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By Ray Hickson

Golden Girls Dominate Epsom Day

When Rachel King crossed the line on Just Fine to join Kathy O’Hara, who won the TAB Epsom 40 minutes earlier on Rediener, it left everyone scrambling to find out if two women had ever won a Group 1 on the same program.

Rachel King returns on Just Fine (Pic: Steve Hart).

The conclusion was that it’s never happened before and moments after King had won the James Squire Metropolitan on the import it was O’Hara that was the first to congratulate her.

“It was very special, Kathy (O’Hara) was the first person to come up next to me and give me a fist pump and I couldn’t have been happier to see her win the Epsom (on Rediener),’’ King said.

“Kath’s been someone I’ve looked up to from the minute I’ve been in Australia so to follow her today and she won her Group 1 first and I got to get mine next. Girls are taking over.”

Just Fine, formerly owned by His Majesty King Charles III, made it three straight for the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable and handed them a second Group 1, following Tropical Squall in the Darley Flight Stakes, and a fourth winner for the day.

And the six-year-old not only broke the track record set in 2010 he became the first odds-on favourite to win the race that was inaugurated in 1866.

“It’s fantastic, there’s a lot of work going in,’’ Bott said.

“A lot of team behind us to get us here today, a lot of planning and preparation. Owners to give us the opportunities to get here so there’s lots that has got to fall into place, conditions on the day.”

It was Waterhouse’s ninth Metropolitan win, first in partnership with Bott, while Tropical Squall was Gai’s 11th Flight Stakes and third with Bott.

Mazu On Back Foot For Everest After Premiere Scratching

The only silver lining Paul Snowden can see from the late scratching of Mazu from the Premiere Stakes is the similarity to what happened to Redzel in the lead up to his second TAB Everest win.

Trainer Paul Snowden (Pic: Grant Guy)

Back in 2018, Redzel became cast in his box on the morning of the Shorts and had to be scratched. Because Mazu lives in the same box, though, there will be surveillance footage to uncover what misfortune occurred.

Mazu’s Everest campaign was potentially struck a bigger blow when he had to be withdrawn from the crucial lead up race but Snowden said there’s still time to recover for the October 14 sprint.

“Lucky enough before Redzel’s second Everest he walked out sore on the morning and we decided to install a camera,’’ Snowden said.

“We’ll go back and look at the footage and find out exactly what happened.

“It’s more a chiropractic thing, he’ll be there first thing in the morning to realign him. I don’t see this will hold us back, we’ll trial him as long as he can fix that and he passes the vet test.”

Mazu, who has the Star and Arrowfield slot in the TAB Everest, could join a star studded trial at Rosehill on Tuesday that includes Everest runners Buenos Noches, In Secret, Overpass and Shinzo plus Think It Over and Fangirl tuning up for the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes.

Berry’s Emotional Return Win

Jockey Tommy Berry, one of the most popular hoops in the jockeys room, says he sees racing in a different light after being forced to “get a day job” during his disqualification over improper dealings with a punter that cost him eight months off the year.

Tommy Berry after winning on Manaal (Pic: Steve Hart)

So it’s no surprise his first winner since making his return was an emotional one and, flanked by his children after victory on Manaal in the Group 3 Keeneland Gimcrack Stakes (1000m), he let it show how much it meant.

“I promised I wouldn’t get emotional and then these guys come along (hugs children),’’ Berry said.

“It’s been a long road ahead, I learnt so much about myself while I was off.

“And built such a good relationship with my kids, it’s just made me come into racing with a new lease on life and a new way of looking at things.”

Berry worked five days a week for Evergreen Turf and he said that job gave him insight into just how privileged he is to be a jockey and the life it provides.

After the win he was swamped by fellow jockeys and trainers congratulating him on the comeback win.

And it was a little fitting that it was Michael Freedman who provided that first winner, Berry rode Stay Inside to a Golden Slipper win for Freedman in 2021.

“We’ve been good mates for a long time so it’s a great thrill to get one for him,’’ Freedman said.

In the Group 3 Arrowfield Breeders’ Plate it was a trifecta for the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable as Espionage nosed out Straight Charge with Prost claiming third.

Spring Champion Aim For Ganbare

Ganbare entered discussions for next month’s Group 1 $2m Spring Champion Stakes with his fighting win in the Listed Dulcify Stakes and it set up potentially two more intriguing clashes with the two three-year-olds who chased him home.

Ganbare wins the Dulcify (Pic: Steve Hart)

Michael Freedman, trainer of the runner-up Pushy, was encouraged by his gelding’s performance as he sat a couple of lengths behind Ganbare and ran him to a half length.

He said Pushy, along with the beaten favourite Tom Kitten, would likely take Ganbare on again in the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) on Everest Day – the final major lead up to the Spring Champion two weeks later.

“It was a solid run mile and I think for a young horse in his first racing preparation he’s run well,’’ Freedman said.

“Communist ran second in this race last year and he actually reminds me of that horse. As long as he pulls up well I see no reason why we won’t push on to the Gloaming and chance our hand.”

Ganbare was a Hawkesbury maiden winner a few weeks earlier and co-trainer Adrian Bott said the writing was on the wall in his two-year-old campaign that he was a stayer of promise.

“It was all just happening too soon for him,’’ he said.

“This is the prep we were conditioning him for, the Spring Champion and potentially further.”

Godolphin colt Tom Kitten lost no admirers despite beating a beaten favourite, he sat wide behind the strong tempo but kept coming and recorded the fastest last 400m of the race in 23.07 (Punter’s Intelligence).

Check out the replays and results from TAB Epsom Day at Royal Randwick