A summary of the weekend’s racing and how the results will influence the rest of the spring carnivals in Melbourne and Sydney.

In Sydney, at Warwick Farm, they raced on a boggy, cow paddock of a track, so the form as a spring reference must be treated with guarded respect.

Ploughing through the Farm

It’s not hard to be impressed by Manawanui, who easily won the Group 3 Up And Coming Stakes (1300m, Warwick Farm). The Ron Leemon-trained gelding sprinted quickly from the back of the field to beat Queenian by 4.3 lengths. As much as I like this horse, I am reserving my enthusiasm until I see him tested against better opposition – Queenian and Detours are B-graders. I don’t think he beat much on Saturday and I didn’t like the way he got his head up under pressure. I concede that he is still learning the caper.

His chance will come in the next few weeks, and let’s hope we can get some better tracks in Sydney as these quality 3YOs prepare for next month’s Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m, Rosehill).

From a breeding buff’s point of view, Manawanui’s sixth dam is the great mare Wenona Girl. His third dam, Vain Explorer, is by Vain, who clashed with and thrashed Wenona Girl’s brilliant daughter Special Girl in the 1969 Golden Slipper.

Pane In The Glass ran up to her best autumn form to win the Group 3 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m). The fillies’ race was stronger than the Up And Coming. Pane In The Glass is a typical daughter of Testa Rossa – small with a long, economical stride. She is definitely the benchmark for the remainder of the Princess Series in Sydney.

Elite Falls was ordinary – finishing a weakening fifth after making ground through the inside on the bend (not really the place to be). There were rave reviews from the stable and the track watchers about her work at Randwick, but she struggled when the pressure went on. The heavy track could be an excuse, but the filly has shown a liking for the wet in the past. Jockey James McDonald offered a pert “disappointing” after the race.

The runner-up Florentina looks a filly with a big future. She didn’t look comfortable at all in the wet, but she kept giving under pressure despite switching legs a couple of times in the straight.

Ilovethiscity’s second behind Pinwheel in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) was an encouraging return for a horse that is expected to be a serious contender in races around 1600 metres, especially the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m, Randwick) on October 1. The wet track and fitness cost him the win against a seasoned campaigner. Interestingly, trainer Peter Snowden doubted Pinwheel is an Epsom Handicap horse despite his record of 10 wins from 24 starts. “I think we will aim him for the Chelmsford Stakes (Group 1, 1600m on September 3)

December for October?

There is a lot of hype about the Mark Kavanagh-trained import December Draw and he was backed ($2.80 into $2.15) as if unbeatable in the final event over 1550 metres at Moonee Valley. December Draw ran bravely but ran into a tough and fit track specialist, Philda, who was too strong.

There is no doubting December Draw is a nice horse – he proved that by his two Flemington wins (1600m and 2000m) in May – but I’m not so sure about him beyond 2000 metres. We will know more about December Draw’s Caulfield Cup hopes as Kavanagh steps him up in distance and class in the next month.

Guineas hopes at the Valley

Peter Morgan spends a lot of time patching up other people’s good horses at his Whittlesea rehab centre, but he has found himself a decent prospect in the lightly raced and raw 3YO Amah Rock.

The gelding tracked the pace before unleashing a strong finish to beat Hot Spin and Secret Hills in the Listed Mitchell McKenzie Stakes (1200m) – not a bad effort coming from a first-start maiden win at Echuca. Only very good horses successfully jump from maiden to Stakes company. Jockey Danny Nikolic believes he has found a Caulfield Guineas ride, so we must rate the performance if we rate Nikolic’s opinion – I do. While Amah Rock had a dream run behind the speed, some of the horses behind him got into a bit of trouble, so I wouldn’t discount this race has having a wider impact on better races through the spring.

Trainer Peter Moody gave his jockey Luke Nolen a “spray” for his ride on Huegill, also a colt with Guineas aspirations. Huegill ran into a bit of trouble, but finished the race off nicely, so I expect the son of More Than Ready to be a serious contender when he next steps out, especially with a set of winkers or blinkers applied – Nolen recommended the gear change to Moody, who may not have been listening at the time.

