Godolphin, Zahra and Maher enjoy a Derby day for the ages
Godolphin’s stunning Australian resurgence saw it claim both three-year-old features of the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, while Pride Of Jenni wound back the clock with a brilliant front-running performance in the Empire Rose Stakes.
Godolphin’s new Australian era continued to deliver outstanding results, with Tentyris stamping himself as the colt of his generation with an emphatic win in the Coolmore Stud stakes and Observer providing the blue army with its first-ever Victoria Derby.
Jockey Mark Zahra delivered Godolphin one of the most memorable days in its long history in Australia, with a race-to-race double started off with Tentyyis storming clear of his rivals in the Coolmore and then Observer leading all the way to win the Derby in front of a crowd of 86,112.
In a remarkable spring, Godolphin, which moved to a public training model only in August after the departure of James Cummings, has now won four Group 1s with four different trainers.
Significantly, for a business which is built on the back of its stallions, both of Saturday’s Group 1s were won by colts, with Tentyris anointing himself as the latest heir to Street Boss, and Observer confirming his status as a first Group 1-winning sire son for Ghaiyyath.
The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Tentryis had spent much of the week battling for favouritism with fellow Godolphin colt Beiwacht, but their equality in the market did not manifest down the famous Flemington straight.
Beiwacht ($3.80), trained by Chris Waller, sat close up on what proved a strong pace, while Zahra went back and gave Tentyris ($2.90) cover off the speed.
As he had done at Caulfield last start, the Street Boss colt picked his way through the field and arrived in the lead in the final furlong with a sense of timing.
It was immediately clear that he had no serious challengers, and in the end he surged clear to win by two and a quarter lengths. My Gladiola ($13) finished off into second, while Legacy Bound ($31) was the best of the on-pacers in third.
The time of 1:08.1 was a race record and the fastest time ever for a three-year-old down the Flemington straight.
‘Sounds good on an ad,” Godolphin Australia Managing Director Andy Makiv quipped after the race.
“I mean, he’s always been a really classy colt. He was as a two-year-old.
“His type of win was unbelievable. So he’s always looked a Group 1 horse in the making, and to get it done today in such scintillating fashion is really rewarding for everyone involved.”
Street Boss has now produced five Group 1 winners in Australia, while Tentryis’ dam is a daughter of Exceed And Excel. It’s a Godolphin pedigree 20 years in the making.
“They’re not overnight successes. Street Boss would have joined us in 2009. He had a year off. He had an injury to his leg,” Makiv said.
“There’s a great nick between Street Boss and Exceed And Excel. We’ve obviously got a lot of Exceed And Excel mares, and he’s having a great run, Street Boss.”
“This whole Street Cry story’s amazing. So, we’re so lucky to have had access to Street Cry, the Street Cry element within our bloodlines is really important, and on it goes today.”
Makiv did indicate that Tentyris is a colt who would improve through his three-year-old year and did raise the prospect of a possible trip to Royal Ascot.
“It’s amazing the way that world racing has become… The go to Royal Ascot’s a real thing for Australians now. This is a colt, and it’s a big thing for a colt to potentially do.”
Observer breaks Godolphin’s Derby drought
The market expected Observer to dominate the Derby as $2.45 favourite, and Zahra eliminated luck from the equation when he took the Ciaron Maher-trained colt to the lead.
After working early, jockey and horse set and even tempo and he kicked clear comfortably on straightening.
However, $61 shot Arcora, trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, closed quickly from the rear of the field and looked a serious challenger, only for Observer to respond and eke out a three-quarters of a length win.
Deal Done Fast ($31) finished stoutly along the rail to claim second, just ahead of One step Closer.
“He took luck out of it,” Maher said of Zahra. “He’s riding on the crest of a wave. There’s no-one riding any better. He’s a great mate. It’s just fantastic for Godolphin and to be able to train a colt like that, he’s got so much ahead of him and so much furnishing to do.”
“To be given a horse like Tempted to run in an Everest and run so well and to have such a progressive colt like this, I can’t thank Andy (Makiv), Jason (Walsh) and the whole team, Ross (Cole).”
“The whole Godolphin team, they’re an elite outfit, and I can’t thank them enough.”
Jenni’s back on the top of the block
Maher’s day was far from done as his brilliant front-running mare, Pride Of Jenni, provided a performance for the ages, leading all the way to win her second Empire Rose Stakes.
While technically retired on a couple of occasions, Pride Of Jenni ($4.80) showed she is far from a spent force at eight years of age, with Declan Bates surging her as many as ten lengths clear of the run.
Her rival barely caught site of her in the run as she won by 4.5 lengths, with Leica Lucy ($4.20) running into second and On Display ($26) in third.
She not only becomes the first dual winner of the Empire Rose Stakes, but the oldest mare to win a Group 1 race in Australia since the international pattern was brought in in the late 1970s, surpassing last week’s Cox Plate winner Via Sistina.
She has now won over $11 million worth of prize money and four Group 1 races.
“Ecstatic, and appreciative and respectful. Just an amazing horse. To continually do what she does, she never ceases to amaze me,” Maher said.
“Can’t thank the team, Dec (Bates), he’s a beautiful guy, rides her fantastic, Tony, fair play to him, I know he gets a lot of stick for not retiring and racing on, the mare’s happy, she’s sound and doing what she loves, there’s nothing better, winning a Group One.”
“I just want to give her a pat and a hug and slap Dec on the back.”
Oaks goal on target for Munz’s filly
Jonathan Munz’s week continues to get better. Just 24 hours after being announced the new vice chairman of the Melbourne Racing Club, the influential owner and breeder celebrated the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes win of his filly Getta Good Feeling.
The short-priced favourite never looked in any danger of not living up to market expectations. Mark Zahra kept her up outside the pace throughout and she kicked for home, eventually easing to a 1.25-length victory.
It could prove an even bigger week for Munz, with the daughter of So You Think, who is trained by Danny O’Brien, to now head to Thursday’s G1 VRC Oaks where she is currently an even money favourite.
“We’ve made no secret of our respect for this filly from her first start in Geelong we’ve had this week in mind for her,” O’Brien said.
“It doesn’t always play out as smoothly as what it has for her this spring but so far so good.
“She’s going to go to the Oaks in great shape. She’s a filly that is big and strong by So You Think. He won a Mackinnon Stakes on this day about 15 years ago and he’s passed away so it is great to see his filly turning up and winning this, and hopefully the Oaks on Thursday.”
Munz was trackside to celebrate the win, closely attended by John Kanga, the former MRC chairman whose vacant seat Munz took on the Committee on Friday.
The Thomas Carberry-trained Strictly Business closed off very well from back in the field at just her third start to grab second ahead of Munz’s other filly in the race, Voting Rights, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
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