Latest news with #AndrewRamsdenStakes
News.com.au
17-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Basilinna books Melbourne Cup date with Andrew Ramsden victory
Emma-lee and David Browne could be the only ones praying for a wet Melbourne Cup after bonny mare Basilinna on Saturday qualified for the race that stops a nation. Basilinna, who placed third in the 2023 VRC Oaks, relished the soft track at Flemington to claim the Melbourne Cup -qualifying Listed Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) from Glentaneous and Fernao. Favourites Berkshire Breeze and Athabascan finished midfield. 'I'm a little bit overwhelmed actually, a horse that means a lot to me, I can't believe she did it,' Emma-lee Browne said. 'When the rain came we were pretty confident but I thought 'she's a proper princess, might be too much rain', but she did it so well. 'To think, now we just wrap her in cotton wool and we're back here in November … it's massive for our whole stable, we've got a tiny stable and I can't believe it.' Basilinna travelled sweetly, just worse than midfield under jockey Dean Yendall, and emerged at the top of the straight as a major contender once past Berkshire Breeze at the 350m. 'Right from the start I thought she's handling this track great,' Browne said. 'I think I'll be the only one wanting rain in November, it's a little overwhelming actually.' See you in the Melbourne Cup! ðŸ�† Basilinna heads straight to a Melbourne Cup after winning the Andrew Ramsden! @Em_spartaracing â€' 7HorseRacing ðŸ�Ž (@7horseracing) May 17, 2025 The husband and wife Pakenham-based team, who moved from New Zealand in 2021, have enjoyed a stellar season, including success in the $1m The Showdown with smart two-year-old McGaw. Statuario won the Listed Galilee Series Final and ran second in the Group 1 South Australian Derby. 'We've had a great season but this (Melbourne Cup entry) has really topped it off,' Browne said. David Browne bought Basilinna's dam, Shinko King mare So Royal, for Emma-lee after she lost her favourite horse, Monarch Chimes, a son of the Japanese stallion. 'I laughed (at the time), I said you can't replace him (Monarch Chimes) but I think he's done a pretty good job,' Browne said. Basilinna was added into pre-nominations Melbourne Cup markets as a $51 chance. Yendall appreciated the opportunity to qualify Basilinna for the Browne team and connections. 'To get this horse into a big race is a great thrill for them and also for myself to secure another ride if it's there, she's been knocking on the door a while this mare,' Yendall said. 'Found some hard races there, probably unsuitable tracks for her, but relishes the soft ground. 'She had a great run in transit from the wide barrier, back to the fence, followed the field, niggled out (wide) when I needed to get out and found the line really easily.' Basilinna is the 16th mare to win the Andrew Ramsden and fifth in the past six years including three on the bounce to secure Melbourne Cup ballot exception through the winter Flemington feature.
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Athabascan primed for Melbourne Cup qualifier Andrew Ramsden Stakes
Athabascan is poised to streamline Melbourne Cup ambitions with a victory in the Listed Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) at Flemington on Saturday. Athabascan, a $4.40 favourite trained by John O'Shea and Tom Charlton, has returned to Flemington for the Cup qualifier with solid Sydney form and a slight gear change. • 'In the Sydney Cup (placed fifth) we put the blinkers on him and probably, if we were being critical, he overraced slightly,' Charlton said. Interference at a crucial stage in the Sydney Cup – 'copped a big bump' – also blunted Athabascan. 'Coming back to 2800m, a slight gear change with winkers,' Charlton said. 'It looks a really nice race (Andrew Ramsden) for him but the tricky draw is our main concern.' Athabascan, scratched on Cup eve last year with an irregular heartbeat, a most untimely and to date one-off gut-wrenching setback, has the second widest barrier to contend with on Saturday. 'We've got a really good rider in Ben Melham on,' Charlton said. 'He's one of those riders capable of pulling off a stroke of genius … nothing we can do about it (barrier) and we expect him to run really well.' Eight of the top 10 stayers in the market, including second favourite Berkshire Breeze, copped wide draws in the Flemington feature. 'It might end up being a good thing, one of those things you never really know,' Charlton said. 'He's a very easy to train stayer, a great temperament, very versatile, a very happy horse. 'He galloped last week between races, he looked sharp, fit, he has never lets us down and I'd be surprised if he let us down this week.' Athabascan has raced consistently the past five starts in Sydney, building in fitness and distance, and cleared all precautionary veterinary check-ups. 'We went through a number of tests (last year when he returned to Sydney), everything has been in order,' Charlton said. 'He's been checked every time he's raced and showed nothing. 'I'm not a vet, but it was one of those things (cardiac arrhythmia on Cup eve), the vets have a duty and the horse comes first, as it should.' Charlton said Athabascan would likely be rested after Saturday to prepare for the spring but a strong performance, as expected, could trigger another interstate venture. 'He's a horse we don't want to leave idle too much but I'd say he'll have a freshen up ahead of the spring,' Charlton said. 'There's always options north of the border, Brisbane Cup, but we'll get through Saturday first.' â– â– â– â– â– VRC: Timing right for Cup qualifiers Victoria Racing Club has endorsed the placement of its Listed Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) – a Melbourne Cup qualifier at Flemington on Saturday. The $300,000 golden ticket has attracted a capacity field for the second time in three years – with 22 acceptors including four emergencies. Chief racing officer Leigh Jordon said trainers and connections supported the fixture largely designed to help local trainers qualify a stayer for the race that stops a nation. 'We have talked about it (fixture),' Jordon said. 'We think we have the timing right with the Roy Higgins (end of March), Deakin was a good winner of the Higgins … and the Ramsden in May. 'We've got The Archer in September and The Bart Cummings in October, I think we have got the mix right … we get a lot of trainers saying we'd like to have an opportunity to qualify our horse locally.' Jordon said the mid-May timeslot afforded the Andrew Ramsden winner a chance to have a break before the spring. 'It gives an opportunity for a horse to get into the Cup that wouldn't usually get into the Cup,' Jordon said. The Map won the Andrew Ramsden last year but struggled to recapture the form after a busy 2023-24 campaign. The South Australian mare finished 21st in the Cup. Lunar Flare won the 2023 Andrew Ramsden and was fancied for the Cup only to be agonisingly scratched race morning on veterinary advice. The field on Saturday includes a mix of 'up and coming stayers', seasoned campaigners and athletic jumpers still able to compete on the flat. Athabascan is a $4.40 favourite from Berkshire Breeze ($5.50) and Alma Rise ($7).
