Stars of spring

The highlight of the first day of the VRC Carnival is, of course, the Victoria Derby, and Shamoline Warrior’s hugely impressive victory in the Norman Robinson Stakes (pictured) on Caulfield Cup day should have ensured that he will go off favourite to become the second successive Darley-sired victor of this historic race.  Not only that, of course: he would also be the second successive winner of the race for his dam Picholine, whose 2004 mating with Reset produced last year’s winner Rebel Raider and whose 2005 mating with Shamardal produced Shamoline Warrior.  A Group One-winning three-year-old from his first crop would, incidentally, cement Shamardal’s status as an outstanding dual-hemisphere sire, as he is currently well clear in the European first-season sires’ financial premiership.

Mark Kavanagh, trainer of both Whobegotyou and Shamoline Warrior, has another very nice horse in his stable just now, with the Street Cry four-year-old Shocking having run second on both Saturdays of the Caulfield Carnival (in the Herbert Power on Guineas day and in the Coongy Handicap on Cup day).  He remains a possible runner at the VRC Carnival, while another horse from Caulfield Cup day who appeals as a likely Flemington contender is First Command, impressive winner of the Group Two Caulfield Sprint.  The Seppelt Salinger Stakes on Derby Day, a race whose roll of honour includes the names of many of the greatest sprinters the country has ever seen, appeals as an obvious target for this fast son of Commands.  Furthermore, Derby Day opens with the Carbine Club Stakes, for which Darley’s Peter Snowden-trained Kidnapped looks a leading contender.  This impressive son of the Quest For Fame stallion Viscount was a smooth winner of the Jayco Stakes at Caulfield on Cup day despite not getting the run of the race, and he should go to Flemington with a great chance.

The Wakeful Stakes on Derby Day promises to be an intriguing contest, with one of the most obvious contenders both for this and for the VRC Oaks five days later being the Bart Cummings-trained Faint Perfume.  This daughter of Shamardal ran a huge race in the Thousand Guineas to be a fast-finishing third and, while Shamardal himself was never tried beyond the 2100m at which he beat Hurricane Run in the Prix du Jockey-Club, she (like Shamoline Warrior) ought to have received the requisite quota of stamina from the bottom half of her pedigree: in her case, she comes from a family of Oaks fillies, her dam Zona being a Zabeel daughter of the 1997 AJC Oaks winner Danendri.  Faint Perfume thus looks perfectly credentialed for a likely tilt at the Wakeful / VRC Oaks double.

It should, incidentally, be remembered too that Shamardal was responsible for the quinella in the Breeders’ Plate when two-year-old racing kicked off in Sydney this spring, so if either of those colts (Patinack’s Run For Wilson and the Darley-bred and-raced Jigsaws) should head south for the Maribyrnong Plate, they should be respected in the time-honoured juvenile heat, nowadays run at Flemington on Cup Day.

Last season’s Oaks-winning filly Purple (who followed up her win in the Group One Storm Queen Stakes at Rosehill by taking out the Queensland Oaks) is another likely to be Flemington-bound.  This Darley-raced daughter of Commands ran a nice race at Caulfield over an inadequate 1400m when second in the Ladies Day Vase, and the Group One Myer Classic on Derby Day (won last year by her stablemate Forensics) looks a possible target for her.

Finally, while the Melbourne Cup can be something of a law unto itself as regards the pedigrees of the winners, it is worth pointing out that Godolphin’s Kirklees should go there with a great chance.  With extremely solid Group race form in Europe at around 2400m to his name, this former Group One-winning two-year-old ran a very encouraging race in the Caulfield Cup, working home nicely after getting too far back in the early stages.  A Darley-bred son of the former Darley shuttle sire Jade Robbery, his was one of many good runs in the Caulfield Cup, a comment which also applies to Street Cry’s well-performed son Predatory Pricer, who showed plenty of dash before clearly finding the 2400m beyond him.  The Group One Mackinnon Stakes on Derby Day might well provide a suitable opportunity for this good four-year-old, four times placed at the highest level, to break through in Group One company.