International horseracing has provided tremendous entertainment throughout 2023 and, as we build towards LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) in December, this weekend provides another feast of world-class competition for global racing purists.
Two of the sport’s most famous venues – Flemington in Australia and Santa Anita Park in the United States – will host a string of coveted Group 1 races in which reputations will be sealed and celebrated.
Preparations for Hong Kong’s LONGINES showpiece on 10 December are well underway and we hope some of the horses engaged at the Melbourne Cup carnival and the Breeders’ Cup will subsequently travel to Hong Kong for LONGINES HKIR.
The first of Saturday’s (4 November) features from Flemington is the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes for three-year-olds, which is carded as S1-6 and will be run over 1200m at 12.40pm.
The pace will be good with CELUI and OZZMOSIS prominent from their high draws and VEIGHT, who has drawn the far side also close to the lead.
CYLINDER was impressive winning his first two runs as a three-year-old before extending to the 1400m when third in the G1 Golden Rose. CYLINDER then took on the older horses in The Everest and ran well to finish fifth behind THINK ABOUT IT and was not beaten far. CYLINDER is a win and place chance.
VEIGHT filled the minor placing in the Caulfield Guineas three weeks ago and can be in the finish coming back to 1200m and is a win and place chance.
Of the fillies, STRETAN ANGEL was impressive winning over this course in the G2 Danehill Stakes against the colts on 7 October and looks a place chance.
The G1 Victoria Derby is carded as S1-7 and will be run over 2500m at 1.20pm.
All runners extend to the distance for the first time and with a short run to the first corner the early pace will be good.
APULIA comes into the race off a seven-day back up from an impressive win in the G2 Moonee Valley Vase when he was too strong for VERDAD and AIR ASSAULT. He should get the run of the race from gate three under Mark Zahra and is a win and place chance.
RIFF ROCKET was hugely impressive winning the Listed Super Impose Stakes (1800m) at this track before being narrowly beaten as favourite in the Caulfield Classic two weeks ago. On his previous win, RIFF ROCKET will be hard to beat for James McDonald.
SUNSETS fought hard to hold off RIFF ROCKET in that race and if he can get into a good position from the outside draw he is a place chance. GATES rose sharply in distance when a well beaten third in the Caulfield Classic behind SUNSETS and RIFF ROCKET and with further improvement taken from that run is a place chance.
The third and final feature from Flemington is the G1 Empire Rose Stakes, which is carded as S1-8 and will be run over 1600m at 2pm.
Both DENY KNOWLEDGE and PRIDE OF JENNI like to lead and will ensure a good tempo in a race with lots of chances.
PRINCESS GRACE was consistent against the males in Group 1 weight-for-age races this campaign and then ran second to LIFE LESSONS in the G2 Rose Of Kingston Stakes at Caulfield on 7 October. Jamie Spencer takes the ride and she is a place chance.
LIFE LESSONS was brave racing on speed and beating PRINCESS GRACE and despite having a wide gate is a place chance.
DENY KNOWLEDGE led when sixth to ALLIGATOR BLOOD in the G1 Might And Power Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on 14 October. Dropping back to 1600m against her own sex, DENY KNOWLEDGE is a place chance from gate seven at good odds.
WISHLOR LASS will race on the pace and is backing up from her impressive win at Moonee Valley last week in the Tesio Stakes. WISHLOR LASS is a mare racing in great form and she is my win and place selection.
International attention will turn to Santa Anita Park in California early on Sunday morning (5 November) for the 40th anniversary of the Breeders Cup series. The Club will simulcast two of the meeting’s feature races.
The first is the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf, which is carded as S2-1 and will be run over 2400m at 5.50am and features LONGINES HKIR entrants BOLSHOI BALLET and BROOME, both trained by Aidan O’Brien, along with US mare WAR LIKE GODDESS and Japanese entrant SHAHRYAR in one of the strongest renewals of the Turf race in recent memory.
The speed in the race will be good with BALLADEER going forward from his wide gate and BROOME also on speed.
Jim Crowley will have MOSTAHDAF in a forward position and he comes off successive victories in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes where he beat Luxembourg and then the International Stakes at York on 23 August, beating NASHWA and PADDINGTON. MOSTAHDAF is a place chance.
The race favourite is AUGUSTE RODIN who this season won both the Epsom and Irish Derbies. He failed on unsuitable ground in the King George and then bounced back to defeat stablemate Luxembourg in the Irish Champion Stakes on 9 September. Ryan Moore will have him in a perfect spot from gate five and AUGUSTE RODIN is a win and place chance.
UP TO THE MARK comes into the race off three impressive wins at Group 1 level and is a place chance extending out to the 2400m for the first time. WAR LIKE GODDESS was third in this race last year from a rails draw and has the outside gate this year but will run well.
British Champion Stakes winner KING OF STEEL and ONESTO who was third in the Arc at his last run both have claims.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic is carded as S2-2 and starts at 6.40am run over 2000m on dirt.
There is a host of on-pace runners in this race and the speed will be strong throughout.
The three-year-old division in the race is led ARABIAN KNIGHT who is making only his fifth career start here. He led and stayed on to win the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on 2 September and is a place chance.
DERMA SOTOGAKE is a Japanese-trained three-year-old who won the UAE Derby in March and then looked to have excuses when slowly away and staying on to finish sixth in the Kentucky Derby. He comes to this race fresh, has a good draw and is a place chance with Christophe Lemaire aboard.
Dubai World Cup winner USHBA TESORO has been beaten only once on dirt. He was hugely impressive coming from the pace to win at Meydan and then tuned up for this winning easily over 1800m in Japan at his only run since on 27 September. Yuga Kawada rides and USHBA TESORO is a win and place chance.
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