Spring reflections - best performances and those on the up

[Gavin Excell]

Verry Elegants MC win is probably the standout.
Her 2400m record is elite with the two big Cups alongside her Oaks and BMW wins

However while the depth may have been questionable, Incentivise win in the CC was electric and my highlight of the spring.

Rounding out 3rd is the sprint beast Nature Strip. Used to be a an unreliable headcase. Now just a superb horse with its Everest win and Darley classic adding further to its record.

Looking ahead, Anamoe ran super Cox Plate. Hope they keep it going to add depth to the WFA ranks.

Hitotsu and runner up Alegron Derby look talents but it can be hard to back that up Autumn.

The 3yo fillies have been awful all spring but perhaps Oaks day may have been a key moment with the Oaks winner Willowy backing up from the Wakeful and Wallers Espiona impressing

 

[Aussie Assault]

You've summed up most there. Incentivises Caulfield Cup win was something else, and great to see Verry running away from the Cup field after a stunning career to date.

Home Affairs gapping the Coolmore field.

And I'm not even a Derby fan for the most part, but the way Hitotsu ate the others was a great watch. Good patient ride too.

 

[FallingLiefs]

VE is as impressive today as she was tuesday she is really the only story out of the spring. It's a huge anomaly on a performance front ratings back that up, there is no real way to have expected that level of performance given the only real difference was 3200m which she had already seen and while putting in a good run last year was not anywhere near that level of indicator. I just thought she'd run well as a natural stayer but a couple would outweight her. She just went big.

Great cup freak performance.

Incentivise validating the QLD form was ideal and profitable and Zaaki while not at his Doomben cup form was good to see him establish himself off a queensland winter too yesterday while good win still not one of utter dominance like his qld form the CP would have been interesting, probably wins IMO. The real disappointment was Incentivise not going to the Cox Plate and while he will likely win one going forward I think he would have won this years.

3yo form was patchy (not in a bad way) On par with most years most put in a bad run here or there tempo/tracks caused havoc early but that happens. Depth looks good (all colts) but top end looks about normal. Enough 3yos with good base for something to appear in the Autumn and improve off already high base, more so in the miler department. Sprinters a bit light for depth. Espiona does not take a genius to find.

Open milers/mares nothing to report. I'm Thunderstruck stringing together performances may be sign he could take a step but needs to.

 

[iluvparis]

Yes think you have summed up the top performances nicely - always a good spring then the two best performances come in the two Cups

 

[rank and file]

May as well add Western Empire to the conversation.
A Star of the Spring and will be The Slayer of the Summer when it wins another G1 on 4th Dec.

 

[IKnowtheDog]

Looking forward to Profondo in the Autumn has had a great start to his career