I AM Superman has recorded his best Australian result winning Saturday’s Group 2 Shannon Stakes over 1,500 metres at Rosehill on Saturday.

Brought to Australia by Tralee-born trainer Michael O’Callaghan for an undistinguished 13th in the A$7.5 million Golden Eagle, I Am Superman, with O’Callaghan and his partners still in the ownership, won by over a length with jockey Kerrin McEvoy noting the improvement in the Footstepsinthesand horse.

“I must say he’s developed into a lovely big horse. He’s strengthened up,” said McEvoy. “He’s a much better unit now than what he was when he got here, so he’s acclimatised well. Fair play to him.” With two consecutive wins to his name, the Snowden’s are keen to return I Am Superman to Melbourne for the spring.

“They are the races we wanted to be targeting, those Group 1 handicaps,” said Peter Snowden. “We really wanted to win today to make sure we got into the (Group 1) Toorak (October 10th). The Epsom (Handicap at Randwick) is a little bit too strong on paper for him I feel, but I do believe the Toorak in a couple of weeks will see him hard to beat. He’s still a bull, so it is important to get that Group 1 on his resume.”

Pippie is the fastest in all the way win

Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes (Group 1)

THE five-year-old mare Pippie landed the first leg of Group 1 double for her sire Written Tycoon, with a speedily taken win in last Friday week’s Group 1 Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley. “I’ve never been on one quicker early, just how clean she is from the stalls and how easily she does it,” said jockey Damien Lane. “You just give her some rein out of the barriers and then lay on her neck and she does the rest for you.”

Pippie held sway, leading all the way over the 1,000 metres to win by three-quarters of a length from the Street Cry gelding Trekking and the Commands mare Bella Vella in third. “She’s a deadset 10-year-old gelding at home but as soon as she bounces out of the machines, she’s a completely different animal,” said co-trainer Chris Meagher. “We came here as confident as you can be going into a Group 1 race so to pull it off is absolutely amazing.”

Ninety-four in Cup

NINETY-FOUR remain in contention for the A$7.75 million Lexus Melbourne Cup following the conclusion of second declarations on Tuesday, 12 of whom are internationally-trained horses.

Of note is the name change for the Willie Mullins-trained Stratum (Stratum was a Golden Slipper winner who stood at Widden Stud), who will race in Australia as Stratum Albion.

Of the 12, only True Self, Ashrun and Pondus are currently outside the 24 who are assured a start.

Internationals runners after the

second declarations:

Anthony Van Dyck (IRE), Aidan O’Brien, 58.5kg

Santiago (IRE), Aidan O’Brien, 53.5kg

Master Of Reality (IRE), Joseph O’Brien, 56kg

Twilight Payment (IRE), Joseph O’Brien, 55.5kg

Tiger Moth (IRE), Aidan O’Brien, 52.5kg

Stratum Albion (GB), Willie Mullins, 55kg

Buckhurst (IRE), Joseph O’Brien, 55kg

Prince Of Arran (GB), Charlie Fellowes, 54.5kg

Dashing Willoughby (GB), Andrew Balding, 54.5kg

True Self (IRE), Willie Mullins, 52kg

Ashrun (FR), Andreas Wohler, 53kg

Pondus (GB), Joseph O’Brien, 51kg