Punt Drunk: Bowman brings up Group 1 ton
What a weekend of racing that was! We had Hugh Bowman do the unthinkable and bring up a 100th Group 1 win, Incentivise stamping his claim as one of the best racehorses in the country, and once again a last-minute replacement is required in The Everest. After Group 1 races on the weekend just gone, now we have another four G1 events to look forward to as the Spring Carnival rolls on.
Hugh Bowman raises the bat with 100 Group 1 wins
He is best known for partnering Winx to 25 Group 1 wins, but Hugh Bowman now finds himself among the absolute elite after becoming just the fourth jockey to bring up a century of top-tier titles. George Moore (126), Damien Oliver (118) and Jimmy Cassidy (102) will need to add another chair to their annual meeting of the best to accommodate Bowman.
The milestone came some 25 years after Bowman claimed his first Group 1 win, remarkably also on Epsom Handicap Day in 1996. The 100th win came when pairing Montefilia in The Metropolitan. Despite all the crap Bowman gets on Twitter, this is a milestone we will look back on in years to come and truly appreciate just how good a jockey Bowman is in this day and age.
Incentivise toys with them in the Turnbull Stakes
Can anyone beat Incentivise this spring? At the moment, you would think not; heck, we’ll go as far to say that he could beat Zaaki in the Cox Plate if Peter Moody and connections wanted to get a bit spicy. His win in the Turnbull Stakes on Saturday was everything that we had hoped for and more.
Having won the Makybe Diva Stakes at his first start in Melbourne when leading all the way, it was basically an action replay as Incentivise cruised to victory at Flemington. Jockey Brett Prebble rated him a treat out in front, and while rank outsiders Young Werther and Chapada looked like they might go straight past him with 200m to go, the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup favourite was quick to respond to urging and ultimately proved far too classy for his rivals.
Is it just a formality that Incentivise becomes the first horse since Ethereal in 2001 to do the coveted double Caulfield/Melbourne Cup double?
Déjà vu as Rothfire bows out of The Everest
A year ago, Rothfire was ruled out of the 2020 running of The Everest due to injury. Fast-forward 12 months and it is the same story. It is such a kick in the guts for the connections of the Queensland sprinting sensation, considering it was touch-and-go whether he would even make it back to the racetrack again from last year’s injury.
After Rothfire suffered a minor setback in the Group 2 Premiere Stakes, Everest slot holder James Kennedy is in need of a new sprinter to take his spot in the $15 million feature. It leaves us with three slots left to be filled, with Coolmore and Godolphin yet to decide which of their many stable stars will represent their brand at Randwick on October 16.
Monday Racing Tips – October 4, 2021
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Welcome to Punt Drunk! Our new daily column covering all the latest horse racing and punting controversies, dramas and headline news. Have a story or gripe or issue that just grinds your gears? Just hit us up in the comments or contact us page and our jaded, punt hardened Punt Drunk staff will give it the Punt Drunk treatment it deserves. Don’t expect pleasantries or typical racing media fanboy gloss from Punt Drunk – we’re on the punt and we don’t have time to bullshit; the next is about to jump…
