Satono Glow shows the way as fillies sweep three-year-old features

Satono Glow capped a sweep for the fillies of the three-year-old features, and gave jockey Zac Lloyd a satisfying double, with a slashing win in the group 2 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained Satono Glow, a $2.60 chance after a first-up group 3 win at Flemington, relished a hot speed set by favourite Paradoxium ($2) to come from midfield and take over inside the 100m for a one and a quarter length win over Steel Will. Why So Hard was third with Paradoxium fading for fourth.

Satono Glow became the first filly since Jolie Bay in 2012 to win the Roman Consul. She firmed from $9 into $6 for the group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m). It was fourth win in five starts for Satono Glow, which was held up behind a wall of horses under Lloyd in the group 2 Percy Sykes Stakes in her only loss.

Lloyd said she was a definitely a chance to challenge in the Coolmore.

“All you can do is win. She should be undefeated if I didn’t…” Lloyd said.

“We move forward, and luckily, I can make amends today. She’s got great owners, so they’re more than happy to give me another go.”

Lloyd earlier helped break another drought for the fillies in the Gloaming Stakes, lifting Proxima Dea to victory in the group 3 (1800m).

Trainer David Payne praised the beautiful action of “ugly” Proxima Dea after the unbeaten filly’s win, which saw her firm into equal favouritism for the VRC Oaks.

Proxima Dea surged in the final few strides under Lloyd to win by a short neck from Wonka in a five-way finish, becoming the first filly in 33 years, and just the second overall, to claim the race.

Payne said Proxima Dea and stablemate Persian Wonder, which was fifth, would race on to the group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on October 24. She was $8 into $4.50 for the Oaks on November 5.

“Geez, she’s a game filly, she just kept coming, and she’ll be even better at 2000,” Payne said.

“She’s nothing to look at, everybody bags her, me included. The owner says she’s beautiful. I said where? She’s ugly, but she’s got guts.

“She’s just got such a good action. That’s what covers a lot of ground, and she’s got stamina.”

The $1 million Callander-Presnell (1600m) beckons for Chuchichaschtli after the filly backed up a Warwick Farm debut win with a dominant victory in the $500,000 listed Tapp-Craig (1400m).

In a carbon copy of her first race, the Michael, John and Wayne Hawkes-trained Exceedance filly again raced behind the leader under Tyler Schiller before going up the inside to victory.

It was a third win for Schiller across the five editions of the Tapp-Craig.

Michael Hawkes said the Callander-Presnell, another three-year-old race, was the likely next target for Chuchichaschtli, named after the tongue-twisting term for a Swiss German kitchen cabinet.

Hawkes said he has known for about six months that she was “pretty special” and their patience was paying off.

“We were obviously chasing stakes grade and this race presented,” Hawkes said.

“Her win at Warwick Farm was outstanding. She ran amazing time and was still green. She’s still green now.

“The part I love is the further she went through the line, the better she was.”

Pride eyes Cup after tough win

Joe Pride is weighing up a start in the Rosehill Gold Cup for “Rocket” stayer Anthracite, and hoping for a group 1 campaign in the autumn, after his tough effort to hold off Barrengarry at Rosehill.

The former South Australian galloper, which had finished top four in all seven starts this preparation, led and pinched a gap in the 2000m benchmark 88 under Andrew Adkins before lifting late to hold off favourite Barrengarry by a short half-head.

Pride was looking to the $750,000 Rosehill Cup in three weeks but believed he could be a “genuine player in the autumn”

“He’s got an ambitious stable name, Rocket, he came with that name from his owner,” Pride said.

“But I honestly wouldn’t rule him out being a Sydney Cup horse, but one step at a time. I’m just happy to see him go through the grades.”

Jett-powered hope for Four Pillars

Hawkesbury trainer Jack Pilkington was confident the three-kilogram claim of “probably best apprentice in the country” would give Alabama State a chance in the $500,000 Four Pillars, not matter the penalty from his win on Saturday at Rosehill.

The five-year-old won the benchmark 72 Midway handicap comfortably, giving him a first victory since taking out a similar race at the track in January. He had been unplaced in his five starts, all out of Midway grade, this preparation.

Pilkington was looking to the Four Pillars in three weeks and hoped Alabama State got only a four-point benchmark bump for the half-length win, which would give him 61kg for the race with Newman’s claim. Alabama State was fourth in the Four Pillars in 2024.

“He wouldn’t have got into the benchmark 88 next week, so I kind of had to run,” Pilkington said.

“I was afraid he was going to go and get his benchmark up when it’s been coming down nicely, but anyway, you’ve got to let him have his chance.

“I think I’ve probably got the best apprentice in the country on next time and even if he was to go up five points, she claims three and he’ll be carrying half a kilo less per his rating than what he did today.”

Meanwhile, Pilkington plans to have colt Am I Dreaming back in three weeks for a lead-in run towards the group 3 Spring Stakes at Newcastle after illness ruined his chances of going to the Spring Champion Stakes.