Flemington Finals Race Day Review: All the Winners

Stars Of Dom shines brightest

The step up to 1200m proved the key for promising two-year-old Stars Of Dom, who took out the Next Generation Sprinters Series Final.

Sent out an even money favourite, the Lindsay Park trained filly by Exceedance proved too strong under Craig Williams for stablemate Resolutely ($3.90) by 3/4 of a length, with a further 1-3/4 lengths back to Put To The Sword ($16) in third.

Will Hayes, who trains in partnership with brothers Ben & JD, said the progression Stars Of Dom had made in three runs to date had been the best part of her performance.

“She was certainly ready for a testing 1200 metres,” Hayes said.

 “She was very aggressive in her first one and she's really turned into quite a mature professional filly, so very exciting times for going forward.

 “Hopefully she’ll have a prolific Spring.”

 Hayes was also complementary of Resolutely who was first up since running second to subsequent Golden Slipper winner Guest House, hinting she could be aimed at early Spring three-year-old races.

 Craig Williams extended his lead to six in the Victorian Metro Jockey’s Premiership and said there was plenty of scope for improvement.

 “Blake Shinn worked her on Monday morning and just said,Craig, you can't get beat on it. So I'm glad I didn't disappoint Blake anyway,” Williams said.

 “So a great team effort by everyone and she's a nice girl with a nice future.”

Marwooba too good in Taj Rossi Final

The advantages of the Hawkes family's dual-state operation was on show at Saturday's Finals Day meeting at Flemington, where the father-and-sons training team won the $175,000 Taj Rossi Series Final with Marwooba.

The John, Wane and Michael Hawkes-trained son of Wootton Bassett bounced off a win at Rosehill on June 13 to score a Listed win in the 1600-metre event.

It was a was a winning return to Victoria for the gelding, who headed to Sydney after a 30-length last placing at Geelong at his first run for the campaign, and Wayne Hawkes said he was a beneficiary of the better weather north of Victoria at this time of year.

"He only got here yesterday and his coat looked amazing," Hawkes, who oversees their Flemington stable, said.

"The Sydney horses just look so much better than the Melbourne horses, just because of the weather.

"There's nothing anyone could do about that, but he just got off the float and he had a pig-root and was pretty happy with himself."

Marwooba made the most of an economical run under Melbourne's leading rider Craig Williams to get home from $2.70 favourite Star Of Macedon.

Williams settled Marwooba behind the speed, took a gap midway down the straight and accelerated nicely to open a race-winning lead. 

 The $3.20 second elect scored by half-a-length with Ko Phangan ($7) three-quarters-of-a-length off Star Of Macedon in third.

No claim no worries for Duchess Zou

Apprentice Jabez Johnstone has built quite the affinity with talented mare Duchess Zou and the pair combined for a dominant victory in the Leilani Series Final (1400m).

Drawn perfectly in barrier four aboard the $4.20 equal favourite, Johnstone settled the Ciaron Maher trained mare in a beautiful position and never looked like losing upon straightening, putting 1-3/4 lengths on Stylish ($4.40) with a long head back to Silent Shares ($18) in third.

National assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said a unique gear change and Johnstone’s maturity as a young rider contributed to her success.

 “When she relaxed and she built into it, he really listened to instructions, and that was to just go through her years, be patient, and when she was at her top, then ask for her,” Turnbull said.

 “He pulled it (the whip) through from the left to the right very smoothly and got another sort of half a length out of her.

 “The one-eyed blinker looked to help, she’s in scintillating form and credit to Jabez.”

 Johnstone, who notched up his 12th winner in Metro Victoria, said he’d spoken to Ciaron Maher earlier in the morning to express his gratitude for keeping the ride despite not being able to use his claim.

“We travelled into it really well today, she was spot on. Ciaron and the team did a terrific job maintaining her,” Johnstone said. 

 “And especially with the gear change, the one-eye blinker has made a difference. 

