Men fight wars. Women win them - Queen Elizabeth I - Day Two of The Championships at Royal Randwick has a decidedly regal flavour!
The G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes honours the much - missed late monarch of our time, and wouldn’t HM have loved to watch a great horse like Autumn Glow in action.
Way back in the 1500s, Queen Elizabeth the first was also an aficionado of the then-fledgling sport of horse racing.
The Queen was known as a fast and utterly fearless rider who loved to hunt.
Finding the English horses of the time far too slow for her liking, she frequently sent her Master Of Horse on exotic jaunts, tasked with the job of finding quicker ones.
The Queen maintained the Royal Stables at Hampton Court established by her father Henry VIII, and opened her own at Blackheath. With the full pomp and chivalry of the Elizabethan court in tow, she attended public race meetings held on Salisbury Plain.
Elizabeth took a dim view of those who did not adhere to her Royal edicts regarding the improvement of English blooded horses ( the creation of the Studbook was still more than two centuries into the future!!) and apparently she particularly loathed horse thieves, ordering the immediate execution of any unfortunates caught in this dastardly activity.
Elizabeth I is often depicted on the fine white charger upon which she rode back and forth - wearing white velvet and waving a silver cutlass - as she rallied her troops, urging them to repel the Spanish Armada, on the occasion of her famous Tilbury speech.
What a firebrand she must have been!
Fortunately, the Queen Elizabeth of our time was a far more benevolent soul - though every bit as imbued with the love of fast horses and the breeding of them, perhaps even more so than any of her predecessors.
While the unbeaten Autumn Glow unequivocally wears the mantle of reigning Australasian equine royalty, there are any number of genuine turf queens stepping out on this day of days.
Aeliana, Pride Of Jenni, Lady Shenandoah, Treasurethe Moment, Ohope Wins, Marhoona, Tempted…
After we have witnessed the three year old fillies strive for Classic glory in the Oaks, and before Autumn Glow takes the stage in the WFA championship of the Sydney Autumn, the G1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes will anoint this year’s monarch of the mile.
The Queen Of The Turf was inaugurated by the STC in 1972
The winner was Refulgence, a mare of interesting breeding! She was the only stakes winner sired by the long forgotten Star Kingdom son King’s Realm, and was bred x 2 to her own ancestress Lady Babbie. One line came through that mare's son Rivoli, who won the VRC Derby and was an unlucky runner up in the 1923 Melbourne Cup. Rivoli proved to be a decent sire of racehorses, but he would achieve immortality as the damsire of the celebrated Australian Stock Horse and Hall Of Fame stallion Rivoli Ray.
The Queen Of The Turf was initially a 1500m Handicap and did not become a WFA contest until 2005, when it was simultaneously elevated to G1 status.
In 2014 the race was moved from its ancestral seat at Rosehill to the famous 1600m at Randwick to become part of The Championships.
Before it's WFA era, the Queen Of The Turf was won by many fine females - among them the likes of Millefleurs, Scomeld, Memphis Blues, Ricochet Rosie, Romanee Conti, Excited Angel, Light Up The World, Shame, Arletty, Camino Rose, Danglissa and Hosannah.
The first of the WFA winners was Ike's Dream, and she has been followed by an enviable roll call - Mnemosyne, Divine Madonna, Forensics, Typhoon Tracy, the mighty More Joyous ( she remains the only dual winner), Appearance, Azkadellia, Foxplay, Alizee and Kenedna all won prior to 2020.
The 2020 heroine, the US import Con Te Partiro (Scat Daddy) won during the brief period the race was called The Coolmore Legacy Stakes (its registered name)
She became only the fourth mare to complete the Coolmore Classic / Queen Of The Turf double after Favoured in 1974, Camino Rose in 1999 and Appearance in 2013.
Just four years later Zougotcha (Zoustar) achieved the feat, and this year it is Lazzura ( Snitzel) who will attempt to join this elite club.
