Royal Descent the queen of mares as she shows class in star-studded Warwick Stakes

ROYAL Descent lived up to owner Gerry Harvey’s pre-race boast that she is the best race mare in the country writes RAY THOMAS.

Photographs: Simon Bullard. Race 6 PRO-RIDE WARWICK STAKES (3YO&UP) - 1400m. Winner 'Royal Descent' ridden by Hugh Bowman.

ROYAL Descent lived up to owner Gerry Harvey’s pre-race boast that she is the best race mare in the country by winning a star-studded Warwick Stakes that is going to prove an outstanding form reference for the spring carnival.

Harvey stated prior to Royal Descent’s return to racing at Royal Randwick last Saturday that despite the mare going more than two years without a win, she was the best of her sex in training.

“Tell me who is a better mare than her,’’ Harvey challenged me in a recent interview.

There are a number of top class mares like First Seal, Lucia Valentina, Winx, Amanpour, Srikandi and Cosmic Endeavour in training but Harvey is right, it is difficult to definitively rank any above Royal Descent.

The Chris Waller-trained Royal Descent is now a six-year-old, but still lightly raced and the Warwick Stakes showed she retains her competitive streak.

Royal Descent has performed at the highest level every preparation but she has never performed so well first-up suggesting she is in for a career-best spring carnival.

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PORNICHET, Messene, Beaten Up and Kermadec chased home Royal Descent but all ran outstanding races in the Warwick Stakes.

Of this group, Pornichet and Kermadec impressed the most. Pornichet sprinted brilliantly fresh at 1400m to finish second and he will come into his own once he gets to 1600m and further.

Royal Descent on her way to victory.

The same applies to Kermadec who finished better than anything in the race with a powerful finish wide out.

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HUGH Bowman is a jockey riding at the peak of his career and he was tactically perfect on Royal Descent.

Sydney’s reigning premier jockey has achieved so much in racing, winning nearly 2000 races including 43 at Group 1 level, but he revealed on Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast Weekend show yesterday that his burning ambition this season is to finally win one or more of Australian racing’s majors — Golden Slipper, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate or Melbourne Cup.

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THE sorry cobalt saga is casting a very wide net and some well-known racing identities are getting caught.

What this issue proves is that Racing NSW’s push to licence veterinarians is not only necessary but urgently required.

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Horse trainer Chris Waller and family.

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IT was interesting to read that Chris and Stephanie Waller, and James and Monica Cummings, made the list of Sydney’s 25 most sexy couples in a feature article in The Sunday Telegraph yesterday.

We are often told by racing’s marketing and promotions teams that the wider sporting public doesn’t identify with racing’s champion trainers and jockeys.

I have no doubt this is incorrect and have always felt race clubs should do more to promote our stars — both human and equine.

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STAR apprentice Taylor Marshall has returned from a three-month riding stint in Ireland and is keen to re-establish himself in Sydney racing.

“I had nearly three months riding work at The Curragh for Johnny Murtagh,’’ Marshall said.

“Johnny is a world-renowned rider and a great mentor. He gave me a lot of advice.’’

Marshall said he has made some subtle changes to his technique by incorporating some of the European style of riding.

“I feel I’m a better rider for the experience,’’ Marshall added.

Marshall, who claims 2kg and has nearly two years of his apprenticeship remaining, returns to trackwork riding at Royal Randwick for the Cummings today.

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FELL Swoop won a minor race on the Randwick program, his sixth win in eight starts, but he is a sprinter with a big future.

But trainer Matthew Dale admitted he is having second thoughts about running the gelding in the Concorde Stakes over 1000m at Randwick in two weeks and instead may wait for a suitable race at 1200m for the promising gelding.

The Concorde Stakes is next for Decision Time, the popular winner of the Show County Quality.

Trainer Clarry Conners deserves all the plaudits for persevering with Decision Time when others were suggesting the gelding should be retired.

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GODOLPHIN’S John O’Shea has referred to Shards as the “sleeping giant” of his three-year-old crop after his impressive win in the Up And Coming Stakes.

Shards is an emerging talent but O’Shea will unleash some of his more high profile three-year-olds next Saturday at Rosehill with Exosphere and Holler resuming in the Run To The Rose, while Furnaces, a brilliant barrier trial winner last Friday, will be sent to Melbourne tomorrow and is expected to resume at Moonee Valley early next month.

Contributer, Godolphin’s outstanding weight-for-age galloper, is also being readied for a comeback in the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes at the Moonee Valley while stablemate, The BMW winner Hartnell, who produced a stunning barrier trial effort last Friday, will resume in the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick in two weeks.