PURE GOLD

Another commanding win on Friday night by Statue of Liberty flyer, Golden Star, who took out the Foshan in Macau.

Golden Star has now won 16 races – including the last four on the trot – and last time out won the Group Two Summer Trophy at Taipa.

Yearling buyers flocked to Statue of Liberty in 2012 after he was off the scene for a couple of seasons due to EI related restrictions on travel, and paid up to $150,000 to take ‘em home.

It’s worth noting that Statue of Liberty has 5.2% stakes winners to runners in the southern hemisphere and there’s no less than 122 now 2YOs waiting in the wings.

Twenty six of his 2YOs have already been named with, naturally, ‘Liberty’ featuring prominently, but there’s one that really caught the eye – Cocklebiddy.

Kicking off as an Aboriginal mission station, Cocklebiddy – on the Nullabor Plain – is a small roadhouse community and is famous for its underground caves.

PS. I shouldn’t be giving him up, but constant reader (yes, there are at least two of you out there) Tony Fiume remembers Cocklebiddy well from his 1964 drive across the Nullabor ... yep, that’s right - 1964! I thought it was tough in 1977 but Tony said that Cocklebiddy was a very necessary petrol stop on the 1100 miles of unmade road. Tony also reckons (from the photo) the place hasn’t changed much.

The Cocklebiddy Roadhouse - I hear they do a nice steak sanger