A field of thirteen mares will contest the 2026 Queen Of The Turf, and happily the forecast is for weather fine / track good!
Before Con Te Partiro ( six) and Nettoyer, no mare over the age of five had won in more than three decades! Can the remarkable Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) at eight years old go one better again?
Rarely have we been privileged to witness a horse fight harder for a G1 than Jenni in the 2026 Australian Cup. No disrespect to Light Infantry Man, he’s top class - but I wish the mare had won. She deserved it.
Now I’m going against her, and that does feel a little disrespectful but I can’t shake the doubts. One, what did that monumental effort take out of her? Two, how will her famous sustained speed go dropping back from 2000 to 1600m? The last time she did that (after an Australian Cup flop) it was successful, but she'd had a month off.
Before that it was out of the Cox Plate into the Champions Mile - and Jenni was well down the track.
She's eight years old - returning to the scene of her greatest victory in the 2024 QE, when she towelled up Via Sistina by six and a half lengths. She was near invincible then. But as she's grown older, Jenni has developed the propensity to throw in the odd flat performance after a particularly big effort. It’s because she tries so very hard - and that's what concerns me here.
That said, the wonderful mare doesn't know her age. She's tackling this easier assignment rather than taking on the Glow, Aeliana and company in the QE, which is wise.
She'll go out there with all guns blazing and perhaps she's got the ammo in the locker to take care of this company. It's sure going to be exciting to watch her try! Jenni is truly a Warrior Queen.
Top Pick:TREASURETHE MOMENT
I thought Treasurethe Moment was so gallant in the Melbourne spring. She was derailed by a nasty colic attack and didn't win a race after her brilliant pre-colic trouncing of Mr Brightside first up in the Memsie Stakes.
Despite that, this trouper placed in the Feehan ( to Jenni), the Might And Power and the Cox Plate - so she was still going a lot better than 99.99% of the racehorses in Australia.
Her career record stands at 18 -11-4-2 and she has banked just over $4.1 million.
She's never finished further back than fourth in her eighteen lifetime starts, has won two Oaks, is a four time G1 winner and an open G1 WFA winner and yet the daughter of Alabama Express has for some time had her critics.
Once Treasure had lost a couple of races - after a nine-run streak of wins (seven of them stakes races) - some folks were disappointed. They haven't seemed to recover either, citing the now four year old's first up defeat ( by less than a length) as odds on pop in the G1 Futurity this prep, as evidence of some sort of slide into mediocrity.
Well I just can't see it. As trainer Matt Laurie remarked after the Futurity, the mare was forced into a leading role which doesn't suit her, and it’s not as if her eventual vanquishers, Pericles and Buckaroo, are G1 pretenders!
Anyway - here she is third up after a nice confidence boosting and utterly dominant win in the G2 Sunline Stakes. This time Treasurethe Moment is drawn perfectly and will have her target to chase. It’s going to be a fascinating tactical race.
How far in front do they let Jenni get without pushing their own horses out of a rhythm?
Despite winning two 2400m Oaks, I reckon 1600/ 2000m is Treasurethe Moment’s ideal trip.
Her sire Alabama Express had a scintillating turn of foot and won the G1 Orr Stakes at 1400m. The Yulong stallion is putting it into his stock too, with daughter Alabama Lass placed in the G1 Moir Stakes in the spring, and others winning stakes races at sprint trips - though it looks like the mile will be a “natural” destination for many of the progeny of this young sire.
Alabama Express has a pedigree characterised by a blend of stamina and speed. He hails from the immediate family of Hong Kong mile - middle distance champion Designs On Rome and GB's Sights On Gold, who was narrowly beaten in a HK Vase - as well as close relations, Australian G1 sprinting hero Giga Kick and Rekindled Interest, a G1 class sprinter miler who also placed in a Cox Plate.
