G1 3YOs- Hope Springs Eternal

Winter racing might look a bit uninspiring on face value, but behind the scenes all of the horses with spring aspirations are back in work and their connections will be enjoying that brief and blissful period when hope springs eternal and anything is possible.

The following list of three year-olds all won Group I races this season and while some put the writing on the wall clearly at two, others were lightly raced or unraced, so identifying juveniles that can make the quantum leap is not an exact science.

Of the 18 G1 winning 3YO’s, five of them won a stakes race at two, but five others ended their juvenile season unraced.

The only G1 winning three year-old to win a G1 at two was Golden Slipper winner Marhoona, who returned to win The Galaxy and the Michael Freedman trained Emirates Park homebred remains in training.

Can she win a G1 at four? Absolutely.

Godolphin had an amazing six G1 winners and of those Tentyris and Tempted were both elite juveniles and they won the Group II ATC Todman Stakes (colts) and Reisling Stakes (fillies) on the same day two weeks out from the Golden Slipper.

Tentyris pulled up stumps after that win, while Tempted was third in the Golden Slipper before winning the Group II ATC Percy Sykes, so to predict they would come back and dominate was hardly rocket science.

The other four Godolphin G1 stars were tougher to predict – Attica was unraced, Green Spaces had three starts for a maiden win at Geelong, Observer had three starts for a win at Sandown and Beiwacht had five starts and won the Group II ATC Silver Slipper as a rank outsider giving the impression that may have been a fluke.

Turns out it was no fluke and he became the first G1 winner for his sire Bivouac when scoring a track record breaking win in the Group I ATC Golden Rose and then for good measure beat the older horses in the Group I ATC All Aged Stakes.

He remains in training, no breeding barn yet for Beiwacht, who can definitely add to his G1 record next season.

Bivouac’s second G1 winner Fireball Miss was unraced at two and the other unraced horses were Belle Cheval, Ohope Wins and Wigmore.

Apocalyptic had just one start for a second placing at Randwick, while Strictly Business also had one start at Flemington when she beat one runner home, while Panova had one start in July at Wyong running second.

Providence was a three start maiden albeit his runs were all in good company and he was fourth in the Group I BRC JJ Atkins to Cool Archie, who never raced again… there’s a big unanswered question - where would Cool Archie have fitted in the picture at three?

Ole Dancer was a winter wonder with two starts for two wins and the second of those was at Caulfield on July 26.

That leaves us with Sheza Alibi and Autumn Boy, who famously ran the quinella in the Listed Tattersalls Stakes in Brisbane on June 28.

Did anyone think these two horses would dominate in the way that they did?

Autumn Boy yes – he fits the Chris Waller profile for future star to a tee, but Sheza Alibi has come from left field with her first three starts in far north Queensland.

Transferred from her original trainer Kris Hansen to Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman, she has been a revelation and turned the tables on Autumn Boy in both the Randwick Guineas and Doncaster Mile.

Can’t wait to see more from this superstar duo!

So who will be the next generation of 3YO G1 winners? Will there be further G1 success for Streisand, Guest House, Campione D'Italia, Fireball and Tron Bolt, or will there be new contenders from the up and comer brigade featuring the likes of Chayan, The Next Episode, St Gotthard, Stretan Ruler, Blue Door, Paradoxium, Warwoven, Big Sky, dashing grey Hidrix or maybe even this year's winter wonder Omolong.

Hope springs eternal.