41
THE STAR DONCASTER MILE
Boban after rare double
Boban
will be only the sixth horse to win
Randwick’s “big mile” double in the same
season if he can win the Group 1 Doncaster
Mile (1600m) on April 12.
The headstrong gelding was brilliant winning
the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m,
Randwick) last October. He will join three
of racing’s greats if he can complete the
double—Super Impose (1990-91 season),
Gunsynd (1971-72) and Chatham (1933-34)—
as well as the pre-1900 gallopers Marvel
(1881-82) and Dundee (1865-66).
Boban also won Victoria’s premier 1600-metre
handicap, the Emirates Stakes (at Flemington),
in the spring. Only Gunsynd has won the
Epsom, Emirates and Doncaster in the same
season—1971-72. Gunsynd showed his
dominance at the distance by also winning the
1971 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield.
When Gunsynd did it, he lumped
60.5kg in the Doncaster, whereas
Boban is relatively lightly treated with
under the modern compressed scale of
handicapping with 56.5kg, although his
weight will rise 1.5kg to 58kg because the
original top weight
It’s A Dundeel
(58kg)
is not running.
Boban’s most impressive performance this
preparation was his defeat of It’s A Dundeel in
the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m)
at Randwick on March 8.
Only two horses have won a weight-for-age
Chipping Norton Stakes and Doncaster Mile
in the same campaign—Pharaoh (1995) and
Super Impose (1991).
Waller is hoping to saddle up at least
five horses in the Doncaster. His
other contenders are Group 1 winners
Hawkspur, Royal Descent
and
My
Kingdom Of Fyfe.
Moody’s decision
Trainer
Peter Moody
made a decision to
change the program of his Group 1 Randwick
Guineas (1600m) winner
Dissident
after the
colt’s failure in the Group 1 Rosehill Guinea
(2000m). Moody decided that the 2400
metres of the Australian Derby was a distance
too far, so he has freshened Dissident for the
Doncaster, in which he has 50kg.
No Randwick Guineas winner has won
a Doncaster in the same preparation.
Ilovethiscity (2011) is the most recent to
attempt it in, but the colt could only manage
fifth behind Sacred Choice.
Mentality almost completed the double in
2007. The chestnut, trained by John Hawkes,
was run down late by Haradasun in the
Doncaster after also finishing second behind
the same horse in the Group 1 George Ryder
Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill.
The bucket list
John Hawkes has trained the winners of most
of Australia’s Group 1 races. There are two on
his “bucket list”—the Melbourne Cup and the
Doncaster Mile.
He trains the highly promising Doncaster
contenders
Messene
and
Ninth Legion
in
partnership with his sons Wayne and Michael.
Messene was impressive winning the Group
2 Ajax Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on March
22. The most recent Ajax winner to win the
Doncaster was Grand Armee in 2003.
Boss holds the record
Despite the long history of the Doncaster
Handicap, no jockey has won the race more
times that
Glen Boss
, who has five to his
name, the most recent Triple Honour in 2008.
Boss has picked up the ride on New
Zealand three-year-old colt
El Roca
in this
year’s Doncaster.
Three-year-olds have a great record in
the Doncaster—30 have won it. The most
recent was another New Zealander, Sacred
Falls, last year.
The girls stand up
Fillies and mares have an even better record
in the Doncaster than three-year-olds—32
fillies and mares have won the famous mile,
the most recent was More Joyous in 2012.
The highest weighted mare in this year’s
race is
Streama
(55kg), who will be ridden by
Hugh Bowman
, chasing his first Doncaster.
Trainer
Guy Walter
, who won the 2005
Doncaster with Patezza, expected
Appearance
to be his main hope, but the star
mare injured herself after winning the Group
1 Canterbury Stakes on March 15, and has
been retired.
Streama, also trained by Walter, won the
2013 Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m)
at Randwick before she finished second
behind Boban in the Epsom Handicap. She
meets him on 3kg better terms.
Quinton’s chance
Veteran trainer
Ron Quinton
was a champion
jockey who won two Doncaster Handicaps
on the great mares Emancipation (1983) and
Analie (1973).
Monton
gives Quinton the chance of winning
his first Doncaster as a trainer.
Quinton has a chance to go one better than
Australia’s greatest jockey-cum-trainer, Maurice
McCarten, who was four-time premier trainer
in Sydney. McCarten also rode two Doncaster
winners, Gold Rod (1939) and Cuddle (1936),
but failed to train a Doncaster winner.
The imports
Japanese visitor
Hana’s Goal
is attempting
to be the first northern hemisphere-trained
winner of the Doncaster Mile and the first
import since Gai Waterhouse’s American-bred
and -performed Secret Savings won in 1997.
Only two other imports have won the
Randwick mile, Simeon’s Fort (IRE) in 1928
and Sir Foote (GB) in 1902.
Simeon’s Fort, who stood in Queensland,
is the sire of the 1942 Doncaster Handicap
winner Tuhitarata. Sir Foote sired 1909
Melbourne Cup winner Prince Foote.
In Focus
