History Served up on a Plate Cont
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FRIDAY, 27 OCTOBER, 2017 NATIONAL DEFENSE TO IRISH NATIONAL STUD HISTORY SERVED UP G1 Jean-Luc Lagardere winner National Defense (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}--Angel Falls {GB}, by Kingmambo) will ON A PLATE enter stud next year at the Irish National Stud, where he will stand alongside his sire. Campaigned by Sun Bloodstock and trained by Criquette Head- Maarek, National Defense won the Lagardere in his third start and is one of the highest-ever rated 2-year-olds by Invincible Spirit. He ran just twice this year, a second behind subsequent Group 1 winner Al Wukair (Ire) (Dream Ahead) and when 13th in the G1 Poule d=Essai des Poulains. A half-brother to the stakes-placed Cascading (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), National Defense is out of a half-sister to three stakes winners and carries the potent Invincible Spirit/Mr Prospector cross. Cont. p4 (click here) Winx shoots for a third Cox Plate on Saturday | Bronwen Healy IN TDN AMERICA TODAY KEEN ICE INJURED, OUT OF BC, RETIRED Many have suggested the field for the 2017 G1 Ladbrokes Cox Keen Ice (Curlin), who famously lowered the colours of Triple Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley this Saturday is somewhat Crown winner American Pharoah in the 2015 GI Travers S., has been disappointing, but what one can=t deny is the fact that glamour retired to Calumet Farm. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN girl Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) looks set to create history if she America. claims her third consecutive victory in Australasia=s weight-for-age championship. Set to equal the mark of the champion Kingston Town (Aus) (Bletchingly {Aus}), who was successful in 1980, 1981 and 1982, victory will also see Winx surpass the all-time prizemoney record in Australia (A$14.53- million) held by another great mare, the triple Melbourne Cup heroine Makybe Diva (GB) (Desert King {Ire}). All of that said, racing is racing, and baring any hard luck stories, Hugh Bowman should be leading in Winx to the winner=s stall shortly after 5 p.m. on Saturday afternoon to the cheers of a packed Moonee Valley Racecourse with the sold out sign now on display. Trainer Chris Waller told a Thursday morning press conference that Winx had simply been ticking over after putting in her final pre-race work on Tuesday. "Pretty quiet days ahead; we did three-quarter pace work this morning," Waller said. "[Jockey] Hugh Bowman was here nice and early, and he was smiling as much as he does.@ Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 2 OF 10 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 27 OCTOBER, 2017 History Served Up On A Plate cont. from p1 AI don't know. Potentially it could make them a little more AWe were just chatting about how she was compared to last explosive. But it's hard to detract from when she did set a track year; she basically did the same work this morning, and record as a lighter horse as a 4-year-old and when she won by everything went to plan,@ Waller added. AIt's just one more quiet the biggest margin as a 5-year-old, and here she is as a day's work, and a jog around the park Saturday morning, and 6-year-old in good form and still holding together very well." keep the nerves away from everybody-- horse, trainer, staff-- Racing for second are a handful of contenders including because it is a big deal for all of us. We understand the level of multiple Group 1 winner Humidor (NZ) (Teofilo {Ire}), a expectation of everybody, and it's fantastic to see the Ladbrokes somewhat disappointing fifth in last weekend=s G1 Caulfield Cup Cox Plate as a sell-out crowd. That really is a proud moment for (2400m). Sent over a few jumps this week at Warrnambool to our sport and us, as it's directly involved with Winx." get his mind back on the job, interestingly the same routine applied to Caulfield Cup winner Boom Time (Aus) (Flaying Spur {Aus}) leading into his shock victory last weekend, an improved “It's hard to detract from when she did set a track showing by Humidor will see trainer Darren Weir progress record as a lighter horse as a 4-year-old and when she towards the G1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) with his runner. won by the biggest margin as a 5-year-old, and here Never having raced at Moonee Valley could cause some she is as a 6-year-old in good form and still holding concerns for Humidor as some of his best wins have come from together very well." settling back and working home, and from barrier eight of nine, it is likely that he will need to go back and look to make his Discussing how Winx has grown physically from when she won move mid-race. her first Cox Plate at four until now, Waller said, "Condition- Having one of his best campaigns, Pat Webster=s 7-year-old wise, she's carrying more weight. That, to me, would suggest Happy Clapper (Aus) (Teofilo {Ire}) finished runner-up to Winx she's become a stronger horse, and identical to people, we three starts back in the G1 Colgate Optic White S. (1600m) on mature as we get older. She's now a very strong horse carrying a Sept. 16 before capturing his maiden Group 1 success in his next bit more muscle; does it really make them run faster? start in the Epsom H. at Randwick on Sept. 30. Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 3 OF 10 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 27 OCTOBER, 2017 Ladbrokes Cox Plate cont. From the outside gate, jockey Damien Oliver will need to make his mind up pretty quickly once the field jumps as to where he will settle, but it would be no surprise to see him go forward and settle handy in the run. Gailo Chop (Fr) (Deportivo {GB}), a dual Group 1 winner, is using the Cox Plate as a stepping stone to the Melbourne Cup, and with six wins from nine starts over 2000m, the Mark Zahra-ridden gelding looks cable of running a big race from barrier four. Owner Terry Henderson of OTI Racing told Vice President, International Operations Racing.com of Gailo Chop=s Cup potential, "It's certainly there as Gary King an aim if we are in a position to do it. We've always thought he Twitter: @garykingTDN [email protected] would [run 3200m]. He was bought as a Melbourne Cup horse as + 1.732.320.0975 a lot of ours at that stage were. Everything about the characteristics of the horse in terms of his lung capacity, his International Editor relaxed style of racing and you get a little bit of support from his Kelsey Riley breeding, says he'll run well in a race like the Melbourne Cup." Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] Arguably unlucky when fourth on Oct. 14 in the G1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m), Tony McEvoy=s Royal Symphony (Aus) European Editor (Domesday {Aus}) is the lone 3-year-old in the field and with Emma Berry only 49.5kg on his back, the highly touted colt should put his Twitter: @collingsberry hand up at some stage and should appear a likely player in the [email protected] finish. Associate International Editor Heather Anderson Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen Twitter: @AlaynaCullen [email protected] Contributing Editor Alan Carasso Twitter: @EquinealTDN Cafe Racing Sean Cronin Tom Frary Gailo Chop | Bronwen Healy [email protected] Irish Correspondent Impressive in his lone Australian start when winning the Listed Daithi Harvey Cranbourne Cup (2025m) on Oct. 15, Godolphin=s Folkswood Regular Columnists (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) did finish second in the G1 Jebel Andrew Caulfield Hatta at Meydan in March this year, and while it is still unknown John Berry if that form will translate here, trainer Charlie Appleby and his Kevin Blake string last season were capable in every race they contested and Tom Peacock the 5-year-old would not be starting here if he wasn=t expected to run well. Cont. p4 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 4 OF 10 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 27 OCTOBER, 2017 Ladbrokes Cox Plate cont. He added last year=s G3 Brigadier Gerard S. and G2 York S. Appleby said, "We know there is a huge mountain in front of before switching to trainer Chad Brown in the U.S. He was us now, but at the same time, we feel it is a great honour to runner-up in all three starts for Brown this year, including the participate against the wonder mare. Being among her rivals, we GI Manhattan S. and GI Fourstardave H. Time Test is out of the are all on the same page, but as Hugh Bowman said, at the end Group 1 winner Passage of Time, herself a half-sister to Group 1 of the day it is a horse race. I am happy with the draw, and I am winner Timepiece (GB) (Zamindar) from the family of champion very pleased the way Folkswood has come out of his Cranbourne Twice Over (GB) (Observatory). experience." National Defense To Irish National Stud cont. from p1 Cathal Beale, CEO of the Irish National Stud, said, ANational Defense is a beautifully made individual and moulded with the same physical strength of his sire. He is a very exciting addition Time Test | racingfotos.com to our roster. A number of lifetime breeding rights will be available and we look forward to welcoming breeders to join us Ben Sangster, chairman of The National Stud, said, "This is a on this journey.@ (Return to p1) great moment and we are delighted that we have secured this exceptionally good-looking son of the great Dubawi.