Last Saturday, we saw the final meeting of the Victorian Spring Racing Carnival at Caulfield Racecourse, while the Perth and Queensland summer carnivals continued to heat up at Ascot and Doomben. In this week’s edition of The Follow Files, we have picked out three runners that impressed on the weekend and appear to have big summer campaigns ahead of them.
Caulfield
Rail position: +5m entire circuit
Race 1: Listed Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m) | Time: 0:58.59
- Horse to follow: Eneeza (1st)
After finishing second in the Group 3 Ottawa Stakes on debut, the Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman-trained Eneeza took out the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes in fine style second-up. Although the daughter of Exceed And Excel was made to travel four wide for the entire 1000m trip, when Damian Lane pushed the button, she sprinted straight past her rivals and careered away to record a 2.25-length victory. The two-year-old filly ran the fastest last 600m sectional (34.31s) and the third-fastest last 400m sectional (22.67s) for the meeting.
When to bet: As a Magic Millions purchase, this filly is peaking at the perfect time to have a crack at the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in early January on the Gold Coast. Katherine Coleman said the stable would see how she pulls up before deciding, but if connections do choose to send her north, Eneeza will be a massive chance.
Race 10: Listed Doveton Stakes (1200m) | Time: 1:10.69
- Horse to follow: Showmanship (4th)
Showmanship returned from a 15-month layoff at Caulfield in the Doveton Stakes, and he produced one of the better swooping runs from the back of the field that we witnessed all day. Before that, the son of Showcasing was last seen running 13th of 14 in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes in September 2022. The eight-year-old gelding settled last before turning in as the widest runner on the home turn to let down with a strong finish. Although he peaked on his run at the 100m mark, it was a very encouraging performance after such a long spell.
When to bet: Showmanship appears to be back at his best, and after a good fresh run over 1200m, the step up to 1400m should be the next step for him. The Listed Chester Manifold Stakes over 1400m at Flemington on January 1 looks like the ideal race for the John Leek Jnr-trained galloper.
Rosehill
Rail position: True entire circuit
Race 10: Benchmark 78 Handicap (1100m) | Time: 1:04.11
- Horse to follow: Legio Ten (1st)
Legio Ten from the Godolphin stable returned from a four-month spell at Rosehill on Saturday and was a heavily backed favourite in the last race. The four-year-old gelding settled at the rear of the field over 1100m, which is normally a horrible place to be for any runner; however, the son of Exosphere worked his way to the outside at the 400m mark, and when Nash Rawiller asked for the ultimate effort, he flew past his rivals to claim a narrow victory.
When to bet: With Legio Ten taking a lot of benefit from his first-up run, expect James Cummings and his team to find a 1200m race at a similar level for this talented sprinter. On Saturday, December 16, there is a Benchmark 78 Handicap over six furlongs at Randwick, and that looks like a nice race to target second-up.
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