Sportsbet Caulfield Cup (Group 1)

VICTORIAN trainer Gavin Bedggood crafted a point of difference in his preparation for the British-bred Kingswood that has brought Group 1 Caulfield Cup success to Kingswood’s Irish owners Glyn and Jane Davies who bought the Roaring Lion horse for €130,000 from the 2021 Goffs Ireland Orby Yearling Sale.

Completing the Irish connection was Johnny Allen who can now count the Caulfield Cup alongside his Cox Plate and 9 Group 1 Derby races across Australia as career highlights.

Trained initially in Ireland by John O’Donoghue where his best result was third at the Curragh in the 2023 Group 3 Gallinule Stakes, Bedggood took the novel approach of campaigning Kingswood in New Zealand to contest a trio of Group 1 races between December and March, highlighted by his win in the Zabeel Classic on St Stephens’ day.

“We were able to give him a really good break after New Zealand, which worked well for him,” said Bedggood. “He raced really well over there and was getting tracks with the right amount of give in them which allowed us to have a faultless preparation with him this time in.”

Into the A$6.545 million, 2,400 metre, Caulfield Cup off three runs since late August, Kingswood was well out in the betting at $26, having drawn barrier 17 of 18, with the Turnbull Stakes winner Cosmic Crusader the $4.80 favourite.

Allen had Kingswood fifth in the early running but covering extra ground as Jamie Spencer on Royal Supremacy led with Wine Dark Sea and Roger Varian’s Enfjaar in his trail. Behind them two-wide was Cosmic Crusader with Kingswood tracking him.

One run

Despite drifting from third to ninth approaching the final bend, Allen held Kingswood for one run. Sweeping through into the straight as the widest runner, clear of the interference to his inside, the Kirsten Rausing-bred grey powered down the straight to hit the front 100 metres out and hold on by a half-length as Saint George took second to make it a Roaring Lion double for the pair of seven-year-old greys.

Third was the Irish-bred Lope De Vega gelding Enfjaar just ahead of Cosmic Crusader.

“Great performance,” remarked Johnny Allen. “An unbelievable effort by Gavin, he had the horse spot on for today, he’s been going super this prep. We were three-wide early, but he was in a nice rhythm, and didn’t want to light him up and push forward.

“When a bit of a wave came around him at the 1,200, I was happy to leave that go and tack them into the race, I knew he’d show a good turn of foot if he travelled well into the home straight and he cantered up to them and put them away.

“It’s great for the owners too, Glyn and his partner have been great supporters of mine, great to pay them back with a big win, and for Gavin, he’s a trainer going places, we’ll be hearing a lot more of him after I’m retired.”

Kingswood has now won just over $4.94 million, winning seven of his 24 starts with Allen on for all his Australian starts. Asked whether Kingswood will continue this spring Bedggood responded: “I would say there’s a fair chance we’ll pull up stumps.”

A further shared link for Gavin Bedggood and Johnny Allen is that they have both won Warrnambool’s Grand Annual Steeplechase. Bedggood rode Banna Strand to victory in 2013, whilst Allen won the race twice on Regina Coeli, saluting in 2015 and 2017.

Inquiry into Cup fallers

The Caulfield Cup was marred by a nasty fall at the 300 metre mark, that saw last Year’s Cups double winner Half Yours fall which led to Ohope Wins being brought down in the aftermath.

The two jockeys involved, Mark Zahra and Jye McNeil were taken to hospital for observation, escaping serious injury. Half Yours came out of the race with some minor lacerations but his Melbourne Cup campaign now looks over, whilst sadly, Ohope Wins, last season’s Group 1 New Zealand and Australian Oaks winner, had to be humanely euthanised by the on-course veterinarian due to the injuries she sustained.

Racing Victoria stewards’ inquiry into the fall where the riders of Zahrann (Ethan Brown), Kings Valley (Jabez Johnstone) and Green Spaces (Rachel King), as well as Zahra and McNeil were interviewed, found they “could not attribute the incident to the careless actions of any rider” on how Half Yours was squeezed for a run between Kings Valley and Zahrann.

Stow Storage Thousand Guineas (Group 1)

THE Ciaron Maher-trained Saintly Dancer posted a maiden Australian Group 1 success for her sire St Mark’s Basilica in Saturday’s Thousand Guineas at Caulfield. Leading through the final bend, none could lay a glove on Saintly Dancer who won by just over a length defeating the Maurice filly Icelady, also trained by Ciaron Maher, and the Palace Pier filly Regal Ambition.

“To get a Group 1 quinella is very special for Ciaron and the whole team,” said stable foreman Jack Turnbull. “Saintly Dancer is a serious filly. There’s been a question mark whether or not she goes further, and looking at her physically you’re probably a fraction apprehensive, but she just keeps proving us wrong. She’s now a Group 1 winner, and that’s what it’s all about.”

The TAB Everest (Group 1)

TEMPTED, second to Ka Ying Rising in last year’s The Everest, has produced the race’s biggest upset to end the Hong Kong Superstar’s 21-race winning streak with victory at Randwick on Saturday.

The A$20 million Group 1 over 1,200 metres on a ‘slow 5’ surface saw Ka Ying Rising ‘in the red’ at $1.35 with Tempted, unbeaten in five starts since last year’s Everest, a $6 chance.

Jumping from barrier one with Chad Schofield up for Ciaron Maher, Tempted was able to hold a good position whilst Ka Ying Rising out of 11 in the 12-horse field stuck wide and having to ease.

Through the bend Schofield upped the ante for Tempted how took over the running and went for him. Like all champions, Ka Ying Rising rose to the challenge and started running the Street Boss filly down. Closing fast, the Shamexpress gelding just ran out of track. Tempted won by a head over Ka Ying Rising with the Zoustar mare Joliestar, the winner’s stablemate, in third.

Confidence

“I always had an air of confidence she would run her best race today,” said Ciaron Maher. “Chad knew what he had under him and I felt barrier 1 was ideal. She had to be at her absolute best and she was.

“Who knows what we could do with her but she has got better every preparation and I don’t think she is done yet. I’m thrilled for Godolphin. A lot of horses don’t reach their full potential, but Godolphin has been very patient with Tempted. She is something special.”

Trainer David Hayes will now return his stable star to Hong Kong to prepare for the Longines Hong Kong International Races.

“He’s pulled up fine,” said Hayes the day after. “It’s such a shame to see a champion get beaten. He seemed to race in patches on Saturday, but he was very brave, and I think he would have won in a few more strides.”

Turnover on The Everest set a new World Pool record of HK$113.2 million (A$20.7 million) being wagered through World Pool on The, surpassing the previous record of HK$99.2 million set during the 2025 running of The Everest.

King Charles III Stakes (Group 1)

IN a select field of five, diminished by the scratching of Pride Of Jenni, superstar filly Autumn Glow was all the rage in the Group 1 A$5 million King Charles III Stakes over 1,609 metres at Randwick on Saturday.

In a tactical affair, The Autumn Sun filly, ridden by James McDonald for Chris Waller, sat off the leader with Ceolwulf tracking her. Rolling around the final bend, Autumn Glow cruised to the lead with Ceolwulf being urged along behind her.

That pair cleared out but the best Ceolwulf could do was chase, the Tavistock gelding falling by almost three lengths with the Magnus gelding Just Folk well back in third. “That’s just her, she is just an absolute professional,” said Chris Waller matter-of-factly on his stable star, the winner of 14 of 15 who now looks set to venture to Flemington for the Group 1 Champions Mile on November 7th.