Of the others – Running Tall (6^th) will be better on a bigger track when he can race nearer the lead; Zabillionaire (9^th) ran very well for a colt at the start of a Victoria Derby campaign; while the promising Niconoise (7^th) didn’t look comfortable at any stage.

Kneeling, winner of the Listed Mitchell McKenzie Stakes (1200m) looks a filly of tremendous promise. She’s a stylish daughter of Encosta De Lago and she has a heap of improvement in her. I just like the way she travelled behind the speed and then produced a brilliant burst to run down a good filly in Hallowell Belle. Both fillies are Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m, Caulfield) bound and they are serious contenders. Hallowell Belle was terrific in defeat as she had to do the work from barrier 12 to get outside the leader, so she is excused for tiring the last bit. Trainer Peter Moody also said he had been easy on the chestnut since her first-up win on heavy ground at Seymour.

Classic Elle, a promising daughter of Reset, ran on well along the rail for third. It was advantageous to be on the fence, but she looks a filly on the rise.

Kulgrinda is a contender

While Kulgrinda is an exciting sprinter, she is not in the class of her illustrious stablemate Black Caviar, although capable of winning any Group 1 sprint in Australian when Black Caviar is home in her box.

Kulgrinda opened up in the final 400 metres for an easy win in the Listed Printhouse Graphics Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley, prompting trainer Peter Moody to say the mare was on track for the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m, Moonee Valley) next month when she will be a more than able understudy to Black Caviar in a clash with the exciting colt Sepoy.

Runner-up Happy Angel hit the line very hard suggesting there is a minor race within her grasp in the coming weeks.

Americain in France

On face value, Americain’s 10^th behind Jukebox Jury in the Group 2 Prix de Kergorlay (3000m, Deauville) was an ordinary effort considering he won this race last year on his way to winning the Melbourne Cup.

However, after watching the replay, Americain went quite well in what was a very unsuitable race – both in tempo and firm track surface.

Apart from the winner, who led and dashed away on straightening, most of the other runners were in a bunch. Americain more than held his own with the chasing pack despite knuckling badly at the start, which trainer Alain de Royer Dupre said put the horse out of his rhythm, and also copping a squeeze early in the straight. de Royer Dupre said full steam ahead for the Cup, and from what I saw, Americain looks to be nicely on track.

Luca Cumani’s Manighar, seventh in last year’s Cup, ran a terrific race for fourth after tracking just off the pace three wide without cover, while another possible Cup contender, Dunaden (11^th), trained by Mikel Delzangles, held his ground well after racing four wide without cover for the entire race.

Greys ghosts at Geelong

The grey colts Chase The Rainbow and Specter fought out the finish of the 3YO 0-72 Inglis Bonus (1300m) at Geelong on the synthetic track on Sunday – the pair are headed for better races.

Trainer Rick Hore-Lacy believes Chase The Rainbow (by Dash For Cash from a Redoute’s Choice mare) is a Caulfield Guineas chance. “I trained Dash For Cash to win an Australian Guineas and Redoute’s Choice to win a Caulfield Guineas, so he’s bred to be a Guineas horse,” Hore-Lacy said.

Chase The Rainbow sat midfield, wide without cover, before unleashing a strong finish. Specter (by Nadeem) tracked the winner until the turn, but lost touch when he lost his balance swinging wide before powering hard to the line. Specter, a winner at Mornington at his only other start, is highly rated by trainer Anthony Freedman. Specter was clocked to run his final 600m in under 34 seconds, the fastest final sectional of the day at Geelong.

