Monday Rewind: State-by-state expert analysis on who to circle and who to bin

LIFE as we know it wouldn’t be the same if Gai Waterhouse didn’t make her way to centre stage during the Sydney autumn carnival.

Trainer Gai Waterhouse laughs after her horse English ridden by Sam Clipperton won the Schweppes All Aged Stakes race on English during the Schweppes All Aged Stakes Day at Royal Randwick racecourse in Sydney, Saturday, April 16, 2016. (AAP Image/David Moir) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

LIFE as we know it wouldn’t be the same if Gai Waterhouse didn’t make her way to centre stage during the Sydney autumn carnival.

Racing’s first lady has trained at least one major race winner in Sydney every autumn this century.

This year she made us wait until the final day before her smart three-year-old English became only the second filly after Atlantic Jewel (2012) to win the All Aged Stakes in 90 years.

Waterhouse also set a training record for the All Aged Stakes with her fifth win in the feature weight-for-age race after earlier successes with All Our Mob (1997), Arlington Road (2003), Shamekha (2005) and Bentley Biscuit (2007).

English will now be set for the big Brisbane Group 1 sprint treble — BTC Cup, Doomben 10,000 and Stradbroke Handicap.

Welcome to another edition of Monday Rewind as we look back on a massive weekend of racing.

Trainer Gai Waterhouse after her filly English won the All Aged Stakes. Picture: AAP

Michael Manley (Herald Sun)

Caulfield

BLITZED

David Hayes/Tom Dabernig: Big day for Lindsay Park throughout Australia with six winners. Managed to take two of the big cheques at Caulfield with Valliano and Miss Promiscuity.

Shawn Mathrick: The maverick Mathrick wasn’t interested in the stakemoney which he said wasn’t as much as what he’d taken out of the betting ring with his Darley cast-off Adirondack.

Allison Sheehan: Alison is doing a great job with her small team. She was thrilled with the performance of her underrated well named mare Andrassy to win the final race.

BLUNDERED

Yesterday’s Songs: Precious Gem ran on to win from well back in the manner Yesterday’s Songs used to run. He’s racing below his best.

The Quarterback: Still a good run but for a Newmarket winner a slight blunder.

WHO’S HOT

Henry Dwyer/Our Precious Gem: The young Caulfield trainer has the found the key to this mare. Keep her fresh and to 1400m.

NOT

The 4000m race. Why not cut it off at 3200m.

Bondeiger: Lots of arrows pointed to him to win the 2000m race especially the weight scale with his high rating but he gave up quickly.

HORSES TO FOLLOW

Dissolve: Sprinted home in 11.75 seconds for the last 200m. Bred to go further and he could be a spring class colt.

Sistine Demon: Showed he’s back in town with a brave effort to finish second in the 1400m race being run down by the only swooper to win for the day.

Scarlet Billows: Recorded a faster time than Our Precious Gem. She has a touch of class.

Shayne O’Cass (The Daily Telegraph)

Randwick

BLITZED

Tammy Boyd: The Scone trainer has only had Zizou mare Unknown Destiny for two runs, the first one was an inglorious last at the home track. Thus it was a substantial effort on Boyd’s part (and the horse) to take off with the TAB Highway handicap at Randwick on Saturday.

BLUNDERED

Press Statement: Circumstances led to the 3YO racing 3-wide throughout in the All Aged but it wasn’t a cracking pace by any means. He just didn't finish off the race — you want more from a $3.10 favourite.

Jockey Glyn Schofield on Prized Icon celebrates with trainer James Cummings after they won the Champagne Stakes.

HOT

James Cummings. It wasn’t his intention to back-up last week’s Fernhill winner Prized Icon in the Champagne but the budding maestro rolled the dice. Once the hot pot Yankee Rose was a forced withdrawal on race eve, his decision was not only vindicated, it became a master stroke. What price a G1 colt by More Than Ready out his family? Heaps.

NOT

El Sicario. The Kiwi 3YO over-raced badly, he borderline ‘bolted’ on Kerrin McEvoy in the first half of the Champagne, tiring to finish 16.1-lens from the winner. make no mistake though, he’s a VRC Derby type horse next year once he furnishes into the tall frame of his.

Horses to follow: Divine Sanction (who won at Kembla and is Brisbane bound potentially), Ammirata, Music Magnate, Artlee, Pajaro.

Nathan Exelby (The Courier Mail)

Toowoomba

BLITZED

It was as if punters knew how this would pan out. Sarisara was backed as if unbeatable and she became a 2s-on pop when Luke Dittman landed her third with the trail from the bad gate.

BACK

Beaten by a smart one here, but it was a tidy effort by Lordag resuming at Toowoomba. He’s at his best over 1400m plus and can see him as the type that could win a nice support race over the carnival.

Put into the race in unusual pacemaker role, Shotacross The Bow fought on doggedly at Toowoomba. Will relish getting to some bigger tracks at some stage over the carnival.

Well documented how Artlee missed the run here. Maybe if he was going better, he would have pushed clear at Randwick. Still, he was badly weighted against these and ran well. Can win a good race this time in.

SACK

Hard to fathom how Sadler’s Lake would start at $7.50 in that Randwick field. He’s been struggling this prep and failed to fire again.

Speak Fondly seemed to start silly odds here for a filly with 57kg against these sharp older sprinters and she came up short.

Not gone by any means, but hasn’t progressed from the spring.

Pearls looked a standout at Randwick on paper, but in reality she’s only just average and after getting too far back, failed to make an impression.

MARKET

STRADBROKE

Eagle Farm, June 11

$4.60 Azkadellia

$5.50 English

$6.50 Black Heart Bart

$10 Malaguerra

$11 Counterattack

$12 Music Magnate

$13 Xtravagant

$15 Fell Swoop

$17 Handfast, Japonisme

$19 First Seal, Lumosty

$21 Clearly Innocent, Federal, Charlie Boy, Delectation, Good Project, He Or She

$26+ Others

THIS WEEK

Tuesday: Coffs Harbour, Orange, Sale

Wednesday: Ipswich, Canterbury, Sandown, Murray Bridge, Ascot, Launceston

Thursday: Rockhampton, Albury, Newcastle, Benalla, Pakenham, Bunbury

Friday: Townsville, Lismore, Canberra, Colac, Cranbourne

Saturday: Sunshine Coast, Rosehill, Caulfield, Morphettville, Ascot, Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Kembla Grange, Kyneton, Albany, Alice Springs

Sunday: Kilcoy, Nowra, Tamworth, Ararat, Bendigo, Pt Augusta, Geraldton, Hobart

Honey Toast takes out the Toowoomba Cup on a near-perfect surface. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography

THE TALKING POINT

Will Eagle Farm be ready for the carnival and will it cope with a full workload upon resumption?

Last week’s decision to delay the return to Oaks day was no doubt a sensible one for the long term, but given the history of this project and how long they have had to get it right, it has sparked legitimate questions of why it’s not ready yet. The brilliant track served up at the not-so-long-ago maligned Toowoomba is a perfect example of how good management of new tracks is so important.

THE QUOTE

“You’re kidding.” — Skye Bogenhuber to stewards after being told she had been suspended for two months over her ride on Happy Event in the Dalrello.

Originally published as Monday Rewind: State-by-state expert analysis on who to circle and who to bin