Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria to Meet in Sydney for Cunard Line Anniversary

Two Queens - Cunard's flagship Queen Mary 2 and her younger sister Queen Victoria - will for the first time on Thursday spend the day together in Sydney.

A fireworks display will mark the occasion at 9.15pm, as Queen Mary 2 leaves Circular Quay and sails past Queen Victoria anchored at Athol Buoy near Taronga Zoo.

To celebrate the rendezvous and its 175th anniversary year, Cunard is also launching a photographic exhibition on the boardwalk at the Opera House.

Captured by Sydney photographer James Morgan, who has snapped Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth around the globe, the OneSevenFive exhibition will provide an insight into life onboard.

Featuring 71 images displayed on two-metre-high panels, the collection's final two images - from Thursday's rendezvous - will be installed on Friday morning. The exhibition will remain in place for 175 hours, until Thursday, March 19.

"I think everyone in this city would remember the three very special royal rendezvous of other Cunard ships on our harbour over recent years," said Ann Sherry, chief executive of Carnival Australia, which represents Cunard in Australia. "This Thursday will be no different as Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria make history with their first ever joint visit to Sydney."

The 2000-guest Queen Victoria will berth in Sydney about 5.30am on Wednesday, spending the day at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. At about 3.30am the following morning, the 90,000-tonne ship will move from Circular Quay to Athol Buoy to make way for her "big sister", Queen Mary 2, which is scheduled to sail through the heads at 3.45am on Thursday morning.

Still the largest ship to visit Australia, the 151,400-tonne Queen Mary 2 is expected to berth at the Overseas Passenger Terminal about 4.45am on Thursday.

The Sydney visit of the 2600-guest ship comes two months into her 113-night world voyage.

Wednesday March 11

· 4.30am – Queen Victoria sails into Sydney Harbour.

· 5.30am – Queen Victoria berths at Overseas Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay.

Thursday March 12

· 3.30am – Queen Victoria sails from the Overseas Passenger Terminal to berth at Athol Buoy.

· 3.45am – Queen Mary 2 enters Sydney Harbour.

· 4.45am – Queen Mary 2 berths at the Overseas Passenger Terminal.

· Noon – OneSevenFive photo exhibition of Cunard's Three Queens on Sydney Opera House's Western Boardwalk opens to public.

· 9pm – Queen Mary 2 departs Overseas Passenger Terminal en route to Milford Sound, New Zealand.

· 9.15pm – Fireworks as Queen Mary 2 sails past Queen Victoria at Athol Buoy.

· 11pm – Queen Victoria sails from Athol Buoy en route to Akaroa, New Zealand.

Previous Cunard Royal Rendezvous in Sydney

· February 20, 2007 – Sydney was brought to a standstill for the city's first official Cunard Royal Rendezvous when Queen Mary 2 made her maiden visit to Australia, meeting with QE2 in Sydney Harbour.

· February 24, 2008 – The newly launched Queen Victoria made her first visit to Sydney for a Royal Rendezvous with QE2, which was making her final call to the city before she retired from the Cunard fleet.

· February 22-23, 2011 – Queen Mary 2 and the newly launched Queen Elizabeth visited Sydney for the city's third Royal Rendezvous.

Glenn Miller Orchestra Concert Spectacular | Sydney Melbourne

The Glenn Miller Orchestra returns by overwhelming popular demand for this concert spectacular, to honour the year of the ANZAC Centenary. 

Featuring America’s finest musicians together with the Moonlight Serenade Singers and The Broadway Swing Dancers, the concert will pay tribute to the spirit of ANZAC including a special feature of music and songs from the years of the Great War. 

All the famous Glenn Miller classics will be performed by the Orchestra playing the original music arrangements; timeless icons of American culture such as Chattanooga Choo Choo, A String Of Pearls, Tuxedo Junction, Moonlight Serenade, Little Brown Jug and the greatest Miller hit of all time, In The Mood.

Remembering the Centenary of Anzac

It is fitting that the Glenn Miller Orchestra is returning in 2015, the year of the Centenary of Anzac. 

Major Glenn Miller served in the United States Army Air Force from 1942 until his untimely death on December 15th 1944 when he was travelling to entertain US troops in France; his aircraft disappeared in bad weather over the English Channel. 

Glenn Miller recorded many memorable hots from the 1914 to 1918 period which the orchestra will perform in tribute to the ANZACS. 

‘My Buddy’ – ‘Over There’ – ‘Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag’ – ‘If You Were The Only Girl In The World’ and many more. 