The breeding lines

Manawanui (b g 2008, Oratorio (IRE)-Lady Remlap, by Filante (NZ))
Pane In The Glass (ch f 3, Testa Rossa-Lyrics, by Bluebird (USA))
Florentina (b f 2008, Redoute’s Choice-Celebria, by Peintre Celebre (USA))
Pinwheel (b g 2005, Lonhro-Quilt, by Danehill (USA))
Ilovethiscity (ch h 2007, Magic Albert-Kensington Rose (NZ), by Kenfair (NZ))
Amah Rock (b c  2008, Fastnet Rock-Gainesville (CAN), by Afleet (CAN))
Huegill (b g 2008, More Than Ready (USA)-Trust Antonia (SAF), by National Assembly (CAN))
Kneeling (b f 2008, Encosta De Lago-Sunday Service, by Sunday Silence (USA))
Hallowell Belle (ch f 2008, Starcraft (NZ)-Belle Inez, by Beautiful Crown (USA))
Classic Elle (b f 2008, Reset-Mystic Elle, by Encosta De Lago)
December Draw (IRE) (b g 2007, Medecis (GB)-New York (IRE), by Danzero)
Kulgrinda (b or br m 2007, Exceed And Excel-River Crossing, by Bellotto (USA))
Chase A Rainbow (gr c 2008, Dash For Cash-Illusional, by Redoute’s Choice)
Specter (gr c 2008, Nadeem-Woman In White (FR), by Daylami (IRE))

Photo: Ilovethiscity

The highly rated German galloper Lucas Cranach (pictured) will be prepared for the Melbourne spring carnival by Anthony Freedman.

Lucas Cranach, who has been nominated for the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate (and the intention is to nominate him for the Melbourne Cup), has been bought and syndicated by Luke Murrell and Jamie Lovett of Australian Bloodstock.

Anthony said that his brother Lee – a five-time winning trainer of the Melbourne Cup – will be leave tonight for England to take over the supervision of Lucas Cranach’s preparation while the horse is in quarantine at Newmarket.

“We thought this was the best way to get the horse ready rather than have a fill-in trainer looking after him,” Anthony said.

“Lee will employ a local track rider and the horse will travel to Australia with the rest of the cups horses in around four weeks. He’s a very interesting horse. His record reads well in Germany and he performed very well in his two starts in France.

“When Australian Bloodstock approached us to train him, we had a good look at him and liked what we saw.”

Interestingly, Lucas Cranach is a son of Mamool, the former Godolphin galloper who ran unplaced in Makybe Diva’s first two Cup wins in 2003 (23rd, when $6.50 favourite) and 2004 (7th).

Lucas Cranach, named after a famed German Renaissance painter, was trained by Sascha Smrczek in Dusseldorf. His record reads seven starts for four wins, although it should be five wins but for being disqualified for causing interference when winning a Listed race (2400m) at Lyon in France in May. Before that the horse finished fourth behind Ivory Land in the Group 3 Prix d’Hedouville (2400m) at Longchamp, coming home strongly from last at the 400 metres.

Lucas Cranach’s most important win was in the Group 2 Grosser Preis von lotto Hamburg (2400m) at Hamburg June 26. The horse hasn’t raced since finishing fifth behind Danedream in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin (2400m) at Hoppegarten on July 24, making ground late from last on the turn.

He record shows he has an affinity for firm ground, which is an advantage coming to Australia.

Footnote: This story also appears on the Freedman Racing website.

This story appears in the September issue of Inside Racing magazine.

It has been nearly a quarter of a century since a Cox Plate winner has emerged as a significantly successful stallion in Australia and New Zealand, but the tide could be turning.

The last winner of Australia’s “weight-for-age championship” to make an impact in the breeding barn was the handsome and versatile Rubiton, successful in 1987. The son of Century sired 38 Stakes winners in an outstanding career; eventually, one of his offspring, the enduring Fields Of Omagh, went on to win the Cox Plate twice, in 2003 and 2006.

Unfortunately for the breeding industry, like many of the modern male Cox Plate winners, Fields Of Omagh was a gelding.

Before So You Think won his first Tatts Cox Plate as a three-year-old colt in 2009 (he won it again in 2010), only four Cox Plate winners were entires – Our Poetic Prince (1988), Almaarad (1989), Octagonal (1995) and Savabeel (2004).

Of the 23 winners since Rubiton, 13 were geldings. The list includes some of the greats of Australian racing – Saintly, Might And Power, Super Impose, Better Loosen Up, Northerly, Maldivian and El Segundo.

Three of the winners were mares – the champions Sunline, Makybe Diva and Dane Ripper.

