FONTITON has remained favourite for the Blue Diamond Stakes since winning on Cox Plate day at Moonee Valley; it would take quite a performance to push her off the perch now.

She has won at each of her two preparations, she is well seasoned which is a huge advantage, at some stage of the Diamond she will be looking like a winner.

While Victorian breeders were scratching about looking for a new sprint sire they completely overlooked Turffontein was on offer.

He has gone to Blue Gum where they are no strangers in making a sire, evidence of that being the success of Noalcoholic and Encosta de Lago.

Turffontein is by Johannesburg, the best two year old of his season, he is the sire of winners of $60 million.

Johannesburg stood here at Coolmore for a couple of seasons with just mixed success; he performed better in the northern hemisphere.

TONY McCoy, born in 1974, among the leading jump riders in the U K and Ireland, has
announced his intending retirement at the conclusion of the jumping season in late March.

He is the most intense rider the sport has known, he was been champion jumps jockey every season since 1997-1998.

With the assistance of trainer, Martin Pike, he set new standards for jumps riders for the number of winners in a season 253 in 1997 – 1998, a record that still is intact.

RECORD ENTRIES have been received for The Championships, scheduled for Royal Randwick on Saturday April 4 and April 11.

When entries closed on Monday of this week 1221 nominations were received for the 10 races involved in The Championships.

The feature race, the $4 million Group 1 Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 2000 metres on the second day, attracted 120 nominations, up eight on last year’s figure.

Whilst nominations for the $3million Group 1 Doncaster on the opening day, entries have risen to 139 --11 more than 2014.

They will be coming far and wide for The Championships, with nominations received from every Australian state besides New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Henry Davis broke the ice at Flemington on Saturday training his first winner at headquarters, via the unbeaten Lucky Liberty, who looks to have untapped potential.

Davis was previously foreman to Robert Smerdon, it was quite common to lead in winners for the boss, but it was a lot different when you are on your own.

Lucky Liberty is yet to taste defeat, he started a warm favourite in the Flemington Rose Garden Handicap after two impressive wins at the provincials, Mornington and Sale.

That win at Sale was sensational, you only had to see it to realise that the first time he came to town he would start favourite.

Lucky Liberty about to claim Siegestor

Henry Davis is among the younger brigade at Caulfield with a bright future ahead, he is putting together a handy team that are showing promise.

Lucky Liberty was racing much closer to the pace at Flemington than at Sale, he was scouting wide with Michelle Payne making sure he was not going to get boxed up, and that he had a clear passage once the straight was entered.

Davis is looking towards the C S Hayes Stakes at Flemington in just under three weeks, for the gelding a good performance would ensure a start in the Australian Guineas.

Henry Davis trainer of Lucky Liberty

Wawail is ready to take the next step after a superior first up win in the Pack a Picnic Plate at Flemington.

She obviously has no special preferences for courses as she has now won on all four city tracks.

David Hayes has been patient with her, that patience is being rewarded, she is ready now to take the next step, that is likely to be the Vanity stakes back at Flemington, from there to the Group 2 Kewney Stakes, named after the long serving secretary of the Victoria Racing Club.

Wawail wins in a breeze

“She was in the breeze all the way, making the early running while the others had cover most of the way, when they did come out into the wind she was just too strong.”

“Courage is her main strength, she has shown that quality in all of her four wins, she has been sparingly raced now showing the benefit for that, Wawail is not a leader yet she led in two of her wins, I am looking forward to her racing around the turn here.” said Hayes.

Wawail is a three year old, at present she is likely to spend another 12 months before being shipped out with a group destined for Dubai, where she is owned.

Clover Lane, a New Zealand bred filly out of the Peter Moody yard, was seen to be running well at the end of the outing.

Leading Trainer David Hayes

Marli Magic’s win at Moonee Valley on Saturday turned into quite an interesting family affair.

After a sound win a couple of weeks ago at Cranbourne, John Sadler encouraged his sister, Helen, who has a share in the mare, to come down from Colac to Moonee Valley as he thought she had a winning chance.

However, Helen was not going anywhere without her mother, Mary, a remarkable lady who is 107 years of age and still retains an interest in racing, particularly if her son, John, has a horse running.

There she was seated in the grandstand, a great result, a slight wave as she signalled her seal of approval.

Sitting at home watching the race was 90 year old Jim Moloney, long retired whose grandson, Patrick, rode Marli Magic.

Wonder if Jim remembers the organ player at his wedding, just in case he doesn’t it was the lady in the grandstand at Moonee Valley on Saturday, Mary Sadler. 

Marli Magic with Patrick Moloney up

Mourinho turned in the best performance of his career in winning the Group 2 Jeep Australia Stakes.

If the weight for age races don’t get any stronger, and that it is possible, he could become the star of the autumn.

While our Melbourne racing is very competitive and our sprinters are dominant, there is little above that level, our weight for age racing will continue to suffer.

This is not entirely a local issue, it is national one, and there is no quick fix, it is going to take time to swing the pendulum in the opposite direction.

Our Derby winners are not going on, the only two classic winners in the last 20 years to go to the next level have been Efficient and Elvstroem.

In former years the Derby winner was a force to be reckoned with in the following spring, that has now become a rarity.

Our weight for age racing is likely to suffer further with the increased prize money on offer for the Championships in Sydney, there will be less visiting horses coming to Melbourne.

Whether Mourinho can win some of the better weight for age races leading in the autumn remains to be seen, that was his first run since the Mackinnon Stakes on Derby day, therefore
further improvement would be expected.

As for Dissident the jury is out, he was disappointing in the Australia Stakes after being ridden hard all the way, he gave little in the straight.

He will need to improve rapidly as he has been sold for quite a few million, if he doesn’t improve on what we saw at Moonee Valley he will soon depreciate in value as he goes to stud next season.

Mourinho winning the Jeep Australia Stakes