SUNDAY, 3 APRIL 2016 WARD=S PLANS SCUPPERED BY WEATHER WONDERFUL WINX WINS It wasn=t quite the dream start Wesley Ward was hoping for THE DONCASTER with his first runners in Britain this season, as overnight rain at Doncaster made the going very testing for the first major turf meeting of the season. Ante-post Brocklesby S. favourite Create A Dream (Oasis Dream {GB}), the filly Ward says has been exciting him since she first came into training, was scratched after two races had been run at the Yorkshire track, with jockeys returning to the weighing-room reporting the ground to be heavy, despite an official going change to soft, heavy in places. The Last Lion (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) replaced her at the head of the betting and duly continued the fine run of Mark Johnston=s juveniles so far this season to become his fourth 2-year-old winner of the campaign. Cont. p7 Winx | Sharon Chapman by Kelsey Riley Australia=s latest supermare, Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), had NYQUIST ROMPS IN FLORIDA DERBY never given her growing legion of fans a moment=s worry in her Reddam Racing=s 2015 champion 2-year-old male Nyquist three prior starts this year leading into Saturday=s G1 Doncaster (Uncle Mo) maintained his unbeaten record in the Mile. The bay gave her backers an anxious moment, however, GI Xpressbet.com Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park Saturday. when coming under a ride by jockey Hugh Bowman at the top of Click or tap here to go straight to TDN America. the Randwick stretch Saturday, but she got into a rhythm soon after and won in her customary dominant style to put an exclamation point on the opening day of The Championships and earn a berth in the GI Breeders= Cup Mile at Santa Anita Park in November. Trainer Chris Waller reflected on the pressure of preparing the country=s best horse, saying, AIt=s been a pretty tough week, to say the least. It=s taken things to a new level for me. I don=t know how Peter Moody [with Black Caviar] did it is all I can say, and I=ve only done it for about five starts.@ Waller added, AI thought she was beaten at the half-mile, let alone the 600-metre mark; she was going nowhere and I have never seen Hughie have to niggle her. Even after a few hundred metres, she never gets right back there unless we are taking her back from wide draws, but that was not really the plan. She just looked like she was skipping a few strides on the track, maybe she wasn=t, but gee she showed some guts that last 200 metres.@ AWe took on the handicapper,@ continued Waller. AShe=s a champion. Does it get any better? It=s pretty unbelievable.@ Cont. p2 ® “He’s the best I’ve ever had and the best I’ve ever seen” SIR HENRY CECIL #WithoutEqual Frankel’s first yearlings at 2008 b h Galileo - Kind (Danehill) 16.1hh (1.65m) to stud 2013 the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale 2016 Contact: Simon Mockridge | James O’Donnell | Sabine Bouard +44 (0)1638 731115 | [email protected] | www.juddmonte.com BATED BREATH CACIQUE CHAMPS ELYSEES DANSILI FRANKEL KINGMAN OASIS DREAM TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL $ PAGE 2 of 14 $ THETDN.COM SUNDAY, 3 APRIL 2016 Doncaster Mile 3--Azkadellia (NZ), 50.0, m, 4, Shinko King (IRE)--Raving (NZ), by Centaine. O-B Connolly; B-C R Linton, Central, NZ; T-C Maher; J-G Boss; A$240,000. Margins: 2.0 len, 2.2 len, 6.3 len. Odds: 0.80, 12.00, 8.00. Saturday, Randwick, Australia Also Ran: Vergara, Bow Creek (IRE), Stratum Star, Good Project, DONCASTER H.-G1, A$3,124,500 He or She, Rudy, Volkstok'n'barrell (NZ), Ecuador (NZ), First Seal, (£1,686,770/€2,106,391/2,400,240), ATC, 4-2, 3yo/up, Open Aomen (IRE), Turn Me Loose (NZ), Kermadec (NZ). Handicap, 1600mT, 1:35.27, Soft. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com 1--WINX, 56.5, m, 4, by Street Cry (IRE) catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO. 1st Dam: Vegas Showgirl (NZ) (MSW & GSP-Aus, Traveling near last as Vergara (Aus) (Snippetson {Aus}) set the $172,062), by Al Akbar tempo in the Doncaster, Winx still had 10 lengths to make up 2nd Dam: Vegas Magic, by Voodoo Rhythm (USA) and was under a ride as the field raced towards the top of the 3rd Dam: Vegas Street (NZ), by Sovereign Edition (IRE) stretch. Behind a wall of horses swinging into the straight, Winx (A$230,000 Ylg 2013 MM Gold Coast Yearling Sale) O-Magic sliced her way between rivals under Hugh Bowman, took dead Bloodstock Racing (Mgr: P G Tighe), R G Treweeke & Mrs D N aim on Vergara at the 200-metre mark and drew clear from a Kepitis; B-Fairway Thoroughbreds NSW; T-C J Waller; J-J fast-finishing Happy Clapper in the closing stages. Bowman; A$1,924,500. Lifetime Record: 19-13-3-0, Winx played a minor part in this meeting last year, finishing A$6,678,425. *1/2 to El Divino (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), GSW-Aus, second in the G1 Australian Oaks, but her profile has been $114,025. