1/ Godolphin won the Caulfield Cup with a horse by Kodiac , a noted speed sire best known for setting a world record for two year-old winners in 2017 when he delivered 61 juvenile winners!
A half-brother by Danehill to champion sire Invincible Spirit, Kodiac is all about speed. Best Solution is now the very best offspring for Kodiac and is also his only stakes-winner at 2400 metres. Best Solution owes his stamina to his dam Al Andalyya, an unplaced Kingmambo mare, whose next two dams were dour stayers by Sadler’s Wells and Alleged. Can a Kodiac win the Melbourne Cup? This one probably can.
2/ $1.7 Million is plenty to pay for a Snitzel colt, but Diplomatico might be worth the money. The Team Hawkes trained colt won the Listed ATC Sir Brian Crowley Stakes on Saturday with connections now keen to look hard at the Group I VRC Coolmore Stakes on Derby Day.
A half-brother to Group III winner Havana, Diplomatico is the fourth winner from four to race from modest city winner Top Cuban, an Anabaa (USA) mare with a good but not great pedigree that has a happy knack for throwing a gorgeous type. Her first four foals have averaged $962,000 in the sale ring! Her current yearling is a colt by Redoute’s Choice.
3/ Is Time for War another Beneteau? The first of our first season sires to break the ice this year is Time for War, who died after just two seasons at Kitchwin Hills. A Group II winner by Snitzel, Time for War looks to have a seriously smart youngster in Time to Reign.
The half-brother to Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign, looked the goods in scoring an easy win at Randwick leaving $1.8 million Snitzel filly Evening Slippers lamenting in third place. Trained by Gary Portelli and syndicated by Darby Racing as was She Will Reign, Time to Reign looks as though he will be winning many more races.
4/ When you name a horse Thinkin’ Big, you expect to be winning more than a maiden and this High Chaparral (IRE) colt is now favourite for the Victoria Derby and may run in the Melbourne Cup.
Foaled on August 17, Thinkin’ Big is a big, strong, mature colt with a great attitude and has a co-trainer in Gai Waterhouse that has taken the gamble with running a three year-old in the Melbourne Cup previously and it nearly paid off.
Thinkin’ Big is from the same family as Nothin’ Leica Dane, who was second to Doriemus in 1995 after winning the Victoria Derby, so don’t be surprised to see Thinkin’ Big take his place at Flemington on the first Tuesday in November.
5/ Never underestimate the power of Eight Carat (GB). Legendary blue hen Eight Carat has spawned a phenomenal dynasty of Group I winners and one of her most successful daughters is Cotehele House (GB), who figures prominently in the pedigree of VRC Oaks favourite Verry Elleegant.
Verry Elleegant is by Zed, a Zabeel stallion that won one race over 1600 metres from four starts out of Danroad mare Opulence, who won two fairly average races at 2000 and 2100 metres.
On face value there’s nothing there to get excited about, but factor in that Zed and Opulence both have Cotehele House as their third dam and throw in a double cross of Danehill and somehow a little bit of genetic magic has taken place to produce a star staying filly!
All Images - Grant Courtney and Steve Hart.
