Royal Randwick was bursting at the seams as it hosted the biggest crowd in decades, for the second running of the $13 million, The Tab Everest.

The Opera House scenario was just what the doctor ordered, it awoke the sleeping giant, the result, a massive crowd of 40,578 could only be master minded by Racing NSW’s Chief Executive, Peter V’landys AM.

“This generation has adopted The Everest as their event, and their own race, and I am sure they will come to Everest day for many more years to come, ‘’added Peter V’landys.

The Australian Turf Club’s Chief Executive, Jamie Barkley, said,” Royal Randwick had witnessed an amazing record of the TAB Everest crowd.”

The major days of the spring could only manage to draw crowds of 14,087 and 13, 803.

The accolades continue to roll in for Winx, after her 28th successive win, the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.

She is a super mare and has been well protected by her trainer, Chris Waller, he has never altered the game plan that has been firmly set months ago.

Waller didn’t get excited when the mare was near to last, when the horses came into the final stretch Winx needed an opening, the response came quickly, she was as game as they come.

Hugh Bowman always had the situation under control, but many in the crowd may have thought otherwise, and Flemington is the longest straight in Australia now, since Victoria Park in Adelaide has been closed.

Winx will be fully wound up in three weeks time for her fourth, and last assault, on the W S Cox Plate, she will forge away, creating a new record that may never be eclipsed.

There was nothing there to really test her on Saturday, and the Cox Plate may not be any different, as fewer horses are graduating to weight for age.

There was not another single horse in the field to oppose Winx , Grunt looked as if he was a Stakes possibility, and still might be the horse after winning the Makybe Diva Stakes, however, after his antics in the saddling paddock, and finishing last, he looks a likely candidate for an operation.

Winx winning the Turnbull Stakes

Caravaggio took centre stage at Coolmore’s open day, last month, as he paraded to a packed audience under ideal conditions

He is the new kid on the block at Coolmore, with a dose of scintillating speed, he was well endowed with pace, as you would imagine, as he has a proven sire line.

Caravaggio has followed a similar pattern to the great Danehill, bred in America, raced in Europe, and now on the shuttle, covering mares in both hemispheres.

He is by Scat Daddy, who was possessed with abundant speed, that pace saw him win the Belmont Champagne Group 1, and following up by going onto Gulfstream Park to win the Florida Derby.

Caravaggio at Coolmore

The sire line will be in quite familiar territory, as Caravaggio grandsire, Johannesburg, stood at Coolmore at one stage, as did his sire Hennessy.

Caravaggio is already being known as “The Ballydoyle Bullet,” he was very quick in winning the Commonwealth Cup Group 1 over 1200 metres at Royal Ascot.

He is best described as Timeform’s highest rated two year old colt, in Europe, in2016, as Scat Daddy’s fastest son he won the Group2 Coventry Stakes, besides winning the Commonwealth Cup.

Caravaggio is a very exciting new addition to our breeding industry, and Coolmore are to be applauded, they have a go, where too many studs wait for it to happen.

Caravaggio winning the CommonwealthCup

There was a good reason to call for champagne over the week-end at Yarraman Park, when I Am Invincible sired 8 winners over the two days at Moonee Valley and Royal Randwick, and a couple out of town, they all count.

I Am A Star carried on with her winning sequence in The Sporting Globe Stocks Stakes, Group 2.

Viddora staged a big performance in winning the Charter Keck Moir Stakes Group 1, she is now a valuable mare after that win, once the horses reached the course proper Nature Strip looked a moral, however, he was running on empty when the home turn was reached.

Viddora winning the Moir

The winners were coming in with quick succession, Catch Me, aptly named, gave a good account of her in winning the Gimcrack Stakes Group 3.

That was the first two year old race of the new season, and the filly promises to get further, she is a nice filly and with time may well improve..

I Am Invincible had a mortgage on the Darley Flight Stakes group1, as it turned out when he quinellered the race with Oohood and Fiesta, both fillies could be Melbourne visitors now as both ran a strong mile, and would be Thousand Guineas prospects.

Those of us that remember Ivan Spalding, and there may not be that many now, he was riding back around the late forties.

Ivan was apprenticed to Steve Murphy at Werribee, when he joined the stable he had to compete for rides with Vin Caddy and Ken Tresize, both were established apprentices.

The lads generally lived with the trainers, that has all changed now, most of the major trainers have their horses stabled on course.

Ivan was wearing his britches out to the bare threads riding track work for Murphy, but getting no race rides.  

He was always a willing worker and outside trainers responded, he was riding work, getting a few winners, keeping the wolf from the door.

Until that fateful day in a race at Albury, when three horses crashed and two jockeys laid motionless on the track, Doug Barclay and Morrie Gray, both were killed, Ivan never forgot that tragedy, or spoke of it afterwards.