Brisbane’s Group 1 winter racing action moves to Eagle Farm Racecourse today, Saturday May 27, and the complete 2017 Kingsford-Smith Cup Day results across the afternoon will be available right here.
Clearly Innocent (pictured at Scone) handled a big class rise to fly home and win the 2017 Kingsford-Smith Cup at Eagle Farm on way to the Stradbroke Handicap. Photo: Steve Hart.
There are eight Eagle Farm races taking place on the old BTC Cup Day card including the Group 1 Darley Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) – Race 7 featuring the likes of Black Heart Bart, Doomben 10,000 runner-up Counterattack and last weekend’s BRC Sprint winner Jungle Edge.
All but the first in Brisbane today are Group status races with plenty of early form lines on offer to follow into the three Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap Day features back at the track in a fortnight.
Races.com.au is where you need to be today to keep track of all the Eagle Farm race results so stay tuned to find out the Kingsford-Smith Cup winner for 2017 and the horses that salute in the acts – full markets on all the events now open at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Race 8 (4:32pm) – $150,000 Group 3 Sky Racing Fred Best Classic (1400m)
- 1st: #21 Niccanova
- 2nd: #16 Sylpheed
- 3rd: #13 I Thought So
Lightly-raced Niccanova did an outstanding job in Saturday’s Fred Best Classic taking his record up to four wins from five starts after a gutsy late effort in his first Group race test. Ridden by James Orman, the Steve Tregea-trained Nicconi gelding came down the outside on the Heavy-rated track and earned a shot at the Group 2 Queensland Guineas over the mile in a fortnight after holding off Sylpheed for the win.
Read the full 2017 Fred Best Classic Results.
Race 7 (3:55pm) – $700,000 Group 1 Darley-Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m)
- 1st: #6 Clearly Innocent
- 2nd: #8 Jungle Edge
- 3rd: #5 Counterattack
He was a drifter in the markets but the Kris Lees-trained 1300m specialist Clearly Innocent ran an impressive race on the Heavy Eagle Farm track, coming from well back in the field to run down the pacesetter Jungle Edge and take out the Group 1 at weight-for-age. It is now onto the Stradbroke Handicap where the horse will relish a drop in weight after proving he was up to the class of the winter carnival’s top contenders. Jungle Edge looked the winner with a big lead on the straight before jockey Hugh Bowman flew home on Clearly Innocent, while the Chris Waller-trained Doomben 10,000 runner-up Counterattack ran another good race for third.
Read the full 2017 Kingsford-Smith Cup Results.
Race 6 (3:15pm) – $150,000 Group 3 Glenlogan Park Stakes (1300m)
Progressive filly Eckstein (pictured at Randwick) beat home the older mares in the Glenlogan Park Stakes on way to an eventual 2017 Tattersall’s Tiara run. Photo: Steve Hart.
- 1st: #14 Eckstein
- 2nd: #3 Egyptian Symbol
- 3rd: #9 Sold For Song
Kurt Goldman‘s maturing filly Eckstein ticked the Heavy Eagle Farm track box with a nice win over the older mares in the Glenlogan Park Stakes, her fifth win from 10 starts, on way to the Dane Ripper Stakes in a fortnight then the Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m). Improving on her first-up fourth at Scone, the often hard-to-train three-year-old was too strong for the Bjorn Baker-trained Egyptian Symbol today with conditions and a drop back in weight suiting the youngster, while Sold For Song ran on well for third.
Read the full 2017 Glenlogan Park Stakes Results.
Race 5 (2:35pm) – $150,000 Group 3 Mullins Lawyers Grand Prix Stakes (2200m)
- 1st: #9 Order Again
- 2nd: #2 Volatile Mix
- 3rd: #6 Violate
It was another win for the local Brisbane stayers on Kingsford-Smith Cup Day with the young Brian Smith-trained Order Again improving on a luckless second in the Rough Habit last time out to hold on for a devastatingly close win over the SA Derby winner Volatile Mix in Saturday’s Grand Prix Stakes. The pair are likely to meet again in a fortnight stepping up to the mile and a half of the 2017 Queensland Derby.