THE UNFORGETTABLE MUSIC OF THE 1940’S FROM THE GOLDEN ERA OF SWING

“An evening of nostalgia…unforgettable music; an absolutely brilliant concert” 
– The Australian Stage

Show Venues and Dates:

May 31st, 2015 WIN Entertainment Centre, NSW 2PM Glenn Miller Orchestra

June 20th, 2015 State Theatre, Sydney, NSW 2PM Glenn Miller Orchestra

June 20th, 2015 State Theatre, Sydney, NSW 7.30PM Glenn Miller Orchestra

Friday June 05, 2015 Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall 7.30PM Glenn Miller Orchestra

Saturday June 13, 2015 Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall 2.30PM Glenn Miller Orchestra

Find out more and purchase tickets to this event at Ticket Master

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour | Opera Australia | Aida

A setting like this demands a spectacular opera, so prepare for a performance of huge proportions. A royal love triangle, a war, and the famous 'Triumphal March' with Egyptians en masse will light up the waters of Sydney's magnificent harbour.

HANDA OPERA ON SYDNEY HARBOUR

In Aida, Verdi masterfully puts the intimate affairs of the heart against the grandeur of the universe: where kingdoms rise and fall and the sands of time grind onwards.

What grander setting could there be for such an opera than Sydney Harbour itself: awash with the light of the city and the Sydney Opera House silhouetted against the setting sun?

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour has become a huge part of the cultural landscape, combining all of the things Sydney does best: world-class opera, fine dining, sunsets and spectacle on the harbour's edge.

It's a monumental undertaking, with a team of more than 700 people involved in the project before a single note is heard over the harbour.

Aida is the biggest opera we've ever performed on the opera stage. But amid all of the spectacle, the famous 'Triumphal March', battle scenes and ancient temples, there's an emotional heart.

Long after the fireworks have faded from the sky and Amneris sings her quiet, concluding prayer, you'll see the true mastery of this opera: it is at once an historic epic and an utterly relatable human tragedy


THE STORY

A rebellion is brewing on Egypt’s borders, and for both the oppressor and the oppressed, loves and loyalties are about to be tested.

Egypt needs a hero to lead their army, and the High Priest has chosen Radamès. Egypt’s fortunes will turn on his sword, but Radamès has a higher purpose. Through victory in battle, he hopes to win the hand of the beautiful slave girl Aida – handmaiden to the princess Amneris, and secretly, an Ethiopian princess.

Aida is torn between her love for the Egyptian hero and her despair for the country he must march against – her homeland.

And the Princess Amneris, who also desires Radamès, is beginning to have suspicions that her hero might prefer her slave…

As Radamès returns to Egypt in triumph, Aida is greeted with a terrible sight – her father, the King of Ethiopia, is among the slaves.

Just when all seems lost, the King of Egypt deals another blow: promising the triumphant Radamès his daughter Amneris’ hand.

On the banks of the Nile, the lovers arrange to meet one last time.

But the conquered Ethiopian King has a plan to save his country. Aida has to make a devastating choice.

In the darkness, the King’s plan, Aida’s conflicted heart and Radamès’ steadfast love collide in a devastating finale.

VENUE LOCATION AND EVENT DATE

OPERA ON SYDNEY HARBOUR, FLEET STEPS, 
MRS MACQUARIES POINTMARCH 
27 – APRIL 26, 2015

Find Out More at Source Article

NRL Season Preview: 10 Bold Predictions for 2015

1. Souths to go close

Given no team has won back to back premierships since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992 and 1993 the odds would seem to be against South Sydney retaining their crown in 2015. Then again, if they’ve managed to maintain an appetite for success despite last year’s bell-ringing buffet they are as well placed as anyone could be to go back for afters. Sam Burgess is a big loss, and Ben Te’o will be missed, but Glenn Stewart is a more than handy addition, George and Tom Burgess are not getting any smaller, and the likes of Greg Inglis, Adam Reynolds and Issac Luke are as dangerous as unexploded ordinance. Pre-season signs have been very encouraging for Souths fans with the Rabbitohs winning the Nines and running through St Helens like a razor sharp bayonet, but we should get an early hint of Souths’ disposition in the first six weeks when they have a testing start to their defence including a trip to Brisbane in Round 1, and games against competition threats the Roosters, Bulldogs and Cowboys. 

