A blue wave descended on the closing stages of the AUD200,000 G3 China Horse Club P.J. Bell Stakes at the opening day of The Championships in Sydney, Australia with global power Godolphin claiming the first four placings.
It was a fateful result with Godolphin Australia having previously presented China Horse Club and its partner, Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock, with three of the four legs of the 2020 Darley Princess Series at Royal Randwick thanks to the deeds of Dame Giselle – AUD200,000 G2 Darley Silver Shadow Stakes, AUD200,000 G2 Darley Furious Stakes and AUD200,000 G2 Darley Tea Rose Stakes.
“China Horse Club is a proud partner of the Australian Turf Club. This year’s running of the G3 China Horse Club P.J. Bell Stakes continues our involvement with the club and with Sydney racing into its seventh year,” said Eden Harrington, Vice President of China Horse Club.
“Congratulations to Godolphin who is a global leader in our industry. To have the first four finishers of the G3 China Horse Club P.J. Bell Stakes is testament to the excellence of their operation at all levels. Results like this may be rare but they are not by accident.”
Heresy
Heresy joins a weighty honour roll to have won ATC features sponsored by China Horse Club. The immeasurable Winx sits atop that tally having annexed the 2016 and 2017 AUD1,000,000 G1 China Horse Club George Ryder Stakes. In Her Time announced her credentials in the 2017 AUD200,000 G2 China Horse Club Breeders’ Classic before going on to salute in the 2018 G1 The Galaxy and 2019 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.
Acatour and Muraaqeb won the 2017 and 2018 AUD200,000 G3 Carbine Club Stakes respectively, while Futooh was explosive in the 2018 AUD200,000 Listed China Horse Club Mile.
Heresy scored by a neck over stablemate Zapateo with fellow Godolphin runner Arcaded a further three-quarters of a length in third.
Heresy’s victory in the 2022 AUD200,000 China Horse Club P.J. Bell Stakes follows that of Matchmaker in 2021. The powerful chestnut scored by a neck over stablemate Zapateo with fellow Godolphin runner Arcaded a further three-quarters of a length in third.
“It’s nice for the stable to get the first four and it’s my first trifecta. It was looking pretty likely at the 250m so it’s very difficult to cheer three horses at once,” trainer James Cummings said post-race.
“That really vindicated the training that she had been putting in. We elected to take the small fish (a Group 3) because they do make sweet eating and it turned out she had four stablemates that were well suited in the race as well. But she trained beautifully between then and now and Nash (Rawiller) got to feel the benefits of that.”
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