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

THE Championships lived up to its growing reputation with a spectacular opening to the two-day extravaganza at Royal Randwick.

Day 1 CHAMPIONSHIPS

THE Championships lived up to its growing reputation with a spectacular opening to the two-day blockbuster at Royal Randwick.

Headline act Winx, as expected, won the gong for best performance but the support cast all deserve special mention.

Yankee Rose, who cost just $10,000, blew them away in the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes, New Zealand’s Natalie Young became the first female trainer to win the ATC Derby and speed demon Chautauqua produced a world-class effort to take the T.J. Smith.

It was a day for the ages and we eagerly wait part two on Saturday.

Welcome to another edition of Monday Rewind where we disclose the goodies and the baddies from another huge weekend at the track.

Crowd-pleasers Winx and Hugh Bowman don’t let the masses down with a memorable Doncaster Mile victory. Picture: Jenny Evans

Shayne O’Cass (The Daily Telegraph)

Royal Randwick

BLITZED

Winx. She’s the reason why we all love racing.

BLUNDERED

Tarzino. He’s the reason why we know believe that there IS no such thing as a certainty in racing.

HOT

Tommy Berry was awesome on day one of The Championships. Look at his ride on Clearly Innocent as the example. Guts and brains — he’s got them both in spades. Oh and an honourable mention to Kathy O’Hara for her ride on Vergara in the Doncaster. Fair enough she got beaten 6.3-lens but she collected $125,000 and got minor G1 black-type for connections. That’s a good as a win when you’re $151 shot.

NOT

Exosphere had genuine excuses for his poor showing in the TJ. One has to take that into consideration but his value (future service fee) is getting lower and lower with every defeat.

HORSES TO FOLLOW

Libran (Sydney Cup is O-V-E-R), Winx (ditto the QEII), Yankee Rose (ditto ditto the Champagne)

He's Our Rokkii and Dwayne Dunn combine to win the Carbine Club Stakes. Picture: AAP

Danny Russell (Herald Sun)

Mornington

BLITZED

The talented Dunn family — Apprentice Dylan rides his second metropolitan treble in a month, dad Dwayne notches up a winner at Randwick on He’s Our Rokkii and daughter Jessica wins Mornington fashions on the field.

Peter Moody has been suspended/retired for a week and he’s still training winners. Well sort of, his former sprinter Thermal Current won the Hareeba Stakes for new boss Darren Weir — easiest winner of Weiry’s life — and his wife’s horse Burton won a Ballarat maiden on Sunday by 11 lengths for new trainer David Brideoake. Burton was ridden by Luke Nolen.

James Winks’ wit — the jockey offered up quote of the day after winning the Mornington Guineas on Tarquin — “He’s had one of the major gear changes and lost his boys, but he hasn’t missed them.”

BLUNDERED

Tom Melbourne — Pulled his head off and was spent by the home turn in the Mornington Cup. Forgive run.

Gold Fields — A horse with an identity crisis. Wins at Sandown like a MotoGP bike then comes out in the Mornington Guineas and labours like a kid’s trike with a puncture.

HORSES TO FOLLOW

Velox — Lindsay Park co-trainer Tom Dabernig said the 2000m winner was an open class horse in the making or better. Being set now for the Warrnambool Cup.

Mefnooda — Deadheated first-up. Made Group 3 level at first campaign and will be winning soon.

Jaws Of Steel — Robbie Laing’s two-year-old bolted in, despite having a runny nose. Wait till he’s over the sniffles, bigger wins ahead.

Master Zephyr — Ticking over nicely for the Warrnambool Cup.

HOT

Dylan Dunn

NOT

The Championships crowd — where were they?

Shayne O’Cass and Nathan Exelby are at odds over Libran’s prospects in the Sydney Cup after winning the Chairman's Handicap (above). Picture: AAP

Nathan Exelby (The Courier Mail)

Doomben

BLITZED

Sarah Eilbeck Rated old boy My Quilter to perfection, using her light weight to maximum effect and saving a big kick at the end.

BACK

Collateral was stiff in not getting a run, but Lord Coconuts drew out on Nudgee road, circled the field and kept coming. This fellow looks a certain middle distance winner in coming weeks.

Havasay is putting it all together now and just missed at Doomben in what was good time for the day. Ready for further now and a bigger track will help.

Love Spy can turn the tables on the winner with a better gate at Toowoomba next time. Just wobbled about late after doing the work early at Doomben. Lovely return.

SACK

Libran got the job done again at Randwick to complete the hat-trick, but gets much tougher now. Gets only 2kg off stablemate Grand Marshal in the Sydney Cup and that will be a tougher assignment than rounding up Alegria/Café Society.

Stewards report revealed a hard luck story with Beckham at Doomben, being slow away and galloped on, but gee, he started short here given previous offerings this prep. You couldn’t say he’s improved this time in.

Can’t knock Egyptian Symbol’s (Doomben) consistency and she’s a gem for place players, but is now mirroring her mum (Our Egyptian Raine, who ran 20 placings) and becoming a bridesmaid.

MARKETS

QUEEN ELIZABETH STAKES

Randwick, Saturday

$1.50 Winx

$8.50 Preferment, The United States

$12 Criterion, Hauraki

$21 Azkadellia, Happy Clapper

$23 It’s Somewhat

$29 Bow Creek

$31 Lucia Valentina, Mongolian Khan

$41+ Others

SYDNEY CUP

Randwick, Saturday

$3.50 Libran

$3.60 Who Shot Thebarman

$5.50 Grand Marshal

$8 Café Society

$12 Almoonqith

$17 Auvray

$18 Gallante

$21 Pemberley

$26 Arab Dawn, Destiny’s Kiss, Real Love

$31+ Others

Odds: UBET

THIS WEEK

Tuesday: Ballina, Geelong

Wednesday: Ipswich, Warwick Farm, Sandown, Gawler, Ascot, Launceston

Thursday: Townsville, Wyong, Kyneton, Pakenham

Friday: Rockhampton, Orange, Canberra, Cranbourne, Donald

Saturday: Doomben, Randwick, Sandown, Morphettville, Ascot, Gold Coast, Rockhampton, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle, Bendigo, Albany, Alice Springs

Sunday: Sunshine Coast, Gundagai, Mudgee, Echuca, Pakenham, Port Augusta, Geraldton

THE QUOTE

“He went all the way to the line on his Melbourne leg and never felt comfortable underneath me at any stage.” — Craig Newitt on beaten Derby hotpot Tarzino.

THE TALKING POINT

Winx and her ongoing domination. Hugh Bowman said she wasn’t overly comfortable in the ground and he had big concerns at the halfway point. Still found a way to pick herself up and made it look easy in the end. A genuine horse of the people now.