NRL season preview: the big four title hopefuls

Read more

2. A Maroons backlash

For eight long years between 2006-2013 the Maroons subjugated NSW; tethered them, if you will, to a chain in the stubbie-strewn backyard of their big ole’ Queensland. But last year, on a Wednesday night in July, NSW slipped the chain, pissed in their beer (though being XXXX Gold, the Maroons may not have noticed) and flaunted their liberation on live TV. But the ruling class don’t cede power easily and Mal Meninga’s Maroons may yet have a sting in their tail. Regime change is coming — Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis and Billy Slater are closer to the end than the beginning— but we’re not there just yet.

NSW appear to have an edge in the forwards (and Blake Ferguson may appear in the backs if he keeps his nose clean) but they’ll have to make that count otherwise they’ll be back on the chain before they know it, forced to look on while the Maroons and FOGS whoop it up; Billy Moore screaming at the moon, Chris Close cracking walnuts between his thighs, and Allan Langer in his underpants eating ice cream straight out of the tub. NSW’s year of liberation could come to seem like a dream.

3. Your standard stuff from Channel Nine

League fans without Foxtel (either due to its cynical pricing system or an understandable unwillingness to not put any coin in Rupert Murdoch’s pockets) will again be relying on Channel Nine for their NRL fix. The good news is that Nine will show Sunday afternoon games live throughout the season (unless you live in curtain-fading country north of the Tweed, that is: such folk will have towait until daylight savings ends at which time your state rejoins modernity) a move that will save us having to watch a ton of car and fast food commercials and allow us to use the internet again on Sunday afternoons without fear of stumbling upon a score. The bad news is that the billion-dollar product will still be broadcast in standard definition, which is like looking like a million-dollar view through a rain-spattered pane of glass (unless you live in a league backwater like Victoria where, ironically, you can watch on GEM in high definition). As for Nine’s commentary, one doesn’t want to pass judgement before a squirrel has been gripped, but hopefully Phil Gould and Ray Warren will be less inclined to bicker, and Channel Nine’s blokey banter can be kept to a minimum.

NRL 2015 season preview: teams likely to struggle and finish outside the eight

Read more

4. A decline in international relations

Rugby league doesn’t exist in an NRL bubble and we got a wonderful sense of that during the 2013 World Cup and the 2014 Four Nations, tournaments which treated us to some of the most competitive and entertaining international rugby league we’ve seen in some time. ‘We must do this again some time,’ we said afterwards and we actually meant it. Yet in the coming year the Kangaroos will play just a single Test, that being the May 1 match against New Zealand in Brisbane (and look for a fully-fit Kangaroos side to avenge their Four Nations final loss). It just feels like a wasted opportunity. But what was I saying about rugby league not existing in an NRL bubble? A double header will be played on the Gold Coast in May: Papua New Guinea vs Fiji and Samoa vs Tonga. New Zealand will also play a three-Test series against England at the end of the season (with games in Hull, Wigan and at the Olympic Stadium in London), while there’s a host of league being played around the world, like a two-Test series between Belgium and the Czech Republic in October and an expanded domestic competition in Serbia.

5. The second coming of Andrew Fifita

By the end of 2013 Cronulla prop Andrew Fifita was arguably the best forward in the game and to see him on the burst was to be reminded of that kid you used to play against when you were in the under 10s —the kid with the five o’clock shadow who was twice as big as everyone else, who drove himself and his girlfriend to the game, and who could, and often did, carry five or six kids over the line as they clung to him like barnacles on the hull of a liner. But between injury, contract disputes and personal issues Fifita endured a sorry 2014 and he all but disappeared off our radars. But, in good news for Cronulla and NSW, Fifita is fit and looking to get back to where he was in 2013. If he does he’ll make both those teams decidedly more dangerous. 

NRL 2015 season preview: the wooden spoon contenders

Read more

6. Life in the old dogs yet

While youth will always beguile us, we can expect old timers like Willie Mason, Jeremy Smith, Jamie Lyon, and Brent Kite, to demand our attention this season, and hopefully for all the right reasons, not because they’ve become a train wreck so mangled and pitiful that we can’t tear our eyes away from them. Another such player is Benji Marshall who was once the brightest star in the NRL’s constellation. After a failed dalliance with rugby union Marshall signed with the Dragons after the start of 2014 and he played catch-up with his fitness and sharpness. But he improved as the 2014 went on and he now has a full pre-season behind him. His performance at the Nines was extremely encouraging and Dragons fans will be hoping his propensity to deliver rocks and diamonds will, as it used to do, lean more heavily to the latter. He’ll never be what he was, but he what he becomes may be no less enjoyable to watch. 

