Racing feast … I saw three stars

Black Caviar

Black Caviar continued her dominance of Australia’s sprinters with an emphatic, but different from the usual, come-from-behind win in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley in Friday night. More than 10,000 turned out with the voice of double that number when jockey Luke Nolen let the big mare have her head at the 400 metres.

She was expected to stroll around in front, but “fell asleep” under the lights until Nolen woke her up.

Crystal Lily again was game in defeat. It was a heady, courageous ride by Stephen Baster to bounce her to the front, but in the end it takes more than good tactics to stop Black Caviar (b m 4, Bel Esprit-Helsinge, by Desert Sun (GB)), who has now won 11 from 11 – her last four at Group 1 level.

If all goes to plan – with three more races on her agenda in Sydney and Brisbane – the sensational sprinter will finish this campaign unbeaten from 14 starts with seven Group 1 wins for the season (on the trot) – her next assignment is the G1 TJ Smith Stakes (WFA, 1200m, Randwick) on April 9, followed by the G1 BTC Cup (WFA, 1200m, Doomben) on May 11 and finally the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (WFA, 1350m, Doomben) on May 28.

If so, this season Black Caviar will have won:

-       in three states.

-       at three carnivals.

-       in each of the four seasons.

-       from 1000m to 1350m.

-       in races under handicap and weight-for-age conditions.

-       setting a modern weight-carrying record (58kg) in the Newmarket Handicap.

-       breaking race records.

If the Australian Horse of the Year title hasn’t already been sewn up, it will by the end of the season. Her only rival, So You Think, had a commanding “lead” after his memorable spring carnival, but he’s now in Ireland under the care of Aidan O’Brien. Any Royal Ascot heroics are ineligible. In another season, So You Think would have done enough in that one campaign to take the title … but not against the all-season dominance of Black Caviar.

Jimmy Choux

Tough and classy Jimmy Choux is named after the famous shoe company, Jimmy Choo, and he put the boots into the local 3YOs in Saturday at Rosehill – his Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) on Saturday was a dominant performance.

Jimmy Choux promises to be the best New Zealand colt/gelding to cross the Tasman since Veandercross and Surfers Paradise won the Rosehill Guineas in 1992 and 1991 respectively. He still needs to take a step to match the deeds of Bonecrusher from 1986, who won the Group 1 The BMW and the Group 1 AJC Derby, but Jimmy is a better horse than Surfers Paradise, who went on to win the Cox Plate in 1991, and Veandercross, who was stiff not to win the 1992 Caulfield Cup, won by Mannerism.

The connections of Jimmy Choux are keen to establish him as a commercial stallion, which is why they have been wary of tackling the Group 1 AJC Derby (2400m) in two weeks – the Doncaster was on their mind. They needn’t worry, because Jimmy Choux has the next 18 months to win himself a race that whets the appetite of the stallion-buying studs – a prestige 1600m Group 1 race in Australia.

Jimmy Choux has a very appealing pedigree for Australian breeders. His sire Thorn Park (by Spinning World from a the Bluebird mare Joy, from the famous Denise’s Joy family) was a brilliant racehorse up to 1600m, winning the 2004 Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m, Eagle Farm).

Jimmy Choux’s dam, Cierzo, is by the wonderful Australian-bred Centaine (by Century from Rainbeam, by Vain) from a mare that is line-bred to Star Kingdom (4×4). Jimmy Choux has four crosses of Star Kingdom in his pedigree – yet another outstanding horse that represents the wonderfully unique place that Star Kingdom has in this part of the world, as well as the amazing versatility that his sons, grandsons et al have been able to impose on their progeny and descendants.

On the other hand, as good as Jimmy Choux is, the local staying 3YOs – the boys – are an average bunch. The filly, Shamrocker, beat the boys in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m, Flemington) and ran a terrific third behind Jimmy Choux and Retrieve in the Rosehill Guineas, and I don’t think she is a special filly in the class of the headliners such as Miss Finland and Triscay.

Retrieve looks to be the only horse with the talent, and improvement, to test Jimmy Choux in the Derby. The American-bred, Australian-foaled son of Rahy had to be ridden against his normal pattern on Saturday – jockey Kerrin McEvoy took him to the front after drawing wide – so he will be better suited by the distance of the Derby and a quieter ride.

Interestingly, trainer Peter Snowden thinks that Retrieve was underdone on Saturday, so much so that he is considering backing-up the colt in Saturday’s Group 2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m, Rosehill) to tighten Retrieve for the Derby seven days later.

Jimmy Choux is bred and owned by Richard Wood and his wife Liz. Wood also owned Count Chivas, the 1996 Sydney Cup winner. Like Jimmy Choux, Count Chivas has a pedigree dominated by Star Kingdom blood – being by Bletchingly’s underrated sire-son, Lord Ballina, who was also out of a Star Affair (by Star Kingdom) mare. Count Chivas’ dam Inquisit is by Imposing, a son of Todman (by Star Kingdom).

Lights Of Heaven

Lights Of Heaven is unbeaten from only four starts and she couldn’t have been more impressive winning Saturday’s Group 1 Schweppes Oaks (2000m) at Morphettville. Trainer Peter Moody has another star in his imposing team; already she is being claimed as a Caulfield Cup or Cox Plate contender in the spring.

When asked about her Caulfield Cup aspirations, Moody replied in typical laconic, simple style: “I don’t know if she is a Caulfield Cup horse … I’ve never had one before. She could be.”

Lights Of Heaven is owned by long-time Moody-supporter Ron Wanless and his wife Judy, who bred the filly. The Wanlesses also bred and owned Moody’s first Group 1 winner Amalfi, winner of the 2001 Victoria Derby.

The filly has an exceptional turn of foot that puts her in the elite class – on Saturday, she was laying-in on rider Luke Nolen as she surged to the front, but she was still able to put a space between herself and her rivals. Only Imposera (1988) has won the Schweppes Oaks and Caulfield Cup in the same year – Mannerism (Oaks in 1991) won the Cup as a 5YO in 1992.

There is a lot of time between now and the spring carnival, and it will be interesting to see what Moody does with Lights Of Heaven between now and then. She has come a long way quickly, and being by Zabeel, time will be her friend.

Lights Of Heaven has a most interesting pedigree. Apart from being a product of the Zabeel-Danzig cross – through her dam’s sire Volksraad (GB), by Green Desert (USA), by Danzig – she traces to the champion Australian mare Chicquita, her sixth dam, an VRC Oaks winner who went on to finish second to Comic Court in the 1950 Melbourne Cup. The die was set many generations ago.