Sydney horseman John O’Shea has named the 2012 The Galaxy at Royal Randwick on Doncaster Handicap Day as the likely grand final autumn aim for his Group 2 winning filly Elite Falls.
A nicely-bred daughter of More Than Ready from Danehill mare Niagara Falls, now…
The Galaxy is an open handicap event held towards the end of the prestigious Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival on Doncaster Mile Day. Run at the esteemed Royal Randwick racecourse, The Galaxy is a 1100m sprint worth $300,000. The other Group 1 feature races held at the meeting are the Doncaster Mile (1600m) and the AJC Australian Oaks (2400m).
Runners in The Galaxy field may have previously contested some of the carnival’s other handicap events including the Group 3 Frederick Clissold Stakes (1200m) in February, Group 3 Liverpool City Cup (1300m) in March or the Group 3 Star Kingdom Stakes (1100m) two weeks before.
Doncaster Mile Day will take place on Saturday April 21st, 2012 and will feature the running of The Galaxy 2012.
| The Galaxy | |
|---|---|
| Date: | April 21, 2012 |
| Track: | Royal Randwick Racecourse |
| Distance: | 1100m |
| Conditions: | Open Handicap |
| Status: | Group 1 |
| Prize Money: | $300 000 |
| Inaugurated: | 1972 |
The Galaxy has always drawn a competitive field of expert sprinters and some great horses to claim victory include Spark Of Life (2004), Mistegic (2002), Gold Ace (1996) and Schillaci (1992).
First run in 1972, The Galaxy’s inaugural running was as a principal race over six furlongs and was won by Playbill. The race distance was converted to 1100m the following year and it became a Group 2 event in 1980. Not long after The Galaxy was elevated to its current Group 1 status in 1984.
In the 2010 running of The Galaxy, Victorian mare Ortensia was first across the line. After a lengthy inquiry, that lasted more than four months, Ortensia was disqualified from the race for failing a drug test. The disqualification elevated Shellscrape to first, Swift Alliance to second and Stryker to third.
| The Galaxy Records | |
|---|---|
| Time Record: | 1:02.38 set by Accomplice in 1997. |
| Most Successful Jockey: | P. Cook won three times with Kista (1973), Salaam (1977) and Snippets (1988). |
| Lightest Weight Carried to Victory: | 49.0kg carried by Salaam in 1977. |
| Heaviest Weight Carried to Victory: | 58.5kg carried by Mr. Tiz in 1991. |
| Year | Place | Horse | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 The Galaxy |
1st | Atomic Force | 1 minute 05.3 seconds |
| 2nd | Thankgodyou’rehere | ||
| 3rd | Cardinal Virtue | ||
| 2010 The Galaxy |
1st | Shellscrape | 1 minute 3.29 seconds |
| 2nd | Swift Alliance | ||
| 3rd | Stryker | ||
| 2009 The Galaxy |
1st | Nicconi | 1 minute 3.5 seconds |
| 2nd | Danleigh | ||
| 3rd | Gold Trail | ||
| 2008 The Galaxy |
1st | Typhoon Zed | 1 minute 4.1 seconds |
| 2nd | Keen Commander | ||
| 3rd | Fritzs Princess | ||
| 2007 The Galaxy |
1st | Magnus | 1 minute 3.2 seconds |
| 2nd | Fast n Famous | ||
| 3rd | Macs Tune | ||
| 2006 The Galaxy |
1st | Proprietor | 1 minute 3.1 seconds |
| 2nd | Media | ||
| 3rd | Black Ink | ||
| 2005 The Galaxy |
1st | Charge Forward | 1 minute 4.7 seconds |
| 2nd | Spark Of Life | ||
| 3rd | Red Oog | ||
| 2004 The Galaxy |
1st | Spark Of Life | 1 minute 3.7 seconds |
| 2nd | Taikun | ||
| 3rd | Blessum | ||
| 2003 The Galaxy |
1st | Snowland | 1 minute 4.5 seconds |
| 2nd | Star Of Florida | ||
| 3rd | Bradshaw | ||
| 2002 The Galaxy |
1st | Mistegic | 1 minute 2.7 seconds |
| 2nd | Century Kid | ||
| 3rd | Excellerator | ||
| 2001 The Galaxy |
1st | Padstow | 1 minute 4 seconds |
| 2nd | Camena | ||
| 3rd | Catatonic | ||
| 2000 The Galaxy |
1st | Black Bean | 1 minute 2.9 seconds |
| 2nd | Commands | ||
| 3rd | Padstow | ||
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