Expensive yearling purchase Dragon Leap underscored his potential staying talent when he stormed home on debut to score over 1400m at Te Rapa. Raced by Hong Kong couple Eugene and Karen Chuang under their Hermitage Thoroughbreds banner, the Pierro three-year-old gelding was an A$1,050,000 purchase out of the Sydney yearling sales and is prepared by Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott from their Matamata base.

O’Sullivan and Scott have enjoyed success for Hermitage Thoroughbreds through horses such as talented sprinter Spring Heat and Group 1 winners Summer Passage (Sistema Stakes, 1200m) and Willie Cazals (Livamol Classic, 2040m). The duo look to have another potential topliner on their hands judging by the way Dragon Leap rounded his rivals up in the closing stages at Te Rapa after spotting the leaders a conservative seven lengths at the entrance to the home straight.

Pocketed between runners with 350m to run, rider Craig Grylls didn’t panic as he pushed Dragon Leap into the clear before he unleashed a powerful finishing burst to accelerate past race favourite Soft Hearted in the shadows of the winning post. “We did like his chances as his work has been very good, but he is bred to run a trip so we thought whatever he does today, the further he goes the better he will get,” O’Sullivan said. “If he is good enough, he could go up to Hong Kong and maybe one day run in a Derby as that was what he was bought for. “That was a good way to start today but he still has a long way to go.”

O’Sullivan was quick to acknowledge the patience of the Hermitage Thoroughbreds team when speaking about the future of the horse. “They have been very patient with this horse and in fact, any horse we have been able to purchase for them,” he said. “They give us a free reign so we are indebted to them as they are fabulous owners and hopefully, they will be rewarded for it long-term. “Once we get this guy up running a trip in those three-year-old races then a Derby could be his target as he was certainly purchased to run in a Derby.”

Dragon Leap is the third foal of Redoute’s Choice mare, Pontiana and is the younger half-brother of Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) winner Inference, who also ran third in the 2016 Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m).

– Kevin Robertson, horsebetting.com.au

It was just 12 months ago that The Autumn Sun stamped himself as a colt of rare ability with his Caulfield Guineas romp and remarkably for his owner John Messara, there is a more than just a hint of history repeating before Saturday’s $2 million classic.

The scratching of The Holy One on Friday morning from the Caulfield Guineas has opened up a spot in the field for second emergency Groundswell to start and, it is fair to say a Caulfield Guineas win for this thoroughbred blueblood would confirm him as a future stallion just as it did for The Autumn Sun a year ago.

Groundswell surely has the breeding to win a Guineas. A sale-topping $2.3 million yearling, he is by Fastnet Rock out of The Broken Shore, who has already produced Group 1 winner Shoals, but more than that, is a half-sister to Messara’s former champion sire Redoute’s Choice, who died in March at the age of 22.

“It’s exciting,” Messara said on hearing the news Groundswell has made the Guineas line-up.

“He’s been a bit slow to mature mentally but he is catching up fast.

“We’re pretty happy with him. We are thinking he is going to acquit himself very well tomorrow.

“He’s moving forward in leaps and bounds. He’s on an upwards trajectory. If things go his way, he’ll be in the thick of things tomorrow.

“It would be wonderful if it happens.”

Messara and fellow high-end owner Jonathan Munz purchased The Broken Shore for $1.8m and are creating a dynasty from the mare who, as well as Shoals, has also produced the handy mare Tides.

She also has a two-year-old by Medaglia D’Oro and a yearling Fastnet Rock filly.

Groundswell’s emergence when a last-start third in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude has Messara thinking of 12 months ago when The Autumn Sun thrashed fellow three-year-olds to take the classic – the first of three he would take in his three-year-old year.

The Autumn Sun was retired immediately after winning the Rosehill Guineas in March and began stud duties at Arrowfield Stud this spring at a whopping fee of $77,000.

“He’s going well,” Messara said of the five-time Group 1 winner’s first few months in the breeding barn. “He’s got a very nice book of 160 mares, which is all we can take at this stage and it’s more than enough I think for a first-season sire.