Read the full 2017 Grand Prix Stakes Results.
Race 4 (1:57pm) – $125,000 Group 3 Channel Seven Premier’s Cup (2200m)
Local stayer Kaiser Franz (inside, pictured at Doomben) scored a massive boilover in the Premier’s Cup 2017. Photo: Daniel Costello.
- 1st: #14 Kaiser Franz
- 2nd: #13 Zambezi Warrior
- 3rd: #8 The Chairman
Local stayer Kaiser Franz scored a huge upset Premier’s Cup result, relishing the Heavy track conditions and arriving on the scene late in the traditional Brisbane Cup lead-up to beat home a field of better fancied hopefuls. Prepared by Rob Heathcote, the six-year-old jumped at around $61 odds but got home ahead of the Kiwi raider Zambezi Warrior who had a luckless run wide throughout and the beaten favourite The Chairman who ran on for third.
Read the full 2017 Premier’s Cup Results.
Race 3 (1:17pm) – $250,000 Group 2 Mitavite BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m)
- 1st: #14 Melody Belle
- 2nd: #3 Taking Aim
- 3rd: #13 Pierata
The Kiwi-trained filly Melody Belle absolutely bolted home in her Australian race debut, looking spot on for the JJ Atkins over the mile in a fortnight after an ultra-impressive five length win in the traditional lead-up at Eagle Farm. Untested on Heavy tracks until the BRC Sires’, the daughter of Commands handled the going no issues storming clear of her rivals on the straight in her first run since a Group 1 Sires’ win back across the Tasman in early April. Taking Aim ran second and will take big improvement off the run, while the lightly-raced Pierata finished off the trifecta in third.
Read the full 2017 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes Results.
Race 2 (12:37pm) – $125,000 Group 3 Lord Mayor’s Cup (1600m)
Col ‘N’ Lil (pictured at Doomben) will return to Eagle Farm on Stradbroke Handicap Day after winning the Lord Mayor’s Cup 2017. Photo: Daniel Costello.
- 1st: #8 Col ‘N’ Lil
- 2nd: #3 Duca Valentinois
- 3rd: #7 Elle Lou
The Ben Currie-trained mare Col ‘N’ Lil dug deep in the Lord Mayor’s Cup – the first Group race on the Eagle Farm card – holding off the Scone Cup winner Duca Valentinois to take out the mile feature with Queensland’s best Jeff Lloyd in the saddle. Showing she could get through the Heavy track, the five-year-old daughter of Bradbury’s Luck was forced wide early before moving into second. She held that position until the turn for home when Lloyd took her to the front and despite a late challenge she held strong for a narrow victory.
Read the full 2017 Lord Mayor’s Cup Results.
Race 1 (11:57am) – $60,000 Green Options Racing Pty Ltd (1200m)
Burning ion (pictured at Randwick) will head towards the 2017 WJ Healy Stakes after winning at Eagle Farm on Kingsford-Smith Cup Day. Photo: Steve Hart.
- 1st: #6 Burning ion
- 2nd: #11 Trevinder
- 3rd: #14 Rare Occurrence
It was an early win for the punters on Kingsford-Smith Cup Day with the James Cummings-trained Burning ion scoring a narrow but convincing win as the favourite in the first. Jockey Hugh Bowman gave the last start Hawkesbury Rush fifth placegetter a patient ride settled fourth off the pace set by Rob Heathcote’s local Trevinder. Bowman peeled out on the bend aboard the eventual winner who moved up beside the front-runner at the 300m mark before drawing away late to beat home the brave Trevinder who held on for second after the on speed ride. Third went to Rare Occurrence, the Star Witness filly coming off a Doomben win a fortnight ago. Burning ion will now head towards the Group 3 WJ Healy Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm on Tattersall’s Tiara Day, June 24.
*All times quoted (AEST) and subject to change
