Our trial stories tend to focus on the up and coming juveniles, but the first trial at Randwick on Monday morning for staying types was notable for featuring the 2022 Epsom Derby runner up and the 2022 Irish Oaks winner.
The 1250m heat was won by John Sargent’s progressive staying mare Gin Martini (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle ), who won the Listed Sandown Cup (3200m) last spring and she got the verdict over the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained pair - Sir Lucan (IRE) (Camelot) and Hoo Ya Mal (GB) (Territories)
Not seen since finishing 14th behind Verry Ellegant in the 2021 Melbourne Cup, Sir Lucan is the full brother to ill-fated Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet and was most competitive when racing in Ireland and the UK with a Listed win at 2600m and several Group placings.
Hoo Ya Mal was second in the Epsom Derby and then purchased by clients of the Waterhouse Bott stable to contest last year’s Melbourne Cup in which he finished 12th to Gold Trip.
This was the second trial this preparation for both Sir Lucan and Hoo Ya Mal, so expect to see them back at the races sooner rather than later.
Interesting runner was quality Galileo mare Magical Lagoon, who won the Group I Irish Oaks last year and the Group II Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot for Yulong.
She was sent to Japan for a Group I mares race at the end of last year only to finish last and is now being trained by Chris Waller.
Magical Lagoon wasn’t asked to do much in this first outing by Kathy O’Hara and has never raced in anything shorter than a mile, so it will be interesting to see how she progresses.
We’ve had a couple of Epsom Derby winners to race in Australia in Serpentine (IRE) and the ill-fated Anthony Van Dyke (IRE), also Irish Derby winner Latrobe (IRE) ran in a Melbourne Cup, but I can’t recall an Oaks winner such as Magical Lagoon, who was bought as a yearling by Yulong for 305,000 guineas at the Tattersalls October Book 1 Yearling Sale.
