Super mare Appearance maintained her unbeaten Autumn Carnival record with another last to first win in the Group 1 $500,000 Guinness Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Randwick today.
Appearance collects her 4th Group 1 win by taking out the Canterbury Stakes. Photo by Steve Hart.
The Guy Walter trained Appearance came from last on the home turn to chalk up her third win this campaign as well as recording her fourth Group 1 win and she could add more to her resume before the Carnival is finished.
Appearance has won the 2012 Group 1 $500,000 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington, and shone in the Autumn last year with wins in the Group 1 $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m) and the Group 1 $400,000 Inglis Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1500m) both at Rosehill.
Walter has pencilled in three more Group 1s for the remainder of the Autumn Carnival and the Commands mare would have to be a chance of winning another major trophy in the Group 1 $1m George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on March 29, the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on April 12 or the Group 1 $1m Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on April 19.
“She is a fantastic mare,” Walter said.
“She has come back in distance today and has done it again. She is just an outstanding mare.”
“She has won the Coolmore, The Queen Of The Turf, Myer Classic and today.”
“The plan was the George Ryder, the Doncaster, the Queen Of The Turf and there is no reason to change that.”
Walter was forced to miss a run in the Group 1 $500,000 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm last week after Appearance had a recurrence of a muscle complaint after winning the Group 2 $250,000 Schweppes Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on February 22 at her second run this preparation.
The mare had previous won the Group 2 $200,000 SCSI Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Randwick two weeks prior to kick off her unbeaten Autumn Carnival campaign.
Walter will be keen to win back to back Queen Of The Turf Stakes after the prizemoney for the weight for age race for the fillies and mares was lifted from $400,000 to $1m as part of the ‘The Championships’.
Kerrin McEvoy was back aboard Appearance ($5.50) today and after settling her near the tail of the field was forced to pass every runner in the straight out wide on the track to rein in the tearaway leader Rain Affair and go on to score a one and three quarter lengths win over Not Listenin’tome ($4.40) and the unlucky Red Tracer ($3.40 favourite) who was severely interfered with shortly after the start.
Boom three year old Zoustar ($4.20) raced just behind the leaders but faded over the concluding stages to finish eighth and the colt’s performance could have been affected by the lengthy delay due to a severe thunder storm and the subsequent down grading of the track to a dead 4.
