Srikandi (Dubawi) has risen through the ranks racing in
Queensland over the last year, and the four-year-old became the 19th Group 1
winner by her sire worldwide when snatching the Stradbroke H. (Aus-G1) from older male rivals
on Saturday at Doomben.
Catapulting from the barriers on the
rail, Srikandi took back under Kerrin
McEvoy to travel a narrow second, behind Hot Snitzel (Snitzel). Enjoying the rail run as many of her rivals were hung wide coming off the turn,
the chestnut miss grabbed the lead at the top of the lane and was not overextended to find the line
first.
The winner of five straight races last autumn, including the Glenlogan Park S.
(Aus-G3), Srikandi was thrown into Group 1 company for the first time in this race last year, finishing third. She was not seen during the Australian spring and returned with no signs of rust when winning the Victory S.
(Aus-G2) at the Gold Coast on April 25, but her next two starts proved the most disappointing of her career.
She was eighth in the BTC Cup (Aus-G1) and sixth in the Doomben 10,000
(Aus-G1), both at Doomben on May 9 and 23, respectively. Trainer Ciaron Maher said his charge had some excuses for those efforts,
however, and his persistence was rewarded Saturday.
Earlier on the card, and less than 24 hours after Qualify (a daughter of Fastnet Rock out of a Galileo mare) became her sire’s first European Group 1 winner in the
Epsom Oaks (Eng-G1), Magicool made it a dual hemisphere double for the Australian champion sire when taking the Queensland Derby
(Aus-G1).
Traveling wide while slightly worse than midfield the first time past the stands and into the
backstretch, Magicool had made up a few positions by the time the field straightened for
home. Hung wide off the turn, the sophomore gelding charged down the center of the track and hit the
lead strides from the wire.
Magicool made a modest but productive start to his career last spring, winning the
listed UCI S. in October and finishing fifth in the Victoria Derby (Aus-G1). Off the board in three subsequent starts, he recorded a confidence-boosting win in a Caulfield handicap
on April 4, and finished fourth in the May 9 South Australian Derby (Aus-G1).
He recorded another win when once again dropped in class at Flemington on May 23, and at last fulfilled his top-level potential Saturday.
Magicool is the first foal from the listed Cheshire Oaks
winner Perfect Truth (Darshaan), who also has a winning two-year-old by Fastnet Rock.
Press Statement, who has sailed flawlessly through his first
three starts, kicked off the Group 1 action at Doomben in the T J Smith S. to
become the first Group 1 winner for second-leading first-season sire
Hinchinbrook.
A 20-1 debut winner at Canterbury on April 29, Press Statement
followed up with a score at Rosehill at 4-5 a month later. Stalking the pace in the two
path in this step up to a mile, the juvenile split runners at the top of the lane, hit
the lead approaching the 100 meter mark and won under mild urging from Tye Angland.
Press Statement became the second stakes winner for his sire on the card, after
Flippant won the listed Lancaster S. earlier in the day.
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