7. A wrestling with the rules

Late in January the NRL Rules Committee voted for ruck changes to limit wrestling. This season, if the referees stick to the brief, the call of held will come faster and defenders will be obliged to release a tackler at the same time rather than make like a banana and peel-off one by one to their attempt to delay the play the ball to such a point their defensive line has had time to dig a trench and erect razor wire. The idea, of course, is that this interpretation of an existing rule will limit the kind of wrestling we’ve been enduring for a decade now, and in that, it’s a change most fans will welcome. But what will the ramifications be once the season settles into a groove? Will it lead to even more boring one out running as the attacking team looks to take advantage of a defensive line struggling to get back the 10m? (Wouldn’t a 5m rule work better with the new interpretation?) Will it advantage attacking teams with monster forwards or will teams with more mobile forwards be better placed, particularly in getting a defensive line set? The only thing we know for sure is that as sure as water runs down hill, some coach will devise a way to make the interpretation work in their favour. 

Ten players to watch out for during the 2015 NRL season

Read more

8. The falling of the axe

It’s a cruel business, professional sport. For every champion that stands on a dais, every endless stream of confetti, and every token politician that some how photo bombs their head into the edge of a frame, there’s a headless corpse on the ground. The axe will surely fall this season but whose head will it take? How much patience will the Raiders have, for instance, if Ricky Stuart’s team becomes the competition’s whipping boy? What about Geoff Toovey? It’s crazy to consider it given what he’s already achieved at Manly but he’s already had to fight off rumours of dressing room unrest and what happens if his team begins the fade out they’ve been heroically delaying for many seasons? What about the game’s CEOs? Are they all safe, even those with their own fiefdom like the Dragons’ Peter Doust? Worst of all it would be a miracle if we get through the season without a player or two (or more) bringing themselves and the game into disrepute. We can but hope their inevitable crimes and misdemeanours harm nobody but themselves.

9. Discontent from the stands

It’s been a busy pre-season in terms of horse trading and only in the past week have the futures of a number of off-contract stars been settled. There’s no perfect way to do these things but it’s a shame we’re in a position where players announce they are leaving their current clubs before a ball has been kicked in their final season. As it is Kieran Foran and Trent Merrin, to name two players, will play out the season with Manly and St George lllawarra respectively before moving on to the Eels and Penrith. No doubt there will be fans of both Manly and the Dragons who would like them punished and to be made to play NSW Cup for the term of their natural life. But to demand loyalty from players in the current game is an anachronistic idea. Fans will just have to trust that players like Foran and Merrin are professional enough to give their all for the club whose jersey they are wearing at the time.

10. Bring the excitement

Cynicism and pessimism is easy, and like any other professional sport, the game we love is hardly perfect or free from criticism. But, at this stage of a season, when it’s laid out before us all shiny and new and still in it’s plastic wrapping, it’s time to shift to the edge of our seats. I for one eagerly await another year of bone-rattling collisions, breathtaking sleight of hand, and astonishingly athletic passages of play. As Thomas Keneally once said, “blow that whistle, ref”…

View Source

Jeffrey Tambor joins Sydney's Spectrum Now festival line-up

Richard Roxburgh and Tim Ross at the Spectrum Now launch at Carriageworks. Photo: Nick Moir

Richard Roxburgh has always said that Sydney's newest arts festival, Spectrum Now, would be one of surprises. And at the official launch of the festival at Carriageworks Wednesday night, Roxburgh delivered on his promise.

As glasses clinked and speeches were made – by creative director Roxburgh himself, as well as Andrew McEvoy, Fairfax Media's Managing Director of Life Media and Events – it was revealed that Transparent star Jeffrey Tambor, who won a Golden Globe Award this year for his role as a family patriarch transitioning to become a woman, was joining the festival line-up.

Tambor – who has starred in some of TV's most acclaimed comedies, including Arrested Development and The Larry Sanders Show – will sit down with Roxburgh for a Q&A event this March. 

"I'm a huge admirer of Jeffrey's work," says Roxburgh, "and as an actor whose career has spanned some truly incredible film, theatre, and TV – from heading up the Bluth family to playing a transgender family-man in Transparent! I'm really looking forward to picking his brains about that amazing life."

Tambor is joined at Spectrum Now by US actor and filmmaker Chris Rock (who will speak after a screening of his latest film, Top Five, in a special satellite festival event this Thursday), Britain's Alan Rickman (who will present his newest film as director, A Little Chaos, at two showings) and local arts stars such as painter Del Kathryn Barton, musician Bertie Blackman, comedian Tim Ross, Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton, and Shaun Gladwell.

