Jockey Craig Newitt confirms Lankan Rupee as the world’s best sprinter with victory in the TJ Smith Stakes on Day 1 of The Championships. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
If I’d written this list last autumn, it would have been headed by star three-year-olds in It’s A Dundeel, Pierro, Fiveandahalfstar and Sacred Falls.
While still relatively new to the racing scene, all three had stamped themselves with Group 1 wins or placings in the winter-spring prior. It’s A Dundeel won the Spring Champion Stakes, Pierro second in the Caulfield Guineas and third in the Cox Plate, Fiveandahalfstar a win in the Victoria Derby, and Sacred Falls had a Group 1 New Zealand Guineas victory next to his name.
Those four three-year-olds went on to win seven Group 1s between them last autumn, and if you include Super Cool’s Australian Cup win, Shamexpress’ Newmarket victory and Royal Descent’s win in the ATC Oaks, the three-year-olds stole the show this time last year.
This year, though, it was three older horses in particular that made the revamped Sydney carnival theirs, highlighting a new wave of racing stars – as well as some young ones – that most punters are already looking forward to seeing at this year’s spring carnival.
While there are still two Group 1 races left this autumn, it’s hard to see any horses nominated for Saturday’s meeting sneaking into my list of top 10 performers this autumn.
10. Dissident
Wins in the Hobartville and Randwick Guineas make him one of the strong performers of the autumn.
On the back of a Golden Rose placing and Caulfield Guineas fourth last spring, Dissident came to Sydney with just a debut win against his name from nine starts, albeit a listed victory. But Dissident followed the footsteps of last year’s boom three-year-olds, winning the Hobartville (won by Pierro) before taking out a strong Randwick Guineas (which It’s A Dundeel won last year).
The field included handy three-year-olds El Roca, Eurozone and Criterion, the latter of which went on to win the Rosehill Guineas-ATC Derby double.
9. Fiorente
Purely for his Australian Cup victory, Fiorente must be included in this list.
Resuming off his Melbourne Cup win, Fiorente came from well back to win the Group 2 Peter Young, to suggest he’d take beating in the Australia Cup. Odds on for the Group 1, Fiorente fought off Melbourne Cup-winner Green Moon, two-time Group 1 winner Foreteller and Cox Plate winner Shamus Award to score his second career Group 1 victory.
He went onto Sydney but was unable to add to his victory column finishing seventh in the Ranvet and third in The BMW, suggesting maybe the Melbourne way of going was more suitable to him.
It’s sad to see him finished from racing, but he will go down as a super staying talent.
8. Sacred Falls
The four-year-old has raced just twice on a heavy track – the past two Doncaster Miles. The star miler has won both, joining elite horses such as Super Impose and Sunline in winning multiple Doncaster handicaps.
Was he the best horse in the race? His second placing behind It’s A Dundeel in the Queen Elizabeth a week later suggests quite possibly he was. He carried just half a kilo less than top-weight My Kingdom of Fife, but he never looked in doubt once he hit the front, relishing the conditions.
Ascot could be on the cards, and if any rain falls he’ll be a huge threat on the international stage.
7. It’s A Dundeel
Retires with Australia’s second richest race against his name – and he never contested the richest. The autumn wasn’t all peas and carrots for It’s A Dundeel, with three Group 1 placings leading into the Queen Elizabeth.
He ran second to Boban in the Chipping Norton, third to Silent Achiever in the Ranvet, then second to the same mare in The BMW. Question marks were raised about the colt’s feet, with trainer Murray Baker opting for racing plates in The BMW.
But It’s A Dundeel stamped his CV with the title of ‘champion’, taking out the $4m Queen Elizabeth Stakes to add to his four Group 1s from 2013 and Champion Stakes win of 2012.
6. Criterion
A brave second in the Australian Guineas behind Cox Plate-winner Shamus Award raised questions about the colt’s record – had he forgotten how to win?
Two starts later, Criterion registered a 3.5-length thumping in the Rosehill Guineas over 2000m, making him clear favourite for the ATC Derby. It took every ounce of energy for the David Payne-trained horse to get over the line in first, but he did it, announcing himself as a top stayer for his age.
5. Mossfun
Deserves every accolade after taking out the prized Golden Slipper. Faulting just once in her autumn campaign, Mossfun resumed with a good win in the Widden and an even better win on the soft going in the Silver Slipper.
In the Reisling she met Darley-star Earthquake, finishing second with a gap to third. But on grand final she turned the tables, relishing the heavy conditions and taking advantage of a brilliant ride by Kiwi James McDonald.
She probably wouldn’t have won on the dry, but no-one can take away her Group 1 victory.
4. Earthquake
Had the heavy track not dented her performance in the Golden Slipper, she would have been the last horse since Sepoy to win the Diamond-Slipper double.
Her form until then was faultless – a November debut win, a win in the Blue Diamond prelude, before taking out the Group 1. She then went to Sydney, taking out the Group 2 Reisling before finishing agonisingly short in the Golden Slipper.
It would have been hard for trainer Peter Snowden not to have been disappointed, but she’s undoubtedly the best two-year-old of the season.
3. The Offer
Gai Waterhouse’s new champion sprinter made it three Group victories on end when he took out the Sydney Cup on Day 2 of The Championships. In heavy conditions, The Offer won the Group 3 Manion Cup and Group 2 Chairman’s leading up to the 3200m race, making him favourite for the Sydney Cup which he went on to win.
Ten months ago, The Offer couldn’t win a $100,000 two-mile race, finishing nearly 15 lengths off Peal of Bells in the Stayers Cup. But since then he’s taken out three Group races as well as the listed Ballarat Cup, and bookies have made him outright favourite for the race that stops the nation.
2. Silent Achiever
She stamped herself as a class performer when she out-nosed Carlton House in the Ranvet Stakes over 2000m, also beating home It’s A Dundeel and Fiorente under weight-for-age conditions.
It made her a likely winner of The BMW and she thrived on the heavy track, taking out her second Group 1 in the space of 15 days to add to her two earlier wins in New Zealand before the trip down under.
Dropping back to the 2000m in the Queen Elizabeth was going to be a tough task. While she started favourite in the race that she ran second in last year as a three-year-old, she crossed the line in a respectable fourth spot, taking home another $200,000 in prize money for her owners.
1. Lankan Rupee
He surprised no one winning the Oakleigh Plate, beating a handy field with no out-and-out superstars. But the Newmarket win two weeks later highlighted how good Lankan Rupee actually was, beating a field which included Oakleigh Plate place-getters Spirit of Boom and Knoydart (who also ran placings in the Newmarket), plus previous Group 1 winners in Shamexpress, Samaready and Moment of Change.
And he didn’t just beat them – he smashed them.
He then went onto Sydney against an arguably stronger field, including the likes of Buffering, Bel Sprinter, Snitzerland and Gordon Lord Byron, on a heavy track carrying 58.5kg from barrier No. 1 and blitzed them again, becoming the first ever horse to complete the Oakleigh-Newmarket-TJ Smith treble.
It was his seventh win from his past eight starts since being gelded and fourth Group win in a row, stamping him clearly as the No. 1 performer this autumn.