Alabama Express is linebred to Blue Hen and USA Champion Handicap mare Late Date through her grand daughters Stolen Date (his ancestress) and Best In Show (Redoutes's Choice) - the two damlines bring the family together with a potent cross of Nijinsky and his three quarter brother The Minstrel. This is reinforced by Waajib, who brings Best In Show daughter Sex Appeal via his sire Try My Best.
Treasurethe Moment is a homebred for Yulong out of the blueblooded Street Cry mare Draconic Treasure.
She was the third, and sadly the final foal from her dam who died in 2022.
Treasurethe Moment is bred
Northern Dancer 5m,5m x 5m
Danzig 4m x 5m
Blue Hen Fairy Bridge 5m x 5m
As Alabama Express is linebred to a breedshaping Blue Hen who is his own ancestress, so is Street Cry's sire Machiavellian ( Almahmoud) and Invincible Spirit ( Mowerina) - who nicks with Canny Lad by his family member Bletchingly.
Gulch is a descendant of the Lexington mare Minnie Minor (family A4) as is Green Desert, and this is the family of the French-bred sire Durbar carried by Nashua, who appears on the damline of Alabama Express.
Nashua is also of course the damsire of Mr Prospector, and as Alabama Express carries only a Mr P daughter via Encosta De Lago, the lines of Machiavellian and Gulch are key.
Another A4 nick is Swaps and he appears in Grenfall, while his close relation Judy-Rae is ancestress of Green Desert. This pedigree also features linebreeding to the sire of Swaps Khaled, and to his close relation Blushing Groom.
As well as Best In Show, Almahmoud, La Troienne and Fairy Bridge, Treasurethe Moment is linebred to Blue Hens:
Flower Bowl (full brothers Graustark and His Majesty)
Fleur ( her own ancestress and that of Riverman, there are many lines of this family carried by Best In Show)
Lalun through half brothers Bold Reason and Never Bend ( sex balanced) and to Lalun's sire Djeddah
As I'm writing this, Treasurethe Moment has assumed Queen Of The Turf favouritism! So it seems that faith in the bonny mare is fully restored out there in punter land.
Talking about queens. The reputed last words of Queen Elizabeth the first, were - “All my possessions for a moment of time”.
Treasurethe Moment and Damian Lane will jump from barrier 3.
Next Best: LADY SHENANDOAH
Finally - Lady Shen gets back out to a mile and she’s been screaming for it.
Sent on a sprinter’s path since her devastating Flight Stakes / Coolmore Classic wins at three - it hasn't been a failure, but nor has it delivered the further G1 glory this outstanding individual deserves.
Now four, Lady Shenandoah comes to this assignment off a G1 George Ryder fourth to Autumn Glow. Though she has competed with distinction against the best in open G1 company, including her gutsy 2.3 length seventh in The Everest to Ka Ying Rising, the daughter of Snitzel is now back against her own sex - and she won't get a better chance to make it G1 number four.
Few fillies are capable of doing what Lady Shenandoah did at three, stringing together five stakes wins, three of them G1s, the last in the Coolmore Classic defeating a brilliant field of older mares.
Lady Shenandoah was a $525,000 purchase for Heritage Thoroughbreds from the draft of her co-breeders Arrowfield at Inglis Easter 2023.
Still the veteran of only 14 starts for Chris Waller, her earnings top $4.1 million and in fact are almost identical to that of Treasurethe Moment - with Pride Of Jenni blitzing both of them as her prizemoney now exceeds $12 million!
Lady Shenandoah’s winning dam Star Pupil also produced G1 HKJC Centenary Sprint Cup hero Stronger (Not A Single Doubt) now at stud in Australia.
Her Maurice colt sold for $550,000 to R Fownes at Inglis Easter last year, while her 2025 foal was an exciting full brother by Snitzel to Lady Shen!
Star Pupil is currently in foal to The Autumn Sun.
