Trainer Gai Waterhouse crowned herself the undisputed Queen of Sydney’s autumn racing carnival, and jockey Nash Rawiller the King.
Which probably makes Campbell Rawiller the unofficial prince – not a bad 11th birthday present when he wakes up on Sunday.
Minors aren’t supposed to be in the Randwick parade ring but attendants looked the other way as the jockey’s son was given the honour, along with owner-breeder John Singleton, of leading mighty mare More Joyous back after a crowning third Group One triumph in a month.
The nattily attired young man then gave an acceptance speech in which he called racing the “best sport in the world”.
This was an entirely understandable viewpoint given that his dad had just ridden his sixth Group One winner of the carnival, all in partnership with Waterhouse.
The trainer bagged an extra one to make seven, and led home 17 winners in all.
Their combined victories included the Golden Slipper, the world’s richest two-year-old race, and the Doncaster, the nation’s biggest mile event.
They joined forces for Group One triples with unbeaten colt Pierro, who landed the final leg of the juvenile triple crown by winning Saturday’s Champagne Stakes, and More Joyous, who capped off a dream carnival with a runaway victory in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Singleton calls Waterhouse the face of racing, a perfectionist and a workaholic.
“I don’t know what she is on, but I want some,” he said.
Atlantic Jewel, the other star of the carnival’s final day, extended her unbeaten record to seven by winning the All Aged Stakes.
The feature race, the Sydney Cup, went to veteran stayer Niwot who held off 2007 Melbourne Cup winner Efficient in a desperate finish.