The Carbine Club Stakes 1600m Time 1.35.35, there was plenty of excitement in the Gelagotis camp after the win of Levendi, with trainer Peter Gelagotis commenting, “the colt by Pierro had no luck at Caulfield in the Guineas last time out, and I thought is was going to happen again here today, I think with time he will get out to at least 2000 metres, and possibly a mile and a half.”

“His dam, Lipari, was placed in the Morphettville Guineas and the grand dam, Tully Thunder, won the Australasian Oaks besides three other races, there is upside in the family and scope to go forward.”

“We nearly had bad luck again, except the horse worked his way out of what could have been an awkward position, he overcame that and finished the race off well.”

“We are in no hurry, there is no schedule to be met, he is a good horse and he is going to be given every chance.”

“The Sandown Guineas is an option, but again we will assess that if he has two weeks in the paddock, and he will be a stronger version going into the autumn.”

  G H Mumm Wakeful Stakes 2000m Time 2.03.99 trainer, John Sargeant, comments were straight forward after the win of Luvaluva, “I’ll leave it to Blake, he is firing well at present, he rode her well in the Wakeful.”

Luvaluva may be coming right at the right time, she has had the five starts for one single win at Goulburn, her record is hardly impressive, however, her win at Flemington couldn’t be dismissed, it was a great preliminary for the Oaks.

“It will give the filly a lot of confidence as she has not been this way of going before, she will benefit from the experience. “

The Wakeful Stakes is the most reliable guide to any of the classics in the Southern Hemisphere.

Skip Sprint 1100m Time 1.03.29 trainer Darren Weir’s comments are usually forthright concerning Lyuba, “she never runs a bad race, she had a problem with a hind leg, we sorted that one out, she has been racing terrific.”

“The best part of buying these sort of horses, for not a lot of money, you can put in some good mates, if the horses don’t turn out any good, as they usually do, no one gets burnt, you cut your losses quickly.”

 Lexus Stakes 2500m Time 2.35.41

Co trainer Adrian Bott commented, “Cismontane is a pretty fair horse, he is putting it all together, now leading all the way, he has earned his place in the Melbourne Cup now. “

“We have a good horse here, he led all the way and never stopped giving and giving, he is improving with racing.”

“Leading all the way at Flemington is no mean effort, plus he showed a lot of fight in the straight, we are pretty happy with that run.”

“He is improving with each run that was a hard slog today, he has come through it very well, he just keeps on improving along the way, we are taking it one step at a time.”  

 Coolmore Stud Stakes 1200m Time 1.09.10

Stand in trainer, Aaron Purcell, couldn’t wipe the smile off his face after the barn storming performance of Merchant Navy; he has graduated to Group 1 status in winning the Coolmore Stud Classic.

A stud career is already beckoning; he is now certainly sire material after that win, coming from near last at the 800 metres, getting up to score in the last possible stride.

“There is a bloke somewhere in the world with curly hair taking in the Breeders Cup, he has such an opinion of this horse, it is just amazing,” said Aaron Purcell.

Purcell has always been a good trainer and has been trusted as the custodian of the stable in the absence of Cairon Maher

 Myer Classic 1600m Time 1.35.20

Trainer, Anthony Freedman, commented, “The other day we were initially disappointed at Caulfield when Shoals was beaten in the 1000 guineas.”

“The winner was a high quality filly, I didn’t want to go four runs in succession in August, I decided three runs on end was enough.”

“We thought she would run well today with that weight advantage, this filly is probably a bit underrated, she is not very big, she never wins by a great margin, saying that, she is not big but tough.”

“I don’t think she will grow much, but she will thicken out, obviously a mile is about as far as she needs”.

She completed a double for her sire, Fastnet Rock, as the previous winner, Merchant Navy, is also by Fastnet Rock, he is among Danehill’s greatest sons.

 AAMI Victoria Derby 2500m Time 2.37.55

Trainer David Payne commented, “we have won it today, it makes up for the defeat of Praecido, by Lion Tamer, in 2010, and Criterion in his year drew badly.,”

“We always thought this was the right one for Ace High’s preparation, he has been fantastic, we have never had one hiccup, we even got the right draw, it has worked terrific.”

“We didn’t run him in between the Champion Stakes and today, you can have one race too many and come undone.”

” You can work them at home, it takes the pressure off, “David Payne is an ex South African training out of Rosehill.

   Kennedy Mile 1600m Time 1.35.01

Trainer Chris Waller comments, “Shillelagh will ultimately go to stud, but not this season as it is too late, we will have her back here again in the autumn.”

“She likes firm tracks, that suited her today, we have a good young team building up for the autumn.”

 Tab Multiplier Stakes 1200m Time 1.08.90

Trainer, Ms Udyta Clarke, was too overcome with emotion to be interviewed, it was a big occasion for a 70 year old lady to saddle up Rich Charm, a $5.5 favourite, and win the last race at Flemington on Derby Day.  

Had there been a float handy travelling to Cranbourne she could have even jumped ship, she was pretty nervous when she saw the horses parading before the race.

She had her concerns of how her horse Rich Charm could possibly win, but the punters didn’t, he was a pronounced favourite at barrier rise.

Udyta Clarke is a remarkable lady, she is great for racing, it can get dull sometimes, she livens it up and her favourite jockey, Patrick Moloney.