by Adam Hamilton
The Kiwi rampage in Queensland rolled into a third week when young guns Captains Mistress and Rubira starred again at Redcliffe last night.
Captain Mistress set the tone when she made two wins from as many starts in Queensland with a narrow but fantastic win in the $52,000 Group 3 Redcliffe Oaks.
With trainer Grant Dixon having five of the 10 runners in the Oaks, Captains Mistress; Kiwi trainer-driver Nathan Williamson made a surprise trip across the ditch to drive her.
It was never going to be easy from an outside back row draw and that’s why the daughter of Captaintreacherous drifted from $3 to $5.
But Captains Mistress was up to the challenge and sustained a long and powerhouse run from last to first in the final lap before holding off the Dixon-trained Ruby Rules, who followed the winner everywhere, to win by a half-neck in a slick 1min55.4sec mile rate for 2280mn.
‘Very few can cover the ground and do the work Captains Mistress did and still win at Redcliffe.
Leader and heavily backed favourite Soho American led and copped some early pressure, but overraced and weakened late for sixth.
NSW Oaks winner and another Dixon-trained filly Cool And Classy earned plenty of respect for doing the work outside the leader and fighting on bravely for third, to give Dixon the trifecta.
Then it was Rubira’s turn to build on his successful Queensland trip with an all-the-way win in the $52,000 Group 3 Redcliffe Derby.
Like Captains Mistress, Rubira is two-from-two in Queensland for trainers Mark and Nathan Purdon.
Adam Sanderson took the reins again and made the most of a dream pole draw to lead, albeit with main danger Fate Awaits stalking on his back.
It was a steady pace through the middle with a 59.9sec half, then Rubira zipped home in 55.6 and 27.8sec to comfortably hold-off Fate Awaits and win by 2.1m in a 1min56sec mile rate, fractionally slower than Captains Mistress went in the Oaks.
The impressive part was how easily Rubira held-off Fate Awaits, who is considered his main danger for the Group 1 Queensland Derby on July 19.
Before then, Rubira and Fate Awaits will back-up next week against four-year-olds in the $350,000 Group 1 Rising Sun at Albion Park.
That race has got more “winnable” with long-time favourite Bay Of Biscay almost certain to miss it.
Bay Of Biscay, winner of the Chariots Of Fire, resumed from a break with a slick Melton win last night, but the flight he was booked on from Melbourne to Brisbane on Tuesday has been cancelled.
“He won’t be going by road, so unless there’s a miracle and a flight becomes available, he won’t be there,” co-trainer Emma Stewart said.
Another star to miss Queensland will be former Great Southern Star winner Callmethebreeze.
Andy Gath’s entire had a bleed at his first run back from a long break at Melton last night and was stood down for 28 days.
Gath’s former Miracle Mile winner Catch A Wave was also just fair first-up at Melton last night, but he is pushing ahead with Inter Dominion pacing plans.
Back to Redcliffe and Grant Dixon won the Group 2 Redcliffe Cup for a sixth time when Free Thinker made the most of barrier one from the standing start to come from three pegs and beat former Kiwi pacer Mossdale Terry narrowly.