“We believe you need the top of the tree to be competitive over there, and we have handpicked these couple to come.”
Amarelinha is the $5 second pick in Oaks behind Harmony Rose ($4), while stablemate Probabeel is the favourite for the Coolmore Legacy.
Richards will fly later in the week to oversee the final preparations.
“It will be good to be there myself finally,” Richards said. “I have missed being at these big days and I think we have a few really good chances.”
The Championship a sporting destination event
The concept of The Championships was always to make the Randwick Saturday meetings the centre of attention for racing in the autumn when it was created in 2014, but it has become much more.
Sydney’s carnival was always around Easter, but The Championships is more reflective of modern society and in eight years it has built its own tradition.
Randwick came alive with a sellout crowd on Saturday. The roar from the grandstands matched the quality of racing and the party after the last led by Hot Dub Time Machine showed dancing was back.
But, significantly, The Championships has become a destination sporting event. The VRC board held a two-day strategy meeting in Sydney last week before heading to Randwick. The AFL had Thursday night football at the SCG, which tied in with the races and will become a feature of this week.
The heads of the two biggest football codes, Gil McLachlan and Peter V’landys, held an informal meeting at the races. Randwick in April has become the place to do business, like Flemington in November.
It all comes back to the offerings on the track, and that is simply outstanding. It is where horses have to come to prove themselves the best of their generations.
Godolphin group 1 double a benchmark
Godolphin boss Vin Cox and trainer James Cummings have labelled the winning treble, including two group 1 victories on the first day of The Championships, as the new benchmark for the global giant in Australia.
“Winning the Melbourne Cup was great for Godolphin worldwide, but this is the high point for the Australian operation,” Cox said. “So much work goes into it and for our colt [Anamoe] to be so good in the Sires and then Cascadian win the Doncaster, it was great for the whole team.”
Cummings took his group 1 tally to four for the season and was delighted to take a couple of Championships trophies.
“I’ve had some good days as a trainer but at Godolphin, this is the best,” Cummings said.
Robinson’s work of Art
Country Championships winning trainer Terry Robinson was feeling the pressure with Art Cadeau last week and almost scratched him.
Robinson wasn’t happy with Art Cadeau for most of the week after he worked poorly, and he called on his cousin, master equine vet Chris Lawler, on late Friday afternoon.
“He came around and had a look at him and said, ‘look what you have in front of you, you can’t scratch this’,” Robinson said. “I was so close to doing it, but he convinced me to run. Thank god he did.”
It was a family affair for the Robinson clan and celebrations were widespread from the Doncaster Hotel to the Shoalhaven Heads pub, which has created the Art Cadeau cocktail.
Everest slot-holder to be revealed
Racing NSW is set to announce the new owner of the Damion Flower Everest slot this week.
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The slots in The Everest have become the hottest property in racing, even with the $600,000 price tag that the initial 12 investors pay every year.
Flower’s slot has become available after he pleaded guilty to drug charges recently and will be the first time that anyone can take control of a slot in the $15 million race since it started in 2017.
Godolphin used the slot in 2020, and the global giant would be one of the favourites to get the slot permanently.
The new owner will pay a premium reflecting the market value of the slot but will own the slot like the other 11 original investors.
Slots have changed hands for up to $1 million for a single year, and Inglis are running a tender process for the GPI Racing slot, which will be sold for up to three years later this month.
Racing writer for The Sydney Morning Herald
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Source: | This article originally belongs to smh.com.au
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