Sir Owen Glenn
The China Horse Club’s International Advisory Council Member, Sir Owen Glenn, enjoyed a moment of immense satisfaction when a colt he bred and owns saluted in yesterday’s $A2 million Australian Derby (2400m) at Royal Randwick, Australia.
The Australian Derby is one of the nation’s blue riband events and was inaugurated in 1861. It has historically been a crucible for Australia’s premier three-year-olds and has been the stage where future stars are unveiled. Yesterday it was Criterion’s opportunity to showcase his immense skillset.
It was Criterion’s second successive Group 1 win having raced away with the G1 Rosehill Guineas a fortnight ago. These two performances stamped the home-bred as Australia’s premier staying three-year-old.
Criterion settled off the pace under an astute ride from jockey Hugh Bowman and continued to creep forward from the 800m mark. After topping the famous Randwick rise in the home straight, the gifted and gritty chestnut dug in against spirited rivals to race away to victory. In doing so he etch his name onto the honour roll that includes many of Australia’s most famous performers.