We are down to the final Group 1 race of the season, Saturday’s $500,000 Group 1 Tatt’s Tiara (1400m) at Eagle Farm, and for many the final race of their careers before embarking on a new career in the broodmare barn.
It has produced one of the most competitive fields of the season where you can make a case for just about all of the 18 entrants as well as the first two emergencies, headed by David Vandyke’s ultra-consistent Casino Prince filly Baccarat Baby and Gai Waterhouse’s and Adrian Bott’s well-credentialled Scat Daddy import Con Te Partiro (USA).
Champion trainer Chris Waller’s five entries include some great stable stalwarts that will be making their final starts while Godolphin’s retained trainer James Cummings will counter with three runners that head the market including the three-year old’s Multaja and Pohutukawa who are both daughters of Medaglia d’Oro (USA).
In America, Medaglia d’Oro (USA) (image Mark Smith ) built his reputation on his fillies, which include two of the all-time greats, Rachel Alexandra and Songbird.
By contrast, in Australia he has earned recognition through the glamour colts Vancouver and Astern as well as the Group 1 NZ Derby winner Crown Prosecutor.
Multaja and Pohutukawa will vie to give the son of El Prado a belated parting gift as the first of their sex to win at the elite level in Australia.
Pohutukawa is likely to start favourite and would be a worthy selection for Best On Breeding being a granddaughter of that remarkable producer Chiara (Last Tycoon) but we will throw out lot behind Multaja who seems to have thrived in Brisbane.
Beginning her career in the Melbourne stables, Multaja cruised to victory in a maiden at Werribee at her only start at two. She carried on the good work when winning at Moonee Valley in her 3yo debut before finishing second on the same track three weeks later.
She was then stepped up to stakes company and seemed to lose her way a bit although far from disgraced in four starts before a transfer to the Sydney stables.
A drop back in class saw her win on a heavy track at Hawkesbury carrying 60kgs and then backed that up with a Group III win in the PJ Bell Stakes at Randwick.
Multaja then went back to Hawkesbury where she failed to run down the freewheeling Irithea (also in Saturday’s Tatt’s Tiara) in the Group III Hawkesbury Crown, which earned her a trip to Queensland.
A first-up second to Vega One in the Listed Queensland Day Cup (1350m) at Doomben was followed by a most convincing performance at her most recent start in the Listed Helen Coughlin Stakes (1200m) on the same track. (image Racing QLD )
Multaja is the second offspring of the useful Lonhro mare Shelters to visit Medaglia d'Oro (USA). The first was the 2017 Listed ATC Lonhro Plate winner Veranillo.
A sister to the Group I BRC The TJ Smith Classic winner Benfica, Shelters is a daughter of the Danehill mare Hut who placed in three Group II stakes, the Tea Rose Stakes, Light Fingers Stakes and Reisling Stakes.
She is a half-sister to Dalquarren (Canny Lad) the dam of Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes winner Neroli (Viscount) while another half-sister Croft (Octagonal) is the dam of Group III Ken Russell Memorial Classic winner Big Tree (Snitzel).
Hutt’s stakes-placed dam Ivy Cottage (Star Way) is a half-sister to Brian Mayfield Smiths remarkable mare Riverina Charm who carried the colours of Robert Sangster’s Swettenham Stud to victory in four Group 1’s, the VATC One Thousand Guineas, STC Canterbury Guineas, STC Rosehill Guineas and ARC Air New Zealand Stakes.
The daughter of Sir Tristram had just six foals, five got to the track and four were winners headed by the NZ Bloodstock Filly of the Year in 2000 Sarwatch (Jetball) and the Group II winner Paolino (Housebuster).
