A look at some of the other angles from the Coolmore Classic meeting.
So Good So Cool's overdue Midway win
Six-year-old gelding So Good So Cool has landed his first win since mid-2023 in what trainer Sara Ryan described as a well-deserved victory in Saturday's Midway Handicap at Rosehill.
Jockey Chad Schofield settled back in the field on So Good So Cool and got a trail into the straight before giving the $6 chance an unimpeded run on the outside as he chased down Huon ($6.50) to score by a half-length.
So Good So Cool had placed in three of his five previous starts this preparation, along with a last-start fourth at Warwick Farm.
"He just tries so hard, this horse, and he's been knocking on the door the entire preparation," Ryan said.
"So I'm glad he's finally got a win.
"He's had such an unlucky preparation.
"He got caught on the fence at Canterbury and got trapped wide last start.
"He's just one of those horses that really, really tries every single time he goes out. He just needs everything to go his way."
Ryan said So Good So Cool loves having galloping room and praised the ride from Schofield.
"He's got that short, sharp finish, he loves speed on, and Chad rode him a treat today," Ryan said.
The trainer indicated she would look to find another suitable Midway for the gelding.
King Thunders into Tulloch Stakes contention
The late scratching of favourite of Hurstville Zagreb didn't stop John O'Shea and Tom Charlton from winning the Bisley Workwear Handicap (1900m) as stablemate King Of Thunder stepped up in his absence.
Hurstville Zagreb kicked out in the tie-up stalls pre-race, forcing his withdrawal around 20 minutes before start time.
However, King Of Thunder made the most of his opportunity to stake his ATC Australian Derby credentials, defeating the older horses to earn a shot at the Tulloch Stakes (2000m) in two weeks.
The Michael Freedman-trained Wymark won the corresponding race 12 months ago before taking out the Tulloch, while O'Shea produced Benaud to finish fifth in 2022 before he went on to run second in that year's Derby.
"It's a race we have traditionally used over the years in the lead up to the Derby and it has provided a good guide," O'Shea said.
"The fact this bloke is able to win with a decent weight for a three-year-old is very encouraging second-up, but he is a genuine stayer.
"He will go to the Tulloch next and all going well, into the Derby."
Ridden by Zac Lloyd, King Of Thunder ($4.40) finished powerfully between runners to down All In The Mind ($11) by three-quarters of a length and the young hoop said the three-year-old remained open to further improvement.
"He got himself a bit warm pre-race and with these (hot) conditions I was a bit concerned, but he executed the race well," Lloyd said.
"He jumped well, he travelled nicely and he showed a nice turn of speed for a stayer and was strong through the line."
O'Shea said Hurstville Zagreb "put a hole in his foot" when he kicked out at the wall and admitted they would now be behind the eight-ball to get him to the Tulloch Stakes in a fortnight.
Eagle flies in Maurice McCarten
A race that looked to have speed to burn on paper didn't turn out quite as planned and that suited Eagle Nest perfectly as she fought on doggedly to snare the Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m).
When the speedy Felix Majestic flopped out of the gates and Eagle Nest jumped smartly, Rachel King didn't hesitate to take her to the front and the mare dictated from there.
Despite being under siege from eventual runner-up Time To Boogie ($4.40) for much of the straight, Eagle Nest ($6.50) pulled out all stops to deny that horse by a short neck with Pisanello ($2.50 fav) another short head away third.
"She is a really bonny mare. She gives you everything," co-trainer Sterling Alexiou said.
"I didn't think she'd get to the front as easily as she did. When she did, I was quite confident she was going to be really hard to beat and she really dug in late."
Eagle Nest won the Starlight Stakes (1100m) over Saturday's course and distance in the spring and Alexiou said they had targeted the Maurice McCarten a long way out.
"We tipped her out with the intention of coming here, knowing she loved the track and distance," he said.
The five-year-old is set to go under the hammer at the upcoming Chairman's Sale, although Alexiou said she could run again before then, possible in the Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 12.
Iowna Merc earns Doncaster start
An Ajax Stakes win to Iowna Merc has earned the gelding a ballot exemption into the Group 1 Doncaster Mile.
The Bjorn Baker-trained Iowna Merc was tested over 1500m for the first time in Saturday's Group 2 race off the back of a last-start Liverpool City Cup (1300m) win and the gelding by Winning Rupert was able to stretch his brilliance to narrowly deny Willaidow in a driving finish.
The winner of the Ajax Stakes is exempt from ballot and any weight penalty for the $4 million Doncaster next month at Randwick.
"He's been a revelation this preparation, he's done a marvellous job," Baker said.
"I trained his father so it's good to have a good one by him.
"The race definitely worked out, they didn't go overly quickly but he got 1500 metres.
"I must say if you said he'd get 1500 at the start of the prep, I'd have said he wouldn't have got it down Mount Everest. So it just shows you, it's a funny game."
Iowna Merc carried 57.5kg in Saturday's race and would drop to 52kg in the Doncaster, where he would have to stretch to 1600m.
"We'll definitely have to consider it," Baker said.
"He'll drop considerably in weight and he's going well.
"He's a horse in form. He's a happy horse."
When pressed even further on a potential Doncaster start, Baker said: "He'll be there."
Quote of the Day: "I must say, if you said he'd get 1500 metres at the start of the prep, I'd have said he wouldn't have got it down Mount Everest." - Trainer Bjorn Baker on Iowna Merc winning the Ajax Stakes over 1500m.
