Party time for Fiesta after Waller dispenses with blinkered approach

Fiesta returned a winner in the Silver Shadow Stakes without blinkers as trainer Chris Waller declared: “They had done their job.’’

Racing in the Star Thoroughbreds colours, Fiesta took advantage of the inside barrier and charged away to beat the unlucky Outback Barbie by a neck, with Futooh a long neck away in third.

Broader horizons: Fiesta returned to racing without the blinkers in a winning move at Randwick.

Broader horizons: Fiesta returned to racing without the blinkers in a winning move at Randwick.

“We asked a bit of her as a two-year-old, which is obviously important in Sydney racing,” Waller said. “We used the blinkers on her but she has matured and doesn’t need them now.

“She is a very good filly and we will take her along to the Princess series and the Golden Rose is there if she is up to it. We have few colts going in that direction, so we have a good yardstick for her.”

Tony Gollan believed Outback Barbie should have won as she had a checked passage in the straight.
‘‘She has gone great and I look forward to the return bout in a couple of weeks,’’ Gollan said.

It’s Showtime

Show and go: Connections will target a group 1 win to enhance the stud prospects of Showtime.

Show and go: Connections will target a group 1 win to enhance the stud prospects of Showtime.

Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes said PB Lawrence Stakes winner Showtime will chase a group 1 win in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield that will secure a place on the stallion roster of one of Australia’s leading studs. The Everest is on horizon for the four-year-old after he captured a second group 2 win at Caulfield on Saturday.

One of Showtime’s part-owners is John Messara, who stands Showtime’s sire Snitzel, his grandsire Redoute’s Choice, and his sire Danehill at Arrowfield.

Hawkes, who trains in partnership with his father John and brother Michael, admitted a group 1 victory would be needed for Showtime to stand at Arrowfield Stud.

‘‘John Messara has had three champion stallions – Danehill, Redoute’s Choice and Snitzel – stand at stud and now wants a son of Snitzel, so it would be a good effort if he can,’’ Hawkes said.

Sunlight shines

Tony McEvoy believes there’s improvement to come from Sunlight after the filly scored a hard-fought victory in the Quezette Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.

The winner of the Magic Millions Classic on the Gold Coast in January and third in the Golden Slipper, Sunlight was one of the better credentialled two-year-olds of last season.
McEvoy said he had left plenty in the tank for a spring campaign that has the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington in November as her goal.

‘‘We went in with a light prep into that first-up run,’’ McEvoy said. ‘‘It fitted where I wanted to go with her.’’

Bullish run

Osborne Bulls defied the racing pattern at Caulfield to land a narrow first-up victory.
After settling at the tail of the nine-horse field, Osborne Bulls, the $3.30 favourite, came to the outside in the straight under Craig Williams to score a short-head win over Land Of Plenty with Brave Song 1 lengths away third.

‘‘He’s done a really good job because when we look at this meeting it’s been very hard for horses to make ground,’’ Williams said.

with AAP

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