There was good reason to be at Caulfield yesterday for champagne racing at it best, with Fiorente’s appearance in the weight for age Peter Young Stakes on top of the list.

Some thought the Melbourne Cup winner looked a bit big, you would expect that, there is a tough campaign ahead of him, the Australian Cup, then Sydney, and Royal Ascot could also be begging.

If he was going to be beaten he would have been beaten yesterday, he was looking pretty vulnerable at the halfway stage of the race giving the leaders a bigger start than Damian Oliver would have anticipated.

However, when Oliver asked for the supreme effort he put in, as horses of his class generally do, the good ones don’t shirk the issue.

Gai Waterhouse was there singing the praises of Fiorente and rightly so, he is a class act with Melbournians, they will have another chance to see him in the Australian Cup next Saturday week.

“ It was like the Melbourne Cup all over again,”she said “it’s nice when you’ve won a major race to be able to come and back up so well, he only won the race in the last 75 meters, “ she added.

Fiorente about to claim the leaders in the Peter Young Stakes

Crack Sydney colt, Fighting Sun, has been injured and will miss the autumn racing.

The injury was obviously sustained after his easy win in the Canonbury Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.

He will now be scratched from the Golden Slipper Stakes in which he was the pre post favourite.

It is a huge loss to connections, a Golden Slipper success is worth more than winning a lottery.

Foundry showed a touch of class in winning the tab.com.au Trophy at Flemington with the promise of better things yet to come.

Just as Our Hand Of Faith was getting the better of Decircles in tight a finish, Foundry emerged basically unseen and defeated them both.

There are no immediate plans for the import, formerly trained by Aiden O’Brien at Ballydoyle, now owned by Nick Williams, and his father Lloyd.

Foundry has had a short but interesting career to date, he is a five year old to southern hemisphere time, yet has only had three starts before coming here.

There is no question he has got tons of talent, we only caught an intimate glimpse of that on Saturday, you can be sure there is more to come.

Foundry wins at Flemington

Foundry won a Maiden race at Leopardstown over 1400 metres 15 months ago, and did not appear again until the following August in the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes at York over 2400 metres, his only other run was the 2900 metres of the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster.

His dam, Sharp Lisa, whilst she won just four races was a pretty handy sort of mare, she won in Group 1 company at Santa Anita, and was placed twice at Group 1 and once at Group 2, yet the stake earnings were not that flash, $872,504.

Foundry under Craig Williams 

Hucklebuck is likely to go into the Australian Guineas as nominal favourite after his win in the C S Hayes Stakes at Flemington.

He will strip a fit horse after Saturday and now looks as if he will get the 1600 metres, where there may have been doubts previously, they might be erased now.

Each time his trainer, Phillip Stokes, raises the bar he has met the challenge, if ridden as he was in the Hayes Stakes he will get the 1600 metres of the Guineas.

Hucklebuck raced mid field for most of the Hayes Stakes, his rider, Dom Tourneur, gave the gelding a testing assignment, which he needed, he went to the line full of running.

Boom colt Prince Harada was given a great ride by Craig Williams, he didn’t get the trip yet it was still the best run he has turned in to date 

Phillip Stokes takes Hucklebuck into the Guineas as a more seasoned horse, he is now relaxing in his races and he is beginning to grow up, coming good at the right time.

Polanski was scratched again, for the second time, during his Guineas preparation due to ring worm, the worst of that is now behind him, however his fitness has to be questioned, there is nothing like racing to get a horse fully fit.

Hucklebuck wins C S Hayes Stakes

There has always been a great alliance between trainer, Steve Richards, and jockey, Steven King, there hasn’t been much joy for either over the past 12 months.

It has been a long road without a turn, however, that turn arrived on Saturday at Flemington when Marcado saluted in the Listed Talindert Stakes.

Steven Richards, he couldn’t remember his last city winner, he admits is has been a while but there is no pointing in looking back, it is now marching forward with a view to the Sire’s Produce Stakes.

It has been no walk in the park for Steven King either after breaking a foot resulting in a fall at Ballarat, there has been a couple of wins since at the mid week fixtures.

When your name doesn’t appear in the form guide pages, through no fault of your own, there is always someone about to step in and take your place.

Marcado has an excellent pedigree and could have been a steal at $90,000, out of the Karaka Sales in New Zealand he is by Choisir, out of Circles of Ice, a half sister to Gold Anthem, dam of Starspanglebanner, a colt bred on exactly the same identical cross will be offered as Lot 356 by Oakford Thoroughbred Farm at the Premier Yearling Sales.

Marcado returns to scale with Steven King up