads the international charge. His dual Group 1 winner Al Riffa will start from barrier 19, alongside stablemate Goodie Two Shoes (20) the first Australian runner for global racing powerhouse J.P. McManus. Already a two-time Cup winner with Rekindling (2017) and Twilight Payment (2020), the 32-year-old O’Brien could make it a treble. Fellow Irishman Willie Mullins sends back the ever-determined Absurde, contesting his third Cup after finishing seventh and fifth in the past two years. He’ll jump from barrier four.

 

Adding a new chapter to Cup history, the United States is represented for the first time by Parchment Party, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and ridden by John Velazquez, starting from barrier three. The international line-up continues with Japan’s Chevalier Rose (5) for Hisashi Shimizu, France’s Presage Nocturne (9) for Alessandro Botti, and Germany’s Flatten The Curve (17) for Henk Grewe each looking to etch their nation’s name onto the famous Cup.

 

With a world-class field, storied rivalries, and $10 million in prize money on the line, the 2025 Melbourne Cup promises to deliver another unforgettable chapter in sporting history.

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