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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Sepals ridden by Craig Williams winning the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield. (Photo: Scott Barbour/Racing Photos) Sepals turned promise into pedigree-defining performance, controlling the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) to deliver a maiden Group 1 for himself and his late sire Calyx. From a wide draw, Craig Williams rolled forward, sat second behind noted leader Zarastro, and had the race in his keeping before the bend, kicking clear to score decisively. Miss Roumbini closed for second, with Australian Guineas winner Feroce grabbing third. Officially, the margin was three-quarters of a length in 1:21.39 on a Good 3. The victory was steeped in milestones. It marked Williams’ eighth success in the historic spring handicap — a race record — and became trainer Cliff Brown’s sixth Group 1, his first since returning from Singapore. For Calyx, who died in May, it was a breakthrough top-level winner from limited southern books, adding a poignant note to a high-class display. Race shape and execution were everything. Williams had Sepals poised outside the speed from barrier 14 of 15, surged to the lead before straightening and never looked vulnerable, even as the closers launched late. Favoured four-year-old Angel Capital found traffic and charged late into fourth, but the bird had flown. The win advanced Sepals’ record to five wins from seven starts and lifted earnings to just over $900,000 — figures that now read like a springboard rather than a ceiling. Brown, beaming post-race, praised his team and rider, noting the gelding “deserves the attention he gets” after a winter of careful management and a dominant Caulfield tune-up at the trip. With Sepals thriving at 1400m and handling pressure on the speed, connections can map a weight-for-age path or aim at lucrative handicaps as horse racing bookmakers markets duly tightened for his next assignments. 2025 Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes – Sepals https://horsebetting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Caulfield-2025-Group-1-Sir-Rupert-Clarke-Stakes-20092025-Sepals-Cliff-Brown-Craig-Williams.mp4 Horse racing news View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Many pre-race pundits had labelled Saturday’s Ellerslie’s feature, the Gr.3 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Sunline Vase (1400m) as a two-horse contest between Lollapalooza (NZ) (El Roca) and Tajana (NZ) (Darci Brahma), the two hottest three-year-old fillies of spring racing to date. While that ignored the legitimate challenges of several well credentialled rivals, those early predictions played out exactly as expected with the Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray-prepared Tajana holding out race favourite Lollapalooza by the barest of margins in a thrilling finish to the black-type event. Both fillies are noted back runners and were expected to be giving their rivals a decent start entering the Ellerslie home straight and so it proved as riders Vinnie Colgan aboard Lollapalooza and George Rooke on Tajana settled second and third last respectively during the first half of the race. Rooke elected to send Tajana towards the outer approaching the home bend while Colgan picked a path between runners as the pair set out after Little Black Dress who had taken over with 200m to run. At the 100m Tajana and Lollapalooza collared Little Black Dress with Tajana thrusting her head down at just the right time to deny the favourite by a nose at the winning post and claim her second stakes victory in succession after taking out the Gr.3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) a month ago. Ritchie had been adamant throughout the week that they would not change Tajana’s racing pattern for the contest despite knowing she would be giving most of her rivals a head start in the closing stages as her longer term targets are over more ground, including the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton. “She is not a filly we expected to be firing over 1400m, so it really does look good going ahead with her,” Ritchie said. “Isn’t it great to have a couple of top-class fillies going head to head like that. It is good for racing so lets bring it on some more. “She will now take her place in the Soliloquy Stakes (Gr.2, 1400m) back here and I really think Riccarton will suit her, but it is a hard race to win that 1000 Guineas.” Rooke admitted he had some pre-race jitters as his mount began to give him some difficulty in the starting barriers, whilst it wasn’t all plain sailing during the running either. “She went in first, she sat down leaning against the side (of the gate), so I got one of the lads to pull her tail and stand her up square,” he said. “She was still slow away and never really travelled during the race while I was in a little bit of trouble finding room around the home bend. “She is hard work but she has ability. If I knew her better I would have waited and not panicked but over a mile she will be better and when I got her clear she felt very good.” TAB Bookmakers now have Lollapalooza and Tajana as equal $3.50 Fixed Odds favourites for the New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) on 8 November. Bred and raced by The Oaks Stud, Tajana is by Darci Brahma out of the five-race-winning Sakhee’s Secret mare Sleek Secret (NZ). From a six-start career, she has now won on three occasions while also boasting two placings including finishing third in the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and over $231,000 in stakes. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
