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Doncaster Mile 2024 Results: Celestial Legend Flashes Home Late for Bridge & Schiller
The classy, light-weight three-year-old Celestial Legend bombed them late in the time-honoured Doncaster Mile 2024 to hand trainer Les Bridge his second success in the Randwick classic 39 years apart.
Randwick Guineas champ Celestial Legend flashed home late to beat home the older horses in the 2024 Doncaster Mile. Photo: Steve Hart.
Bridge took out the event back in 1985 with Row Of Waves and returned nearly four decades later to salute in a thrilling edition of the now $4 million showdown.
The Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) field featured a star-studded line-up for Day 1 of The Championships and top honours went to the airborne Dundeel colt Celestial Legend.
“This is some horse believe me. I’ve had a lot of good horses but this horse is unbelievable,” Bridge said post-win.
The star three-year-old made it a trio of Sydney wins on the trot after lead-up victories in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m).
The horse had a hard run winning the Randwick Guineas and was cuddled by Bridge in his lead-up to the Doncaster at the same track and trip where he relished a drop from 56.5kg to just 49kg.
“I knew he hadn’t gone backwards (since the Randwick Guineas). I just gave him a nice tick over trial,” Bridge said.
“I just love the horse.”
Jockey Tyler Schiller came aboard replacing Kerrin McEvoy on the light weight and came from nowhere late to steal the show in a marvellous victory.
After Phearson crossed from the wide gate to lead the Doncaster Mile field around, it was the top-weight Think About It moving up around the home turn and Prelude winner Another Wil cruising up who looked the threats at the top of the straight.
The James Cummings-trained roughie Pericles ($41) meanwhile stayed on well to challenge, while Chris Waller’s three-time Group 1 winning three-year-old Militarize ($11) coming off placings in the Randwick Guineas (2nd) and George Ryder (3rd) launched up the inside.
All eyes quickly went to the extreme outside however as Celestial Legend ($6.50) flashed home and nailed Pericles right on the line.
Militarize was very good again holding for third to complete the Doncaster Mile trifecta in another top level placing this prep for the fellow Dundeel colt.
“I didn’t think he could win,” Bridge said of the run by Celestial Legend.
“I thought ‘he won’t get out’. They just don’t do that do they? He’s terrific. He’s a superstar.”
2024 Doncaster Mile Results & Finishing Order
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Penalty | Starting Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | CELESTIAL LEGEND | Les Bridge | Tyler Schiller | 4 | 49kg | $6.50 | |||
| 2 | 3 | PERICLES | James Cummings | Blake Shinn | 0.67L | 14 | 54.5kg | $41 | ||
| 3 | 4 | MILITARIZE (NZ) | Chris Waller | Zac Purton | 0.71L | 3 | 54kg | $11 | ||
| 4 | 21e | NUGGET (GB) | Ciaron Maher | Declan Bates | 0.75L | 7 | 51.5kg | $26 | ||
| 5 | 22e | HINGED | Chris Waller | Craig Williams | 1.91L | 12 | 50kg (cd 51kg) | $21 | ||
| 6 | 8 | DETONATOR JACK (NZ) | Ciaron Maher | Tim Clark | 2.1L | 1 | 52.5kg | $12 | ||
| 7 | 18 | ANOTHER WIL | Ciaron Maher | Ms Jamie Kah | 2.38L | 16 | 50kg | $3.60F | ||
| 8 | 13 | DEMOCRACY MANIFEST | Chris Waller | Jay Ford | 2.73L | 9 | 51kg | $18 | ||
| 9 | 7 | KOVALICA (NZ) | Chris Waller | Tommy Berry | 2.75L | 10 | 53.5kg | $20 | ||
| 10 | 10 | RUSTIC STEEL | Kris Lees | Regan Bayliss | 2.88L | 5 | 52kg (cd 52.5kg) | 1.0kg | $51 | |
| 11 | 1 | THINK ABOUT IT | Joseph Pride | Sam Clipperton | 3.22L | 13 | 57kg | $21 | ||
| 12 | 15 | LOCH EAGLE | Kris Lees | Dylan Gibbons (a) | 3.27L | 18 | 51kg (cd 52kg) | $101 | ||
| 13 | 2 | OBAMBURUMAI (JPN) | Keiji Yoshimura | Damian Lane | 3.42L | 6 | 55kg | $8 | ||
| 14 | 9 | BERKSHIRE SHADOW (GB) | Ciaron Maher | Andrew Adkins | 3.8L | 11 | 52.5kg | $101 | ||
| 15 | 16 | LINDERMANN | Chris Waller | Zac Lloyd (a) | 3.88L | 17 | 50.5kg | $16 | ||
| 16 | 24e | PALMETTO (NZ) | John Sargent | Ms Molly Bourke (a) | 3.94L | 2 | 51kg | $151 | ||
| 17 | 23e | NAVAJO PEAK | David Payne | Ms Rachel King | 8.82L | 15 | 52.5kg | $101 | ||
| 18 | 12 | LADY LAGUNA | Annabel Neasham | Michael Dee | 11.27L | 8 | 51kg | $11 | ||
| 19 | 14 | PHEARSON | Brad Widdup | Ron Stewart | 15.45L | 19 | 51kg | 1.0kg | $151 | |
| 17 | SEMANA | Ciaron Maher | Andrew Adkins | 0 | ||||||
| 20 | SOUTHPORT TYCOON | Ciaron Maher | Ms Rachel King | 0 | ||||||
| 5 | ZOUGOTCHA | Chris Waller | Craig Williams | 0 | 2.0kg | |||||
| 11 | ATTRACTABLE | Sara Ryan | Reece Jones | 0 | ||||||
| 6 | GOLDEN MILE | James Cummings | Jason Collett | 0 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
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