Doncaster Day at Royal Randwick on Saturday, April 4 again delivered one of the biggest programs of the Sydney autumn, with Day 1 of The Championships built around four Group 1 features run in succession through the heart of the afternoon.
The official Group 1 schedule had the Inglis Sires, the T J Smith Stakes, the Doncaster Mile and the Australian Derby, giving the meeting the kind of shape and momentum that always makes this day feel important.
There is always a little extra around Randwick on this day because the program gives you a bit of everything. You go from the juveniles in the Inglis Sires’, straight into the elite sprinters in the T J Smith, then into one of the most recognisable handicap miles in the country before finishing with the staying test of the Australian Derby.
The Australian Turf Club also framed the day as the arrival of The Championships and highlighted it as one of the major centrepieces of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, which felt about right given the depth across the card.
The Inglis Sires’ was the first of the four Group 1s and it was Campione D’Italia who gave Chris Waller and James McDonald another major Randwick result. He took out the 1400-metre feature on a Soft 7 surface in 1:24.80, beating Miss Chanel with Fireball in third.
It was the kind of win that suggested he had a bit more than just raw two-year-old speed, and on a day like this that usually matters because the better juveniles need to absorb pressure as much as produce it.
The T J Smith Stakes again looked every bit the sprint feature it is meant to be and Joliestar was the one who stood up when it counted for the in-form combo of Chris Waller and James McDonald.
The mare won the 1200-metre Group 1 in 1:09.58, defeating Giga Kick with Skybird running third, while the Australian Turf Club also noted this year’s race as the 30th running of the T J Smith. It is a race that does not leave much room to hide, and Joliestar’s performance had the authority you want to see in a weight-for-age sprint at this level.
The Doncaster Mile was always going to be one of the headline acts and Sheza Alibi made sure it became her race in no uncertain terms. She won the $4 million feature as the $1.90 favourite for Peter G Moody and Katherine Coleman, with Jamie Melham aboard, stopping the clock at 1:35.62 on the Soft 7.
She was the first three-year-old filly to win the classic mile since the champion mare mare Sunline won it in 1999. Melham had to get down to a light 49kgs but stated after the race “She gave me goosebumps” & “I’d starve every week to ride a horse like her”.
Autumn Boy ran second and Militarize filled third, but the performance of the winner was the one that gave the race its statement. With just 49kg, she took full advantage and turned one of the toughest miles on the calendar into a very one-sided result.
The Australian Derby then closed out the Group 1 sequence and shifted the conversation from speed and handicaps to stamina. Green Spaces gave Bjorn Baker and Rachel King a major result in the 2400-metre classic, scoring in 2:32.84 on the same Soft 7 track.
King also became the first female jockey to win the ATC Australian Derby. Dezignation was second at a massive price and Storm Leopard was third, with the Derby once again asking the proper staying question of the three-year-olds and getting a winner who looked up to the task. Trainer Bjorn Baker was quick to comment “What date is the Melbourne Cup?” as feature staying events are now on the radar for the son of Street Boss.
It capped the elite stretch of the afternoon in the right way and gave the meeting that strong staying finish the program is known for.
Taken as a whole, Doncaster Day again showed why it remains one of the standout afternoons of the Australian racing season.
The four Group 1s all brought something different, from juvenile class to sprint pressure, a new star of Australia and Melbourne Cup hopes after Derby glory., and that mix is what gives the meeting its identity. Randwick on April 4 had all of that, and the card again lived up to the weight that comes with Day 1 of The Championships.
By Scott Bailey
