The set weights and penalties conditions of the $1million Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) has set the stage for an intriguing race this Saturday with an Everest winner weighted to win, but will he?
Until 2007 the two great sprint handicaps of Australia's southern Autumn carnivals were the Newmarket at Flemington and the Goodwood at Morphettville.
The VRC Newmarket is older being first run in 1874 and no one would argue its premier status - but the Goodwood, inaugurated by the SAJC in 1881 and won by the intriguingly named D.O.D, has always been a great race in it’s own right.
The two races received G1 status just a year apart, the Newmarket Hcp in 1979 and the Goodwood Hcp in 1980 - a recognition of its importance on the national calendar as a top tier contest of speed.
Back in 1940 the legendary sprinter Aurie's Star won the Goodwood having previously collected two Oakleigh Plates and a Newmarket.
In 2007 the race conditions changed from handicap to set weights and penalties and it became simply “The Goodwood.”
Two of the Newmarket's greatest winners also added a Goodwood to their trophy cabinets along with their international laurels.
In 2012 the one and only Black Caviar was on course to thrill the Morphettville crowds - her win was the third of four consecutive victories by females from 2010 -2013.
Three years earlier Joe Janiak and his folk hero Takeover Target had collected the Goodwood on their magical mystery tour of global sprint features
Notable Goodwood winners are Santa Ana Lane,Trekking, Vega Magic, Black Heart Bart, Let Go Thommo, Super Elegant, Bomber Bill, Keeper and Euclase to name a few.
Its last two editions have been won by females - 2024 was an all-girl trifecta headed by Benedetta - while the three year old filly Royal Merchant beat the field home in 2023.
The headline act in the relatively small field of 13 this year is the favourite - dual G1 winner and Everest hero, Giga Kick.
The lightly raced five year old seeks to reboot an amazing career cruelled by injury.
He lines up against a high quality field, and as ever it's a tricky race to assess.
Top Tip: AMEENA
Ameena will have to be at least as good as Lone Rock and 2023 winner Royal Merchant if she is to become only the third filly in the last 25 years to win a Goodwood.
Lone Rock hadn't won beyond G3 prior to her victory while Royal Merchant won it at her first G1 start, and neither was tasked with beating an Everest winner.
But Ameena was hugely impressive first up - at her first try at G1 level - behind her older rival here Charm Stone, going down to that mare by a neck in the Robert Sangster Stakes, after losing some momentum in her run to the line. Last year's Goodwood placegetters Stretan Angel and Climbing Star were behind them.
Ameena is a homebred for Emirates Park and like this year's Golden Slipper winning filly Marhoona, she descends from a mare by their wonderful stallion Secret Savings.
While exceptional talent Charm Stone is already proven at Group level in mixed company and was probably unlucky not to place in a Golden Rose, Ameena has to jump another high bar here.
But this Michael Freedman - trained filly has the pedigree to suggest that she really could be “one out of the box” and with just 52.5kg on her back this time and with canny veteran Dean Yendall aboard, I think she is a great chance.
It’s early days in his stud career, but Brazen Beau's Silver Slipper winner Tassort is so far siring true to his breeding - hailing from a family of elite females, his two Group winners and one Group placed to date all fillies.
Ameena's beautifully bred damsire Harbour Watch (IRE) shuttled for two seasons to Australia by Emirates Park, but he was sadly short lived.
A member of one of the world’s great stallion families he was unbeaten at two years, a successful sire in Europe and was a half brother to dual G1 winning South African filly Europa Point claiming the legendary Fall Aspen as his third dam.
Harbour Watch’s grand-dam Sheroog is a full sister to Colorado Dancer the dam of breed-shaping sire Dubai Millenium.
It's notable that Dubai Millenium's unraced sister Chaquiras foaled Exceed and Excel's champion northern hemisphere bred filly Threading who won the G2 Lowther Stakes and led the field home for second in a memorable G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot won by a bona fide freak in Alpha Centauri.
Secret Savings brings in that Seeking The Gold blood through Ameena's second dam the stakes winner Boom Time Savings, who ran fourth in a Golden Slipper.
Now we go to the sire of Harbour Watch, Acclamation. A champion sire and broodmare sire like his great son Dark Angel - bringing a world leading source of superior speed, toughness and the will to win.
One of the most successful nicks for Acclamation /Dark Angel has been Exceed And Excel and another producing great results is Green Desert.
