Saturday’s Eye Liner Stakes, to be run at Ipswich, is a tribute Eye Liner, the Queensland champion, among one of the very best fillies we have known.

The Ipswich Racing Club has remembered her, yet she has never received the accolades that she was fully entitled to.

Handicappers of that era, back in the sixties, did little to protect good horses, they continued to pour the weight onto her, while she kept winning there was no relief.

Eye Liner won nine races in succession as a two year old, besides her first win she started at odds on in the other eight.

Bookmakers took no risks with her; she was almost unbackable with punters, it was a case of odds on look on.

She raced over three successive weeks, with no less than 60 kgs in the Daandine Handicap at Eagle Farm, she was weighted with 69 kgs (10 stone 12), more weight than Carbine and Phar Lap ever carried, and more than half a kg than the great Bernborough carried when he won the Doomben Cup.

It didn’t take long before she reached the lead; the weight meant little to her, she won easing up by five length, as has been said,”she could have gone around again.”

Reisling beat the colts fair and square in the Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill, and was fit and ready to serve it up to them again in the Champagne Stakes at Randwick.

When word came through that Eye Liner was coming down from Brisbane for the Champagne, and Citius would remain in Sydney, this would be the answer to a promoters dream, the three best fillies out of their respective capitol cities.

Whilst Eye Liner had endured a hard campaign under big weights she did have some advantage, it would be just the second time she was racing under set weights.

Reisling set a cracking pace out in front, Eye Liner was not far away, nor was Citius, there was daylight between the trio and the other three starters.

Eye Liner scored by a neck from Reisling, Citius was a half neck further away third.

Waller to make Decision

Chris Waller will make a decision, after he arrives in the UK, concerning which race Brazen Beau will contest.

The colt is entered for the King Stand Stakes on Wednesday and the Diamond Jubilee on Saturday, both races at Royal Ascot.

If he runs in the King Stand, Joao Moreira will certainly ride the colt, but would not be available for the Diamond Jubilee as he has firm commitments in Hong Kong on Saturday.

Waller will not make any decision until he sees the horse that is stabled at Newmarket.

Craig Williams looks to be in the driver’s seat if the decision is made to run in the Diamond Jubilee, he has ridden the colt previously which is a huge advantage.

Big deal for British Racing.

A deal believed to be worth in excess of $100 million, has been lauded as the biggest in British racing history.

Following the announcement that Qipco has extended its backing of the British Champion’s Day with the Newmarket Guineas Festival and Ascot until 2024.

With that news, and the strong possibility of an increase in stake money at Royal Ascot, it would make it more attractive for the invaders from the southern hemisphere.

John Sargent has expanded his training operation at Randwick.

The former Matamata trainer has taken charge of the Segenhoe Stud’s stable, which is located next to his own quarters at the Sydney complex.

The Hunter Valley stud’s team was formerly prepared by David Vandyke, who has decided to concentrate on his main yard at Warwick Farm

Increase stakes for Autumn Carnival

Racing Victoria wants to boost drawing power for its autumn carnival.

An extra $3 million has been allocated for that purpose, following last week’s announcement of prize money increases of $16 million for next season.

Racing Victoria’s general manager, Greg Carpenter, believes the autumn carnival is where the biggest opportunity for growth is on the Victorian calendar.

“We’ve seen the success of horses going to The Champions in the last two years since it’s been inaugurated, and if we can get international participation in our autumn, it’s going to increase the interest levels both domestically and overseas in our key races,” he said.    

That first city winner is always a big occasion for any trainer and Paul Kramer, from Pakenham, was no exception as he waited for the photo finish result of race four at Moonee Valley.

When Prince Rahy’s number was semaphored it was time for a deep breath, while letting it all sink in, a big occasion for any trainer, more so if you only have four horses, with three in work at present.

Prince Rahy is proving a fairly consistent gelding around the Gippsland area, with a liking for Moe where he won on Anzac Day and finished third at the same course three weeks later.

Prince Rahy win in a photo

The gelding is proving a pretty honest horse, he always puts in, seldom runs a bad race and is a nob in the wet, therefore we may not have seen the last of him, he could be in his element during the winter.

Paul describes himself now as a hobby trainer, he has a regular steady job with Melbourne Water Supply, whilst he has the trainer’s licence, his wife, Heidi, is not afraid to put in the hard yards looking after the horses, she was there at Moonee Valley giving Prince Rahy a well earned pat.

He was an apprentice jockey attached to the stable of the Eddie and Jack Doran at Caulfield in 1978, when the horses had to be walked back and forth from North Road to be worked.

Paul Kramer with Patrick Moloney

Lightly raced Radical opened his city winning account when he scored a narrow, but impressive, win in the Essendon Nissan Handicap.

He has been well tried at the provincials, having had four starts, winning at Mornington and finishing close up on the other three occasions.

A rising four year old, he came with a well timed run after travelling mid field for the majority of the trip.

He gave bookies a skinner, while his price was up and down like a yoyo, he was a good result for the bagmen, most business was done on last week’s winner, Act Of Valour, he started at odds on and finishing third.

South Australian visitor, Music Boy, did very little, Damian Oliver was at him for much of the trip with little avail, he never looked a chance at any stage of the race.

.There would have been no complaints from the Peter Moody yard, as the result was a quinella for the stable, Radical defeated his stable mate, It’s About You, by a half head.

Both Radical and It’s About You are lightly raced and while they are showing encouraging form they will no doubt continue on with the possibility of racing over longer distances.

Radical returns to scale under Jackie Beriman

Punters can toast Damian Oliver for a brilliant ride in landing the favourite, Safariann, a narrow winner of the opening race at Moonee Valley.

She was never far off the lead coming to the home turn, except she was the meat in the sandwich, there was no exit.

Alucinari shot away with looked like a winning lead, when Oliver changed course and angled for a run on the rails.

Thanks for a great ride and quick decision the filly has kept her record intact, having won previously at Geelong.

She opened as favourite but when the money came for Dangerous Breeding and the eventual favourite, Alucinari, she was the one that drifted.

Safariann winning narrowly

Never further back than running fourth, she got hemmed in at the top of the straight from horses coming across from the outside, she held her ground pretty well, except there was nowhere to go when it was time to go.

She appears to have quite a bit of potential and likely to get further than the 1200 metres she won over on Saturday.

An eight day break from winning at Geelong didn’t bother her in the least, she took it all in her stride as her trainer, Colin Little, predicted.

Little has visions of the spring; hence she is likely to be off the scene for a couple of months.

Colin Little trainer of Safariann