Star Pupil is a full sister to stakes winner Ain'Tnofallenstar, dam of the very good stayer Ain'Tnodeeldun (Dundeel)
They are daughters of the top race mare Ain't Seen Nothin - by Danehill's mighty son Nothin’ Leica Dane from Icecapade by Sir Ivor's son Ghengiz, she was at one time a leading Caulfield Cup contender, won three stakes races and was placed in a G1 Underwood.
The mare proved to be a top producer as well, foaling G3 winner Bachman (All American) and dual Singapore Champion and HOTY Stepitup (Hussonet), as well as her two daughters to Starcraft.
Her dam Icecapade was a half sister to both Patou by Covetous, (dam of Golden Slipper heroine Polar Success) and the dam of Bring Me The Maid - dual G2 winner at two and third in the Golden Slipper.
This is the immediate family of Australian and international champions Elvstroem and Haradasun, their dam the AJC Oaks winning, Caulfield Cup runner up Circles Of Gold, and a multitude of Australian, NZ and international G1 winners including Starspangledbanner and Highland Reel.
This amazing family traces tail female to the matriarch Eulogy (22-b) from whom descend the likes of Bonecrusher, Vo Rogue, and our modern day champion Dundeel.
Lady Shenandoah is bred
Northern Dancer 5m,5m x 5m
Danehill 3m x 4m
Snitzel x Starcraft is definitely a nick to take note of with Lady Shenandoah the best of four SW’s bred this way, and three are fillies.
Starcraft was an internationally successful miler, we forget what a great racehorse the chestnut giant was sometimes.
Starcraft's third dam Entrancing Belle was sired by Bellborough, from the family of Snitzel’s third damsire In Reality.
Starcraft's sire the Nureyev son Soviet Star descends from the taproot mare Maid Of Masham (9-f) through a French-bred mare - this complements Snitzel's multiple lines to her North American bred descendants including Bull Lea, Star Shoot and Sun Again.
Sun Again is also carried by Starcraft tail male through Pompeii Court's damsire Damascus - and all of the above nick powerfully with Lady Shenandoah's third damsire Ghengiz!
Sex balanced inbreeding to Danehill is significant as his damsire His Majesty traces to the mare Manganese - she is also Starcraft's ancestress.
Lady Shenandoah is a big girl, and she will be happy to be back at Randwick on a firm deck, and back to a mile where she can put her awesome finishing power to best use.
When she won the Coolmore Classic Lady Shen became the first three year old filly since the great Typhoon Tracy in 2009 to claim that glittering prize.
Typhoon Tracy returned the following year to win the Queen Of The Turf.
The man of the moment J Mac is aboard Lady Shenandoah and they've drawn beautifully in barrier 2.
Roughie: SHE’S A HUSTLER
I'm a big fan of this five year old mare and she is quality. The daughter of Ace High has been patiently handled by Grahame Begg and has just eleven starts to her name for seven wins, four seconds and $842,456 in stakes.
I'm not sure if this race has ever been won by a horse first up, if it has it would be a rare occurrence! But a good stayer can pull out a big fresh performance and that's what this mare is.
Last prep she went to a new level with her win in the G3 Tesio on Cox Plate day followed by second in the G2 Matriarch on the last day of the Flemington carnival, and topped off her spring with a great win in the G2 WFA Zipping Classic beating dual Australian Cup hero and Jenni- conqueror Light Infantry Man.
She's A Hustler is an on pacer who flies fresh. Previously when first up at a mile ( her only start at the distance) she recorded a facile victory of 3.5 lengths, and also won early on in her career over 1500m.
The way this race will be run should suit this tough, powerful mare and If there is to be a shock result, she could be the one to spring it!
She's A Hustler was bred by John Thompson and Greg Tomlinson, the respective principals of NZ nurseries Rich Hill Stud and Nearco Stud.
They had previously joined forces to purchase Temolie, the dam of this Autumn's G1 heroine Aeliana who will face off with Autumn Glow in the QE Stakes on Saturday.
