Stars prospects set to light up Spring

THE 2009 Melbourne Spring Carnival is looming as one of the best for years after several potential superstars were unearthed in less than half an hour at Caulfield and Rosehill this afternoon.

And they were matched by equally impressive performances by a couple of already established topliners.

First up was the highly promising four-year-old Mic Mac who staked his claim as a star of the future with a dominating win in the Group 2, Memsie Stakes at Caulfield.

A winner at six of his first seven starts Mic Mac faced his acid test in a field that boasted two Melbourne Cup winners, a Cox Plate winner and a BMW winner and he passed in flying colours.

Smartly away from his inside draw Mic Mac led the field at a solid clip with Von Costa Der Hero sitting on his shoulder.

That pair drifted towards the centre of the track entering the home straight where Von Costa De Hero issued a short lived challenge before the effort told on him and he dropped right out.

It was left to 2008 Melbourne Cup winner Viewed and 2007 Melbourne Cup winner Efficient to issue the next challenge but they were unable to make any ground on the leader who was drawing clear again towards the end.

The talented but eternal unlucky Whobetgotyou made a late charge through a gap to gain second without ever looking a likely winner.

A later vet check on Von Costa De Hero failed to reveal any problems with the horse who was ridden completelu upside down to his normal standard of racing.

Viewed and Efficient were ultra-impressive runs over the unsuitable 1400 metres and both will shorten in betting for the Melbourne Cup after their efforts.

Winning trainer Greg Eurell said after the race that Mic Mac would now be set for the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes over 1600m at Moonee Valley in a fortnight but he wasn’t sure if he would press on for the Cox Plate.

 

 

SOME 20 minutes later, in Sydney, Denman gave former class galloper Lonhro his first Group One winner as a sire when he stormed clear to score an easy win in the Golden Rose Stakes at Rosehill.

Denman was spelled after an unlucky placing at his first start at Flemington in December and today was his fifth win from as many starts since resuming.

He got back in the field early but quickly raced up to the leaders when asked for an effort by jockey Kerrin McEvoy and after taking the lead in the home straight he soon established a winning break.

Denman will now be set for the Spring Champion Stakes before likely heading to Melbourne.

While the winner was impressive so too was the runner-up Trusting who stormed home from the tail of the field with a withering burst which suggested he will prove hard to beat in the Spring Champion Stakes which will likely be a stepping stone towards the Victoria Derby.