Saturday marked the first weekend with Group 1 racing in two states this season, and we were treated to some truly special performances in Melbourne and Sydney.
At Caulfield, Callsign Mav won the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, the first win at the highest level for jockey Jamie Mott, while Anamoe took another step towards legend status by winning the George Main at Royal Randwick.
Nature Strip returned a winner, the Moody stable continued its outstanding form and these are our 5 Lessons Learned on Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Day!
1 – Melbourne’s Weather Is Ridiculous
Melbourne is famous for its ‘four seasons in one day’ tag, and boy did it live up to that on Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Day.
At some stages, Caulfield was as picturesque as ever and others, you genuinely couldn’t see the finishing post from the main stand.
There were plenty of scratchings, but it’s truly remarkable we made it through a full nine-race program!
2 – Aft Cabin Will Win The Caulfield Guineas
He started a short-priced favourite in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude, and Aft Cabin simply could not have been more impressive.
The conditions were testing – it was absolutely bucketing down when the race jumped, but Jamie Kah clearly knew what she had underneath her, and it really was Aft Cabin and daylight.
That was the second complete demolition job in just four career starts mustered by the Astern colt, and he is now a clear favourite to win the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas next month.
3 – Anamoe Is In A League Of His Own
Anamoe secured a fifth career Group 1 victory with another outstanding performance in the George Main Stakes.
The Street Boss entire was nothing short of dominant in the Winx Stakes first-up from a spell, and with Zaaki’s scratching on Friday, he was sent off an odds-on favourite in the George Main.
Having enjoyed an ideal run in transit, Anamoe and James McDonald once again proved too good on the day, beating home Icebath and Hinged.
4 – Nature Strip Is Back!
How does this boy continue to top the world’s sprinting ranks at eight years old!?
If it wasn’t already confirmed (it was), Nature Strip stamped himself as the best in the world when he gave them windburn in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, and he returned at Randwick on Saturday for a dominant win over an outstanding field in The Short.
A defence of his crown in The Everest is up next, and he will take a power of beating again.
5 – Danny O’Brien Is As Good As Anyone In Spring
His horses just seem to find another gear at this time of year, and Danny O’Brien saddled yet another Group 1 winner when Callsign Mav led home I Am Superman in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
In recent years, O’Brien has saddled a Melbourne Cup winner in Vow And Declare and several other memorable spring Group 1 winners, and he has clearly brought another exception hand to the table in 2022.