 “I spoke to Ciaron this morning and um I said I really do appreciate you putting me on, especially without a claim, so it just goes to show how much trust and faith he has in me.”

Payne filly Brilliant in Mahogany Final

Of the favoured runners, Brilliantezza had the best staying platform in the Mahogany Challenge Final (2500m) and her stamina came to the fore in a smart win under Dean Yendall.

Sent out a well-supported $4.60 chance, the Patrick Payne trained filly had run out a dominant winner over 2400m at Bendigo the start prior and that grounding saw her defeat $2.60 favourite Kings Reflection by 1-1/2 lengths with a short head to Simply Gold ($7) in third. 

 The Payne stable have been a stalwart of Winter Finals Day and stable representative Neil Greaves said it was a good start to the day.

 “She’s a very exciting horse,” Greaves said.

 “It’s a great thrill for everyone.. what a brilliant ride by Dean Yendall, he rode it absolutely perfectly.

“She's had a great first prep, won her maiden impressively at Wangaratta, I don’t think Patrick was too sure what he had at the time but gee whiz she’s been terrific since, fantastic at Bendigo rounding them up from last and this was a target race and obviously he’s pretty good at that.”

Fresh Ndola springs Santa Ana Lane surprise

A steady early tempo and experience down the straight gave jockey Jye McNeil the confidence to lead aboard Ndola, which proved the winning move in the Listed Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final (1200m).

Typically a horse who gets back in his runs, the Lindsay Park galloper proved too tough up on the speed as a $5.50 hope despite giving away race fitness to key rivals, holding off Lingani ($17) by a short head with a further half-length back to De Bergerac ($4.20) in third.

 A four-year-old by Justify, Ndola took his earnings just shy of $600,000 with his seventh win from 18 starts and has proven a great money spinner for connections, especially at Flemington where he’s won both starts down the straight.

“He’s been very straightforward,” Will Hayes said.

“He’s really gone from strength to strength, I think he’s improved off last preparation and to sprint so well fresh, he’s in for a good preparation.

Tested out to a mile in the Australian Guineas last year, the Hayes yard seem to have found the recipe with Ndola who has shown a sharp turn of foot over the shorter trips.

“He handled the straight pretty well then and beat a lot of fit, winter horses and it’s a good effort to do that first up,” Hayes said.

The Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap over the same track and distance was flagged as a likely target with the stable suggesting Ndola could have more to offer deeper into the campaign.

“He ended up in blinkers last preparation so he’s pretty versatile, it’s exciting and a good problem to have on Monday so looking forward to sitting down with the team.”

Jackson Blazing a Flemington trail

The $150,000 Banjo Paterson Series Final (2600m) is not the biggest race Shane Jackson has won with Highland Blaze, but it will forever be one of the most memorable.

The six-year-old gelding provided the former top jumps jockey with his first winner at Flemington as a trainer when he outgunned his rivals in the staying contest for older horses in the Finals Day program.

The Irishman has stables at Flemington and his adopted hometown of Warrnambool and he was delighted to experience the thrill of a winner at Australia’s most famous racecourse.

“It’s just a huge thrill, that's our first winner at Flemington,” Jackson said.

“We have a stable here now, so it's our second home.

“We always have a great strike at Warrnambool, now we just need to improve the one here.”

 Highland Blaze ($10) wore down Bold Soul ($8), who was runner-up for the second year in a row, to score a dominant 2-1/4-length win with Samuel Langhorne ($14) three-quarters-of-a-length further back.

It was Highland Blaze’s ninth win, but his first since last year’s Grand National Hurdle (4200m) at Sandown, and Jackson continues to be amazed by him.

“It was good result for an old hurdler, wasn't it? He’s a marvel,” Jackson said.

Jack Detonates in drought breaking win

The form guide certainly didn’t read for Detonator Jack’s chances in the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final but a combination of factors saw the seven-year-old find his best.