However, the Cox Plate might be taking on a new position as a “stallion race”, especially if So You Think can continue with his triumphant international tour de force. His likely place as a high-profile shuttle stallion between Coolmore Stud’s Irish and Australian farms will direct interest from Europe towards the Cox Plate as a race of international influence. And winners will be encouraged to show off their talents against the best of Europe’s middle-distance horses to secure a place on the lucrative shuttle train.

Of the four winning entires since Rubiton, Our Poetic Prince and the imported Almaarad didn’t make it commercially at stud, whereas Octagonal, after a promising start at stud following such a wonderful track career, has lost his commercial viability in an unforgiving market. However, Octagonal’s legacy will be that he is the sire of the exceptional Lonhro, Australia’s champion stallion of 2010-11, who is poised to rewrite the record books.

Ironically, Lonhro failed in his two attempts, when favourite, to win the Cox Plate in 2002 and 2003.

Savabeel seems to be the unlikely hero. The son of Zabeel was a bit of a surprise winner as a three-year-old and, like Octagonal, he failed to back up to win the Group 1 Victoria Derby seven days later. Savabeel is emerging as an exciting stud prospect from his Waikato Stud base at Matamata in New Zealand. He is the sire of nine Stakes winners from three crops of racing age, including the highly ranked spring contender Scarlett Lady, winner of the Group 1 Queensland Oaks, the Peter Moody-trained Do Ra Mi and the promising 3YO filly Dowager Queen.

The Cox Plate, first run in 1922 when won by the imported Violoncello, hasn’t always been in a stallion drought. Before the speed influence of the imported Star Kingdom and the rise of the Golden Slipper scamper as the target race for breeders in the late 1950s, some of the best winners went on to become outstanding stallions.

They included Heroic (seven times Australia’s leading sire), Chatham (16 Stakes winners), Beau Vite and Manfred (12 Stakes winners each), Noholme (a stud sensation in North America) and Strawberry Road, who went on to race successfully in Europe and North America before becoming a leading stallion in Kentucky.

On the other hand, some of the best winners who didn’t have a stud impact included Tulloch, Delta, Ajax, Star Affair, Fury’s Order, Taj Rossi, Aquanita, Dhaulagiri (stood in France), Tobin Bronze (stood in North America) and the popular grey Gunsynd.

Pre-1960, the champion geldings to win the Cox Plate included Phar Lap, Amounis, Rogilla and Rising Fast.

While the Cox Plate is unlikely to reach the heights as a stallion-producing race as the Golden Slipper has – and to lesser extent Caulfield Guineas and the Ascot Vale (Coolmore Stud) Stakes – the deeds on and off the track of modern winners such as So You Think (by High Chaparral) will see more commercial studs, here and overseas, taking notice of the winner. Especially now that the Australian industry is showing a renewed interest in breeding middle-distance and staying horses.

A summary of the weekend’s racing and how the results will influence the rest of the spring carnivals in Melbourne and Sydney.

PB Lawrence Stakes

Whobegotyou and Lights Of Heaven dominated the betting and fought out the finish. Both horses performed right up to expectations in their first runs at the start of what shapes as a long and lucrative spring.

Whobegotyou won the race because of a stroke of luck and his renowned turn of foot. Jockey Damien Oliver was able to get him away from the rail into a wide, trailing position before the turn and the gelding swooped on the lead very quickly. Whobegotyou was set to win by a length and a half, but his condition gave out in the final 100 metres. I doubt Oliver would have wanted the race to be a further 50 metres. Lights Of Heaven lost no admirers in her first defeat – she was held up on the turn, but got motoring over the final bit.

Trainer Mark Kavanagh, who claimed he was excited but look more like a Port Adelaide supporter, said Whobegotyou wouldn’t race for a month – in the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam (1600m, Moonee Valley) on September 10, a race the gelding has won convincingly in the past two years.

It’s a slightly different program for Whobegotyou, probably in an effort to have the horse primed for the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m, Moonee Valley) on October 22. In 2009, Whobegotyouy finished runner-up in the Lawrence (formerly the Liston), behind Predatory Pricer, and the Group 2 Memsie Stakes (1400m, Caulfield), behind Mic Mac, before heading to the Valley, his first three runs for the preparation spaced two weeks apart.

