Top class action was the order of the day on Saturday

The action at Rosehill and Flemington came thick and fast on Saturday with some new stars emerging on the scene. 

The futures markets with the horse racing bookmakers have been given a shake-up this weekend with some smart performances leading to some favourites showing what they are capable of with some bigger targets to come as we move through the autumn.  

There were Group 1 races at both Flemington and Rosehill on Saturday. It was an interesting day of action with a veteran getting the job done as well as one of the most interesting three-year-old fillies. There is always huge interest when some potential new stars emerge and there was one who saluted at Rosehill who very much fits that bill.  

The 2024 Australian Cup goes to Cascadian 

All the Australian Cup talk in the week was about Mr Brightside V Pride Of Jenni but the veteran Cascadian came back to his best form to win the race for the second year in a row and giving our tips a roughie winner in the process! 

The nine-year-old is one of the older Group 1 winners and only the sixth who has won this race two years in a row. Things mapped out perfectly for him with the strong pace from Pride Of Jenni burning off almost the entire field but she was unable to get away from the Godolphin tracker who got his head in front late on. 

Vinery dances to an Orchestral tune 

It was a little harder work than the odds suggested for Orchestral in the Group 1 Vinery Stud at Rosehill but she got her head in front where it mattered. There was nothing of her age group that could get close to her in New Zealand, arriving in Australia was the favourite in the futures market for the Oaks.  

She would need to improve on this bare form to win an Oaks but it was her first run outside of her homeland so it is easy enough to give her the benefit of the doubt while she is still going through a settling-in period. A steady pace early would not have helped a filly with winning form over further so she remains the one to beat in two weeks time in the Oaks. 

Smart two-year-old could head to Sydney 

Second and fourth in the Blue Diamond Preview and Prelude behind Hayasugi, Tobeornottobe paid tribute to the Clint McDonald-trained fillies form when she saluted in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes on Saturday. 
 
It looked like a tidy field for that two-year-old contest in advance and although it was a little unsatisfactory that the field split into two groups, she was a smart winner on the day. The Group 2 Percy Sykes Stakes was mentioned as a potential target next up and with $ 1 million on the board in that contest, it could make the trip worthwhile.

Kah coasts home on new Doncaster favourite 

The Doncaster Mile is only a week away and Another Wil could be backed up quickly to take his place in the Group 1 contest. He saluted in the Prelude at Rosehill and could hardly have done things much easier under Jamie Kah who said afterwards that she has always regarded him as a freak. 
 
He is certainly one of the fastest-progressing horses in training. The winner of five of his seven career starts, he started 2024 in a BM64 at Sandown in January so winning at Group 3 level on Saturday was already a massive rise in class. He is now a Group 1 favourite and after his 2.25l romp, he is well worth a try at that level. 

These Autumn Saturday afternoons just keep producing the quality. Next week should be more of the same with the T.J. Smith Stakes, the Australian Derby and the Doncaster Mile all on a bumper card as Randwick takes centre stage once more.