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the anything but small ever since. The bay kicked off a now 9-race eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. win streak in her next race that would see her collect six Group 2--Happy Clapper, 50.5, g, 5, Teofilo (Ire)--Busking, by Encosta 1s and counting. The first win of her unbeaten run was the G3 de Lago. O-M W Thomas; B-Mr M Thomas ACT; T-P J Webster; Sunshine Coast Guineas May 16, which she followed with her first J-B Avdulla; A$520,000. Group 1 score in the G1 Queensland Oaks two weeks later. Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL $ PAGE 3 of 14 $ THETDN.COM SUNDAY, 3 APRIL 2016 After Saturday=s win, Bowman echoed Waller=s sentiments on the pressure of handling a champion. AThe build-up was really something,@ he said. AI can really understand what people that have had other champion racehorses go through when they come to the races, because the expectation is to win and you have so much confidence in the horse and you have confidence in yourself too. But it=s still horse racing and anyone that been around knows there are plenty of tales to be told. To rely on a horse like this is just unbelievable.@ Bowman admitted he had concerns during the race. AI=ll be honest, today, it was the first time in any time I have ridden her that halfway through the race I was concerned because of the worn track,@ he said. AIt=s racing Co-owner Debbie Kepitis is all smiles on the worst side of soft after the Doncaster | Sharon Chapman in my opinion; race nine today, it=s had a fair bit of use. She wasn=t overly comfortable in it so the fact that she wasn=t comfortable and still produced that finish is something only a horse of champion qualities can do. I=m elated.@ Bowman & Winx return victorious Sharon Chapman There has been plenty of talk of Winx backing up in next Wonderful Winx Wins the Doncaster Cont. Saturday=s A$4 million G1 Queen Elizabeth S., but Waller said, Brought back as a 4-year-old in the G2 Theo Marks S. at AThat=s not today=s problem. We=ll enjoy today and see what Rosehill Sept. 12, Winx won the G1 Epsom H. over this track and happens from here.@ trip Oct. 3 and was a dominating victress of the G1 William Hill Cox Plate to wrap up her season. The first-up winner of the Winx’s connections earn: G2 Apollo S. going 1400 metres over this track Feb. 13, Winx Automatic berth into the BC Mile disposed of her rivals in the G1 Chipping Norton S. over this & $40,000 in Pre-Entry & Entry Fees course-and-distance two weeks later and handled the slight $40,000 travel award for ALL BCWC starters drop back in distance with aplomb when taking Rosehill=s 1500- (based outside CA) metre G1 George Ryder S. Mar. 19. TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL $ PAGE 4 of 14 $ THETDN.COM SUNDAY, 3 APRIL 2016 Winx=s Brother Wins Opener... Saturday, Randwick, Australia Saturday at Randwick proved a family affair for the progeny of TJ SMITH S.-G1, A$2,614,500 Fairway Thoroughbreds= Vegas Showgirl (NZ) (Al Akbar). Winx=s (£1,411,445/€1,762,573/US$2,008,458), ATC, 4-2, Open WFA, half-brother El Divino (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) backed up his >TDN 1200mT, 1:10.10, Soft. Rising Star= maiden- 1--CHAUTAUQUA, 58.5, g, 5, by Encosta de Lago (Aus) breaking performance at 1st Dam: Lovely Jubly (MG1SW-Aus, A$1,468,500), Gosford two weeks ago by Lion Hunter with a dead-heat win in 2nd Dam: Jaboulet (NZ), by Vice Regal (NZ) the G3 Widden 3rd Dam: Avadell (NZ), by In the Purple (FR) Kindergarten S. The Gai (A$300,000 RNA yrl >12 INGEAS) O-R & C Legh Racing (Mgrs: R Waterhouse-trained El & Mrs C Legh), G P I Racing (Mgr: G Ingham), Gurners Bloodstock Divino shared the spoils (Mgr: M A Ramsden), G Pulitano, S W Kay, Ms M A Keating, El Divino & Astern (r) can=t be separated with Godolphin=s G2 Silver Wright Racing (Mgrs: P & R Wright); B-Woodbury Pty Ltd NSW; at the line Sharon Chapman Slipper winner Astern T-M, W & J Hawkes; J-Tommy Berry; A$1,514,500.