Performance and Maturity Converge for Stable

It's stating the obvious to give a cursory tick to the Gr1 JJ Atkins (1600m) for being the final Group 1 of the juvenile race of the racing season, but there's more to the important Queensland 2YO race than just that as it's a springboard to further riches. History shows that among the leading 2YOs and 3YOs of each generation there are a number of distinct groups that include but are not restricted to: the jack rabbit-like precocious juveniles that run like scalded cats over short trips and whose best days are sometimes behind them after the autumn; the later maturing 2YOs who show early glimpses of their talent before finishing off the season with a flourish from 1400-1600m; the new season 3YOs who, with or without a start at two, emerge from winter sun on their backs to be serious Guineas prospects, and then the 3YOs who show up on the periphery of the big miles before going on to dominate at 2000m-plus in the late spring and into the New Year. Frankel's Converge (ex Shamardal mare Conversely) definitely fits into the second group after his rousing triumph in the JJ Atkins, but with his pedigree and Waterhouse-Bott polish he could quite easily drop back to the 1400m of the Gr1 Golden Rose before rolling all the way through the Gr1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and beyond to the Gr1 Victoria Derby. Of course, like Anamoe (who showed his hand even earlier in the season), Converge could also prove a handful in the Cox Plate. Whatever path he takes, with recent winners and place-getters that include Rothfire (Rothesay), The Autumn Sun (Redoute's Choice), Press Statement (Hinchinbrook), Sizzling (Snitzel), Zousain (Zoustar), Brazen Beau (I Am Invincible) and Zoustar (Northern Meteor), Converge is obviously the latest success story of a JJ Atkins that well and truly deserves its Group 1 tag.