The Festival of Racing curtain has closed for another year in Victoria with six weeks of premier, first-class racing coming to its conclusion at Mornington Racecourse on Saturday, 24 March.
Perhaps a fitting end to the festival was seeing the sight of one of the stars of the festival finish in style with a six-length romp in the Listed Mornington Cup (2000m). We are of course talking about the Darren Weir-trained import, Kings Will Dream.
With big spring aspirations now firmly in sight for the four-year-old gelding, Kings Will Dream broke down every barrier put before him by the master trainer Darren Weir and the horse has now earned himself an automatic entry into the $3.15 million Group 1 BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m).
There were, of course, many other great moments and achievements just like this to surface over the last six weeks of the Festival of Racing, and it is hard to go past the pure might and determination of straight-track specialist, Redkirk Warrior teaming up with jockey Regan Bayliss for a Group 1 double and jockey Jordan Childs winning his first.
Childs, in company with Victorian two-year-old colt Written By, won his maiden Group 1 in the $1.5 million Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) for trainer Grahame Begg and his father Neville Begg, who owns and bred the horse. Written By then went on to run a respectable fourth in the $3.5 million Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) in Sydney to the Team Hawkes-trained Estijaab.
Bayliss and Redkirk Warrior were an instrumental part of the Festival snaring two Group 1’s – The $750,000 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (1000m) and the $1.255 million Newmarket Handicap (1200m) – the latter of which was extra special for the hoop who went on to celebrate his 21st birthday in style that same night.
The big stage was also kind to jockey Damien Oliver over the festival with Australia’s winning-most Group 1 hoop helping Mick Price secure his third Australian Guineas with an outstanding ride aboard three-year-old Colt Grunt.
Oliver’s presence on the big stage was matched by some of the other veteran Victorian jockeys who also enjoyed Group 1 success including Michael Walker who piloted 50-1 shot Harlem to victory in the Group 1 $1.5 million Group 1 Australian Cup and Craig Williams who was successful in the C.F Orr Stakes (1400m) with Hartnell, The Futurity Stakes (1400m) with Brave Smash and the William Reid Stakes (1200m) with Hellbent.
Congratulations to all the owners who had a winner and shared in the spoils of the Festival of Racing, and we look forward to seeing you back at the track across the winter and spring before doing it all again in another 12 months’ time.