Much to the delight of trainer Shaune Ritchie, Artistic came from last to win the Bonecrusher Stakes at Ellerslie. Photo / SNPA, John Cowpland
We learned a few things from Ellerslie on Saturday.
One is that wherever Anabandana heads the rest may not necessarily follow.
Another was that the inside strip of Ellerslie was on fire this time. With one great exception, if you weren't inside and forward you were nowhere.
Yet another was that the form can, in most cases, be ignored as a reference.
For some inexplicable reason, the results were skewed. Unlike at Hastings the previous week, much of the form simply didn't make sense.
We saw two pretty good fillies in Artistic and Holy Moly win the Just Juice Bonecrusher Stakes and the Manuka Doctor Soliloquy Stakes, but neither is going to match Anabandana and the connections will be happy if they don't have to try.
Artistic was super impressive. She completely broke the pattern from the first half of the Ellerslie programme in which the leaders got home.
Artistic got back to a clear last, went the widest on the home bend, where you just couldn't win from all day, and made the opposition look ordinary.
It was like she knew how much this meant to trainer Shaune Ritchie, to win the race named after the mighty Bonecrusher who Shaune strapped.
It was clear Ritchie was emotional in receiving the trainer's trophy at the presentation.
"The greatest part of this story is that the old bloke [Bonecrusher] is still alive at 29."
That's not unusual in champion racehorses. The heart that took those types of idols to victory so many times, generally keeps everything pumping well after the average horses have had their time.
Shaune Ritchie gave Michael Coleman only one direction: "Try and go through a couple of the runners because she's going to have to do that if she's to have any chance in the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton." Coleman said he didn't need to.
"Even though she was back last she was travelling so well I knew she could go around them and still win.
"There was no need to try and go through them."
Ritchie said he won't be over racing the Darci Brahma filly given to him to train by The Oaks Stud's general manager Rick Williams.
"She's a light filly and she'll have only the one run before the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton.
"That might be at Wellington because I get the impression Trentham will suit this filly.
"We just have to hope Anabandana doesn't go to Riccarton."
This win highlighted the dramatic emergence of the stock of Darci Brahma, who stands at The Oaks.
They are starting to win everywhere.
Like Artistic, there is also not a great deal of Soliloquy Stakes winner Holy Moly - except for her ability.
Being by Irish-bred stallion Holy Roman Emperor from the Zabeel mare Clarissa, Holy Moly might be thought of as an Oaks filly, but trainer Roger James argues against that.
"Her mother won only up to 1600m and I know Holy Roman Emperor is leaving middle-distance winners in the Northern Hemisphere, but I don't see this filly in that mould."
Holy Moly, who had little luck in the Wanganui Guineas, used the pattern to come from close to the inside to edge clear of the opposition under Vinny Colgan.
Hot favourite Whoshe was held up briefly in the home straight and finished on when clear. She used up most of her well known bitchiness in proving difficult for Danielle Johnson to mount just outside the birdcage gate on the course proper.
On the subject of fillies, there can't be one anywhere much better than Melbourne-trained Atlantic Jewel, by Fastnet Rock from the Zabeel mare Regard.
She's now three from three for trainer Mark Kavanagh and hasn't looked like having her neck stretched yet.
Damien Oliver, replacing a suspended Michael Rodd in Melbourne on Saturday, rates Atlantic Jewel "a superstar in the making".
Also a very well informed one.
"She read every billboard down the home straight as she went past stargazing," said Oliver. She's one filly Anabandana would have trouble with and that's a big statement.
Yes, Fort Lincoln is due for the unkindest cut of all in the next day or so.
Trainer Lisa Latta gave the half-million earner the benefit of the doubt over his coltiness and allowed him to run in Saturday's $45,000 Just Juice Bonecrusher Stakes at Ellerslie, but enough is enough.
If Fort Lincoln had been a relation of Mr Ed's and had known what the jungle drums were beating, he'd have finished closer than 7.1 lengths away in sixth. "No, he's going to have those things between his legs out," said Latta.
Six became three and Joerok made the most of the opportunity to win yesterday's $14,000 Sweeney Townsend Rotorua Bay Of Plenty Hunt Cup at Rotorua.
The hurdle race was a procession after Itsdachief crashed out of contention and Sahara Sunset and Vamoose were grounded with a mistake mid-race. For Joerok it was the first win since July 22, 2009. Central Districts jockey Cody Singer was delighted with the victory.
"He's not a horse you can rate.
"I let him do his own thing in front and it worked out well," said Singer.
Not surprisingly, steeplechaser Climbing High started to run out of speed just beyond mid-race, but aided by those who fell away, he rallied late to finish second of the three runners, showing his busy season has made him tough and hard.