The festival, which officially kicks off on Wednesday March 11, will be centred on the Spectrum Playground in the Domain, a free outdoor festival hub with live music, art shows, arts markets, a cinema, a 'Nosh Pit' featuring food from some of Sydney's best restaurants and, Roxburgh assures us, more surprises.

Guests at the launch were given a taste of what was to come at the three-week festival, with Tim Ross hosting ('Rosso' will indulge his passion for architecture with a comedy show that takes place in Harry Seidler's North Shore penthouse) and Bertie Blackman performing.

For Spectrum Now, Blackman – the daughter of painters Charles Blackman and Genevieve de Couvreur – has created a playlist of songs to accompany you on your next tour through the Art Gallery of NSW.

Louise Schwartzkoff, editor of The Sydney Morning Herald's Saturday Spectrum section, said the launch was the culmination of months of hard work bringing her pages to life. "The festival is such a fantastic extension of what we do in Spectrum every week," she said. "We love offering readers an insight into Sydney's cultural life, and this is an opportunity to take that to a whole new level."


SPECTRUM NOW HIGHLIGHTS

The Spectrum Playground

Music on the Spectrum Stage, movies in a pop-up Golden Age Cinema, an Arts Market and Nosh Pit for foodies. The Domain, March 11-22, Mon-Wed 5pm-10.30pm; Thu, Fri 5pm-late; Saturday 12pm-late; Sunday 12pm-9pm.

Marie's Crisis

It's the Broadway piano bar known for wild, boozy nights of legs-on-the-piano showtune singing, and it's coming to Sydney, pop-up style. QT Parlour Lane Roasters, March 19-28 (get in early – limited capacity).

Orfeo Ed Euridice

Silvia Colloca: actress, cookbook author… and opera singer. Shannon Murphy directs Colloca in her return to opera in a show that will unfold throughout the Art Gallery of NSW and feature food and wine. Art Gallery of NSW, March 14-29.

The Full Spectrum

A series of talks on love and collaboration (with Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton), the art of the critic and cultural crushes (with Stephanie Alexander, Ben Quilty and Peter FitzSimons). Walsh Bay, March 22-27.

The Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum Now presented by ANZ runs March 11-29

View Source

UFC Melbourne to be a Regular Event, Debut at Etihad Still up in the Air

In November, the UFC are bringing their first pay-per-view blockbuster to Australia since 2011, but there's no certainty that it will be inside Melbourne's 55,000 seat Etihad Stadium.

"We haven't made the final decision as to whether or not our event on November the 15th will be at Etihad Stadium, or at a venue like Rod Laver Arena, because we don't really know who's going to be on the card." Tom Wright, the UFC's Director of Operations for Australia told MMA Kanvas. 

"We haven't made the final decision as to whether or not our event on November the 15th will be at Etihad Stadium, or at a venue like Rod Laver Arena"

The big wigs at the Nevada-based promotion are well aware that they only get one chance to make a first impression, so Wright is still confident that they can bring a landmark event to "the sporting capital of the world." 




"I'd love to see a couple of championship fights and go to Etihad," Wright revealed 

"I rely on the best matchmakers in the business - Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, and obviously they make those calls though." 

MMA Kanvas has since contacted Etihad Stadium, who confirmed that there are currently no eventsscheduled on November 15th, the day UFC plans to make the Melbourne premiere. 

That's not to say that the UFC don't have a placeholder on the venue, but officially - nothing is "booked". 

"The great thing about Melbourne is there are some fabulous venues here. Rod Laver Arena is a fabulous venue, Hisense Arena is nice too. There are many, many different opportunities for us." Wright added.




Wright, the former commissioner of the Canadian Football League (CFL), has been making regular trips to Australia for a number of years. 

During those visits, he has serves as the de facto figurehead of the promotion in Australia, and landed the unenviable task of trying to sway the opinion of stubborn politicians as to the "cage ban" and its application to MMA in Victoria.

When Labor Sports Minister John Eren made the official announcement of the cage ban being overturned this morning he was admittedly "thrilled". 

"We have been working on this for a long time," he added "And we've always felt that when you provide facts and statistics and argue from a basis of objectivity that it was a question of when, not if, this day would come." 

Wright, along with many others, have fought long and hard to unlock Melbourne as an option for UFC events. Now they expect Victoria to become a regular stopping point on the company's growing schedule of events. 

