Imports have won the past three runnings of the $1,200,000 Group II HkJC World Pool Q22 at Eagle Farm and have done much to elevate the race's status, which has been somewhat of a latecomer to the European invasion.
In 2021, Zaaki (GB) emerged as a superstar with a season-ending win in the Q22 after slamming his rivals in the Hollindale Stakes and a jaw-dropping 7-length romp in the Doomben Cup.
It was Annabel Neasham again the following year when Numerian (IRE) scored a surprise win and Teme Valley’s grand old campaigner carries the number one saddle cloth in the million-dollar feature at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Last year, the Q22 saw the emergence of Without A Fight (IRE), who was the star of the spring in Melbourne, capturing the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.
Arguably, Adelaide River (IRE) has superior form overseas to that trio, but when he swapped his all-navy colours of Coolmore to the navy blue, white armbands and cap of Lloyd Williams for his Australian debut, he plodded around a disinterested ninth behind Just Folk in the Lord Mayors Cup (1800m) at Eagle Farm June 1.
The Keis Lees-trained 4-year-old gelding pulled with cardiac arrhythmia and will have a chance to redeem himself on Saturday.
Trained in Ireland by Aidan O’Brien, Adelaide River made a winning debut as a 2-year-old over a mile on the all-weather at Dundalk and closed out his juvenile season with seconds in the Group III Prix Chenes at Longchamp, Beresford Stakes at the Curragh, and third in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud.
A well-beaten second behind the smart Frankel colt Arrest at his 3-year-old debut in the Group III Chester Vase Stakes was followed by an eighth behind stablemate Auguste Rodin in the Epsom Derby. Adelaide River trailed 11 lengths behind the winner that day but closed to within a length and a half when they next met in the Irish Derby.
Second in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp, Adelaide River embarked on his Australian adventure after winning the Group III Paddy Power Stakes at Leopardstown.
Bred by Coolmore, Adelaide River is by the royally bred Epsom Derby winner Australia.
The son of Galileo and champion mare Ouija Board has been a qualified success at stud with 40 stakes-winners, five at the elite level. He has enjoyed success in Australia with the dual Listed stakes-winner Crystal Pegasus (GB) and Listed Canberra Cup winner Almania (IRE).
A half-brother to the Listed winner Everlasting (Kingman), Adelaide River is out of the talented War Front (USA) mare Could It Be Love, who won just once in 16 starts. Twelve of those 16 starts came in stakes races. She was 6-times stakes-placed, the highlight coming when second to the champion Alpha Centauri in the Group 1 Irish One Thousand Guineas.
Could It Be Love is a half-sister to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Champagne Stakes winner Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie).
If Uncle Mo did not quite work out in his four seasons in Australia, he is undoubtedly among the elite in North America.
Commanding a fee of $US150,000 at Ashford Stud, Uncle Mo recently joined an exclusive club with 100 stakes-winners.
