Flying start

Sahra (Hinchinbrook) made the perfect start to her career when she bolted home at Kembla Grange.

The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained filly sat off the pace before sprinting clear to win the Jack Primmer Electronics 2YO by 3.3l in the hands of Sam Clipperton.

Watch: Sahra win at Kembla Grange

“She was in a bit of a sticky spot for a while, but Sam got her across heels she let down really well,” stable representative Lindy Ings said.

“She had terrific trial form and didn’t have a hard hitout in her latest one. There’s not a lot of her at the moment, she’s got quite a bit of maturing to do yet.”

Sahra, who failed to meet her $150,000 reserve when offered at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, is a half-sister to six winners including the dam of the Listed Blue Diamond Preview S. winner and Group 3 placegetter Mohave (Exceed And Excel).

Plunge filly scratched

A filly that was the subject of a sensational betting plunge at Moe was scratched by stewards before the race.

Willygood (Reset) opened at $101 before she was backed into $4.60 and was to have made her debut in the Ladbrokes Same Race Multi Plate, but the 3-year-old was withdrawn and trainer Cliff Murray fined $750.

Stewards had visited his licensed stable, which revealed the filly had been stabled at another property Murray owned in Sale.

“The filly wasn't being trained out of the property that the trainer is licensed to train from, it was being trained at another property, which I believe belongs to the trainer but that property is not licensed for horses to be trained there,” Victoria’s chief steward Richard Cram told Racenet.

Protocol updates

Racing Victoria has announced that from July 1 metropolitan field limits will return to pre-COVID levels and the country cap will be raised from 12 to 14 starters per race where possible and appropriate.

Field limits at country tracks will be assessed on a case-by-case basis around traditional safety limits, rail placements and stabling infrastructure. The cap on a maximum of nine races per meeting remains in place state-wide until otherwise advised.

Arrival time on course for horses for metropolitan race meetings will also revert from one hour prior to its race back to the traditional two hours prior to its race.

A return of jockey weights to pre-COVID levels has been earmarked for the commencement of the new racing season with the date subject to an ongoing review of the circumstances regarding COVID-19 within Victoria.

Alfa flying

Alfa Oro (NZ) (Bachelor Duke {Ire}) will attempt to keep his picket fence form line intact at Caulfield on Saturday when he contests the Neds H.

He has had just the six lifetime starts after fracturing his right-fore cannon bone after his second appearance.

After nearly two years of rehabilitation, Alfa Oro returned to the racetrack at Pakenham in April where he finished runner-up before posting three successive wins, including a last-start victory over 1100 metres at Flemington late last month.

Trainer Matt Laurie said the gelding does get a little bit extra TLC, but he is as sound as a bell and no issues have surfaced this preparation.

“It (injury) is always on your mind, but it is a fair amount of time between when that injury first occurred and now,” Laurie told RSN Radio. “A lot of steps have been taken in-between, he has passed them all and is just a normal horse now.

“He gets extra special treatment, but we are very happy with his soundness.”

Filly to bounce back

Trainer Henry Dwyer is hoping Ms Catherine (Shooting To Win) can bounce back to her best in Saturday’s Neds Same Race Multi at Caulfield to keep her black type program on track.

She suffered her first career defeat last time out at The Valley, where Dwyer put the loss down to the shifting nature of the track.

Safely through the weekend, Ms Catherine will run in the G3 Sir John Monash S. on July 11 and the G3 Bletchingly S. a fortnight later.

Purton kicks clear

Zac Purton took advantage of pick-up rides to post four winners at Happy Valley to take him to a seven-win lead over rival Joao Moreira in the battle for the Hong Kong Jockeys’ Premiership.

Moreira started the night with an early win on the Caspar Fownes-trained Daily Beauty (All American) before Purton struck back in kind.

He was successful aboard Highland Fortune (USA) (Declaration Of War {USA}), Star Shine (Magic Albert), Alpha Hedge (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) and Victoriam (I Am Invincible) all for trainer Francis Lui.

Two of Purton's winners were pick-up rides after Vincent Ho was stood down from the meeting due to illness.

Purton has now ridden 136 winners this season and with Moreira set to miss at least one of the remaining six meetings through suspension, the Australian is in the box seat for a title defence.

Cuneen back

Group 1-winning jockey Racha Cuneen has returned to New Zealand to boost the Canterbury riding ranks and he couldn't be any happier about it.

Cuneen, best known for his wins in the 2016/17 season on La Diosa (NZ) (So You Think {NZ}) in the New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton and Signify (NZ) (Perfectly Ready) in the Telegraph at Trentham, has taken three rides at Riccarton on Saturday.

"I returned just before New Zealand closed its borders and renewed my licence here. I'm enjoying being back," 28-year-old Cuneen said.

"My weight blew out to 64kg over lockdown, but I've slowly brought it down and I'll ride at 57.5kg on Saturday and I'm hoping to have it down to 55kg for the next Riccarton meeting (on July 11)."

Cuneen hasn't ridden in New Zealand since early 2018 when he shifted to Victoria, freelancing out of Cranbourne.

"I rode in Melbourne over the spring carnival, but it's just so hard to get support there so I would travel to where I'd get rides. I was flying weekends to ride in Tasmania," he said.

At the double

Trainer Chrissy Bambry wasted no time putting wins on the board at the first Lower North Island thoroughbred meeting following a COVID-19 enforced hiatus.

Recent stable addition Spring Tide (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) was an emphatic maiden winner in the opening event over 800 metres, while two-races later Speed Call (NZ) (Any Suggestion) made a one-act affair of the Wanganui Motors HWT 1600, scoring by more than 12.75l.

Spring Tide came to Bambry after owner Wayne Ross purchased the Darci Brahma gelding for NZ$5000 via gavelhouse.com, with the 3-year-old, having finished fourth on two occasions from three starts for Clayton Chipperfield.

“He is my first runner for a new client, Wayne Ross of Cloverlea Thoroughbreds. They’re based in Victoria, but they have a small team in New Zealand and I am the lucky person that gets to look after the horses.

“Speed Call is probably everyone’s favourite at the stable. He is the kindest horse you’d ever meet and he just tries so hard.”

Pearl bonuses

A return to racing in the South Island isn’t the only thing filly and mare owners will be excited about this weekend.

Canterbury Jockey Club’s NZB Insurance Pearl Series race on Saturday will give Pearl Series registered fillies and mares their first opportunity since the COVID-19 lockdown to secure Pearl bonuses, as well as a one-off incentive for second-placegetters running until the end of this July.

For the six remaining Pearl Series races of the 2019/20 racing season, NZB Insurance and New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing will contribute an extra NZ$3000 to the owners of Pearl Series registered fillies or mares who finish second in any of the scheduled Pearl bonus races.

This will be paid out on top of the usual NZ$11,500 Pearl Series bonus apportioned to owners, trainers and nominators if their registered filly or mare wins the race.