Chris Scholtz reviews racing around Australia on September 8.

THE STARS

CHRIS WALLER: The stable was in full flight with six winners across the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane meetings – could have been more on a fairer track at Rosehill.

DARREN WEIR: A five win haul in Melbourne and Adelaide made it just another day at the office for the top stable.

Winners aplenty for . pic.twitter.com/a5VJImUGBn

— Racing.comSeptember 8, 2018

WILLIAM PIKE: The King of The West racks up another five timer at Belmont Park, landing four winners for Adam Durrant and another for Grant and Alana Williams. Pike’s best one-day haul to date is six winners, but who would bet against him riding the card at a Perth meeting some time in the future?

PAUL PREUSKER: Horsham trainer missed his big day in the sun at Moonee Valley with his upset Dato Tan Nam Chin Stakes winner Magic Consol. It was his biggest career win but he elected to go to Adelaide to saddle up a lesser light at Morphettville who was heavily backed and looked unlucky. Fortunately he revealed he didn’t forget to back his veteran 9YO at the long odds.

"Horsham will be on fire tonight." thanks Paul Preusker and his team for their support. pic.twitter.com/NTgT3jGxmU

— Racing.com September 8, 2018

HIGHLIGHTS

NATURE STRIP: Regardless of his future program any horse breaking the 1000m course record at The Valley is a star.

Too close for comfort. Houtzen almost knocks off Nature Strip in the McEwen Stakes. Results: https://t.co/01d5wmR4sb pic.twitter.com/ne6SP9mtok

— Racing.com September 8, 2018

JAMES CUMMINGS/HOME OF THE BRAVE: The skill James Cummings is developing in the preparation and placement of the Godolphin imports is a credit to his training ability. This winner is a class act and is clearly capable of winning a Group One in Australia

Home Of The Brave scores his first win on Australian soil with a strong finish in the Theo Marks Stakes for & . pic.twitter.com/n3qe1nyjzZ

— Sky RacingSeptember 8, 2018

LEAN MEAN MACHINE: Home Of The Brave was super in the Theo Marks but no winner was visually more impressive at Rosehill than this Waller-trained 3YO. The strength of his surge over the last 200m to win the Run To The Rose was all class.

Jonker gives a bold sight out in front but runs out of gas as Lean Mean Machine kicks away in the concluding stages to land The Run To The Rose for . pic.twitter.com/Wv25InMQAi

— Sky Racing September 8, 2018

JEFF LLOYD: Racks up a treble at Doomben with some fine riding, especially his effort on Tawfiq Boy – see Ride Of The Day!

CANBERRA CONNECTION: The National Capital stables are back and winning in the Highway races, with the Keith Dryden/Scott Collings team notching the first with the promising Handle The Truth.

THE REAL MATTHEW DUNN: Which Matt Dunn? This little known Beaudesert trainer is best known as a polo player and horse breaker as opposed to his namesake from Murwillumbah who has more than 60 horses in work on the NSW side of the border. Beau Arrow was his first win in a Saturday race in Brisbane – no wonder it was a case of mistaken identity for punters and the media.

RIKKI PALMER: Beau Arrow’s rider was credited and congratulated as the only mother currently riding in races in Brisbane.

CARLY FRATER-HILL: A move to Queensland pays immediate dividends for the former Canberra apprentice with a shock win at Doomben on the roughie Balius for her new master Brad Witt. It was the first Brisbane win for former NSW trainer Witt, a recent addition to the Gold Coast ranks.

LOWLIGHTS

ROSEHILL: An unfortunate start to Sydney’s Everest spring carnival with the track conditions as difficult as any we have seen in Sydney through the winter. Made it a day to discard the form of many fancied runners – just read the stewards reports where jockeys blamed the track conditions for the below par performances of their mounts.

KERRIN McEVOY: A victim of circumstances on The Autumn Sun or poorly judged tactics? Supporters of the previously unbeaten favourite would no doubt have preferred to see McEvoy giving this big individual clean air coming to the home turn instead of seeking the hero run between horses. When the half gap closed his race was over.

