Craig Kerry
Trainer Bjorn Baker will look to the Winter Stakes with Midnight Dynamite after he cruised to victory in the Civic Stakes at Randwick on Saturday to give his stable and owners Darby Racing a win on the eve of Overpass’ second Royal Ascot assignment.
Baker returned from England on Thursday night after Darby-owned Overpass finished third in the King Charles III Stakes. He was set to back up in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes on Saturday night (AEST).
“Royal Ascot and Royal Randwick, I know which one I’d rather have and I’d rather have the people here, too,” the Warwick Farm trainer said with tongue firmly in cheek.
“The best thing about over there is getting back on the plane, back to my country, Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.
“No, it was a great trip and Overpass ran so well, but we’ve got a pretty special horse here, too, Midnight Dynamite.
“He’s putting together a marvellous record for Darby Racing and he was dominant today.”
Four-year-old Midnight Dynamite scored his first stakes win and eighth race victory from 20 starts, breezing past leader Whinchat for a 1¾-length success in the listed 1400m race. The July 4 Winter Stakes (1400m) at Randwick now looks the logical next target.
“I think we’ll definitely have to look that way and he’s going very, very well,” Baker said.
“He’s just improving the whole time and it was a pretty soft run today, so it worked out pretty well.”
Grima’s favourite helps title chase
Siena Grima was excited to have the Sydney apprentices’ title in her sights after her favourite horse Tazima helped cut the margin to leader Braith Nock to five wins.
The Chris Waller-trained five-year-old was tough late to beat Boniface by a short neck in the 1800m benchmark 88. Tazima gave Grima her first city winner and they have now combined for three victories in four races.
“He’s extremely tough, he gives 110 per cent every time, so I’m really glad he’s in good racing form,” Grima said.
“It was such a big jump up in grade and weight today so it was really great to see him win.”
Grima went to 24 city wins and, with the backing of premier trainer Waller, looks set to challenge defending champion Nock (29).
“It’s been really great,” she said.
“I didn’t think I’d be able to pick up so many wins so quickly. The goal was always to win the premiership, but I definitely thought next year would be the go, so to have it so close to my grasp is really exciting.”
Kool customer does it the hard way
Warwick Farm trainer David Pfieffer hopes Ice Kool can become a contender for an Everest slot next year after he again overcame a tough run to win at Randwick on Saturday.
Well backed into a $1.50 favourite, the three-year-old was slowly away in the 1000m benchmark 78 before pushing forward under Jay Ford to sit three wide without cover. He was still too strong at the finish, beating Petticoat by a half-length, as they clocked 33.51 seconds for the last 600m.
It was a fourth win in five starts for the Zoustar gelding, which raced forward and easily prevailed a start earlier in the same grade.
Pfieffer hopes to take Ice Kool, which can miss the start and over-race, to straight-track stakes races in Victoria in the spring and avoid the Everest lead-ups in Sydney, at least for this year.
“I’m contemplating going to Melbourne because I’m thinking he won’t be in the Concorde, the Shorts, the Premiere. He’s not at that level yet,” Pfieffer said.
“Testing him down the straight or around Caulfield or Sandown, a few of those races that are second-tier stakes races will be nice little targets.
“Hopefully we’re talking those Sydney lead-up races this time next year.”
Long-shot hits the mark with Smith
Owner Mick Russell was proven right after his five-year-old mare Alice Mae pulled off a shock victory at $101 at Randwick on Saturday.
Under Alysha Collett, Alice Mae produced a storming finish over her more fancied rivals to take out the 1800m benchmark 78 handicap for fillies and mares. It was her first win in 18 months, when one of three victories while under the care of Central Coast trainer Angela Davies. She was later moved to Warwick Farm trainer Matthew Smith and broke through at her seventh start for him.
Smith said Russell “was confident she would get over a bit of ground” and he had trained her to do just that.
“She’s never had a staying preparation before, we are training her differently to how she would have been trained previously,” Smith said.
“She ran third at Wyong over 2000 last start and again just needed another run. We noticed after that run she had come on a lot. It was a bit of shock today, but we’ll take it.”
Cheeky run goes on for rapid improver
Rosehill trainer Gerald Ryan was looking to another Saturday city race with Cheeky Smirk after the $20 shot edged out Front Rank in the 1300m benchmark 72 for three-year-olds.
Adam Hyeronimus drove the All Too Hard gelding to the line for a short half-head victory as favourite Hello Captain was held up for a run and finished fourth.
It was a third win in a row for Cheeky Smirk, rising from a Newcastle class 1 and Canterbury 3YO benchmark 64 to Saturday grade.
“We were originally going to stop him, but he’s only three-year-old once, he gets BOBS, so if there’s another race around, we’ll probably give him one more,” Ryan said.
“Then we’ll give him a nice spell and get him back around Christmas time.”
Arrowfield look to climb Kosciuszko again
Scone trainer Paul Messara was eyeing back-to-back victories in the $2 million Kosciuszko (1200m) after filly Chains Of Love easily won her first attempt at Highway Handicap grade.
A $3 favourite in the 1200m class 3 at Randwick on Saturday, the filly was put in the one-one spot by Aaron Bullock on the way to a 1¼-length win over Exit Fee.
Messara said the listed 1200m Creswick Sprint Series Final at Flemington in two weeks would be a likely next target before she was spelled. Chains Of Love would then be set for the Kosciuszko at Randwick in October, a race the Arrowfield stable won last year with now-retired Clear Thinking. Chains Of Love was $26 (TAB).
“I think she’s the Kosciuszko type,” Messara said.
“She’s great, she’ll be better after a break and she’s good at the trip. I’ll love it once she learns how to settle. She’s still learning and that was good today.”