It's just a nice crowning touch to Ameena's pedigree that Tassort’s third dam the mighty sprinter La Baraka was by Rubiton's brother Euclase - not a champion like his brother was, but pretty darn good, and he blitzed them by three lengths in The Goodwood of 1992.
This filly is a shining example of a pedigree with “no holes in it” which has been crafted by a breeder with a lovingly curated broodmare band, so that each line of the pedigree complements the whole to produce a seamless mix of excellence.
Ameena will have to be something special to win, but very possibly she is!
Next best: GIGA KICK
Beautiful Giga Kick is by Scissor Kick, by a stallion who never lived up to either his excellent racetrack performance or his regal pedigree, but like many such sires he came up with one blazing star.
Giga Kick was bred by GSA Bloodstock ( who also bred his sire) and was raised at Bhima Stud.
His imported stakes place dam Rekindled Applause visited only the best, including Redoute's Choice himself - five times!
But it was the visit to the least exalted of her mates Scissor Kick which gifted the world with her tenth foal - the little colt who would grow up to become “Giga” the Everest hero and dual G1 winner.
It's intriguing to look at where this flashy chestnut ball of talent that is Giga Kick came from and anyone with an interest would have observed that he was one of the first bred on an increasingly commonplace and successful pattern - linebreeding to his own damline x 2 through its most influential daughter Best In Show.
Plus doubling up champion sire Rainbow Quest and bringing together Nijinsky and his three quarter brother The Minstrel.
To Redoute's Choice, stakes placed Rekindled Applause had produced (relatively) moderately talented sons Rekindled Power and Shuffle Up - the latter expressed the speed genes in a different way and ran a course record over 2400m at Randwick!
There was something good going on, but there was a missing ingredient or two and that was provided by the world class damline of Scissor Kick nicking with this European bred mare which activated the speed genetics of Rekindled Interest's damsire Royal Applause.
Royal Applause was a great sprinter and became a breed shaping sire.
The favourite stallion of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Royal Applause achieved immortality as the sire of Acclamation, and he is also the damsire of champion sprinter and stallion Blue Point.
Rekindled Applause had a daughter Lago Ovation by Encosta De Lago, and she foaled G1 winner and sire Alabama Express to the cover of mighty Redoute's.
And that's how this incredible nick between one stallion and one damline will be carried forward - Alabama Express has already sired the G1 winners the freakish Treasurethe Moment and top sprint filly Alabama Lass amongst his stakes-winners.
My little doubt on Giga Kick here is the fact that on his long awaited return from injury he was unplaced first up and unplaced three times on good tracks from four starts. The track condition may have had nothing to do with it as he'd had such a long layoff - but there is always that question with injury comebacks.
Although Morphettville is a soft 5 at time of writing, it is drying and will be good by race time.
He has had a really solid grounding for this with three great trials and by all accounts trainer Clayton Douglas and connections are thrilled with how their big boy is going, no doubt also rejoicing that The Goodwood is no longer a handicap.
Because Giga Kick's 54.5kg looks a little ridiculous given that he finished one point behind superhorse Kai Ying Rising at the end of 2024 in the World's Best Racehorse Rankings - but he hasn't actually won a race for nearly two years.
Mark Zahra takes the ride aboard the crowd favourite.
It’s a boon for the SAJC to have Giga Kick at Morphettville for the first time to contest their famous G1 sprint.
Lest we forget though - the shock unplaced run a couple of weeks ago by “The King of Ascot” Overpass in the Quokka, and the fact that favourites have a fairly poor record in The Goodwood.
Will Giga bring his A-Game and claim Goodwood glory?
Value: GENEROSITY
The next question is, will the Quokka form hold up?
If Jokers Grin were lining up here he would probably be second or third favourite.
Generosity is one of only two horses to have beaten him - and though the Quokka is a slot race there's absolutely no doubting (in my mind at least) that it was a G1 quality horse race with runner up Headwall and legit champion Overpass in the field.
Also, it's run at WFA which makes Generosity's 52.5kg here look pretty inviting.
It's a fair argument that the Simon Miller trained four year old has been a bit of a bridesmaid in her career to date. On the other hand, what a return on investment she has already been.
Generosity was purchased by Miller for a measly $9,000 - from Glastonbury Farm’s 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast draft.
