Return To Conquer’s bid for Aussie glory on hold

[Chief Stipe]

Return To Conquer’s bid for Aussie glory on hold

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

https://bitofayarn.com

Last season’s superstar colt Return To Conquer won’t race again this year.

The Group 1 winner, who was unbeaten in four starts here, has been sidelined with a slight issue after his first Australian appearance in a jump out at Cranbourne two weeks ago.

Trainer Mark Walker, who is mostly based in Cranbourne these days, said the injury wasn’t serious but has tipped the scales against Return To Conquer competing in spring.

“He did something to himself in his jump out and being such a valuable colt we aren’t going to take any chances with him,” Walker told the Herald.

“We could actually race him again this year if we wanted to but he is here to get an Australian Group 1 to add to his stallion credentials and with this issue putting him back even a few weeks he won’t be ready for the races we wanted to aim him at.

“They are all finished by November and because he won’t be ready to win a Group 1 by then we will put him aside until next year.”

Return To Conquer looked New Zealand’s most talented juvenile last season and won the Group 1 Sistema Stakes at Ellerslie in March.

Being a Group 1-winning juvenile son of Snitzel means he already has commercial stallion worth and the only box he needs to tick now is a major Australian win.

That means Walker and syndication giants Te Akau will also resist any temptation to head north to the Magic Millions carnival in January because while Return To Conquer could race for huge money there, those races don’t carry Group 1 status.

But all going well the colt should be back racing mid-summer.

As disappointing as the news is, the reality of Return To Conquer’s career is simple: if he wins any Group 1 in Australia in the next 18 months, preferably this season, he is worth a fortune.

But, to that end, this spring is still an opportunity taken away.

The news is much better for the two other huge names of New Zealand racing last season, who joined Te Akau’s Cranbourne barn around the same time as Return To Conquer.

La Dorada will go head-to-head with Return To Conquer for New Zealand juvenile of the year at the sport’s annual awards in Hamilton on September 7 but has a bigger assignment at The Valley the day before.

Walker and assistant trainer Ben Gleeson are setting last season’s Karaka Millions winner for the A$750,000 ($822,000) Moir Stakes on September 6 in which she will clash with Matamata mare Alabama Lass.

“She has easier 3-year-old options but they would mean carrying 59kg fresh up, whereas she will carry only 50kg over 1000m in the Moir.”

Is La Dorada good enough to win a Group 1 weight-for-age sprint?

“Taking a line through [stablemate] Bellatrix Star, who won a good Group 2 race in the Schillaci last October, I’d say La Dorada can be very competitive in the Moir,” said Walker.

It has been smooth Australian sailing so far for arguably Te Akau and Walker’s best horse, NZB Kiwi and Karaka Millions 3-Year-Old winner Damask Rose.

“She has come up well and will resume in the Cockram Stakes at Caulfield on August 30,” said Walker.

“Then, all going well, she will go through the Sir Rupert Clarke [Caulfield, September 20] and the Toorak [Caulfield, October 11] on her way to the Golden Eagle.”https://bitofayarn.com

The A$10 million Golden Eagle on November 1 has been moved from Rosehill to Randwick and Walker said that could be a positive for Damask Rose.

“It is still a long way off yet and of course things have to go right to get there as a winning chance, but you would think with the big field, the bigger Randwick track will actually suit her better.”

There is also promising news around Bellatrix Star, who was sensational last spring and finished second to Switzerland in the A$2m Coolmore at Flemington, one of the hottest 3-year-old races of the year.

“She suffered a bad neck injury in January when she flipped over coming back from a pool session and initially we thought she might not race again,” said Walker.

“But she is back now and there is no sign of where the injury was so we are hopeful she will be back racing around November.”

Meanwhile, one of the most expensive horses in New Zealand, the Te Akau-purchased Avantaggia looked an early race winner with a dominant win at the Avondale trials yesterday.

The 3-year-old daughter of Wootton Bassett and Avantage cost A$2.1m as a yearling and beat subsequent seven-length winner Cream Tart in her previous trial in April.

She looked sharp in yesterday’s trial and should be racing soon.

Avantaggia is the $12 fourth favourite for the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton, which has been moved from New Zealand Cup day to the first day of Cup week on November 8.

[Newmarket]

Very smart….

Sounds like they know it wont win a big race in Aussie. 

[Chief Stipe]

29 minutes ago, Newmarket said:

Very smart….

