Neds Might And Power (Group 1)

WITHIN 300 metres of Caulfield’s 2,000 metre start, James McDonald box-seated Anamoe on the tail of his main rival Zaaki who was one-out beside the leading Alligator Blood.

It looked straight forward from the drone footage but it illustrates one of the reasons McDonald is possibly the most sought after jockey in Australia.

From that point in the Group 1 Might And Power, Anamoe had the easiest possible run.

A little lost on the turn, he gave up ground, but once balanced it was a matter of when not if he hit the front.

To their credit I’m Thunderstruck was strong right to the line whilst Zaaki fought back after being headed, their margins to Anamoe, a head and a head.

The result was a third straight Group 1 win to the Street Boss colt who is possibly just a win away from Horse of the Year honours, just three months into the season.

He is now an even-money favourite for the Cox Plate having gone down by a nose to State Of Rest 12 months earlier as Zaaki missed that race with an elevated temperature.

“That was a proper horse race, wasn’t it,” said trainer James Cummings.

“Zaaki was burning before the turn and building up the revs and what about I’m Thunderstruck getting the perfect run through, so Anamoe had to be the best horse.

“He had to be the champion and he’s a serious racehorse.”

Tuvalu takes Toorak for Smith and Fry

Toorak Handicap (Group 1)

NEVER out of place in his previous 12 starts, it seems incongruous that Tuvalu was allowed to roll around at 10/1 in the Toorak Handicap. Group 1 placed at his previous start, also at Caulfield, the 1,600 metres was his ‘sweet spot’.

Parked in behind the leaders Tuvalu rolled off their heels rounding the bend from where his superior fitness was evident. The son of the Teofilo horse Kermadec won by a length from the Irish-bred Power horse Laws Of Indices with the Redoute’s Choice colt Military Expert in third. Trained at Warnambool by Lindsey Smith, the victory was a maiden Group 1 win for both Tuvalu and jockey Jarrod Fry.

“When I was 16, I finished school and I didn’t even know how to put a halter on. I started out on a little pony riding bareback, and progressed to gallops and trials and races,” recounted Fry whose mentor was Darren Weir.

“This feeling is like nothing else. You always dream about it, but I’m very lucky Lindsey has been backing me as well as this ownership group.”

Consul goes to Best Of Bordeaux

THE Coolmore-owned Best Of Bordeaux relished Randwick’s wet conditions to win the Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes for three-year-olds over 1,200 metres just prior to the meeting being abandoned after six races due to the wet conditions.

Challenged in the straight the $425,000 Magic Millions yearling, which Coolmore bought into in April, strode away to record a two-length win over the Deep Field colt Sweet Ride and the Snitzel filly Willinga Beast.

By Snitzel out of a High Chaparral mare, Best Of Bordeaux is trained by Kacy Fogden who took out a licence in 2019 to train privately for the Fung family’s Aquis Farm before later taking on outside clients.

“He looked like he was travelling so beautifully,” said Fogden. Ben (Melham) didn’t move on him until he had to, he waited for that rise and then just let him go through his gears.”

The Golden Slipper runner-up, a possibility for Coolmore’s Everest slot until Jacquinot got the nod, will travel to Flemington now for Derby Day.

“Kacy has done a great job with Best Of Bordeaux, she has been very patient with him,” said Tom Magnier.

“I think the colt has proved he is up with the best three-year-olds in the country and we will head to the Coolmore (Stud Stakes) at Flemington with him now.”