2024 Spring Carnival: Glen Boss, Darren Beadman, Mal Johnston reveal horses to follow

Makybe Diva’s rider Glen Boss thinks an older mare will dominate this spring. He joins fellow legends Darren Beadman and Mal Johnston in revealing the horse he’d like to ride in the coming months.

Outstanding mares (clockwise, from top left) Pride of Jenni, Fangirl, Via Sistina and Bella Nipotina have big Spring campaigns ahead of them. Pictures: File

Hall of Fame jockey Glen Boss, who famously rode the legendary Makybe Diva to her three Melbourne Cup wins, said there is an older mare that could dominate this spring – Via Sistina.

“As far as the older horses go, Via Sistina for sure,’’ Boss said when asked to nominate the horse he would like to be riding this spring.

“I know she ran second in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes behind Pride Of Jenni but that race was over after 400m.

“Collectively, they all got it wrong beside one bloke and that can happen sometimes.

“But from what we saw of Via Sistina, particularly her Ranvet (Stakes) win, she is an outstanding mare and with another three or four months under Chris Waller she can have a big spring.’’

It all pays off for Via Sistina, who’s added another G1 to her name as she wins the Ranvet Stakes for her first win in Australia!@aus_turf_club@[e-mail]/oaTXtmse2u

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 23, 2024

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Via Sistina begins her spring carnival campaign with a barrier trial hitout at Rosehill Gardens on Tuesday.

There’s a liberal sprinkling of equine stardust at the Rosehill trials session, with no fewer than nine individual Group 1 winners competing – a telltale sign that spring is near.

The first three heats are on the Rosehill course proper with the opening trial over 1000m featuring Chris Waller’s glamour mare, Via Sistina. Her rivals include talented stayers and last start feature race winners, Eliyass (Lord Mayor’s Cup), Sir Lucan (Winter Cup) and Golden Path (McKell Cup).

Heat two over 900m has Waller’s classing-winning rising four-year-olds, Riff Rocket – a three-time Group 1 winner of the ATC Australian Derby, Rosehill Guineas and Victoria Derby – and stablemate Joliestar (Thousand Guineas), plus the Michael Freedman-trained Communist.

Then the third trial, also over 900m, boasts the Waller stable’s quartet of Group 1-winning mares Fangirl, Atishu, Zougotcha and Hinged, along with the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Tropical Squall, winner of the Flight Stakes-Surround Stakes double.

Tropical Squall and Adam Hyeronimus combine to win the Surround Stakes, adding another group 1 win to the @GaiWaterhouse1-Bott stable! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/qJ09QCGjrl

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 2, 2024

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These are the first barrier trials for Group and Listed horses ahead of the new season with two more scheduled for Warwick Farm on Friday.

This is the time of year when racing fans are already thinking of the spring carnival and the horses they want to follow.

News Corp approached three men who are better placed than most to comment on spring carnival contenders – former champion jockeys and Hall of Famers Darren Beadman, “Miracle” Mal Johnston and Boss – to ask which horse they would like to be riding in the new season and their answers were surprising and very different.

Beadman, who rode many champions during his career including Lonhro, Octagonal and Saintly, works alongside trainer James Cummings at Godolphin these days and has nominated a horse from that stable, Tom Kitten, as the one to follow during the spring carnival.

“The autumn was a complete wipe-out for Tom Kitten, a total forget,’’ Beadman

“He has been gelded since and seeing him under saddle at the trials last week confirmed to me in more ways than one that we are back on track.

“It reminded me of a famous saying from Winston Churchill who said ‘there is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man’.’’

TOM KITTEN takes the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes! 💙

Adam Hyeronimus delivers a superb ride for James Cummings and the @godolphin operation. pic.twitter.com/2w0r8yzAqA

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) October 28, 2023

• WATCH: Pride Of Jenni gets back to business at Cranbourne

Johnston, best remembered as the regular jockey of the legendary Kingston Town, said he would want to be on Horse of the Year favourite Pride Of Jenni this spring.

The Ciaron Maher-trained mare got her spring preparation started with a Cranbourne jumpout on Monday.

“Pride Of Jenni is the most exciting horse in the country and why wouldn’t you want to be on her?’’ Johnson said.

“Her win at Randwick in the Queen Elizabeth (Stakes) was the most extraordinary and exciting race I think I have ever seen.’’

Johnston said it would be fascinating to watch the tactics of rival jockeys against a tearaway frontrunner like Pride Of Jenni during the spring carnival.

“It’s suicide to go with Pride Of Jenni but you can’t sit back and expect to catch her either,’’ Johnston said.

“If you are riding against her, you would want to hope you are riding Kingston Town! Put it this way, I wouldn’t like to be on any other horse against her except ‘The King’.”

“The ride of the century @decbates!”

Pride Of Jenni leads by a huge margin and wins the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in a bold front running display, in one of the most epic wins at Randwick ever!@[e-mail]/33Ejus8VL3

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 13, 2024

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When Boss was riding, he was renowned for identifying emerging equine talent and he has a big opinion of Via Sistina’s stablemate, rising three-year-old Switzerland.

“I think he is a good horse, Switzerland,’’ Boss said.

“Of the two-year-olds going forward, and I think they were a very good crop this season, Switzerland is the colt I believe will make a proper three-year-old.’’

Originally published as 2024 Spring Carnival: Glen Boss, Darren Beadman, Mal Johnston reveal horses to follow