Athabascan Books his Ticket to the Melbourne Cup

Mark Smith - Saturday October 19

A fantastic start to the day at Caulfield and Randwick for John O’Shea and Tom Charlton, with Getafix winning the opener at Caulfield while Athabascan (FR) scored a fighting win in the Group III The Star St Leger Stakes (2600m) at Randwick.

Athabascan toughs it out (image Steve Hart)

Ridden by Tommy Berry, the 6-year-old son of Almanzor (FR) went stride for stride with the Ciaron Maher-trained Wyclif over the final 100m to win on the nod by a short-head.

  Waltham (Roaring Lion) was a half-length back in third.

Advertisement

Athabascan (FR) won for the first time since the Group III Colin Stephen Stakes at Randwick last September, but John O’Shea said he rarely runs a bad race.

“We’ve been so happy with him, we haven’t been disappointed with him, but he just hasn’t had circumstances to suit. Today, he got them, and he got the job done,” O’Shea said.

“The Melbourne Cup has been on our agenda all season; we just needed a positive run today to get him back in the game. I think he drops five or six kilos into the Cup, and he’ll run a very good race because he’s a good two-miler.”

 “He got a good ride today, and he showed what he was capable of. He drops significantly in weight going into the Cup; that run will top him off. We look forward to the first Tuesday in November.”

Sporting the silks of OTI Racing, Athabascan (FR) is a half-brother to Group 1 ATC Tancred Stakes winner Arapaho (Lope de Vega),.

Tommy Berry enjoyed that (image Steve Hart)

Stakes-placed three times in France for Andre Fabre, Athabascan (FR) is out of the stakes-winning Dansil mare Azabara, who also produced the Listed Saint-Cloud Prix Dahlia winner Alula Borealis (Kendargent).

Athabascan (FR) is one of twenty stakes-winner for Cambridge Stud's Almanzor (FR), a 3-time Group 1 winning son of Wootton Bassett (GB).

Advertisment

Race Result - St Leger Stakes Gr3 2600m

Randwick Track: Soft(5) Time: 2:43.28
1
Athabascan
- 6g Almanzor (FR) x Alzubra (GB) (Dansili (GB))
Tnr: John O'Shea & Tom Charlton Rdr: Tommy Berry 57.5
2
0.2
Wyclif
- 8g Archipenko (USA) x Altruiste (GB) (Montjeu (IRE))
Tnr: C Maher Rdr: J R Collett 55.5
Inglis February (Late) Online Sale $47,500
Seller: Owners
Buyer: Summers Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd
3
0.7
Waltham
- 5g Roaring Lion (USA) x Ruscombe (GB) (Dansili (GB))
Tnr: Matthew Smith Rdr: B Shinn 55.5
4
2.4
Trust in You
- 6g Sweynesse (AUS) x Shinko Bay (NZ) (Shinko King (IRE))
Tnr: B Wallace & G Cooksley Rdr: Tom Sherry 57.5
5
3.6
Etna Rosso
- 5g Decorated Knight (GB) x Kirouna (FR) (Sea The Stars (IRE))
Tnr: C J Waller Rdr: K Mc Evoy 57.5
6
4
Steel Blaze
- 4g Real Steel (JPN) x Aliyana Tilde (AUS) (Snitzel (AUS))
Tnr: B M Lazzarini Rdr: J Ford 53.5
7
4
Alegron
- 6g Teofilo (IRE) x Alegria (AUS) (Medaglia D'oro (USA))
Tnr: Bjorn Baker Rdr: Rachel King 58.5
8
7.2
Stockman
- 8g Tavistock (NZ) x Crimson (NZ) (Zabeel (NZ))
Tnr: Joseph Pride Rdr: B Avdulla 57.5
9
8
Military Mission
- 7g Mastercraftsman (IRE) x Atlantic Isle (GER) (Tamayuz (GB))
Tnr: G Waterhouse & A Bott Rdr: A Hyeronimus 58.5
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Sunday August 24
Here is the full list of 67 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Bates gets creative at The Valley
Six-year-old gelding The Creator led throughout to claim the Ladbrokes Top 2/3/4 Betting Handicap (1600m) at The Valley on Saturday under a perfect Logan Bates ride.
Via Sistina Joins Two Group One Legends
Via Sistina is certainly in rare air and if you want another stat to put her in perspective – yesterday’s Winx Stakes win saw her become one of only three horses in the last 40 years to win eight Group One races in a 12-month period.
Melbourne Cup Dreaming for Athabascan
OTI Racing’s import Athabascan (FR) made it back-to-back stakes wins when capturing Saturday’s Group III James Squire Colin Stephen Quality (2400m) at Rosehill.
Top Filly Beats Top Colt in G1 Prix Morny
The Group I Prix Morny (1200m) at Deauville overnight produced a mightly clash between unbeaten Starspangled banner colt Gstaad and unbeaten filly Venetian Sun with the filly prevailing, although Starspangledbanner got some consolation with a new G3 winning 2YO at Goodwood.
Idyllic Prince Stakes - Phanta Leads a Sweet Trifecta for Gingerbread Man
Yarradale Stud's senior stallion Gingerbread Man achieved a rare career high for any sire when the son of Shamardal provided the trifecta in Saturday's Listed Idyllic Prince Stakes over 1300m at Belmont Park.
Inglis Ready2Race Sale Now Online
The strongest collection of sire power ever assembled for an Australian 2YO Sale will be offered at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale, for which the catalogue is now available online.
Hard To Cross swoops to Valley win
Six-year-old gelding Hard To Cross was aided by the three-kilo claim of Rose Hammond as the Kiwi bred landed his first victory of the preparation when landing the Ascend Sales Trophies Handicap (1523m).
First Stakes Success For Cafe Millenium
While having just turned 5, former Sydneysider Cafe Millenium (Not A Single Doubt), who now calls Lindsay Park home, broke through for his first black type victory on Saturday, winning the Listed SAJC Leon Macdonald Stakes (1400m) at Morphettville in impressive fashion.
Navy King sails to Valley victory
A well-judged front-running ride by Daniel Stackhouse has aided five-year-old gelding Navy King to claim the lion’s share of the prize in the MSC Signs Handicap (2040m) at The Valley on Saturday.