Golden Snap slumps to 14th in Caulfield Cup after struggling with turf

Golden Snap took a shot at the Grade 1 Caulfield Cup in Melbourne, Australia, but came away badly disappointed after placing 14th out of 18 on Saturday (Oct. 20).

The JRA’s 5-year-old mare had been hoping to finish in the top eight to secure an automatic berth at next month’s Melbourne Cup yet ended up well more than eight lengths out of first in the 2,400-meter affair.

In her first tour of duty overseas, in her first crack at a G1 title, the Katsunori Tanaka-trained, Suguru Hamanaka-ridden Golden Snap left from the No. 18 gate but was far out of contention as she turned for home, trailing the pack at the far back. She never had a moment that offered hope.

The top betting favorite, 5-year-old gelding Half Yours, closed hard from behind to cover the race in 2 minutes, 29.05 seconds - making Jamie Melham the first female rider in race history to lift the Caulfield Cup.

Golden Snap was eyeing to become the third-ever Japanese horse to win the A$5 million race, to follow in the footsteps of Admire Rakti in 2014 and Mer de Glace in 2019. Unfortunately, it did not happen.

Both Tanaka and Hamanaka pinned the defeat to Golden Snap’s adaptability to the turf, which was listed in good condition. It remains to be seen where the daughter of six-time G1 champion Japanese legend Gold Ship, out of Meisho J, will head next.

Golden Snap was hoping to become the first horse from the JRA to have a shot of capturing the Melbourne Cup since 2006, when trainer Katsuhiko Sumii’s Delta Blues and Pop Rock famously capped a one-two for Japan.

Golden Snap’s best graded finish to date had been fourth place at the 3,600m Stayers Stakes at Nakayama in December.

“I think both the jockey and horse gave it everything they had,” Tanaka said. “The jockey did well to navigate into the first turn.

“But the going was tougher than it looked and it just got too difficult in the end. I thought she was capable of dealing with the turf, but not what I expected. She just struggled with it.”

Added Hamanaka, “She felt good during her fast work and was giving off really good vibes going into the race. We drew on the far outside but I actually thought it might even be an advantage for her.

“We went into the first turn positioned right where we wanted to be, behind a couple of the favorites, but she didn’t have anything left by the time we needed to switch gears. The conditions proved to be too much for her.”

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