Ollie's Munhamek Miracle
This may be a ratings-based piece but it's impossible not to talk about what happened on Saturday at Ascot. It was the stuff of fairy tales, Damien Oliver, considered by many (and the stats back it up) to be the best jockey in Australian history, hadn't ridden a winner in his farewell tour of Ascot.
A good book on his last day and Oliver comes out and rides the last three winners on the card, the last three rides of his career booted home and his final in the 'Damien Oliver' Gold Rush producing one of the most memorable moments in Australian racing history.
It's one of those moments that was seemingly pre-written, perfectly scripted, and that doesn't happen often. In fact, the other moment in racing history that springs to mind is also courtesy of Oliver, but in far more tragic circumstances as Media Puzzle gave Oliver his second Melbourne Cup just days after his brother Jason passed away from a race fall just days before the race.
The ride itself on Munhamek was pretty miraculous itself. Ollie rode for luck and got it, and had he not ridden Munhamek as he did, I've no doubt he doesn't win because the horse has run better than he ever has on Saturday.
He came into the race rated 111, ironically achieved in The Damien Oliver at Flemington first up, just to add to the story, and funnily enough the ride by Blake Shinn on that occasion was nearly identical but for one gap.
Both times Munhamek drew very wide and ended up back in the field on the fence, but where Shinn had no luck finding a gap, Ollie did, bursting through to deny Ripcord and post a new peak rating of 114.
There isn't much more to say about the race in terms of looking ahead, and with a relatively quiet week in racing pre-Christmas, it's nice to just just get swept up in the theatre of the fairy tale.
Equal Two-Year Olds
We saw another couple of smart two-year-old winners in Sydney and Melbourne with Anode and Traffic Warden both running to 102 on Saturday.
Traffic Warden had run to 99+ on debut behind Storm Boy, who is rated 107 off his one start and comfortably the highest rated horse heading to the Magic Millions 2yo Classic and should (in my opinion) be the outright favourite for the race.
Anode beat the short-priced Amazing Eagle who was the trial star heading in. He's run on okay for second but was beaten 3.5 lengths and rated 90.
Also rated 102 is Highness who won the Wyong Magic Millions 2yo Classic on Wednesday, beating the (now) 99 rated Spywire, who ran to 95 on debut. Tying in some of the others in the market, Bodyguard who won well at Flemington on debut is also rated 99, all 1-2 lengths off Storm Boy, who is likely to run in the Group 3 B J McLahlan Stakes at Eagle Farm on Saturday.