Rising three year old Sacred Elixir could earn himself a crack at the best weight for age performers in Australasia, in the spring.

Cambridge trainer, Tony Pike, hasn’t ruled out the Group1 winner taking on the older horses if his form warranted it.

“He will kick off in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude on September 24, that’s obviously a nice race to get him ready for the Caulfield Guineas, “the Cambridge trainer said.

“Then we will decide what path we take to the V R C Derby, or if he was to be really dominant in the Caulfield Guineas we could consider the Cox Plate, it will just depend how he is going.”

Pike will have to decide on a replacement jockey for Sacred Elixir as Zac Purton, who won the Group1 J J Atkins on the Pour Moi gelding will be unavailable.

“Unfortunately Zac will be tied up in Hong Kong and can’t ride Sacred Elixir in the Caulfield Guineas, “Pike said.

‘’There’ nothing set in stone yet, it’s still a fair way away, we’ll sort out a rider closer to the event,” he added.

Pike confirmed that Sacred Elixir would remain in his care until at least to the end of the next season.

“He is part owned in Hong Kong and whether he heads up there at the end of his three year old year, we’ll just have to wait and see, “he said.

“If he keeps putting his hand up, there is plenty of money available for him in Australia over the next couple of seasons,” he added.

Sacred Elixir hasn’t raced since his commanding victory at Eagle Farm in June, and along with his Group1 Queensland winning stablemate Provocative and the Group 1 New Zealand Derby Rangipo, have remained in Australia after their winter campaign.

“They all spelled for three weeks and they’ve been back in work for three weeks now, at this stage they will fly down to Melbourne on August 11,”said Pike.

Sacred Elixir  (pic Grant Peters)

Frankel, the Champion racehorse on the track has become the Champion sire if his first crop of foals is any indication, he will become leading first season sire in the U K, and the most sought after horse in the world.

With 10 runners to date he is credited with seven winners, with his progeny having won up to 1408 metres at this early stage.

His first Group winner, the filly Fair Eva, is out of African Rose by the American bred sire Observatory, her win was over 1207 metres.

Besides Fair Eva, Frankel has sired three listed winners in Queen Kindly, Cunco and Frankuus, he has also had a winner in France when Toulifautby quite easily accounted for a smart field.

Flemington was light on Saturday, for runners, when just 83 horses faced the starter on a nine race program, the lowest on record.

In contrast to the previous three winter meetings that have been well patronised for starters, but that was not the case on Saturday.

Flemington has stood up so well this winter, it is a credit to the management and staff as it has been racing pretty consistently.

Ride Guide Not On

Ride Guide looks as if it is dead in the water while there is any involvement with corporate bookmakers picking up the tab.

The service is the brain child of popular jockey Chris Symons, interviewing various jockeys during a two minute segment on what they would be riding on race day.

Of course the scheme would not get past first base without funding that is where the corporate bookmaker comes in to the tune of $2.4 million, to set the job up basically as a sponsorship.

That is purely chicken feed to the bookmaker, he is on a sure winner its a safe bet he will triple his money at the drop of a hat.

Craig Williams Puts The Seal On Premiership

Craig Williams’s double at Flemington on Saturday might have just about put the sealer on the jockey’s premiership, with two metro meetings of the season remaining.

He leads Dwayne Dunn by three winners, while it is not an impossible lead Williams is riding in remarkable form at present.

Highland Reel Wins King George

Highland Reel’s success in the King George And Queen Elizabeth Stakes was as effortless as you like, he had them off the bit a long way out, once he reaches the lead he is a hard horse to pass, he doesn’t give in easily.

As a three year old he proved it to the Americans in the Secretariat Stakes, at Arlington Park in Chicago, dictating the pace throughout on his way to an impressive success.

There was more of the same at Sha Tin in the Hong Kong Vase last December, he was headed before the half way stage, yet he again took control over the final furlong to record an easy win.

There was lack of a front runner for the King George V1 And Queen Elizabeth, just as it was scripted, Ryan Moore allowed him to bowl along, it was nothing more than a procession.

Unorthodox Methods Work

Darren Weir is uncanny; if the conventional methods don’t work he is not afraid to try the alternative, as was the case with Saturday’s Flemington winner, Au Revior.

The gelding required a good hit out for what was ahead of him, when there was not a suitable trial over 2000 metres to fit him for Flemington, Weir pulled the rabbit out of the hat, entered him for two trials over 1200 metres at Burrumbeet on the Monday .

As Weir explained, it may not work for all horses but it does for those heavy types of stallions when their condition can get away from you.

First City Winner For Trainer  

There was a touch of emotion in the paddock at Flemington on Saturday, the first city winner for trainer, Alan Hunter from Geelong, and Astro Castro, having his very first start winning at 100-1, and a welcome win for Jason Benbow who carried out his instructions to the letter.

