“Girls are taking over.”
That was the statement from Rachel King after she and Kathy O’Hara made history at Randwick on Saturday by becoming the first female jockeys to ride Group 1 winners on the same program in Australia.
O’Hara got the ball rolling with victory aboard the Chris Waller -trained Rediener in the Epsom Handicap (1600m) before King followed suit with a hard-fought win on boom Tulloch Lodge stayer Just Fine in the Metropolitan (2400m).
“It was very special, Kathy was the first person to come up next to me and give me a fist pump and I couldn’t have been happier to see her win the Epsom,” King said.
“Kath has been someone I’ve looked up to from the minute I’ve been in Australia so to follow her today, she won her Group One first and I got to get mine next.
“Girls are taking over.”
In an extraordinary two-horse war, Just Fine ranged up to leader Spirit Ridge at the top of the Randwick straight and the pair went stride for stride, neither wanting to give an inch.
Just Fine ($1.75 Ladbrokes fav) finally wore down Spirit Ridge ($41) in the final bounds to score by a head, the first two clearing out from the rest with Kalapour ($18) best of the chasers, another 4-1/4 lengths away third.
In winning, Just Fine set a 2400m track record of 2:26.11, bettering the mark of 2:26.36 established by Spechenka in 2010 and dispelling any concerns over his ability to stay the distance.
The triumph completed a heady afternoon for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott who also produced the trifecta in the Group 3 Breeders’ Plate (1000m), captured the Listed Dulcify Stakes (1600m) with Ganbare and the Group 1 Flight Stakes(1600m) with Tropical Storm.
Just Fine is now unbeaten in three Australian starts and while he isn’t nominated for the Caulfield Cup, he is entered for the Melbourne Cup and Bott says it will be hard to resist a Victorian campaign.
“I think we might have to, it’s hard to deny it after that,” Bott said.
“He just continues to improve and go the right way for us, and he opened up more options for him today staying that trip.”