NZB Memsie Stakes Sees Six Group 1 Winners Return
25 August 2011
Saturday's Group 2 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) has attracted a superb field of runners with no less than six Group 1 winners looking to capture the second leg of NZB's Caulfield Spring WFA Championship.
The inaugural New Zealand Bloodstock Caulfield Spring Weight-for-Age Championship has seen the first leg, the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m), won by Whobegotyou (Street Cry) who has taken the lead on 10 points, with Lights of Heaven (Zabeel) claiming eight points with her second placing.
This is the second year that New Zealand Bloodstock has sponsored the Group 2 Memsie Stakes. A race which was first run in 1899, it has been won by some champions of the turf including Phar Lap, Rising Fast, Galilee, Manikato, Sunline (twice), Makybe Diva and So You Think.
With three Memsie winners going on to win the Cox Plate since 2000, 12 horses taking the Memsie Stakes/Underwood Stakes double, four taking the Caulfield Cup and three winning the Melbourne Cup, the Memsie Stakes is a key form race for the spring and has attracted some outstanding entries.
 |
Dual Group 1 winner Shamrocker (NZ) |
The dual Group 1 winning filly Shamrocker (O'Reilly x Bohemian Blues) makes her anticipated return to the track for her trainer Danny O'Brien after taking the Australian Guineas - Australian Derby double last season. A Group winner from 1400 to 2400 metres, she is a very exciting mare with stacks of ability and, according to O'Brien, she is in top order as she heads for the Melbourne Cup.
Other Group 1 winning fillies to take their place in the field include the NZ 1000 Guineas winner King's Rose (Redoute's Choice). Winner of New Zealand Bloodstock's Filly of the Year Series last season, she has shown a great deal of ability on the kiwi tracks and will be one to watch. The AJC Oaks winner Absolutely (Redoute's Choice x Catshaan) is also in the field.
As well as having King's Rose, trainer Peter Moody will line up the Caulfield Guineas winner Anacheeva (Anabaa x Monroe Magic) who ran an eye catching third in the AJC Derby at his last start.
An interesting runner in the Memsie Stakes is Rekindled Interest (Redoute's Choice x Rekindled Affair). He has the benefit of having finished a promising second when fresh up in the Group 3 Aurie's Star Handicap three weeks ago, and his trainer Jim Conlon will use Saturday's Group 2 feature as the race that defines his campaign, deciding whether to push on to the Cox Plate or go down another path.
 |
Cups contender Precedence (NZ) |
Robert Hickmott will have two runners in the race with Linton and Midas Touch. Only lightly raced, Linton (Galileo x Our Heather) has raced at the top level for the majority of his career and will resume his rivalry with Precedence on Saturday. The two were staunch rivals last spring with victories against one another in the Listed JRA Cup (Precedence) and Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (Linton). Hickmott will also saddle up Midas Touch (Galileo x Approach).
Another stayer who will be resuming is the Gai Waterhouse trained Herculian Prince (Yamanin Vital x Sea Island). A Group 1 winner over 2400 metres in the Metropolitan Handicap in Sydney, the six-year-old has won twice over 1400 metres and has won fresh up earlier in his career.
Prince Obama (Clangalang x Angelika) arguably has the edge in terms of race fitness in the Group 2 with three runs already under his belt. He took a big step up in his last start in the first leg of the NZB Caulfield Spring WFA Championship and ran a solid third to Whobegotyou (Street Cry) and Lights of Heaven (Zabeel) earning himself six points in the Championship.
The Group 3 winner Red Colossus (Testa Rossa x Palace Glow) comes into the race with only one start on the Caulfield track which he won fresh up, and Anudjawun (Yamanin Vital x Perceptible) also comes into the race with a 1400 metre win under his belt.
The winner of the Group 2 Memsie Stakes (1400m) will earn 10 points in New Zealand Bloodstock's Caulfield Spring WFA Championship, with the ultimate winner of the Championship receiving a magnificent emerald and diamond clasp pearl necklace to the value of $25,000 courtesy of Catanach's Jewellers. A perpetual trophy has also been commissioned.
| Number | Horse & Barrier | Weight | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|