Winless in 952 days prior, Detonator Jack failed to beat a runner home the start prior in the David Bourke Handicap but improved sharply third up to take Saturday’s Listed feature by a short neck over Freedom Rally ($31) with ¾ of a length back to Just Folk ($15) in third. 

 Sent out a $20 chance under John Allen, Detonator Jack notched up his first victory since winning The Gong at Kembla Grange in November 2023 and national assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said the stable had used a myriad of training methods to recapture his old form.

 “There were a lot of elements of the race today that worked for Jack in the sense of fitness, he was third up, blinkers were on, we got a nice cut in the ground and we drew low,” Turnbull said.

 “Still a little bit hesitant whether or not he wanted to be there or not, but credit to the whole team, we've been playing around them at home, tread, jumping, different track gallops, just trying to rejuvenate him and we got it done.

 “Obviously it’s been a long time between drinks, but we've kept saying that at home he's wanted to be there, and he wants to do it, we just hadn't seen it race day.

Cartwright’s memorable Creswick win

Luke Cartwright celebrated a career milestone when he partnered Wise Inlaw to victory in the $175,000 A R Creswick Stakes (1200m) at Flemington.

Victoria’s leading metropolitan apprentice notched his first Stakes success when he guided the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained gelding to victory in the Listed event.

It was Cartwright’s 43rd Black Type start, eight of which have been in Group 1 races – one of which was a heart-breaking second aboard Extragalactic in this year’s Group 1 The Goodwood – and he was thrilled to finally win one.

“It’s just a bit of weight off my shoulders,” Cartwright said.

“It’s made me a lot more determined to work even harder at it because it doesn’t come overnight.

 “We went close in a few of the bigger races, but it just made me to come back down to basics through winter, knuckle down, tidy up a few things in my riding and I can’t thank the team behind me enough.”

 Cartwright camped just off Prince Tycoon aboard Wise Inlaw in the Saturday’s race and that pair settled down to fight out the race, with Wise Inlaw ($7) having half-a-length to spare at the line.

 Third, 1-1/2 lengths away, was New South Wales visitor Chains Of Love, the easy $4.20 favourite.

Clevor Trever strikes gold in Silver Bowl

He’s been a goldmine for punters across the Winter and Clevor Trever extended his winning streak to five with a soft victory in the Silver Bowl Series Final.

A half-brother to Jimmy The Bear, who finished sixth in the feature earlier on the card, Clevor Trever loomed ominously into the straight under Billy Egan who settled the $3.20 favourite midfield one off the fence.

 Carrying topweight of 60kg, the Patrick Payne trained colt sailed on by his rivals to record a 1-1/4 length win over $41 outsider Flying Khan with a head back to Flying Done ($13) in third.

 Stable representative Neil Greaves was hesitant to compare ‘Trever’ to ‘Jimmy’ but said the colt had something about him that the stable exuded confidence despite the impost and jumping from barrier 11 of 12.

“He's a cracking looker,” Greaves said.

“It's a big thrill here for Mike Hurst (breeder) and Billy Egan rode him perfectly. 

“We were concerned at the start, when I say we, I'm pretty sure Patrick wasn't, but I was, a little bit concerned about the 60 kilos and barrier 12, but Billy rode it perfectly. 

“The impression I got talking to Patrick was that of all the runners today, this was the one he felt the most confident about winning.

“Jimmy the Bear's a lovely type of horse, but I've just got a feeling this one might be as good a type at least and at this stage he's certainly showing as much or more than what Jimmy the Bear did and he's won 1.6 million so this is a lovely horse and full credit to Patrick Payne and the team.

Egan said his association with Clevor Trever had been a highlight of the Winter period, winning all four starts abord the colt this preparation.

“This has certainly been the highlight of my winter riding this horse as well,” Egan said.

“Especially because Tom (Prebble) is involved, it makes it very special.”