Last June, Samoot finished second of 21 as the 5-1 favorite in the Sandringham Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Royal Ascot in England.
Nearly a year later, Samoot is quickly establishing a reputation as a filly to watch in Australia. Samoot won her debut in that country in a handicap at 6 1/4 furlongs at Canterbury Park on Feb. 25 and will be favored to win her second start in a seven-furlong handicap on the infield Kensington course at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Wednesday.
The first time Honeysuckle was sent from Ireland to Cheltenham Racecourse in England, she won the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle in March 2020 to remain unbeaten in eight starts.
Last March, Honeysuckle extended her undefeated streak to 11 races with a win in the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle at two miles at Cheltenham, the most prestigious hurdle race of the track’s four-day National Hunt festival.
Tuesday, Honeysuckle will be an odds-on favorite to become the first mare to win two runnings of the $586,200 Champion Hurdle. A win would stretch her unbeaten record to 15 races.
A slow start and a wide trip cost Maui in a six-furlong handicap at Sale Racecourse in Australia last month in his first race in 11 months.
Eliminating either of those setbacks may result in a win for Maui in a handicap at 7 1/2 furlongs at Ballarat Racecourse on Tuesday.
It is obvious a stakes is a big deal when it has its own public holiday.
Monday is such a day in the state of South Australia in conjunction with the Group 2 Adelaide Cup at Morphettville Racecourse in Adelaide.
The Adelaide Cup, run at two miles, drew a field of 15, led by Skelm, the winner of the Torney Cup at 1 9/16 miles at Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne on Feb. 18 to end a two-race losing streak.
Trained by Terry Kelly, Skelm is the 127.8-pound highweight.
Lighthouse, a stakes winner at Kentucky Downs in 2020, won the first Group 1 race of her career in Saturday’s $441,600 Coolmore Classic for fillies and mares at 7 1/2 furlongs at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia.
Ridden by Jason Collett for trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Lighthouse ($7.50) closed from third with a quarter-mile remaining to take the lead in the final sixteenth, winning by about two lengths over 30-1 Mirra Vision.
Hinged (7-1) finished third, with 8-5 favorite Espiona only eighth of 12.
An all-important prep race over the course may provide a winning boost for Sweet Ride in Sunday’s Group 3 Black Opal Stakes for Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds at Canberra Racecourse in Australia.
A winner of 2 of 3 starts, Sweet Ride is the only runner in a field of 14 in the Black Opal to win at the course, having done so in an allowance race at five furlongs on Feb. 25. Sweet Ride closed from fourth in the stretch to win by 2 1/2 lengths.
The final score was 23 to 5.
No, it was not a lopsided baseball result, but the number of Irish-trained winners versus the number of British-trained winners at the 28-race National Hunt Festival for chasers and hurdlers at Cheltenham Racecourse in the west of England last March.
In the 1990s and even into the early 2000s, Irish racing enthusiasts were satisfied if their team managed a winner or two daily. As recently as 2019, each country had 14 winners.
Paul Lally:
R1 6-2-5-1
R2 8-10-4-5
R3 5-3-6-1
R4 4-10-3-7
R5 1-13-12-2
R6 8-4-6-3
R7 8-9-2-7
R8 3-1-7-12
R9 8-2-9-1
R10 4-3-2-14
Best Bet R9 N8 Super Fortune
Longshot R2 N8 Mission Smart
Play R9 QQP 2-8-9
Mark McNamara:
R1: 6.1.5.3
R2: 2.10.12.4
R3: 11.3.5.2
R4: 14.4.10.5
R5: 1.2.12.13
R6: 8.3.6.4
R7: 8.1.2.9
R8: 13.8.1.3
R9: 6.9.8.12
R10: 3.2.14.4
Race 1: #5 Excellent Proposal, #6 Cheerful Days, #2 Healthy Happy, #4 Champion’s Way
Race 2: #8 Mission Smart, #1 Kung Fu Tea, #2 Apex Top, #4 Seize The Spirit
Race 3: #5 Whizz Kid, #11 Proud Dragon, #1 King Land, #2 Harmony Fire
Race 4: #2 Hang’s Decision, #4 Right As Rain, #5 Robot Warrior, #10 Eevee
Race 5: #8 Fantastic Show, #1 Brilliant Way, #2 General Winner, #12 Plikclone
Race 6: #1 Turin Warrior, #3 Packing Treadmill, #8 Fun N Glory, #2 Birdsville
Master Eight could not cope with a class rise to Group 1 competition while racing at level weights, but he could easily handle a class drop while getting a weight break in the co-featured seventh race Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong.