Complacent repays Godolphin’s faith with stunning Chelmsford Stakes boilover

COMPLACENT’S courageous comeback win in the Chelmsford Stakes was a reminder of his outstanding ability and a reward for Godolphin’s faith and perseverance in the horse.

Photographs: Simon Bullard. Race 6 TATTERSALLS CLUB CHELMSFORD STAKES (3YO&UP) - 1600m. Winner 'Complacent' ridden by Sam Clipperton. Trained by John O'Shea.

COMPLACENT’S courageous comeback win in the Chelmsford Stakes was a reminder of his outstanding ability and a reward for Godolphin’s faith and perseverance in the horse.

Trainer John O’Shea admitted there was a time last year when he felt Complacent should be retired due to the entire’s serious tendon problem but was persuaded by Godolphin’s Henry Plumptre to keep working towards a racetrack return with the five-year-old.

The Chelmsford Stakes was only Complacent’s eighth race start — his career put on hold for nearly two years due to the leg problem.

O’Shea will give Complacent a relatively light spring campaign but thinks so highly of the galloper he is already considering aiming him at the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes during The Championships in Sydney next autumn.

But if Complacent’s win was an unexpected bonus, what did O’Shea makes of the unplaced first-up runs of stable superstars Hartnell (fourth, Chelmsford Stakes) and Contributer (fifth, Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes).

O’Shea maintains he was more than happy with both imported galloper’s runs as he was on the record in the days leading up to their races that each was vulnerable first-up from a spell.

“Hartnell and Contributer are 15-20kg heavier than they were in the autumn and will improve with racing,’’ O’Shea said.

“I was happy with both horses and they only have to find a couple of lengths. Hartnell went really well while I always feared the (inside) draw would work against Contributer.’’

Complacent in full flight.

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THE Chelmsford Stakes boilover — Complacent was a $41 outsider — should not detract from the race as a form reference for the spring carnival.

There were some excellent runs in the race including runner-up Kermadec, who covered plenty of extra ground and ran bravely, Royal Descent (third), Hartnell Junoob (fifth), Pornichet (sixth) and Who Shot Thebarman (seventh) all did their big-race prospects no harm.

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GAI Waterhouse loves a challenge and has confirmed she is keen to test brilliant filly Speak Fondly in the Group 1 cauldron of the $1 million Golden Rose next Saturday.

Racing’s first lady has never won a Golden Rose, one of the few Sydney majors to elude her, and the race has not been a good one for fillies since its inception in 2003.

In fact, only Forensics has beaten the “boys” in the Golden Rose — and that was when the race was switched from spring to autumn in 2008 due to the equine influenza outbreak.

Gai Waterhouse all smiles at the Sydney Spring Carnival launch.

Speak Fondly is a hulking, muscular filly and is physically capable of mixing it with the likes of Exosphere and Press Statement in the Rosehill classic.

More importantly, her wins in the Silver Shadow Stakes and particularly the Furious Stakes at Randwick last Saturday shows she has the ability to be competitive, too.

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RACING is not always good at honouring its own but the celebrations for Bart Cummings life and career at Royal Randwick on Saturday was a fitting tribute to the racing legend.

The passing of the “Cups King” last week has left a void in Australian racing. He is being honoured with state funeral at St Mary’s Cathedral on Monday.

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SO, what was the best performance over the weekend? There were plenty of outstanding efforts at Royal Randwick including Speak Fondly, Complacent, Kermadec and Shiraz.

But I thought the most spectacular run was at Moonee Valley — and it wasn’t The Cleaner, as good as he was in the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes.

Chautauqua’s comeback effort to win the McEwen Stakes was quite exceptional. He has explosive powers of acceleration and demonstrated this ability when he gave the leaders eight lengths in a 1000m sprint and reel them in to score a soft win.

Although Chautauqua is already a Group 1 winner, the five-year-old has been carefully managed by Team Hawkes and was having only his 15th start. He looks to have returned better than ever.

Chautauqua is a world-class sprinter and will get the chance to prove it when aimed at the Hong Kong International Sprint in December.

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THE art of preparing racehorses is not just about getting them fit, it is also about placing them to advantage.

Tony McEvoy, trainer of Shiraz, and Fell Swoop’s trainer Matthew Dale deserve plaudits for the way have skilfully taken both promising sprinters through their grades.

Fell Swoop with jockey Blake Shinn aboard.

Shiraz scored his fourth win in a row in the Concorde Stakes at Randwick, his second Group 3 triumph in succession.

Fell Swoop made it seven wins from nine starts with his first stakes win at Moonee Valley with his breakthrough stakes win.

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GABRIELLE Englebrecht, a young trainer on the rise in Sydney, has done a good job with promising Cannyescent in his debut race preparation.

Cannyescent just missed a stakes placing when fourth to Metallic Crown in the Ming Dynasty Quality but will not race again this spring.

“We are going to send him for a spell and look at getting him ready for the Randwick Guineas,’’ said Englebrecht, giving an indication of just how highly she rates her three-year-old.

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THE rain-affected Royal Randwick track meant it was difficult to make ground from back and out wide on Saturday.

This only made the runs of Junoob and Pornichet (Chelmsford), and Lucia Valentina and Kirramosa (Tramway) full of merit.

Trainer Kris Lees was also more than satisfied with Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist’s comeback effort even though he only beat one to the line in the Tramway.

Protectionist looked in superb condition but won’t be effective until he gets to at least 2000m.