Broadways Best streets her rivals in the Viocbred 3YO Fillies Final
Could there be a more appropriately-named standardbred in Australia than Broadways Best?
On Friday night at Moonee Valley the Shannon McLean-trained star confirmed her status as the top three-year-old filly in the country with an arrogant win in the $100,000 Sky Channel Vicbred Super Series Final (2100m).
Not even working around the field from barrier 10 in a quick 29.8-second first quarter could prevent the daughter of Village Jasper demolishing a quality field of rivals by more than 10 metres in a 2:00.5 mile rate.
It was her second Group 1 success in five weeks, following on from her equally-dominant Nevele R Stud Victoria Oaks win, and saw her join Concorde Lombo (1997) as the only fillies to have pulled off the Oaks-Vicbred double.
In addition, she also beat home some of Australia’s best males when second to champion colt Captain Joy in February’s Alabar Victoria Derby.
The 32-year-old trainer said the Vicbred success was merely confirmation of the massive opinion he has always had of the star of his Gisborne South stable
“Last night she stamped her authority as Victoria’s best filly and hopefully Australia’s best filly,” he said. “At least we think that’s what she is.”
You’d be hard-pressed to find any dissenters. McLean’s only tense moment on Friday night came at the 1100m when he mistook his horse for the galloping Keppel Bay, but that was short-lived panic once he discovered Chris Alford had Broadways Best in the one-out-one-back.
Alford assumed the spot outside leader Queen Of Fire heading out of the straight the final time and once they strolled through the third section in 31.1 seconds after a 32.2 second split, McLean was a happy man.
But he was still surprised to see the $1.70 favourite pull out a scorching 26.9-second final quarter for a 10-1/2-metre win over defending Vicbred champion Shez Ryleymak ($3.70). Kissmecatie ($14) was a metre back third.
“I thought for a second there that it was us that galloped, so I had my heart in my mouth, but once she got into the ‘death’ I thought it was just going to be a mirror image of her semi-final win,” McLean said.
“But to run that last quarter in 27 (seconds), I haven’t got any words to describe it. She’s done it at top (start) and tail (finish) really.”
From 15 starts, Broadways Best has now six races and been placed seven times for $194,529 in stakes.
McLean will now give her a seven-to-10-day let-up before tackling the Australian Oaks at Moonee Valley on July 17 ahead of the following month’s Australasian Breeders Crown.
Consistent Duo Prevail In Vicbred Semis
If there was any doubt about Garnet River and Villagem’s claims as leading contenders for the Vicbred Super Series 3YO C&G Final, it was erased in Friday night’s semi-finals at Moonee Valley.
The ultra-consistent duo upset a couple of raging favourites to race their way into this Friday night’s $100,000 Group 1 decider with narrow-but-emphatic wins.
Tasmanian Derby winner Garnet River was too good for Australian Derby victor Village Of Dreams in the opening qualifier, while Villagem outsprinted defending Vicbred champion Living On Fire in the other division.
The latter was able to get home by a half neck despite Living On Fire ambling through the first half of the last mile in 63.6 seconds after a pedestrian 38.2-second lead time.
The problem for the $1.70 favourite was that Lisa Miles’s ever-improving son of Village Jasper also had plenty to offer after travelling on the back of the leader and he sprinted hard to get home in 2:01.1.
That included sizzling 28.5 and 27.8-second closing sections.
While that final 800m split was slicker than the 57.7-second half recorded in the first semi, Garnet River’s mile rate was seven-tenths of a second faster.
The Hugh Cathels-trained son of Red River Hanover relished a three-wide cart into the race and while he spotted Village Of Dreams 10m at the top of the straight he rounded up the $2.30 favourite and had 1-1/2m to spare on the line.
The same distance back in third was Presidential Lane, with Indigo Bay and Kalahari Prince filling fourth and fifth placings. Also going through to the final as the faster of the two sixth placegetters was Amadmancomesundone.
What Am I and Life Boat qualified for the final as the fourth and fifth placegetters from the second semi.