"There are certain cities around the world that can handle a regular (event), and we think Melbourne is one. Not too dissimilar to Sydney. We've been coming since 2010 and we've been to Sydney four times and I feel that Melbourne is a world-class city and it's the kind of city we'd love to have as a regular fixture." 

While this is a fantastic day for Wright and his team at the UFC, the war still isn't over yet. Western Australia is still in the dark, and is now the only state that disallows mixed martial arts bouts inside a cage. 

For Wright, it means he has to put on the figurative boxing gloves back on and return to battle, but he's optimistic that Victoria changing their tune will speed up the process of overturning the final cage ban in Australia. 

"With Victoria seeing the light, if I can use that term, and becoming more enlightened about fighters safety and fighter equality, we'll use those points to argue that W.A should follow suit." 

"I think on my next trip down here I will make it over to W.A. We will continue to put forward out arguments of ensuring there's a safe environment for our athletes to compete in, and a fair environment." 

The UFC will first head to Adelaide on May 10, with Wright shooting down rumours that the promotion will also host an event in Sydney in 2015. 

"I haven't heard of that rumour, so I can confirm it isn't true." 



See more at: http://melbournecbdhotels.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/ufc-melbourne-to-be-regular-event-debut.html#sthash.UckkfKRr.dpuf

Ladies on Show in Top Racing Ipswich

It is all about the girls at Ipswich over the next three weeks.

The Ipswich Turf Club hosts heats of the Girls on Track series tomorrow and on March 18, as well as the sold out Swichettes Ladies Day on March 13.

The "Girls on Track" series is an initiative of Racing Queensland to celebrate the contribution of women across the state in both harness and thoroughbred racing.

There is a series of heats, including the two at Ipswich, which lead to the $100,000 final for fillies and mares at Doomben on March 28. There are also bonuses for the leading female trainer and jockey during the series.

Gold Coast trainer Gillian Heinrich will be a highlight of the Swichettes Ladies Day on March 13 as the near to sold out event will be hosted during the ITC Friday race meeting.

The bubbly is sure to be flowing along with fashion and fun galore as the Swichettes group enjoy a day trackside.

Females Sand Tall

IT is fitting for current Ipswich premier trainer Gillian Heinrich to be the guest speaker after becoming the first female in 155 years of racing in Ipswich to achieve that honour.

One would expect the female jockeys to come in for more betting support than normal.

The likes of Tegan Harrison, who became the first female to ride an Ipswich Cup winner on Brave Ali last year, and current Premier Ipswich Apprentice Cassandra Schmidt, mix it up with their male counterparts.

Fittingly in Ipswich


THERE was a big day of racing at Ipswich last Wednesday as nine races were contested, including the $65,000 QTIS three-year old, which had been transferred from a waterlogged Doomben.

On a soft track, the big money race provided a great spectacle as runners were forced 14 horses wide on the home turn ruining the chances of many including top weight and widest runner Punta Norte.

Roughie Seashells snuck along the rails under the urgings of apprentice Beau Appo to get the win in a blanket finish fitting of a race of such value.

Benico's Prince was second just in front of the favourite Polynikes resulting in a trifecta pay of $5500 and first four of $30,000.

If that wasn't enough, another huge highlight was delivered in the next, the ninth and final race.

Former champion jockey Chris Munce collected his first win as a trainer.

Munce was visibly thrilled as Specific Choice put him on the board as a trainer with an easy win under apprentice Matt McGillivray.

Munce is a dual Ipswich premier jockey. He's also one of a handful of jockeys to win the four major races in Australia - the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, and Golden Slipper.

After doing it all in the saddle he has now turned to training.

He noted after the race that it was fitting that his first training win was in Ipswich.

Group 1 favourites fold

WHILE Contributor won the NSW Chipping Norton at Warwick Farm as a $2.50 favourite, it was a blowout for favourites in Melbourne.

Suavito, at $11, defeated Smokin Joey and long odds-on favourite Dissident in the Futurity Stakes.

Next up was the Oakleigh Plate where another to pay $11 and win was Shamal Wind, which defeated Under the Louvre and Fast 'N' Rocking resulting in a big trifecta over $3000.

The final Group 1 for the day was the Blue Diamond which was won by Pride of Dubai over Reemah and Lake Geneva, returning a trifecta of more than $6000. Favourite Fontiton missed a place

This weekend the Group 1 races include competing 3yo mile races as the Australian Guineas at Flemington are contested at the same time as the Randwick Guineas in Sydney. The Weight for age Canterbury Stakes are also contested over 1300 metres at Randwick.


View Source