One Thousand Guineas But Half Million Purse
Story By by Wayne Bristow
Tuesday, 14 October 2008:  | | Special Harmony |
• 2002 – MACEDON LADY 3f (Filante x Boo Ticket) ($8)
Jockey: Steven King, Trainer: John Symons
Barrier: 1, Weight: 55.5kg
Gross Time: 1:36.48, 600m Sectional: 34.87
Margin: 0.1L, Track: Good, Starters: 16
2nd: La Bella Dame (55.5kg), 3rd: Fuji Dancer (55.5kg)
Filante was a fantastic horse. His best was better than most. But this was his first important winner as a stallion. Macedon Lady had put three wins back to back as a late 2yo and only had a short time off before her 3yo season. Obviously that fitness edge helped keep her mind on the job and she was 4th in the Prelude as a lead up. In the run Steven King settled her midfield as Coupe led from Flight winner Royal Purler. La Bella Dame was just off the leaders in a position to strike. As the runs came at the 600, Nikolic got off the fence but Macedon Lady swept home wide making up 3L over the last 150m. DID THE OAKS WINNER START – YES (Bulla Borghese 6th).
• 2003 – SPECIAL HARMONY 3f (Spinning World x Marooned Lady) ($4.75 fav)
Jockey: Damien Oliver, Trainer: Lee Freedman
Barrier: 3, Weight: 55.5kg
Gross Time: 1:36.48, 600m Sectional: 35.74
Margin: 2.5L, Track: Good, Starters: 11
2nd: Hinting (55.5kg), 3rd: Spurcent (55.5kg)
Spinning World had a very good open class sprinter at the time called Thorn Park. Much like the sprinter, Special Harmony enjoyed a firm track and Guineas day supplied that. She had won the Edward Manifold impressively and took on the G1 by settling back 7th, one off the fence. Shamekha was marked urgent, ridden aggressively to lead to avoid the pocket that befell her in the Flight Stks. At the point of the turn, Cassidy got going again and it broke the field up. This helped Special Harmony who was behind a wall at the top of the straight but when she finally escaped she sprinted brilliantly. Oliver drove her through in a very positive sign for the Oaks ahead. Beaten by the bias and the penalty in the Wakeful, Special Harmony trotted in at Flemington. DID THE OAKS WINNER START – YES (Special Harmony 1st).
• 2004 – ALINGHI 3f (Encosta de Lago x Oceanfast) ($1.72 fav)
Jockey: Damien Oliver, Trainer: Lee Freedman
Barrier: 11, Weight: 55.5kg
Gross Time: 1:37.14, 600m Sectional: 36.11
Margin: 1.8L, Track: Good, Starters: 11
2nd: Hollow Bullet (55.5kg), 3rd: Ballet Society (55.5kg)
 | | Alinghi |
A star 2yo filly can find it difficult to recover that form. That is one thing you could never ever accuse Alinghi of. Sensational wins in the Quezette, Ascot Vale and Manifold and an unlucky Dubai Racing Club Cup performance profiled her to perfection in the Guineas. Damien Oliver was happy to let her find her feet and she was 2nd last early. With stablemate Glasnost leading and Wager caught wide, that pressure was continued. Turning for home and Oliver was still 2nd last, needing luck. Many a good horse has come undone in these circumstances but once the split came Alinghi treated them with absolute contempt, whizzing past the rest far too easily. If anything she came back bigger and better with a high quality win in the Newmarket. DID THE OAKS WINNER START – YES (Hollow Bullet 2nd).
• 2005 – MNEMOSYNE 3f (Encosta de Lago x My Juliet) ($5.50)
Jockey: Darren Beadman, Trainer: John Hawkes
Barrier: 2, Weight: 55.5kg
Gross Time: 1:36.37, 600m Sectional: 35.52
Margin: 1.3L, Track: Good, Starters: 16
2nd: Rewaaya (55.5kg), 3rd: Serenade Rose (55.5kg)
 | | Nmenosyne |
In her first few starts, Mnemosyne seemed to always find one better. That was until her 3yo season. Her 5th to Media in the San Domenico was not indicative of what was to come. She came from last to first in the Silver Shadow and from midfield in the Furious and Tea Rose before being unable to overcome the bias in the Flight Stks. But at Caulfield she had to compete on foreign turf and against the locals including the heavily boomed Rewaaya. Making an even more interesting confrontation was that they drew 1 and 2. Rewaaya sat behind the speed and Mnemosyne behind her. Beadman made the critical move by getting out and running before the turn while Dwayne Dunn had to wait and the cerise came away for an important win. DID THE OAKS WINNER START – YES (Serenade Rose 3rd).
• 2006 – MISS FINLAND 3f (Redoute's Choice x Forest Pearl) ($1.90 fav)
Jockey: Craig Williams, Trainer: David Hayes
Barrier: 8, Weight: 55.5kg
Gross Time: 1:37.19, 600m Sectional: 35.76
Margin: 0.1L, Track: Good, Starters: 10
2nd: Permaiscuous (55.5kg), 3rd: Cheeky Choice (55.5kg)
 | | Miss Finland |
Having said Alinghi had shown she came back well from her 2yo season, here we had the ultimate 5L heroine from the Slipper. But while very good McNeil and Prelude wins started her campaign, it all went haywire in the Edward Manifold. From the wide gate that day, Craig Williams sent her forward but she took off down by the Maribynong River establishing a massive lead. While eventually only going under by a length to She Will Be Loved, questions were raised about both the ride and what it meant for the filly. The Thousand Guineas would resolve those issues. Stablemate Permaiscuous used the same tactics, leading by 8L at the 1000. Consequently Miss Finland changed her strategy by going back to last. While others didn't quite handle the situation, Williams stayed calm, bringing the big girl wide and late, confidently nabbing Permaiscuous in the last bound as Oliver nearly pinched it. Needless to say connections could oh so have wished for a regular jockey to coax her in the Cox Plate instead of the lightweight hoop applied. With Williams back on she cleaned up in the Oaks. DID THE OAKS WINNER START – YES (Miss Finland 1st).
