On the back of a strong win by Fairlight at Kembla Grange on Friday afternoon, we had plenty of close calls and fantastic runs around the world over the weekend.
Late Friday evening saw My Swashbuckler have his first start for OTI at Fontainebleau. He found significant interference early in the straight before finishing resolutely over the final furlong to run 3rd over 2200m. Trainer Alain Coutiel was extremely pleased with his first run this campaign and will step the horse up in distance for his next start in the coming weeks. Joining My Swashbuckler at Fontainbleau was Vela who ran a credible 5th in his first start this preparation. He was a little wayward to begin with and was green in running, however he finished off strongly in the 1200m maiden.
Below: My Swashbuckler’s race replay.
Saturday in Melbourne proved to be the perfect conditions for Dark Pearl, who relished the rise in distance finishing three-quarters of a length from the eventual race winner Wetakemanhattan. A touch slow out of the gates, Dark Pearl settled nicely mid-field before working through his gears and powering home. Clocking just 34.57sec for his final 600m and the race’s fastest final 200m in 11.90sec, we are looking forward to seeing just what this horse is capable of over further ground under the watchful eye of Chris Waller and his team.
In testing conditions in Sydney on Saturday, with substantial rain and a track rating of Heavy 9 at Rosehill, Aloisia gave the Group 1 Coolmore Classic her absolute best. Having drawn in the carpark jumping from barrier 20 of 20, she handled the ground well to finish fifth working strongly through the line in inferior ground along the rail. The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace team were extremely pleased with her run, commenting just how well she handled herself given the track conditions and wide draw.
Aloisia working hard on the inside rail on the heavy 9 track at Rosehill to finish 5th in the Coolmore Classic.
Early Sunday morning, we saw the debutant Seawhatyouthink finish well into fourth place in France at Toulouse for trainer Simone Brogi. Whilst here in Australia at the Yarra Valley racetrack for Cup Day, Gallic Chieftain and Azuro finished fifth and eighth respectively in the feature of the day. Having drawn wide, the difficulty of the barrier came into play however, both horses ran on well and will be looking for a rise in distance and class next start.
A weekend full of positive runs, we look forward to seeing these horses progress in their campaigns this season.
