The Sydney carnival wrapped up early while Overpass is still king of the West.

Champagne

Times are going to be very tricky to line up on Saturday as the track got progressively worse throughout the day. The Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) was the only mile race on the card so there's nothing to compare it to, but the time against the card is slow.

Broadsiding was perhaps best suited in the slog, on the quick backup from another 1600m race and that stamina was crucial as he took an extra 6.5 seconds to complete the course compared to last week.

He proved too strong for Linebacker who gave a a great sight but full credit to the winner who had to cop some awful kick back, pin the ears and chase in atrocious conditions. He's run to a new peak of 116, up from a warm-looking 105 last week which promised more.

The market certainly expected a big new peak, backing him in very strongly and they got it right. 116 is a solid Champagne rating compared to recent years.

Militarize ran to 115+ last year having also run 115 to win the Sires. In 2022, She's Extreme beat Slipper & Sires winner Fireburn and ran to 117 which is good going for a filly.

Captivant (113) and King's Legacy (114) won the two year's prior, the former improving two pounds on his Sires third and the latter actually regressing two pounds off his Sires win.

Castelvecchio is one of the better Champagne winners in recent years having run to 121 when beating Loving Gaby in 2019.

Both Capitvant and King's Legacy never won another race but Militarize has won a Golden Rose and placed in some top races. She's Extreme won a weak VRC Oaks and Castelvecchio won a Rosehill Guineas and ran second in a Cox Plate.

No doubt Broadsiding will get 2000m in my mind so you'd have to think he'll be targeted at the Caulfield Guineas-Cox Plate, which is certainly valid.

All Aged

Magic Time won the final Group 1, and what turned out to be the final race of the Sydney carnival, handling the conditions best to win the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m). She hit this third-up with a sense of timing and Grahame Begg had her absolutely peaking on the day.

She's run a clear new peak of 119 here which is the same rating Chain Of Lightning ran to win the T J Smith.

119 has her two pounds below Lady Laguna who ran to 121 when winning the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m), and ahead of a horse like Zougotcha who holds a peak of 118.

From 1400-1600m for mares, only Pride Of Jenni (124- ASM), Fangirl (122) and Lady Laguna are rated higher than Magic Time now.

Others in the mix are Espiona (118), Atishu (118- does have 120 peak over 2000m), I Am Me (118) and also of note, Amelia's Jewel at 115.

With a Queensland campaign likely for Magic Time, she's a genuine hope in anything she runs in, and if she did line up in a Tatts Tiara against her own sex, she'd likely be favourite.

Quokka

Overpass remains king of the west, notching up his third feature win in three starts at Ascot and taking his winnings total to roughly $4.8 million in three starts there.

He's run an even better rating than his past two Perth wins, which both rated 119. This time he's gone to 122 which is as good as he goes and the same rating he's run twice when narrowly beaten by Private Eye and Giga Kick this time last year.

The time isn't anything amazing compared to the other 1200m races on the card but he's beaten a deeper field with Amelia's Jewel basically running up to her best at 115, improving four pounds on her first-up run while Oscar's Fortune matched his 118 that he ran winning the Roma Cup.

Even if Overpass had run to his 'usual' Perth 119 rating he would've likely just edged the others and won. He's an absolute rock and can win anything bar the absolute best sprints in the country. I'd love to see him come to Adelaide and run in The Goodwood which would be a fascinating race at set weights and penalties.

Karakatta

Bustling was dominant in winning the Group 2 Karakatta Plate (1200m) and ran a very good time compared to The Quokka, faster overall than all bar Overpass. He's run to 112 which is the best Karakatta Plate winner this century.

For reference, Amelia's Jewel ran to 107 winning the race two years ago and even considering her four-pound sex allowance, Bustling is clearly the better winner.

He's very capable of coming to the Eastern states and can measure up in the top three-year-old races.