Beauden and rider Ryan Elliot clear out in the Awapuni Gold Cup on Saturday.
Awapuni has been the happiest of hunting grounds for Beauden, who returned to his favourite track on Saturday for a career-best victory in the Gr.2 City of Palmerston North Awapuni Gold Cup (2000m). It was the 11th win of a 36-start career for the Bullbars gelding, who has been near-unbeatable at Awapuni – eight of his victories have come from only 10 appearances at the Palmerston North track, including the last two editions of the Listed Marton Cup (2200m). Saturday’s win was the best of the lot. Up against a quality field that featured this season’s Group One winners, Callsign Mav and Royal Performer, along with high-class performer Prise de Fer, Beauden dropped back to second-last as Hunta Pence led the field through most of the 2000m journey.
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Champion mare Melody Belle created a piece of New Zealand racing history at Ellerslie on Saturday when she strode to victory in the Group 1 Bonecrusher NZ Stakes (2000m), her 14th win at the elite level, to surpass the mighty Sunline for the most G1 wins in the modern era for a NZ-trained galloper.
The six-year-old daughter of Commands had attracted her share of doubters as to whether she could produce another G1 victory after being beaten at Te Rapa over the same distance in the Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) last month.
Never a truer word has been spoken than the age-old adage that form is temporary and class is permanent as the dual NZ Horse of The Year gave her seven rivals, including runner-up and stablemate Avantage, a galloping lesson as she stormed home for rider Troy Harris to win going away by a length and spark some emotional scenes in the Ellerslie birdcage.
Punters post-race: Australian Guineas day in review by James Lamb, Luke Sheehan & David Hocking Lunar Fox caused a boilover in the Guineas Image: Getty
Verry Elleegant displayed all of her fighting qualities once again, while Lunar Fox became the longest-priced Australian G1 winner in history with victory in the Guineas. Star Performer
Verry Elleegant in the Chipping Norton Stakes (Randwick R7)
Her seventh Group One win was a customary tough display as the Caulfield Cup champion staved off a quartet of horses in a five-way go to claim the G1 feature at Randwick. James McDonald had to bustle along the daughter of Zed out of the gates as she was tardy away, and then got going before the corner as she went eye-to-eye with main market rival Colette. To the inside of the Godolphin mare was Waller s other pair Funstar and Kolding, while it looked as though Avilius was going to end his winning drought of 500+ days when he travelled into it beautifully off the backs