It came down to a bob of the head as Tarka arrives in the nick of time to deny Dealmaker right on the line and salute at a huge price in the G2 Stan Fox Stakes . pic.twitter.com/ipQDXk1sAl

— Sky Racing September 8, 2018

GAI WATERHOUSE/ADRIAN BOTT: A dismal day for the stable with their runners in Sydney and Melbourne performing well below market expectations. Poor efforts by a couple of their new imports compounded their disappointment.

BONNEVAL: Almost a year off after a throat operation always leaves some big questions to be answered.

ASHARANI: Flop of the day at Doomben. Went awful for an odds-on favourite projected to be worthy of an interstate trip – she wouldn’t get across the Storey Bridge! A vet examination revealed no abnormalities and she has been ordered to trial.

TALKING POINTS

EVEREST SLOTS: Nature Strip smashed the clock in the McEwan Stakes, setting a new Moonee Valley record for 1000m of 56.95 seconds. His critics say he is not an Everest horse because he was stopping at the end of the 1000m and just scraped home by a nose from Houtzen, but any horse is entitled to get tired after running sub 11 second splits from the 800m to the 400m. At Rosehill the import Home Of The Brave put his name in the frame for an Everest slot with a classy win in the Theo Marks. He is a free goer who is eager to run in his races – he has obvious tactical speed but can he sustain it in a high pressure race like the Everest against the likes of the hot speedsters Redzel, Invincible Star and US Navy Flag?

"Absolutely, he's the fastest horse I've trained." Onwards and upwards for Nature Strip and . pic.twitter.com/6Ox5OfC14f

— Racing.com September 8, 2018

RIDE OF THE DAY

JEFF LLOYD: You can’t beat experience and the wily veteran called on it to produce a pearler on Tawfiq Boy at Doomben. Looked in all sorts of trouble on the rails coming to the turn but never panicked and within 100 metres he was out of the jam and chasing down the leaders in clear air. Gets the vote over some terrific rides from James McDonald, Tye Angland and Hugh Bowman in the difficult conditions at Rosehill.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

CHRIS WALLLER (The Autumn Sun): "He was very unlucky, and let's leave it at that. It was the run of a winner.”

THEY SAID IT.….

GLYN SCHOFIELD (Home Of The Brave): "He's got a lot of spunk about him. His foot is always on the accelerator, he wants to go but he's got the ability to go with it which is great. I’d love to ride him on top of the ground, see how quick he can actually go – he’s a high roller with a big cruising speed and a big stride.”

TYE ANGLAND (Lean Mean Machine): “He was definitely the best looking horse in the yard. He's all muscle, great attitude, awesome racehorse. He's a serious racehorse.”

JAMES McDONALD (Tarka): “He could be a real Derby horse. He’s got so much untapped potential, he’s the ultimate professional.”

DAVID PAYNE (Tarka): “He keeps surprising me this little chap. He’s not a big horse, he’s only a little fella, he just keeps on getting better."

CHRIS WALLER (Invincibella): "She's just gradually taken steps all the way through her career. That's what an owner wants and that's what a punter sitting at home wants.”

DARREN WEIR (Nature Strip): “All you can do is win. He is the fastest horse I've trained and to break the record backs it up. Hopefully we can get him to The Everest."

PAUL PREUSKER (Magic Consol): "We had a little interest on him, so beautiful.”

TROY CORSTENS (Thrillster): "We've had a bit of a bad run over the past six months. We haven't kept it a secret - we had a bug go through the stables, temperatures popping up here and there so it's nice to get over it."

"We havent kept it a secret, weve had a bug go through the stable." bounces back with a bang on the big stage. pic.twitter.com/AGG0lWCW8T

— Racing.com September 8, 2018

WILLIAM PIKE (after his five wins at Belmont): “I definitely knew I had the rides. Pulling it off is another thing - luckily it’s been my day.”

ADAM DURRANT (William Pike): “I don’t think there’s been too many over time that I’ve seen that are better than him here or over east.”

BLACKBOOK

THE AUTUMN SUN: Replay says it all.

DEALMAKER: Champion Stakes could be his race.

ZOUSAIN: Track conditions did him no favours. Will come on with the run.

BELGRAVIA: Nice start by this staying import.

YOGI: Working up to his best distances.

HOMESMAN: Better suited on a bigger course.

DIVINE UNICORN: No luck when he needed it. Valley is not his track.