North Island raids have delivered rich rewards this year for Canterbury mare Ears Back (NZ) (Jakkalberry), who collected her second black-type prize in the Gr.3 Hunterville Vet Club Metric Mile (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday. Ears Back is trained in Rangiora by her part-owner John Blackadder, who previously took her north in the autumn for a pair of feature assignments. The Jakkalberry mare ran a close fifth in the Listed Rangitikei Cup (1600m) at Trentham, then broke through in the Listed AGC Training Stakes (1600m) at Wanganui at the end of May. Blackadder quickly mapped out a plan for a return visit to the North Island in the new season, targeting Saturday’s $100,000 feature second-up after a promising resuming run for sixth at Riccarton on August 30. It all came together on Saturday as Ears Back secured the biggest win of her career. “This is probably the biggest thrill of my life, apart from family,” Blackadder said. “I’m just absolutely ecstatic to be here and to win this race.” Ears Back was reunited on Saturday with Central Districts jockey Mereana Hudson, who had her first two rides on the mare in the Rangitikei Cup and AGC Training Stakes. Hudson took up a position on the outside of the front-running Privy Garden before throwing down a challenge to that rival with more than 600m remaining. Ears Back surged past and took a clear lead coming up to the home turn, then kicked hard at the top of the straight. Privy Garden stuck on bravely just behind her, with Knock Off and Boomtown Boy powering home with big late runs out of the pack, but there would be no catching Ears Back. She crossed the finish line with three-quarters of a length to spare over Knock Off, who edged out Boomtown Boy by a nose for second. Ears Back has now had 39 starts for nine wins, six placings and $344,510 in stakes. “She’s just marvellous, and I think she’s continuing to get better with age,” Blackadder said. “She’s just grown another leg. “It was just brilliant today. I thought the other horse had a reasonably soft lead, but Mereana obviously knew what was underneath her. She gave her a great ride. “I’d like to thank all the staff and all the owners. I’m just so proud of the horse and this win today really means a lot.” Blackadder indicated during the week that the Gr.3 Grangewilliam Stud Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Hawera on October 4 could be Ears Back’s next target. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
New Zealand-bred gelding With Your Blessing (NZ) (Vadamos) capped a consistent run of form with his first black-type success in Saturday’s A$250,000 Gr.3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) at Randwick. The Vadamos gelding progressed through the grades last season with a pair of Randwick victories – an 1100m Benchmark 78 handicap on January 4, followed by a 1300m Benchmark 88 just over a month later. Trainer John Thompson then stepped him up into stakes company and he finished second in a photo finish to the Gr.3 Liverpool City Cup (1300m) at Randwick on March 1. After resuming with a fifth in the July Sprint (1100m) at Rosehill, With Your Blessing resumed the previous season’s Randwick form with big runs for second in the Gr.3 Show County Quality (1200m) on August 23 and third in the Gr.2 Tramway Stakes (1400m) on September 6. Saturday brought a richly deserved breakthrough at black-type level. “He’s been going well and this race fit in at the right time,” Thompson said. “He’s just in the zone. He’s going super. It took a couple of Group One horses to beat him in the Tramway the other day (Pericles (Street Boss) and Private Eye (Al Mahar)) and he was gallant in defeat.” With Your Blessing continued his successful partnership with regular rider Alysha Collett, who allowed him to stride forward from a wide gate on Saturday and take up the lead. That was where he stayed, dictating terms out in front and kicking hard at the top of the straight. The challengers tried their hardest to reel the leader in, headed by runner-up Bosustow, but With Your Blessing held on strongly to win by a neck. “He absolutely loves his job,” Collett said. “He loves pinging the barriers, getting to the front, and as long as you sit there and cuddle him and tell him he’s good, he’ll give you a really good effort. “He was a very good winner today and it was very deserved. Thank you to the team for putting me on, and he’s just one of my favourite horses. He just makes life easy.” With Your Blessing was bred by the Hawkins family’s Llanhennock Trust and is by Vadamos out of the Darci Brahma mare Super Trouper (NZ). Herself a five-race winner from a 28-start career in the Llanhennock colours, Super Trouper is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Lim’s Dashing (NZ). With Your Blessing is the best of five foals to race so far for Super Trouper, who is also the dam of the six-time Australian winner Super Alana (NZ) (Belardo). Super Trouper has a three-year-old Ole Kirk filly who has been named Che Ole (NZ), and she produced a filly foal by State Of Rest last spring. Wentwood Grange offered With Your Blessing at the 2020 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, where he was bought for A$70,000. He has now had 33 starts for seven wins, 12 placings and A$788,505 in stakes. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Newmarket's opening mile novice on Saturday had 2026 Oaks written all over it and it will be no surprise if Godolphin's Romantic Symphony (Dubawi) is one of the main players heading to the Epsom Classic in June. While the newcomer's 3/4-of-a-length winning margin was not flashy, everything about her pedigree suggests this is very much the beginning. Romantic Symphony, a full-sister to fellow Charlie Appleby-trained Group 1 and Grade I winners Yibir and Wild Illusion, was sent off the 10-11 favourite for this contest won in recent times by the stable's subsequent Group winners Magic Lily and Beautiful Love. Always travelling easily for Billy Loughnane, the homebred was able to overhaul the experienced George Boughey-trained Tryst (Sottsass) in the final furlong and stay on best. Another eye-catcher in one truly for the notebooks was the third Forever True (Siyouni), Lady Bamford's John and Thady Gosden-trained homebred who was a head further behind and one we are sure to be hearing a lot more about. The post Dubawi’s Romantic Symphony A New TDN Rising Star appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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