Greats Come Into Full Bloom At The Gardens

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday April 11, 2008

Max Presnell

The Rosehill Guineas has been a worthy battleground for Australia's greats, none more gallant than Octagonal, carrying Darren Beadman, with the cerise, in 1996.

When great races are recalled, the epic confrontation between Octagonal, Saintly and Nothin' Leica Dane rates highly.

Perhaps the Rosehill 2000 metres, truly a middle distance, run on a flat course, favours speed over the staying power required to climb the rise in the Randwick straight. Yet champions come to the fore in the Rosehill Guineas, which boasts an honours list including Phar Lap, Tulloch and Kingston Town.

As with Octagonal, other triumphs have overshadowed their Rosehill Guineas wins but it remains a stepping stone for the highest achievers, while previous scores have been inflamed or settled.

Every bout for Octagonal was a 15-round slug-fest and none more ferocious than his Rosehill Guineas.

"Octagonal started equal favourite with Nothin' Leica Dane in a Rosehill Guineas, dubbed the 'Clash Of Champions', a race that should go down with Bonecrusher-Our Waverley Star's Cox Plate a decade earlier as one of the greatest match races of modern times," reported Classic Racehorses Of 1995-96. "Three were combatants and when it came time for Octagonal to face the test he passed magnificently. As Nothin' Leica Dane and Saintly edged away from the pack inside the final 400m, Beadman produced Octagonal and the colt hauled himself alongside, laid his ears back and ground out his victory to equal the fastest ever run [at the time] in Australia for 2000 metres - 1:59.99."

About Octagonal's autumn of 1996, Jack and Bob Ingham wrote in the introduction of Class Racehorses: "After a well-earned rest, Octagonal came back into Crown Lodge for the 1996 autumn racing looking a different horse. He had filled out and looked more like a colt. It is a test of any trainer's ability to maintain a horse at peak racing condition, but in setting Octagonal for four group 1 races in the space of four weeks - the Canterbury Guineas, Rosehill Guineas, Mercedes Classic (The BMW) and the crowning jewel, the Australian Derby - John Hawkes proved equal to the task.

"Each time Octagonal went into a race we knew he would give 100 per cent. And our emotions were really charged by the roar from the crowds when the black horse thundered at the last moment."

No doubt Octagonal's three-year-old season was one of the best, as another accomplished group 1 performer in Filante couldn't get on to his radar. Twenty-six years earlier the Rosehill Guineas also had depth when Royal Show, with Kevin Langby up, made up lost ground on the brilliant sprinter Baguette for losses to him as a two-year-old, particularly in the 1970 Golden Slipper.

Langby was upset by the Golden Slipper result, and George Moore's tactics on Baguette. "George and I became very competitive when I took over as TJ [Smith's] number one rider," Langby disclosed in Born To Ride. "When he won the Golden Slipper on Baguette I was second on Royal Show and later we had very strong words. I had George in a pocket with a furlong to go when he crashed into me and nearly knocked me out of the saddle. I protested unsuccessfully and couldn't believe the protest was dismissed."

While Langby had revenge in the Rosehill Guineas, Baguette wasn't handled by Moore. Incidentally, the minor placegetter was Gunsynd.

Naturalism, too, in downing the New Zealander Veandercross, comes into the get-square category.

"Naturalism was beaten in the 1992 Canterbury Guineas and had a showdown in the Rosehill Guineas," according to Racehorses of 1991-1992. "With the relentless style and vigour of Mick Dittman, Naturalism held off Veandercross by a short neck. Nevertheless, Veandercross drew most attention from the critics, who were disappointed with jockey Jim Walker for his handling of the classy New Zealander. Subsequently, Naturalism took the AJC Derby but only after a protest lodged on behalf of Veandercross was dismissed."

"We were most unlucky in the Canterbury Guineas," trainer Lee Freedman maintained. "Only the [wide] barrier beat him. For the Rosehill Guineas we did a lot of homework on Veandercross. We noticed in several of his New Zealand races he seemed to get a bit tired towards the end. The plan was for Veandercross to be dragged into a fight a long way out. We found out if the race got serious between the 400m and 600m, Veandercross was vulnerable."

The following season Veandercross was regarded as a certainty beaten in the Caulfield Cup, but others to enhance their reputations more positively after the Rosehill Guineas include Eremein (2005), Diatribe (2000), Dulcify (1979) and Imagele (1973). For the general strength of opposition, Strawberry Road in 1983 accounting for Mr McGinty and Veloso was a highlight, and Wenona Girl won a particularly classy running in 1960, one of her demanding encounters with the outstanding Sky High.

"In the Rosehill Guineas the three-horse battle was on again," Graham Caves pointed out in Wenona Girl - the Forgotten Champion. The Sydney Turf Club was rebuilding its members' stand in 1960 so the Rosehill Guineas was transferred to Randwick. "Considered a harder circuit than Rosehill, would Randwick 'find out' the stars?" Cave wrote. "Amazingly, the big three again crossed the line in a bunch after another struggle between them unfolded. Again Sky High led at his ease. Wenona Girl this time parked at his heels. Persian Lyric had drifted back as usual in the field of seven. Sky High rallied as Wenona Girl moved alongside him but he could not resist and Wenona Girl scored by three-quarters of a length from him with Persian Lyric a length further back."

At the end of their careers Wenona Girl and Sky High had met 20 times and the stallion came out on top 11-9. Persian Lyric captured the Canterbury Guineas and AJC Derby and was a full-brother to Prince Darius, which had previously been cannon fodder to Tulloch in the 1957 Rosehill Guineas.

Maybe Saturday's chapter will lack the character, the class but not the colour. Marching will carry the cerise of Octagonal, which still has pride of place at Woodlands Stud though his stud fee is listed as "private".