Last year, the chestnut resumed in the Memsie, finishing second behind So You Think, before winning the Dato Tan. Kavanagh said the 6YO was “fatter” than he has had the horse in the past, so it looks like a steady-as-he-goes approach to this spring.

Whobegotyou will be trying to emulate Shorengro by winning three Dato Tan Chin Nams (registered as the Feehan Stakes) – Shorengro did it in 1968-69-70, but that was in a period when the race was run as a handicap. A Whobegotyou treble will hold more credence.

Jockey Ben Melham got off Lights Of Heaven and said the mare was a deserved Caulfield Cup favourite, but trainer Peter Moody said she was on a Cox Plate program. I’ll go with Moody, who has long held the view that he doubts Lights Of Heaven is a genuine stayer. It will be interesting to see if he holds that line as the spring progresses. Lights Of Heaven, because of her ability to race close to the lead, looks an ideal Cox Plate horse.

Perhaps the performance of the ex-Tasmanian, Prince Obama, at $101, to finish a game and close third after racing on the pace detracts a little from the form line of the Lawrence as he is a restricted class galloper, but the Lawrence/Liston has a habit of throwing up a few surprises. By the end of the season, we may not pay the result a cursory glance.

Behind the first three were some encouraging performances for the future. Vesper looks a horse ready to take the next step. He has been taking along quietly by owner Lloyd Williams and there was specking at long odds ($51 into $31) that he would run well. He needs to win a decent race to get into the Caulfield Cup field. The Listed Cranbourne Cup (2025m, October 9) may suit him.

Guest Wing caught the eye with his eighth after being tailed off at the 600m. This much-travelled Group 2 Perth Cup (2400m) winner should have finished a lot closer after running into a few behinds in the straight. Guest Wing is a late-maturer who is obviously a lot better than most of us in the east have given him credit for.

He looks an ideal horse for the Group 2 Herbert Power Handicap (2400m, Caulfield) on October 8 or the Cranbourne Cup the following day. I have seen horses of inferior ability than Guest Wing run very well in the Caulfield Cup at long odds.

Vain Stakes

Thankfully Sepoy has returned from his winter break as good as we hoped he would be. He looked very special winning the Listed Vain Stakes (1100m). So many juveniles don’t make the transition into their three-year-old year, but Sepoy is bigger, stronger and every bit as good as he was when he won the Blue Diamond Stakes and Golden Slipper double in the autumn.

Sepoy, by an American stallion, Elusive Quality, not known for throwing late maturing horses, is a product of his very Australian dam line; he’s everything you see in the best of Australia’s sprinters – muscle, strength and power. And he possesses one of the best actions I have seen on a galloper. He covers the ground so effortlessly, and he pricks his ears as though it’s still all a game to him.

Sepoy is headed for a wonderful spring. Much of the speculation, unfortunately, will be around the “will-he or won’t-he” saga of a clash with Black Caviar – mooted as a possibility in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m, Moonee Valley) on September 30 – but first he will run in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m, Flemington) on September 3.

So much media time and energy will be wasted asking the question of a Black Caviar-Sepoy bout despite trainer Peter Snowden so far showing a straight bat to every ball. I don’t care, in fact, I’d rather them stay apart so we can enjoy them in all their dominant glory.

In Sydney, Foxwedge looked impressive winning the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1000m, Rosehill), but would we be lauding him if Anise had nailed him on the line after giving him five lengths start? Either Anise is very good and very underrated or Foxwedge has still a bit to prove. I think the Foxwedge form is five or six lengths inferior to the Vain Stakes, so he has a fair bit of ground to make up.

Foxwedge is an impressive looking colt with plenty of talent, but I think he carries a reputation he doesn’t deserve at this stage – that boom isn’t helped by all the hype that is associated with him as a result of the profile-boosting he receives ahead a possible stud career.

Trainer John O’Shea is aiming the colt for the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m, Rosehill) next month.

Anise, trained by Peter Snowden, will stay in Sydney for the Princess Series of races for fillies, culminating in the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m, Randwick) on October 2.