“Importantly, he’s got tremendous quality amongst his mares so he’s certainly going to get his chance at stud.”

– Andrew Eddy, racing.com

Winx has claimed another record, being named Australia’s Horse of the Year for an unprecedented fourth time.

The mare was retired in April after winning the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, her 25th Group One victory and her 33rd successive win.

She was also named the champion middle distance performer for the season at a ceremony in Hobart on Thursday, the same night she was honoured with the Spirit Of Sport award at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in Melbourne.

Winx’s trainer Chris Waller was again recognised at the Horse of the Year awards as the country’s leading Group One trainer and her rider Hugh Bowman the leading jockey.

The three-year-old winners were Sunlight who was named best filly and The Autumn Sun, best colt or gelding.

Waller trained The Autumn Sun, who is now at Arrowfield Stud while Tony McEvoy is the trainer of Sunlight, a leading contender for the $14 million Everest.

Godolphin’s Cross Counter, the first English-trained horse to win the Melbourne Cup was the champion stayer.

The champion sprinter went to the Anthony Freedman-trained Santa Ana Lane, winner of the VRC Sprint and TJ Smith.

The Patrick Payne-trained Zed Em, who took out the Von Doussa/Great Eastern Steeple double at Oakbank and the Great Annual at Warrnambool, was voted champion jumper.

Godolphin produced the top two-year-old, ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Microphone.

Black Caviar and Sunline both won the Horse of the Year three times.

– punters.com.au

Chris Waller’s masterclass across two states at the weekend must be considered one of one of the greatest moments in Australian sport, not just horse racing.

Chris Waller’s Group 1 “Saturday Slam” ranks among the most dominant feats not just on the racetrack but in Australian sport.

Sydney’s premier trainer won the six races in which he saddled runners at Royal Randwick last Saturday, including the three Group 1 races on the program, Epsom Handicap (Kolding), The Metropolitan (Come Play With Me) and Flight Stakes (Funstar).

Waller also had two winners at Flemington, including a stable quinella in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (Kings Will Dream and Finche).

In total, the Hall of Fame trainer won seven stakes races, including four Group 1 events, during the afternoon. Both achievements are national, if not world, records.

The nation’s most respected sports broadcaster, Bruce McAvaney, hosted Channel 7’s coverage of the Epsom meeting at Royal Randwick and said Waller’s achievement was among Australian sport’s greatest moments.

“What Chris Waller managed to do was perfection, or very close to it,’’ McAvaney said.

“It’s the post-Winx era now and we all wondered how would Chris go without the great mare. Well, Chris has just put on a masterclass, he seems to be getting bigger and better. His legend continues to grow.’’

Only two Australian trainers had won three majors on the same day before and Waller was one of them.

In fact, Waller has had a Group 1 treble three times. Last year, he prepared Unforgotten (ATC Australian Oaks), Winx (Queen Elizabeth Stakes) and Who Shot Thebarman (Sydney Cup) to win on the final day of The Championships, then repeated the feat this year with the same hat-trick of majors from Verry Elleegant (Oaks), Winx (Queen Elizabeth) and Shraaoh (Cup) this autumn.

He also had a Group 1 hat-trick on Slipper Day earlier this year with The Autumn Sun (Rosehill Guineas), Winx (George Ryder Stakes) and ­Nature Strip (The Galaxy).

Gai Waterhouse is the other trainer to win a Group 1 treble in 2007 with Meurice (Champagne Stakes), Desert War (Queen Elizabeth Stakes) and Bentley Biscuit (All Aged Stakes).

Waller has taken his record of Group 1 wins to 107, just 11 years after his first major with Triple Honour in the Doncaster Handicap.

He has had a remarkable period of sustained excellence, particularly over the past seven years when he has been the nation’s leading Group 1 trainer each season.

But Waller wasn’t about to rate his Group 1 clean sweep of the four major last Saturday as the highlight of his career.

“It is just behind Winx’s last day when she won the Queen Elizabeth,’’ Waller said. “Nothing will ever eclipse that day.’’

– Ray Thomas, The Daily Telegraph