Spring Racing Carnival 2020 The Winners and Losers
Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival – Review 2020
It seems a long time ago now that the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival and the Sydney Carnivals began. All must be applauded to get through the Melbourne Racing Tips Carnival and the Sydney Racing Tips Carnival with the COVID constraints. No doubt Melbourne Cup week would have felt especially different with no crowds. In our Melbourne Racing Tips and Sydney Racing Tips review we look at the Winners, Losers and the Watch horses from the Spring Carnival. We do this with an eye on the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival and the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival to take place between February and April 2021.
Spring Racing Carnival 2020 – The Winners
Melbourne Cup Winner – TWILIGHT PAYMENT
Caulfield Cup Winner – VERRY ELLEEGANT
Cox Plate Winner – SIR DRAGONET
Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas Winner – OLE’ KIRK
The Everest Winner – CLASSIQUE LEGEND
Jockey of the Spring – WILLY PIKE
Melbourne Cup Winner – TWILIGHT PAYMENT
When you win Australia’s most famous race you are definitely in the “winners” category over the Spring Carnival. Twilight Payment became just the 3rd horse in 40 years to lead all of the way in the Melbourne Cup (Beldale Ball and Might And Power). It was a very intelligent tactic to run along a bit in front. Owner Lloyd Williams who won his 7th Melbourne Cup with Twilight Payment. Williams is without doubt the “Super Owner’ of stayers in Australia and a quite remarkable feat. He had identified that maybe the Aussie horses would be vulnerable if the race wasn’t simply a “sit sprint” affair that the Aussie horses are used to. Instead it was a truly run race and survival of the fittest and Lloyd Williams turned out to be 100% correct. So the result was the overseas stayers running first, second and third in the great race. Jye McNeil winning his first Melbourne Cup in one of the great all time rides in the Melbourne Cup.
Caulfield Cup Winner – VERRY ELLEEGANT
What a super tough mare. She had a top line Spring Carnival winning the Group 1 Turnbull and backing that up with a tough gritty Group 1 Caulfield Cup win. Then was certainly one of the runs OF the race in the Melbourne Cup coming from 2nd last at the 300m with a withering run into seventh. A big tick for her spring campaign and Waller has done a brilliant job with this mare.
Cox Plate Winner – SIR DRAGONET
The heavens opened up and Sir Dragonet got conditions to suit in the Cox Plate. He was beautifully ridden by Glenn Boss who on the line presented us with one of the great celebrations of the Cox Plate. Standing high in the irons and flourishing the whip was a sight to be seen. Ciaron Maher had had the horse in his possession for only a couple of week so it was remarkable timing to enable him to produce his first Cox Plate winner. He went on to run 6th in the Melbourne Cup but had every chance in the race. In our view he just didn’t run the trip
Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas Winner – OLE’ KIRK
No doubt the undisputed champion of the 3 year old crown over the Spring goes to this colt. Winning the Group 1 Golden Rose in Sydney then taking the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas catapulted this well bred horse into the stratosphere. His worth is such that it would not be surprising for to see him on the racetrack again, he has nothing left to prove and his stud value is in the $40-50 million bracket. Being related to Black Caviar suggests we may not be blessed to see him race again.
The Everest Winner – CLASSIQUE LEGEND
It was one of the great news stories of the Spring Carnival, 82 year old Les Bridge taking out Australia’s richest race. Jockey Kieran McEvoy bagging his 3rd The Everest at just its fourth running. The horse owned in Hong Kong is now destined to race overseas and we wont see him in the Autumn Racing Carnival in Australia as the plan seems to be Dubai or Royal Ascot. Hopefully we get to see him return to defend his crown in next years The Everest. With Gytrash and Bivouac coming out and franking the form The Everest has very quickly become the second highest rated race in Australia after the Melbourne Cup.