Breeding lines

Whobegotyou (ch g 2005, Street Cry (USA)-Temple Of Peace (JPN), by Carnegie (IRE))
Lights Of Heaven (b m 2007, Zabeel (NZ)-I’m In Heaven (NZ), by Volksraad (GB))
Prince Obama (blk g 2006, Clangalang-Angelika, by Ark Regal (NZ))
Vesper (b or br g 2006, Zabeel (NZ)-Sylvaner (NZ), by Danasinga)
Guest Wing (br g 2006, Right Wing (IRE)-Lacienne, by Metal Storm (FR))
Sepoy (ch c 2008, Elusive Quality (USA)-Watchful, by Danehill (USA))
Foxwedge (b c 2008, Fastnet Rock-Forest Native (USA), by Forest Wildcat (USA))
Anise (b f 2008, General Nediym-Pimpinella, by Flying Spur)

At a press conference at the Aquanita stables in Caulfield today to promote the $200,000 Grand National Hurdle (4000m) and its headline act Black And Bent at Betfair Park, Sandown, on Sunday, jumps racing’s best friend and the Minister for Patting Horses (especially Black And Bent), Denis Napthine, patted Black And Bent.

Napthine also took the chance to say jumps racing is back on the right track, a claim backed by the numbers of horses licensed to run in jumps races in Victoria – up to 222 from just 73 in April.

And he said he’ll have more to say, namely in telling Racing Victorian that on the back of a good season it should give steeplechasing the same secure terms as hurdling has – hurdling originally got a three-year lifeline, steeplechasing only one year.

Those at the press conference also can pass on this information …

1. Black And Bent, the jumper of the moment, has white line fever. Well almost, according to trainer Robert Smerdon, who said the gelding’s ability to get back and win on the flat and over hurdles after a serious tendon injury came down to “the will of the horse” and claimed “you’d almost call it white line fever”.

2. With two wins from two jumps starts this season, Black And Bent, according to Napthine, is “an absolute champion”.

3. Smerdon is looking to Black And Bent (five city flat wins, and the Australian Hurdle among eight hurdle wins) to go past the best jumpers he has trained. He said he always thought Zabenz was an absolute star (the 2002 Grand National Hurdle was his third win from three hurdle starts before going to the US, where he won a Grade 1 jumps race) and that Some Are Bent’s record (winner of the Grand National and Galleywood Hurdles, and the Brierly and Hiskens Steeples) spoke for itself, but “this bloke is probably poised to be the best of all (he has trained)”.

4. Winning the Grand National on Sunday would be good for Black And Bent’s CV, said Smerdon, adding that great jumpers of the past had won it.

5. The only two runs set in stone this campaign are the GN Hurdle and the $100,000 JJ Houlahan Hurdle over 3400m two weeks later, also at Sandown.

6. Black And Bent could go on to the world’s richest jumps race, the Nakayama Grand Jump in Japan, later this year. Would he measure up? “I don’t know the answer to that,” Smerdon said. “His flat form’s better than Zabenz, who won a Grade 1 jump in US.”

7. Will B&B have to run in a steeplechase here if he is to go on to the Grand Jump? Smerdon said that when investigating previously he had been told it “was not absolutely necessary”, so the horse would probably only school over the bigger jumps.

8 Part-owner Mike Symons said if connections were to take the flat route to a “dream start” in the Melbourne Cup, the first qualifying race was likely to be in either the $100,000 Ansett Classic (2400m) at Mornington on Grand Final day, October 1, or the $200,000 Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington the next day.

9. Symons said he and fellow owners were “the luckiest blokes on the planet”, having paid just over $70,000 for the two Bent jumpers (Some Are Bent is B&B’s older half-brother) and winning “collectively about $1.7 million and 35 races”.

10. If the Melbourne Cup is too rich, consolation could come in the $100,000 Lavazza Long Black (2800m), the other staying race on Cup day (November 1), or the $125,000 Sandown Cup (3200m) at Betfair Park on November 12.

One more thing: Marked Danger, a four-year-old jumper trained by Smerdon, is not mentioned in the same breath as B&B – four hours after the press conference finished the stable “lesser light” won a 3330m hurdle at Mornington, paying $7.

