Shamrocker Wins G1 Australian Guineas

Shamrocker Wins G1 Australian Guineas

Saturday's A$755,000 Group 1 VRC Cadbury Australian Guineas (1600m) was just the stage Kiwi galloper Shamrocker was after to show her true class, as she powered her way to record her first Group 1 win.

In what was considered a wide open race, Shamrocker (O'Reilly x Bohemian Blues) was left to her own devices on the tote, but her performance left her rivals in her wake as she powered home to a three-quarters of a length win. Ridden beautifully by jockey Glen Boss, the authority of her performance has left no doubt that she is a very good filly with exceptional ability.

With a race that boasts an elite group of winners including Apache Cat, Heart of Dreams, Pins, Flying Spur and Zabeel, only two fillies, Triscay (1991) and Miss Finland (2007) have managed to upstage the boys, and with Saturday's win, Shamrocker has added her name to that famous list.

Shamrocker's trainer Danny O'Brien was very happy with the filly's performance.

"We kept her a little fresh going into the mile to give her a bit of an edge and she ran very well. The race was run to suit, she has plenty of strength and had a beautiful ride and finished the race off strongly.

"Her prep is going very well this season; she was very unlucky in the Wakeful Stakes in the spring and still ran a good second in the VRC Oaks. She has been coming along very nicely this campaign and we are starting to see the rewards which is great.

"As for her future plans, we have taken on the boys and beat them so the Rosehill Guineas is a race we are looking at, and then of course the Derby or the Oaks. We will decide what race she goes to after we assess her next start and go from there."

Shamrocker's Group 1 victory continues her love affair with Flemington, with her last win in the Group 2 VRC Sires Produce Stakes late last season. She also ran a very good second there to another Group 1 winning NZB graduate, Brazilian Pulse (Captain Rio), in the VRC Oaks.

Shamrocker has now won three of her ten starts for stakes earnings in excess of A$850,000. She is the eighth Group 1 winner for her outstanding sire O'Reilly who was again well-received at the Karaka Sales with 36 yearlings averaging $128,944. This included a top price of $480,000 paid for the half-brother to De Beers, out of Chimeara (Quest for fame).

Shamrocker was bred by Mrs M R & V Trillo and was bought by her trainer Danny O'Brien from Valachi Downs for $65,000 from the 2009 Karaka Select Sale. She is owned by Mr JR Dimery, Raffles Farm (Synd), Mr KJ Woolley, MR AJ Smith, Mr CP Wylie, MR JC Hitt, Mr RJ Callister & Mr SS Larkey and is the fifth Group 1 winner this season alone to come from the Karaka Select Sale.

Beauty Flash (NZ) Too Strong and Too Good
The Hong Kong circuit is alight after last night's racing action at Sha Tin with Hong Kong 'superstar' Beauty Flash (NZ) notching up his third win at the top level, winning the HK-1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m).

Beauty Flash (Golan x Wychwood Rose) - the winner of his previous two outings, the Group 1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile and the HK-1 Stewards' Cup - made it a hat-trick of Group 1/HK-1 victories at Sha Tin when defying all challengers in the HK-1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup.

The powerhouse chestnut has been racing in sublime form, showing his strength and sheer determination to deny some hugely talented horses in his last three starts. He and his jockey, the 2010 Melbourne Cup winner Gerald Mosse, have struck up quite a rapport of late, and Mosse was full of praise for the horse.

Beauty Flash (NZ) runs away with the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup

"I was a bit worried about the drop down to 1400 metres because of the different pace of the race, but this horse had enough speed so he was always there and always ready when I pressed the button. He's a superstar."

Jumping from a wide barrier, and also dropping in distance to 1400 metres, Beauty Flash was forced to surrender his favourite position as pace maker, and was caught off the track in transit with little cover, so to be able to produce such a strong run in the straight is a real tribute to his ability.

The son of Golan ran the 1400 metre trip in a slick time of 1.21.74 and could have stopped the clock earlier had Mosse asked him to.

Trainer Tony Cruz was delighted with the horse's win and is now looking to his next outing, the US$5 million Group 1 Dubai Duty Free (1800m) at the Dubai World Cup meeting on 26 March, with Cruz commenting that the 1800 metres will suit Beauty Flash perfectly.

Bred by Windsor Park Stud, Beauty Flash was bought by Hong Kong-based buyer Dan O'Donnell from Halidon Hill at the 2007 Karaka Select Sale for $65,000. Owned by Kwok Siu Ming, the five-year-old has now won nine of his 19 starts, four at international Group 1 or HK-1 level, for just shy of NZ$5 million, NZ$3 million coming from this campaign alone.

New Zealand Bloodstock graduates won four races in total at last night's Sha Tin Meeting. Thorn Park had an excellent weekend with his outstanding son Jimmy Choux winning the Group 1 New Zealand Derby and he also had a winner last night in Hong Kong, as did O'Reilly.

© Scoop Media