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Knights Order, Think It Over and Nimalee win back-to-back Group 1 races

Coolmore Australia's So You Think (High Chaparral) enjoyed his most successful day on the racecourse with Knights Order (7 g ex Lamanka Lass by Woodman) winning the Sydney Cup (Gr 1, 3200m), Think It Over (6 g ex Personal Service by Zabeel) landing the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) before Nimalee (5 m ex Dezign by Zabeel) captured the Queen Of The Turf (Gr 1, 1600m). 

Already a Group 1 winner, Think It Over was winning for the second time at the highest level while Knights Order and Nimalee became Group 1 winners number eight and nine for the son of High Chaparral (Sadler's Wells) who has now been propelled to the head of the leading sires table in Australia by earnings. 

In the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Think It Over reeled in Zaaki (Leroidesanimaux) in the final 100 metres to score by a half length. The Kerry Parker-trained Think It Over, who has finished no worse than fourth in his last three starts which have all come at Group 1 level, raced down the stand rail under Nash Rawiller and scored at odds of 40-1. 

"Our plan was to go forward and I didn't care if he snuck away at the 1000m,'' Parker said.

"But Nash had gone to the inside on one earlier and went 'yeah it's no good there.' So we thought we'd go to the outside this time and what a thrill."

Rawiller won the Nathan Berry Medal with his winning ride. "I trotted down the outside fence going to the barriers on one of them earlier in the day and thought 'I'll keep this up my sleeve for later'," he said.

"Even coming down the side there I was sitting off the fence. We just tried to keep him in clear ground.

"When I straightened I thought 'it's worth a go' to get to the outside. I just felt it's where the ambulances drive and all the tractors run up the outside fence. For my bloke it was like going from a heavy 9 to slow 6 which he can handle.

"When he can handle the track he does that, he's a very good horse.

"I thought he was going to run a good second, but when he hit that fresh patch of grass, away he went."

Bred and raced by Bylong Park, Think It Over has now won 12 of his 35 career starts and his earnings total just over $6 million. He is one of four winners and the only stakes winner out of unraced Zabeel (Sir Tristram) mare Personal Service who is herself a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner and sire Universal Prince (Scenic) and his Group 1 winning sister Universal Queen (Scenic). 

Personal Service was covered again last year by So You Think, one of 204 mares covered by the sire who stood for a fee of $77,000 (inc GST). 

In the penultimate race on the Randwick card, the Matthew Smith-trained Nimalee returned to winning form when she beat Annavisto (Reliable Man) in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m). 

The mare's last victory had come in the Emancipation Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m) last April, however she relished the conditions on Saturday and she drew level with Annavisto with 250 metres left to travel and the Cressfield-bred Nimalee then pulled clear to score a two and a quarter length victory. The win gave jockey Damian Oliver his 127th Group 1 victory. 

"They haven't been making up a lot of ground so I wanted to be a bit more productive from the start from the good draw, hold a position. This mare she's always very consistent around the place but found it hard to win. But she loved the conditions today, traveled really well in the box seat and gave me a great kick," said Oliver. 

Bought for $270,000 by Randwick Bloodstock from the draft of Milford Thoroughbreds at the 2018 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, Nimalee has now won seven of her 22 starts and understandably Smith was delighted to win a Group 1 race with the mare. 

"You have a mare like this, as a trainer you want to be winning a Group 1 with her if you can, but sometimes they don't," he said. "Today it just all went to plan, got the right run behind the speed and she was strong to the line."

Nimalee is out of the unraced Zabeel mare Design who has also produced the stakes placed gelding The Chairman (High Chaparral). Her second dam is three-time Group 2 winner Elegant Fashion (Danewin) who produced six winners from as many foals to race. 

So You Think's trio of Group 1 winners started when the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Knights Order led throughout to claim the Sydney Cup. The Irish-bred gelding pulled clear in the closing stages to beat Sheraz (Sea The Stars) by two lengths, with Daqiansweet Junior (Sweet Orange) third. 

"He loved the conditions, so I was really confident with him in regards to that," said Bott. 

"He's had a great lead-up building towards this particular race. He's had plenty of miles, he's proven over the two miles before Brisbane Cup winner so I was confident on a lot of fronts there. Just needed things to go our way in the race and when Rachel (King) was able to dictate in the way that she did, it was a really calculated ride by her so she's got to take a lot of credit for that. 

"She was able to give him every chance and opportunity from there and he was too strong."

Bought by McKeever Bloodstock and Gai Waterhouse Racing for 250,000 at the 2018 Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale from the draft of his previous trainer William Jarvis, Knights Order is out of the winning Woodman (Mr Prospector) mare Lamanka Lass. She has produced eight other winners from 11 foals to race include he Grade 2 winner Dark Islander (Singspiel). 

So You Think stood his first season at Coolmore Australia in 2012 when he covered 168 mares at a fee of $66,000 (inc GST). He shuttled to Coolmore Stud in Ireland for four seasons between 2013 and 2016.