Photo: Denis Napthine, dress in Aquanita colours, with Black And Bent in the background at today’s press conference. (courtesy Aquanita Racing)

Craig Williams is the winner of Freedman Racing’s Rough End of the Pineapple Award for the 2010-11 season.

Williams graciously accepted his award in a presentation from Anthony and Lee Freedman this week at Markdel.

The Rough End of the Pineapple is given for what the Freedmans consider the worst ride by a jockey on one of their horses for the season.

Williams was awarded top votes for his losing ride on the filly Retsina at Flemington on March 5. The Redoute’s Choice filly, having her first start, charged home late from ninth at the 400 metres to finish fourth, only a neck behind winner Golden Archer in the Listed Streets Ice Cream Stakes (1000m).

In a show of forgiveness – or maybe in a demonstration of the talking ability of Williams – the jockey retained ride the filly at her next start in the Group 2 Magic Night Stakes (12000m) at Rosehill, where she finished 10th behind Altar after racing on the pace.

“It was a very open year with a lot of contenders,” said Anthony Freedman of the prize. “But we felt that in the context of the race – it was a filly we had a big opinion of having her first start in a Stakes race – that Craig deserved this year’s pineapple.

“Nash Rawiller was leading at one stage for his ride on Smokin’ Joey in the AAMI Vase, but he got a reprieve after the horse proved to be disappointing. In fairness, a rider can get wiped from the white board if the horse doesn’t measure up to expectations.

“It’s a coveted award, as the winner usually goes on.”

Williams said he was happy to accept the award after seeing the list of winners. They are:

Danny Nikolic (2009-10)

Aaron Spiteri (2008-09)

Mark Pegus (2007-08)

Vlad Duric (2006-07)

Noel Callow (2005-06)

Jockey Joao Moreira had a red-letter day with six wins at Kranji in Singapore on Sunday.

The Singapore Turf Club’s website www.turfclub.com.sg reported that the final leg of the Brazilian’s six-timer came when Won’t Stop, trained by Leslie Khoo, won the last race on the 10-race Polytrack program, a Class 4 over 1200m.

Moreira (pictured winning at Kranji) had eight rides for the afternoon, for six wins (for different trainers) and two seconds, giving him 84 winners for the season and putting him in a strong position to break his record of 116, set last year when he won his first premiership. The season ends late in December.

Victorian Vlad Duric (55) leads the chasing pack this season. Melbourne-based Glen Boss, who rode 10 winners at Kranji during a winter stint, is a big Moreira fan, as he reveals in the next (September) edition of Inside Racing, to be published at the end of the month.

“I loved his seat on a horse,” Boss said in talking about the best riders he had seen overseas. “He has an amazing ability to quickly get a position … There are a few things he did that I’m working on. It might take me a few months, but I’ll get there.”

Moreira’s other winners on Sunday were Fuku’s Pet (trained by Sam Chua), Super Easy (Michael Freedman), Qualitase (Brian Dean), Merchant (Cliff Brown) and Dejayal (Mark Walker)

The jockey praised Super Easy, easy winner of a Class 4 over 1000m. He ran 58.68 seconds for the trip but was not pushed by Moreira.

“He is a horse with a very good future here in Singapore,” said Moreira. “I am very confident that if he continues to improve – and I think he will – then I think he will be winning a cups race of some sort in the next 12 months.”

Meanwhile, dual Cox Plate winner So You Think appears certain to have his fifth European start in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in Dublin on September 3 – Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien’s wife Annemarie tweeted that the race was the Ballydoyle stable’s target with the former Australian champion. O’Brien, who trains for the Coolmore conglomerate, had entered 15 horses for the 2000m race.

Ireland won its third successive Shergar Cup – an international jockeys’ competition between Ireland, Britain, Europe and the Rest Of The World – at Ascot in England on the weekend.

Australian Hugh Bowman, on the World team with Douglas Whyte (Hong Kong’s South African-born champion) and Yutaka Take (Japan), had one winner and was runner-up to Paul Hanagan, the British captain, in the individual award.