Karaka Million winning combo Melody Belle and Opie Bosson were successful again on Saturday. Photo / Trish Dunell
As the North Island's premier tracks Ellerslie and Trentham turned suddenly to mid-winter mode Saturday, Australia's sunshine state produced a track surface that got everyone screaming.
Everyone, that is, except the connections of outstanding New Zealand filly Melody Belle, dashing winner of the Sires Produce.
Eagle Farm, the product of a recent A$10 million makeover, has been variously described as "disgraceful" and "unraceable".
With no rain or irrigation in more than a week, Queensland's premier racetrack raced like a ploughed paddock. A wet ploughed paddock.
Vastly experienced dual Melbourne Cup winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy, usually a picture of conservatism, said he was disgusted with the loose and tricky condition of the track after competing in Race 1 on Saturday.
"I've ridden all around the world in all types of conditions and that is the worst track I've ridden on."
That would normally leave very little else to be said, but that didn't happen. Local trainer Liam Birchley, twice the winner of our Karaka Million, chimed in.
"I'm sick of taking my horses to the races and telling the owners I'm very happy with them, but that I have no idea how they will race [because of the conditions]. It's like throwing darts."
Horses, even in the first race, were stripping gigantic divots from the track. Complaints centred around the fact that the new surface had a relatively thin layer of top soil sitting on sand and that horses were tearing that top soil and grass away. With only a handful of exceptions jockeys in every race said their mounts could not manage to handle the conditions and that they lost confidence.
"Even horses that like wet tracks can't handle that," was a regular quote. An emergency meeting was held late in the week to investigate the possibility of moving Saturday's racing to the Sunshine Coast, one hour north. It was ruled hospitality obligations to sponsors could then not be satisfied, the same result to come out of a similar meeting at the conclusion of racing Saturday.
We are stuck with Eagle Farm. Given it was not rain causing the problem, but the track surface itself, there cannot be expected to be any great change for the massive Stradbroke-Queensland Derby programme on Saturday week.
Which will not worry the Stephen Autridge/Jamie Richards Te Akau stable around Melody Belle. The Matamata filly made the opposition look ridiculous by racing right away in the home straight after sitting just off the speed.
The victory suggested Melody Belle has gone to an even higher level since winning the Karaka Million and the group one Manawatu Sires. It took Stephen Autridge back to Karaka Million night, not to the race itself, but to one hour afterwards when he shared a drink with Sydney trainer Chris Waller.
"What's that filly by?" asked Waller. "I told Chris she is by Commands and he said: 'wait until she's three'." If Waller is correct and Melody Belle won't hit her best form until next season, that is almost a scary thought.
"She might be one just right out of the box," says Autridge. The predominantly box-trained Australian juveniles, on average, do not weather hard runs as well as many of their New Zealand counterparts and most of the horses behind Melody Belle had tougher runs than her.
On that point alone it's near impossible to see any of them improving sufficiently to trouble her in the 1600m JJ Atkins on Saturday week.
"She's got five lengths up her sleeve," enthused Autridge.
One who is guaranteed to do better is fellow New Zealander Qiji Phoenix. He hadn't raced for five weeks before the Sires Produce and, predictably, was caught three and four wide throughout from the outside barrier of 18 horses on Saturday. Yet he still drove into contention early in the home straight before running out of condition at the 220m and sensibly allowed to ease back to mid-field by Leith Innes.
"He had a good blow after the race and looks a much improved horse this morning," said Graeme Forbes, assistant trainer to the Logan/Gibbs stable and in joint charge of the horses campaigning in Brisbane. "You will see a better horse on Saturday week. He's doing very well over here." Going forward to the Brisbane Cup, the connections of New Zealand runners Zambezi Warrior and last year's winner Benzini had reason to be delighted with their close second and fourth in Saturday' s A$125,000 Premier's Cup lead-up. Both drew wide gates and try as he might Queensland's champion jockey Jeff Lloyd could not get Zambezi Warrior closer to the inside rail than three wide and for much of the race he was four wide.
Remarkably, he loomed to the front early in the home straight and had the race won until the massive effort he'd put in told and he was just outfinished. Benzini, more than a month away from racing, similarly came into the race in the home straight before his lack of total fitness and 59kg clear topweight took its toll. He is in great shape for a defence of his Brisbane Cup title.
In the same race, Chocante once again was given a superb ride by Jim Byrne, but was a beaten horse before the home bend and weakened out, perhaps, like so many others, a victim of the track conditions.
You can almost guarantee Melody Belle's stablemate Shocking Luck was unhappy in the footing, fading after leading in the Grand Prix Stakes.
He remains on target for the Queensland Derby.
Start Wondering was hopeless on the shifting track, said rider Jonathan Parkes.