Jockey of the Spring – WILLY PIKE
No doubt Billy Pike the star WA hoop was one of the big “winners” through the COVID Carnival. With travelling restrictions in place Pike could no longer be on a “hit and run” mission for his owners from the west. He instead had to bunker down in Melbourne and it proved a fruitful couple of months. He had 147 rides and won $3.9 million for connections. This included two group 1s the Caulfield Stakes (Arcadia Queen) and Ole’ Kirk (Guineas). He also rode 4 winners on Guineas day. So, Pike earnt nearly $200,000 in his couple of months over the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival purely from riding commissions. This doesn’t include riding fees and any “slings” connections threw his way.
Spring Racing Carnival 2020 – The Losers
We continue our review of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival and Sydney Carnival as we look at the losers of the Carnivals. These are the horses that in our view were likely to deliver Group 1 success either in Sydney Racing or Melbourne Racing. However for one reason or another it did not eventuate. This does no mean that glory doesn’t await during the Sydney Autumn Spring Racing or Melbourne. Improvement can be expected or perhaps these horses time is up as new stars of the Racing circuit give punters glory in the Autumn Racing season of 2021.
SURPRISE BABY
HUNGRY HEART
GLENNFIDDICH
RUSSIAN CAMELOT
FARNAN
THE TAB
SURPRISE BABY
This horse was undoubtedly the flop of the Spring Carnival. This horse was targeted for the Melbourne Cup 12 months prior after a slashing run in 2019. The horse was heavily backed into clear fav for the Melbourne Cup into 6-1. He had only 2 lead in runs the longest was 2000m, far from your normal Melbourne Cup lead in. It showed as he never looked any hope of winning with Preusker now sure to contemplate what went wrong.
HUNGRY HEART
Sydney 3 year old who simply didn’t get it done, Started fav in her last 3 runs the Thousand Guineas (failed to run place), Flight Stakes (second) and the Tea Rose Stakes (second). So whilst being thereabouts she failed to deliver on the big stage. Now to lick the wounds and target the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival where she may be able to turn it around.
GLENNFIDDICH
This horse didn’t deliver for a very different reason. After a commanding win in the Stutt Stakes the horse looked primed to go on and win the Caulfield Guineas then possibly give the Cox Plate a shake. That was the view of trainer Peter Moody and he would be well versed on making such claims! However post race the horse had a “trapped epiglottis”, the horse had minor surgery and then backed up a month later in the Group 1 Coolmore and failed miserably. Back to the drawing board for Glenfiddich!
RUSSIAN CAMELOT
If you say a Group 1 winner can be a “flop” than perhaps this is the one. It was the boom horse of the Spring Racing Carnival but really failed to deliver the knockout blow. Beaten first up in the Makybe Diva then won the Group 1 Underwood, firming into Cox Plate fav. Then preceded to get rolled as a $1.40 fav in the Caulfield Stakes. Drew a bad run was probably ok placed in the Cox Plate and then failed to stay in the Melbourne Cup, didn’t deliver on the promise!
FARNAN
What began as the Spring Carnival of promise turned out to be a nightmare for the reigning Golden Slipper winner. One time the head of The Everest betting the horse was plagued by soundness issues and never really got going. It failed to gain entry to The Everest and then was thought to be “unbeatable” in the Group 1 Coolmore Stakes but failed badly being beaten 9 lengths. It was a spring to forget for th Golden Slipper winner. Last year
THE TAB
With the TAB going down on the last day of the Flemington Melbourne Cup Week Carnival it has to go into the “loser” category. “Long may we play” is the TAB’s slogan but it was far from that on McKinnon Stakes day. It is said to have cost the industry millions losing up to $125 million in betting turnover not to mention the disgruntled punters who could not get on.
Next week we provide you our Autumn Racing Carnival Stable Stars 2021 to keep an eye on that emerge out our Spring Racing Carnival 2020 review.
Racing this week comes from Pakenham in Melbourne Racing Tips for the Pakenham Cup and Rosehill, Doomben and Morphettville.