Alan Hunter became a little emotional, that’s nothing to be of ashamed of, he was thinking of his grandfather, the late Curly Burns, a man that was the salt of the earth, a figure larger than life, a character, a man with an army of friends and one of the great horse trainers of his time.

Curly trained at Tempy, deep in the heart of the Mallee, he trained a number of winners over several seasons, Tudor Peak, an extremely good miler who could hold his head up high when he came to the city, Dry Wine and Dark Satin were all good winners for Curly.

“I think I made a goose of myself cheering him home, I nearly gave the game away but this has made it all worthwhile, I’m now in for the long haul,’’ said Alan.

It is a huge effort to take on the open age horses in the city with a maiden performer, and he can be improved on that run.  

The racing colours carried by Astro Castro are no strangers to Flemington, they have made many trips there with horses trained by the late Curly Burns.

Astro Castro is out of a maiden mare in Myxaar, by Astronomer Royal, he was sold recently at the Great Southern Sale for $21,OO0, to go to China.

She’s Archie, who ran second to Makybe Diva, beaten a half length in the 2003 Melbourne Cup, now 18 years of age, is returning to the breeding barn this season to be covered by the Melbourne Cup winner of three years ago, Fiorente.

That was the first time that Darren Weir had saddled up a runner in the Melbourne Cup, the second time was last year when he won the Cup with Prince Of Penzance.

She Archie’s had Group 1 success when she won the South Australian Oaks, her daughter, May’s Dream, also won the Oaks; she was sold at Magic Millions two months ago for $720,000, as a breeding proposition only.

Those that supported Sebrikka in the opening race at Caulfield had some anxious moments when the filly flatly refused to leave the mounting yard.

After much pushing and shoving, waving hands, plus all forms of antics, she finally gave in, to the relief of her rider, Regan Bayliss and David Hayes.

Sebrikka is a smart filly, her manners are a little off edge at present, they obviously can be corrected, on the whole she is a pretty handy filly and we have not seen the best of her yet. David Hayes and Tom Dabernig completed a double in the following race, winning with another handy filly in Majestic Lass.

O’lonhro was among the winning sires at Caulfield on Saturday when O’lonera won pretty impressively over 2000 metres.

He is a lightly raced gelding, having won twice from nine starts, he gives the impression he will get further as he was drawing away from his opposition, he was bred by Ms Lyn Alderson from her mare, Danera by Danehill,

O’lonhro, as the name suggests, is by Lonhro, he is a likeable horse resembling his sire, he has quite a impressive pedigree, his dam, Mamzelle Pedrille, is well related as this is the family of Flight, Sky Line and Sky High, the full brothers that each won a Golden Slipper and a Derby, while current prominent sire, I Am Invincible, is a generation back in the pedigree.

Fresh from a brief vacation, Damian Oliver was back to his best in winning the Group 3 Sir John Monash aboard Wild Rain

The race was a great result for Mark Kavanagh, who has been to hell and back, associated with the prolonged cobalt inquiry.

Wild Rain would most likely appear next in the Bletchingly Stakes at weight for age at over 1200 metres, at Caulfield, the last race meeting of the metropolitan season.

Lord Of The Sky Looked a picture in the post parade, with a handler each side of him and neck arched, he looked the cream of the crop, he ran up to his best, but his best looks to be behind, it seems he is a light of other days.

Black Caviar’s first foal, a rising two year old filly by Exceed And Excel, has been named Oscietra.

The youngster is certain to be the centre of attention when she first steps out onto the racecourse.

Whether she can emulate her dam is another matter, as our very best race mares have an ordinary track record as far as breeding winners.

Tranquil Star, Flight and Makybe Diva, all failed to produce what would be considered as a top performer.

The exception was Chicquita, she produced the outstanding colt of his year in Eskimo Prince.

Black Caviar has a rising yearling by Sebring, she was covered last season by Snitzel

Black Caviar

Capitalist on track for Missile

Capitalist trailed at Randwick this morning in readiness for his reappearance in the Missile Stakes, in the middle of next month.

The champion colt looked a picture, he is simply sparkling, he brought a smile to the face of his trainer Peter Snowden, the colt certainly received the seal of approval from the master trainer.

He will trial again before he actually races, at this stage he is coming to hand well, doing everything that has been asked of him.

Capitalist is an exceptional colt, as was shown when he thrashed his rivals in the Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill Gardens back in March.

It will be first things first, there are no plans beyond the Missile, a program will soon fall into place after that initial run.

Of course there is also a stud career to be obviously considered, when a colt wins a Golden Slipper a lot of things change.

Capitalist - Champion Colt