What a buy! Her career earnings currently amount to $774,915 from 21 starts, four of which have netted black type - aside from her Quokka eyecatcher where she raced wide all the way and yet finished resolutely less than a length from Jokers Grin and just behind Newmarket runner up Headwall.
Like Ameena she gets back and needs the pace on - it's hard to imagine a scenario where that doesn't unfold here.
Generosity was tried and placed up to a mile but it seems this classy daughter of Divine Prophet has found her forte being kept to sprint trips.
Divine Prophet gained his G1 in the Caulfield Guineas but he had plenty of speed, and was the more precocious of two G1 winning brothers ( Proisir the other) by legendary sprinter Choisir out of the Encosta De Lago mare Prophet Jewel.
Proisir is already a champion sire and notably his three best to race all multiple G1 winners, are mares.
Can Generosity become the first for Divine Prophet?
The stallion has enjoyed success with speedy females See You In Heaven (Group winner at Sandown, Flemington and Morphettville ) Fortunate Kiss (runner up Wangoom Hcp) and Generosity but is yet to sire a G1 winner.
Generosity's winning dam Orabelle is a daughter of Casino Prince, a stallion who retired from stud duties this year after a distinguished career.
The hallmark of his stock is sustained high quality speed and Orabelle had that.
Apart from Generosity she has also produced Group placed sprinter Midnight In Tokyo from her three to race.
Casino Prince sired many talented females and being a son of Flying Spur it follows that he becomes an excellent broodmare sire
Casino Prince daughters have produced Group winning mares Still A Star (who beat Pride Of Jenni at Flemington) and top QLD sprinter Abounding.
Like Divine Prophet his progeny mostly tend to peak from three onwards which is why Generosity - who only raced once at two years - may only now be reaching her full maturity and potential.
Most significantly Generosity's second dam is Bel Mer, one of Bel Esprit's best and a G1 winner at Morphettville in the Robert Sangster Stakes, also runner up in a G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes.
A fine producer, nine of her ten to race have been winners among them Bel Merci who won the G3 Gimcrack Stakes (her only start) and stakes winning sprinter All Too Royal by Casino Prince's champion son All Too Hard, who ran 4th in a G1 Oakleigh Plate.
Generosity's third dam is Drop Anchor, a Listed winning short course sprinter by Roberto's remarkable son At Talaq.
The 1986 Melbourne Cup winner who also won a CF Orr Stakes has long been an influence for speed through his daughters.
Drop Anchor produced 13 foals all of whom raced, and 11 were winners .
This is a winning family, a running family, a trying family - you could say it's a “generous” family - so this mare is well named.
Generosity is bred 5f x 4m to the Blue Hen Rolls and to Danehill 4m x 4m.
Duplicating Rolls is a highly successful pattern and it's been particularly effective when close relatives Flying Spur and Encosta De Lago are brought together, as here.
G1 winning females Fangirl, Mizzy,and Speak Fondly are bred this way - as is champion Alligator Blood.
Multiple sex balanced lines to Vain are also a key factor in Generosity's pedigree.
Her own female line is also that of the Argentinian champion Forli who is carried twice by Divine Prophet's dam - his Bluer-than-blue Hen breed shaping daughter Special, and his son Imperial March.
The talented four year old comes here super fit after her career best run in the Quokka fourth up following a G3 third on the Roma Cup and last time in, her fifth run of the prep was her win over Jokers Grin.
Generosity will be partnered again by leading Perth hoop Lucy Fiore and with a featherweight on her back she only needs to handle the trip away from home to be a great chance.
Roughie: WATCHME WIN
This promising and progressive son of boom sire Harry Angel appeals as a definite top four hope at the least. His career was almost over before it started when a trackwork incident at two years kept him away from the track for twelve months.
But sometimes that can be a blessing in disguise for a young horse.
His trainer Andrew Gluyas has been building the horse up steadily for this crack at G1 level, coming off the back of a determined win in the G3 John Hawkes Stakes 1100m.
Watchme Win was a $160,000 purchase by his trainer at the 2022 Inglis Premier sale from the Nooralim Park consignment as vendor for his renowned and hugely successful SA breeder Harry Perks and the Watson family's famous Mill Park Stud, longtime Gluyas supporters.
Perks also bred Harry Angel's highly promising G2 winning son Angel Capital.
The galloper has shown exciting talent in his ten starts and represents one of SA's best producing families, so let's watch him win last start!
