Grafton Cup joy for Pike

Cambridge trainer Tony Pike has continued his success in Australia with Sacred Day (NZ) (Azamour {Ire}) claiming the Listed McMullan Contracting Grafton Cup on Thursday.

Pike enjoyed recent Group 1 success with The Bostonian (NZ) (Jimmy Choux {NZ}) and can now celebrate another stakes success thanks to a brilliant ride from Ben Looker.

Looker plotted a run along the inside of Sopressa (So You Think {NZ}) and Vaucluse Bay (Al Maher) to claim a narrow victory in the $160,000 feature.

“It has been a super carnival for us,” Pike told Sky Racing.

“This is our last runner and obviously we have been in Queensland for a while so this is a great way to finish. "

“It was a great ride from Ben today. I am just rapt for him. It is his first ride for me ever and I was struggling to get a jockey."

Sacred Day, bred by Brighthill Farm and raced by Raffles Racing, has now won three of his 15 starts. Out of O'Reilly (NZ) mare Top Of The Day {NZ}), a daughter of stakes winner Full Noise (NZ) (Kaapstad {NZ}), he was a $90,000 NZB Select Sale buy in 2016.

Size two clear ahead of final meeting

John Size leads John Moore by two wins going into the final meeting of the Hong Kong season at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Size trained two winners at Wednesday's Happy Valley meeting, extending the gap on Moore, who had joined him on 74 winners after Magic Legend (Red Element) won, only for Size to score with True Grit (Wanted) and Tornado Twist (Denman) in the final two races.

Both are expected to have big numbers in the season's final meeting, which will feature 11 races.

Zac Purton needs five winners to break Joao Moreira's season record for winners having ridden a winning double on Wednesday.

Bandipur ready for new stable

Richard Laming is hoping some inside information can lead to a quick return on investment for the new owners of Bandipur (Commands) in the G3 Sir John Monash S. at Caulfield on Saturday.

Mishani Enterprises paid $260,000 for Bandipur from Godolphin at the recent Gold Coast National Racehorse Sale and the 4-year-old has his first start for his new connections on Saturday.

"He races really well at Caulfield, we've only had him a short time and are still learning a lot about him," Laming told Racing.com.

"He's not an overly flash track worker but we do know a bit about him, some inside knowledge from his previous trackwork riders have helped me."

Bandipur has already had 8 wins and earned over $580,000 in his 20 starts.

"I think he's at Group 3 level, that's his class. There's a lot of those sort of races coming up over the next six weeks especially at Caulfield and Moonee Valley," Laming said.

Catalogue Set For Fasig Saratoga

A total of 223 yearlings have been catalogued for the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, to be conducted in two sessions Monday and Tuesday, Aug 5th and 6th, in Saratoga Springs, New York.

“We have an outstanding group of yearlings to present to buyers once again this August,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning.

“Sire power, depth of pedigree, and quality conformation will all be on display once again at Saratoga. The Saratoga Sale is statistically proven as North America’s leading source of Grade I winners and graded stakes winners. Special horses are sold at Saratoga.”

The catalogue features a nice mix of proven and up-and-coming sires and includes no fewer than nine offerings from the second crop of Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year American Pharoah (USA) and four from the first crop of dual Horse of the Year and near US$15-million earner California Chrome (USA).

Hayes questions jockey prizes

Leading trainer David Hayes had voiced his misgivings about the bonuses being offered to jockeys during the Melbourne Spring carnival.

Racing Victoria has announced the 'Star Of The Saddle' prizes will be awarded on major days during the Spring Carnival, with total prizemoney of $400,000.

But Hayes told Racenet that while the prizemoney boosts announced were great for racing, the jockey bonuses would do little for quality of horses competing.

“The people that decide where the horses run certainly aren’t the jockeys,” Hayes told Racenet.

“The jockeys will go where the horses run. The people who decide are the trainers and the owners."

“While the general prizemoney increases are exciting, I am very surprised the trainers were overlooked for the prize scheme."

Metrop hope back

The Listed Winter S. at Rosehill will mark the comeback of Stampede (High Chaparral {Ire}) after a lengthy break.

It will be the 6-year-old's first start since October and just his second run in the space of 14 months.

"It's important for us to get him up and racing," co-trainer Adrian Bott said.

"We want to have a nice spring campaign with him, he's proven to have that class and ability, and I think this will bring him on nicely to prepare towards some of those targets."

"He could be a real Metropolitan type of horse for us."

In-form stablemates

Jason Coyle is hoping River Bird (Epaulette) and Spiritual Pursuit (Snitzel) can both continue their winning ways at Rosehill.

Spiritual Pursuit will aim for consecutive victories in the ATC Foundation H., dual acceptor River Bird is an early scratching and will instead line up in the Australian Turf Club H.

"Obviously she's been carrying light weights so rather than drop in benchmark and step up in weight, I thought it would be more accommodating for her to stay down there on the limit," Coyle said of River Bird.

Spiritual Pursuit atoned for a narrow first-up defeat to win at Randwick last start.

Coyle has booked in-form apprentice Samantha Clenton for the mount on Saturday and believes her claim will be a significant factor. "She's not an overly big filly so I think the two kilos might be invaluable to her," he said.

2YO favourite

Stuart Kendrick has trained 14 individual 2-year-old winners this season, but further success for Chill The Beer (Straight) will be especially satisfying.

The gelding’s sire, who stands on a property near Dalby on the Darling Downs, is well-bred, being by Lonhro out of the Commands mare Unswerving and was originally trained by Anthony Freedman in Victoria.

He finished his career with Maryann Brosnan on the Gold Coast and won the $100,000 Brisbane Town Plate for her at Eagle Farm.

"Chill The Beer is typical of the breed as he is very consistent and tries very hard," Kendrick said.

"I suppose you get a bit of extra satisfaction when you win races with horses who are unfashionably bred.”

Eleven Eleven on Pierata's path

Greg Hickman is hoping Eleven Eleven (Fastnet Rock) can follow the path of Group 1 winning stablemate Pierata (Pierro) after breaking his maiden at Kembla Grange on Thursday.

Eleven Eleven dominated the 1000m 2YO maiden, winning by three lengths and Hickman has long term plans to get him to the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas at the Gold Coast next January.

"We want to get a few wins and gets some prizemoney to get him into those type of races next time in," Hickman said.

Pierata won the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas in 2018 and went on to develop into a top-quality sprinter, winning the G1 All Aged S. at his most recent start in April before being sold to Aquis Farm, who have set him for The Everest.

Big weight for Dolcetto

A lack of suitable options will see last-start stakes winner Dolcetto (NZ) (Per Incanto {Ire}) carry 61.5kg on a heavy track at Trentham on Saturday.

Trainer Sylvia Kay wanted to spell the 6-year-old after his win in the Listed Ag Challenge S. at Wanganui but he was doing so well, she needed to get him back into work and find a race for him.

“I was going to put him out for six weeks or so (after his win at Wanganui), but he had three weeks in the paddock and he was going to self-destruct he was that full of himself," she said.

“We brought him back in and he didn’t really look any different from when he went to Wanganui. He has had a fair bit of work in the last fortnight and he is really thriving.”

“It’s pretty difficult when you have to carry 61.5kg against 54.5kg, it’s quite a weight difference."

“I know he’s a big, strong horse, but in that sort of going (Heavy 11) it makes it hard. But where do you go? There is nothing until the spring."

“He really enjoys the racing. It’s a shame there are not a lot of options. We need a few more weight-for-age races.”