Sounds like they know it wont win a big race in Aussie. 

No read the article again.  The horse picked up an injury during its recent jumpout.  Jumpouts in OZ are very much like our trials.

So they are pulling back this spring as they can't get him ready before all the spring Grp 1's are finished.

Sounds sensible to me not to race a very good colt agains OZ's best when it isn't 100%.

[All The Aces]

Is he over hyped and actually good enough to win a G1 in Australia?

His debut win was very impressive but he has only just won his next three. Fell in to win the Sistema, another stride he was beaten. Very fortunate the filly was scratched in that.  

 

[Chief Stipe]

10 hours ago, All The Aces said:

Is he over hyped and actually good enough to win a G1 in Australia?

Who knows when a horse wins 4 from 4.

10 hours ago, All The Aces said:

His debut win was very impressive but he has only just won his next three. Fell in to win the Sistema, another stride he was beaten.

But the Sistema was 1200m not 1200m+1 stride.  Just winning is better than just losing.

 

[Huey]

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

Who knows when a horse wins 4 from 4.

But the Sistema was 1200m not 1200m+1 stride.  Just winning is better than just losing.

 

Surely TA weren't thinking of taking on Waterhouse and Waller were they Chief? Didn't they spend more at a sale than TA did all year?

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, Huey said:

Surely TA weren't thinking of taking on Waterhouse and Waller were they Chief? Didn't they spend more at a sale than TA did all year?

It wouldn't be hard to beat Waterhouse or Waller's strike rate.  

Correct on the latter point which I stated previously.  Te Akau have the best Black Type strike rate out of the Magic Millions January Sale.  

[All The Aces]

So which Te Akau 2yo wins Champion 2yo at the Awards next month? 

[Chief Stipe]

18 minutes ago, All The Aces said:

So which Te Akau 2yo wins Champion 2yo at the Awards next month? 

Close - Last Dorada perhaps just crosses the line first.  KM and a Grp 1.  Not much between them.

[Huey]

33 minutes ago, All The Aces said:

So which Te Akau 2yo wins Champion 2yo at the Awards next month? 

I wd say Dorada should win it, beat more .

[Chief Stipe]

1 minute ago, Huey said:

I wd say Dorada should win it, beat more .

Really?  That's surprising coming from the Chief Cynic.  I gather the KM was a quality field?

[Huey]

6 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Really?  That's surprising coming from the Chief Cynic.  I gather the KM was a quality field?

Better quality than the other horse met.

[Doomed]

2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

Really?  That's surprising coming from the Chief Cynic.  I gather the KM was a quality field?

KM shouldn't really count. It's only a listed race. It should come down to group 1 and 2 races and La Dorada slightly ahead on that count.

[Chief Stipe]

24 minutes ago, Doomed said:

KM shouldn't really count. It's only a listed race. It should come down to group 1 and 2 races and La Dorada slightly ahead on that count.

Well that didn't count last year.  On a points basis used by NZB Filly of the Year Captured By Love won easily but didn't score a Grp 1 as a 2yr old.

The fact is the voters are an eclectic bunch and base their choices on opinion rather than science.

[Doomed]

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

Well that didn't count last year.  On a points basis used by NZB Filly of the Year Captured By Love won easily but didn't score a Grp 1 as a 2yr old.

The fact is the voters are an eclectic bunch and base their choices on opinion rather than science.

Last year's sweepstake winner did manage to win a Group 1 as well, which has been rare in recent years. In fact, the record of the 2yo sweepstake winners in recent years has been appalling. Some have ended their careers racing in the bush in Australia. You have to go back to Probabeel to find a 2yo sweepstake winner who has gone on with it. 

Group 1 wins are more important than listed sweepstake and slot wins.

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, Doomed said:

Last year's sweepstake winner did manage to win a Group 1 as well, which has been rare in recent years. In fact, the record of the 2yo sweepstake winners in recent years has been appalling. Some have ended their careers racing in the bush in Australia. You have to go back to Probabeel to find a 2yo sweepstake winner who has gone on with it. 

Often the best 2yr old hasn't been eligible for the KM.  For example Imperatriz.  Since her year it has got even tougher for those not eligible for the KM to win the Grp 1's as the pattern is focussed on the Sweepstake and Slot races.  All roads lead to Ellerslie and that track surface doesn't suit all horses nor does drawing wide.  I doubt that it ever will be a fair track.

Which ones ended up in the bush in Australia?