Champion jockey Joao Moreira’s rich vein of form riding in Australia looks set to continue when he partners race-favourite MILITARIZE in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes over 1600m for two-year-olds at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
The Chris Waller-trained colt MILITARIZE could complete a huge Group 1 clean sweep of juvenile races for the champion trainer if he wins Saturday’s race. Waller combined with another superstar jockey when Ryan Moore scored on Shinzo to deliver him a first Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m). Two weeks later Moreira booted home MILITARIZE to claim the second leg of the two-year-old triple crown, the Group 1 Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), causing a surprise win at 20/1 after a luckless Slipper run.
Prior to this autumn, Waller’s only Group 1 success with juveniles occurred in the JJ Atkins Stakes in Brisbane with Pressday (2010), Press Statement (2015) and The Autumn Sun (2018) all winning the race.
AMELIA LOOKS AWESOME
Star three-year-old filly AMELIA’S JEWEL headlines an all-star cast and is the one to beat in the running of the inaugural $4m The Quokka (1200m) at Ascot Racecourse, Australia on Saturday.
The winner of seven of her eight career starts, AMELIA’S JEWEL resumed off a four-month break with a facile victory in the Group 3 Roma Cup (1100m) on 1 April, picking upper where she left off last campaign which ended with her first Group 1 victory in the Northerly Stakes (1800m).
AMELIA’S JEWEL goes up against the Queensland-trained UNCOMMON JAMES, who is well-credentialed to win the race after his Group 1 Oakleigh Plate win in February, while the Ciaron Maher-trained BELLA NIPOTINA boasts solid Weight For Age form this preparation and has drawn well.
TAYLOR KEEN ON MAYAPPLE
Five-year-old mare MAYAPPLE can go one place better in the $40,000 Maiden race over 1500m at Kembla Grange racecourse this Saturday.
MAYAPPLE ran her best race to date last time out when finishing a close second over 1600m at this track. Despite drawn wide that day, the daughter of More Than Ready showed tactical speed to sit on the leader’s back, before sticking on well to find just one too good on the wire, beaten a nose into second.
From an inside draw this week, MAYAPPLE should endure a much better trip and in what appears a moderate field, she looks hard to oppose under jockey Jess Taylor.
