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History Is Not With Away Game

Craig Tompson - Friday May 1

Tough two-year-old filly Away Game is one of the favourites to win a Group One weight for age race this weekend but it hasn’t ended well for those who’ve gone before.

Away GameIt’s certainly not something attempted often, we could only find seven cases in over 30 years in Australia, six of which tackled the same race, the Lightning Stakes at Caulfield in February and none of which could win.

In Away game’s favour she is taking on “only” her own sex in the TAB Classic, or the Robert Sangster Stakes as it’s been more normally known but it’s still a Group One and they don’t come easily.

The race’s honour roll includes Shoals two years ago and Black Caviar back in 2012 – see the history here.

Last season two juveniles had a crack at the top level against the older horses, Dubious in the Kingsford-Smith Cup in May where he finished fifth and the filly Jedastar in the Lightning Stakes at Caulfield in February for an 11th.

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Here’s the list (select the horse to view their lead up form):

HORSE RACE FINISH
2019 - Dubious Tab Kingsford-Smith Cup 5
2019 - Jedastar Black Caviar Lightning Stakes 11
2014 - Bugatty Black Caviar Lightning 8
2014 - Boomwaa Black Caviar Lightning 10
1993 - Clever Zoe Lightning Stks 2
1992 - King Marauding Lightning Stks 8
1987 - Rancho Ruler Lightning Stks 4

Away Game has proven herself a remarkable filly with seven starts so far this season for four wins including the Magic Millions Classic and a Golden Slipper second but she’ll go to a new level if she can climb this week’s mountain.  

Footnote: Thanks to Glenn Burrows from Willow Park who remembered (as a very young boy!) Desirable winning the Lightning Stakes as a 2yo in 1976. It was a Group 2 race then but she had won her previous four starts before beating the older horses in the Lightning and then proceeded to finish second on the Blue Diamond, won the VRC Sires Produce, third in the Golden Slipper and won the AJC Sires Produce at her ninth and last start as a juvenile. Quite a performance!

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