She’s A Hustler was purchased out of Rich Hill’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale by agent Phill Cataldo for $70,000.
After just one start for Roger James in NZ she found her way across the ditch to Grahame Begg's stables at Cranbourne.
She's A Hustler is the fourth stakes winner for her sire, High Chaparral's G1 VRC Derby/ ATC Spring Champion hero Ace High, who stands at Rich Hill Stud.
This handsome son of a brilliant sire of sires boasts Redoutes Choice and Sunday Silence as his first and second damsires, and like his relatives Danehill, Halo and Machiavellian he is linebred to the family of his ancestress Almahmoud.
She's A Hustler is a daughter of the winning Bernardini mare Snow Petal, and is a granddaughter of the G1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes winning miler Zirna (Deputy Governer). That top performer left NZ and won multiple stakes races in Singapore, where she was crowned HOTY.
She's A Hustler is a half sister to stakes placed Freeze Frame (Vadamos), and to winning milers Platinum Road (Declaration Of War) and Platinum Petals ( Deep Field)
Her promising 3YO half sister Frozen Fortune (Proisir) recently broke her maiden in fine style when stepped up to 1600m for the first time.
This interesting family descends from a fast, stakes winning daughter of the mighty Baguette by Rego, an undefeated Sydney juvenile Triple Crown winner who raced on to win the Newmarket and Doomben 10,000 at three. He left a host of fine daughters who shaped the breed and is the grandsire of Rory's Jester.
His daughter Sparkle N Shine is She's A Hustlers ancestress, and was a half sister to Olympic Flame, dam of G1 sprinter Sports and Seika by Canny Lad who founded a successful family of her own.
This branch of family 11-d descends from the imported Irish-bred Gaterina by Prince Galahad.
She's A Hustler is bred
Seattle Slew x 4m,5m
Her damsire the beautiful Bernardini was a champion and shuttled to Australia for Darley over eight seasons. He is a sought after broodmare sire worldwide with 21 G1 winners as a broodmare sire including the Kentucky Derby hero Sovereignty and the ATC Derby winner Angel Of Truth. In Australia he sired the durable 5 x G1 winning sprinter miler Boban (won the Epsom)
We’ll get to his grandsire the mighty Seattle Slew, but the number one influence in this outstanding pedigree is that of Blue Hen Almahmoud.
Ace High is linebred to his own ancestress Spring Adieu ( ex Natalma) through daughters and half sisters Razyana ( His Majesty) dam of Danehill, and You're My Lady ( Roberto by Hail To Reason), his fourth dam.
Ace High's second damsire is by Sunday Silence, by Hail To Reason from Natalma's half sister Cosmah and Cosmah's daughter Queen Sucree ( by His Majesty's sire Ribot) is the dam of Gleam Machine.
Bernardini contributes Spectacular Bid, a family relation (2-d) plus Natalma son Northern Dancer via a daughter, while his damsire Quiet American is another linebred to his own ancestress that being Cequillo, who like Almahmoud was a Mahmoud daughter.
Ace High's third damsire Local Talent was by Northern Dancer and from the 17-b family, which is also a strong presence in Roberto and particularly in the damlines of Sunday Silence - so this is a huge key as to how Ace High will breed on.
She's A Hustler's dam has plenty of this blood notably via Johnstown, the damsire of To Market ( x 2 in Spectacular Bid) and Mr Prospector (Fappiano).
In Seattle Slew the family appears via the sire Negofol who is also carried by Redoute's Choice.
Seattle Slew is important for his inbreeding to full sisters Striking and Busher from La Troienne daughter Baby League, and his dam's inbreeding to her own ancestress Frizette ( also Mr Prospector's, and Darshaan's)
Redoute's Choice sex balances with Busher's full brother Mr Busher and more. Ace High's linebred ancestress Spring Adieu is by La Troienne's great descendant Buckpasser.