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He is out of a Sepoy mare and thus his pedigree duplicates one of Harry Angel's most successful nicking patterns - he likes mares carrying Danehill or his sire Danzig, via a daughter.
In particular Danehill who provides for a goldmine of a nick with Machiavellian.
His G1 winners Tom Kitten and Private Harry as well as G2 winner Angel Capital are bred this way via Danehill - the brilliant and unbeaten Private Harry also has Marscay tail female - as does Sepoy.
Harry Angel's Goodwood placed daughter Stretan Angel is bred on a Fusaichi Pegasus cross (Danzig through his dam)
There’s a powerful influence brought to bear by Harry Angel's second damsire, Danzig’s grandson Grand Lodge. Like many of the best, he was inbred to Blue Hen Somethingroyal, as is Elusive Quality
With Sepoy's line of Danehill and his great damline Canny Miss by Marscay (Bivouac, Encryption etc) he also taps into the family 14 affinity with Grand Lodge.
Sepoy hails from the great Canny Miss damline (Bivouac, Encryption etc). On the track he was a true champion, and has really come into his own as a broodmare sire - like his own sire Elusive Quality, who had a scintillating turn of foot he passed on through his daughters.
The full brothers and sires Deep Field and Shooting To Win, champion sprinting mare Away Game, and supersire No Nay Never are just a few who inherited the Elusive Quality brand of speed through their dams.
Watchme Win with Jason Holder to steer will carry 56kg. It’s a mighty ask for him to match a dual G1 winner with a mere 54.5kg impost, but he is a horse on the up by an exceptional young stallion who has the ability and class factor to boost the output of a mare who has proven herself as a producer with potential.
Blowout: PRAIRIE FLOWER
Five year old Star Turn mare Prairie Flower is racing in the form of her life without winning.
She is a quality sprinter with a booming finish and her last start eyecatcher in the G1 Robert Sangster combined with her drop to 52.5kg and her great third up record suggests she can outrun her odds here.
Prairie Flower loves Morphettville and has lumped some big weights to victory here in lesser company. But she wasn't too far away in the big G1 Oakleigh Plate field with 52kg where she was unlucky and unsuited from barrier 1.
The Clarken / O'Shea trained backmarker can on occasion be her own worst enemy out of the gates, but she will be ridden by Will Price who knows her very well.
By the excellent Star Turn by Star Witness, Prairie Flower is out of speedy G2 placed Darci Brahma daughter Leotie from an immediate family of females that have had a lot of success at SA's Autumn carnival over the years.
Prairie Flower is one of her only two foals to race.
Leotie is a three quarter sister to multiple Group 2 placed blacktype producer Marianne and to Our Miss Jones G1 runner up in the G1 Australasian Oaks and placed in a G2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic.
Her second dam by High Chapparal won five races and was stakes placed.
Praire Flower's third dam the NZ winner Maryann Jones was a daughter of Nureyev's champion two year old son Fasliyev who became a very good broodmare sire.
Fourth dam Madonna by Rigoletto placed in both Oaks at Morphettville and foaled G1 Oaks winner in South Africa, Dylan's Promise.
Both High Chaparral and Darci Brahma can impart Group speed through their daughters, but Star Turn was an inspired choice to impart his brand of acceleration to this classy but stamina-biased dameline.
Prairie Flower is bred 5m x 5m to both Danehill and Nureyev with a sex balanced line of that great sire through Zabeel.
Her damline is that of Frizette 13-c, duplicated countless times in nearly every good pedigree but it's notable that Star Turn's damsire Made Of Gold is particularly strong in speed lines coming from this family that nick with more famous of its members like Mr Prospector or the great broodmare sire Darshaan both carried by her dam.
Prairie Flower's own line of the family comes down through the legendary tough staying filly Vagrancy and her daughter Natasha and is a more female-biased line.
Star Turn has sired G1 winning female Startante and top performers Alsephina, Shezanalister, Me Me Lagarde, Overriding, Saltaire etc.
A $120,000 yearling buy for Henry Dwyer at the Inglis Melbourne Premier 2021 offered by Maluka Thoroughbreds, Prairie Flower is now owned by Bell View Park Stud NSW who purchased her for $150,000 via Inglis Online and have entered her for the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale where she will be offered as Lot 463.
A G1 win or placing has the potential to be a game changer in the sale ring for this girl!
