Sounds Irish

You have to have a Ph.D. to understand the racename merry-go-round played by the VRC. Swick’s win in the G1 Patinack Farm VRC Classic on Saturday reminded me.

Let me quote from Racing In Australia, published by The Thoroughbred:

“For almost half a century the Salinger Stakes (once known as the Craven A Stakes) has been the premier sprint race down the famous Flemington straight 1200m course during the Melbourne Cup carnival.

“In 2007, the VRC took the major step of not only relocating the Group 1 sprint from Derby Day to Final Day, but also changing the conditions from a handicap to weight-for-age. To add confusion to the mix, the old sponsor Seppelts Salinger preferred to remain part of Derby Day, so the “old The Age Classic (formerly raced on Oaks Day and then Final Day as the Linlithgow Stakes at weight-for-age) was moved to Derby Day and renamed the Group 2 Salinger Stakes (1200m).”

Are you with me?

So Swick (NZ) has done the only logical thing and won both of them. He won the Salinger in 2007 which was a G2 race, not a G1, for the first time that year, even though it really wasn’t the Salinger, it was The Age Classic. He made up for that this year when he won the G1 VRC Classic, even though it really wasn’t the VRC Classic, it was the Salinger.

Are you still with me?

Anyway, the win by the very consistent Swick highlighted a notable day for his sire O’Reilly (NZ) (Last Tycoon (Ire)-Courtza (NZ), by Pompeii Court (USA)). Eight of his 10 runners on the day – two bush results are still to come – provided four winners including one other at Flemington, Vigor (NZ).

Equally significant, his daughters were represented by only two runners in NZ and both won black-type races. Daffodil (by No Excuse Needed (GB)-Spring) took out the G1 NZ Thousand Guineas at Riccarton Park and Tootsie (by Pins-Hyades) won the Listed sprint at Te Rapa. Though he’s only 15 years old, O’Reilly is already the broodmare sire of seven stakeswinners.

Check out the results of the two 2500m stakes races run on Saturday in Australasia. Stand Tall won the G3 Gold Club Metropolitan Trophy at Riccarton Park. He’s by Zabeel (NZ) (out of Grand Archway). Capecover (NZ) won the G3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Flemington. He’s out of a Zabeel mare.

It’s a disease.

STOP PRESS: one of the two O'Reilly bush results is in and would you believe Sylvan O'Reilly has won the $52,500 Ararat Gold Cup (a bush race?). So that's 5 winners from 9 known runners by the sire. Not bad. Big day also for O'Reilly's owner Garry Chittick: he bred 3 stakeswinners on the day in G1 Daffodil, G1 Swick and LR Tootsie.