This pedigree also features linebreeding to Promised Land (damsire of Sunday Silence and Spectacular Bid), Hail To Reason (damsire of both Sadler's Wells and of Slew's sire Bold Reasoning, sire of Roberto / grandsire of Sunday Silence) and to Blue Hens Lalun ( Never Bend sex balanced, half brother Bold Reason) and Somethingroyal (Secretariat, Sir Gaylord) plus a whole lot more!
She's A Hustler is a big, imposing athlete and will attempt to hit a new level here as she tackles G1 racing for the first time. Jordie Childs has been aboard at every one of her Australian starts and the dynamic duo will launch from barrier 5.
Blowout: PINITO
This lovely looking four year old daughter of Snitzel son Trapeze Artist drops back from the 1900m of the Epona Stakes to the mile, at which she won her previous start, the G3 Aspiration Quality over this course / distance.
The Chris Waller trained mare is Godolphin owned and was a $260,000 Inglis Easter purchase for the global breeding and racing giant from Widden Stud, who stand her sire.
Godolphin don’t buy many yearlings at Australian sales - and since they can afford to buy absolutely anything they like, it's quite notable that they singled out this girl for acquisition!
Pinito won the 1800m Listed Gold Coast Bracelet last preparation before unleashing a great run in the G1 QLD Oaks to go down narrowly to the impressive So You Think filly You Wahng.
Her record to date stands at 14 - 3-5-4 for earnings of $489,325.
Bred by the Vieira Group, Pinito is the best of three winners from Waltzing Wodka, a winning daughter of Sebring and full sister to G2 winners Catch a Fire (Angus Armanasco Stakes, exp USA) and Seaburge (VRC Sires Produce) and a half sister to Zloties (1600m Queen Of The South Stakes) the last by Trapeze Artist’s sire Snitzel.
They were all produced by the placed Encosta De Lago mare Polska, a full sister to G1 producer Bullion Mansion from the G1 Australasian Oaks heroine La Volta ( Laranto).
La Volta's full sister Terevega was a two time stakes winning juvenile in WA who trained on to contest a WA Oaks and their half sister Mead ( Galileo) produced the gifted and ill fated sprinter Brave Mead and the Listed Geelong Classic winner Solemn.
Waltzing Wodka was never covered by any stallion but Trapeze Artist before she sadly died last year.
Her yearling filly was sold for $100,000 at Inglis Premier to Proven Thoroughbreds / Hayfields Racing, and her final foal is another daughter.
This family is a branch of Colonial family 10 (Betty) descending from her daughter Violet through the AJC All Aged Stakes winner of 1884, Brown And Rose.
Pinito is bred
Danehill 4m x 5m
Blue Hen Rolls x 5f,5f
She Is linebred to Blue Hen Honey Buzzard who is sex balanced in Trapeze Artist's fifth dam Fairy Walk 4m x 5f, via the influential sires Honeyway ( Fairway x Honey Buzzard) and Messmate ( Fairway x Run Honey by Hyperion out of Honey Buzzard)
Pinito's fifth dam Fine End was sired by the good stallion Endless Honey (Never Say Die x Run Honey) Messmate's half brother.
Similar patterns exist throughout this pedigree - Trapeze Artist himself is linebred to Best In Show, Danehill is x 2 Natalma, Canny Lad, Red Ransom, More Than Ready and Todvega are among others with close up duplications.
Natalma meets her three quarter sister Cosmah through Halo, and his sire Hail To Reason is duplicated - this tail male line of Turn-To nicks with a number of Sir Ivor daughters while both Mr Prospector and Northern Dancer are sex balanced.
A fast run, high pressure mile will suit this mare as will getting back onto a good track. She peaks now at her fourth run of the preparation and as she is a backmarker the wide get probably isn't a huge issue. Her chances will all depend on what happens at the front end of the race!
Pinito and Jason Collett will jump from barrier 12.
Who will wear the crown?