• 2007 – SERIOUS SPEED 3f (Royal Academy x Twitter) ($16)
Jockey: Danny Nikolic, Trainer: Leon Macdonald
Barrier: 10, Weight: 55.5kg
Gross Time: 1:36.37, 600m Sectional: 35.06
Margin: 2.5L, Track: Good, Starters: 14
2nd: Extension of Time (55.5kg), 3rd: Antarctic Miss (55.5kg)
 | | Serious Speed |
It seems there is a model for riding the Thousand Guineas winner. Many G1s in Australia are dominated by needing to be on the pace but so many recent victors have come from back in the field. Here again Serious Speed followed the lead. She had been running well in Adelaide lead ups before a rattling finish in the Manifold. However punters still sent her out at good odds. Despite an early charge, the pace slowed at the 1000 and with Nikolic second last, he needed a blazing ending. Entering the straight and with horses stretched across the track, Serious Speed was pulled the widest, unleashing the required sprint to collar those inside. Some of these Guineas end up as weak fields but in hindsight there was Absolut Glam (Winter Stks), Riva San (QTC Derby & Oaks), Zarita (SA Derby & Australasian Oaks) and Serious Speed herself who beat the boys in the Hobartville. While she ran 2nd in the Oaks, one doubts staying was her go. DID THE OAKS WINNER START – NO (Arapaho Miss).
RACE PROFILE
o Nearly all the recent Thousand Guineas winning fillies have been ridden off the pace, coming with one sustained run.
o Despite both races being G1s and a natural progression, Dashing Eagle was the last Flight Stks winner to win the Guineas. Before that it was Goleen in 1984.
o Last 15 Years Quezette Stks / 1000 Guineas double – Alinghi ('04)
o Last 15 Years McNeil Stks / 1000 Guineas double – Miss Finland ('06)
o Last 15 Years 1000 Guineas Prelude / 1000 Guineas double – Miss Finland ('06)
o Last 15 Years Ascot Vale / 1000 Guineas double – Alinghi ('06)
o Last 15 Years Edward Manifold / 1000 Guineas double – Special Harmony ('03), Alinghi ('04)
o Last 15 Years Silver Shadow Stks / 1000 Guineas double – Mnemosyne ('05)
o Last 15 Years Furious Stks / 1000 Guineas double – Dashing Eagle ('96), Mnemosyne ('05)
o Last 15 Years Tea Rose Stks / 1000 Guineas double – Mnemosyne ('05)
o Last 15 Years Flight Stks / 1000 Guineas double – Dashing Eagle ('96)
SUMMARY & SELECTIONS
This is the classic Sydney vs Melbourne battle of the girls. Whobegotyou and his mates gave the Sydney boys a towelling in the Caulfield Guineas but as the market suggests, this race appears a more even bunch, especially when you consider the best Sydney 3yo Samantha Miss is not running and if she was she'd be 7-4 on.
Without Samantha, the Guineas brings Sydney's Flight Stakes form of Portillo, Kimillsy & Glowlamp plus Love and Kisses from the Stan Fox to duke it out against the Edward Manifold form of Romneya, Gallica, Sparks Fly, Oval Affair & Cats Whisker. The only other formline races are the 1430m race at the Flemington meeting post AFL Grand Final day when Taameer defeated Dan Baroness and the other is Fly Higher who was beaten a long way but it was behind Whobegotyou in the Stutt Stks.
The Thousand Guineas has clearly been a Melbourne fillies race in recent times but its doubtful NSW has produced a better 3yo filly than Samantha Miss for a long while and those behind her could bring her formlines to Caulfield and win. Having said that we might trust the Manifold race as a good solid race run on track conditions more similar to Caulfield this week than Randwick was in the Flight.
Cats Whisker stepped from the 1200 to the mile in the Manifold, sat just off the pace and ran Gallica, who was more grounded and one spot ahead of her in the run, to a length margin. Trainer Mark Kavanagh indicated she had been a run behind in the prep so staying to the mile will suit and the stable turned a big corner last Saturday. Gallica can't be underestimated.
Lee Freedman holds the trainer's key here with Romneya, Dan Baroness and Fly Higher coming from different directions. There hasn't been much between them on the track although Romneya is such a trier despite her size and the inside barrier might pose a problem because of that size. He has been very bullish about Dan Baroness when conditions suit and Steve Arnold loves this race.
Regarding the Sydney fillies, all of them were getting lapped through the Princess Series which might become habit forming. Glowlamp tries hard as well and is still a maiden but her breeding suggests the mile and further should suit being out of a Shirley Heights mare and is drawn well. Kimillsy seemed to go better on a dry track while Portillo's best is on affected ground.
Selection: Cats Whisker
Hardest to Beat: Gallica
Best Roughies: Dan Baroness/Glowlamp
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