Black Caviar’s son breaks the ice
I Am Caviar (I Am Invincible) - the sixth foal of the Champion and unbeaten sprinter Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) - broke through at the fourth time of asking, on Monday, scoring a dominant 3.5l victory in a 1000 metres Bairnsdale maiden.
The 3-year-old, who was gelded ahead of his returning run at Cranbourne last month, led from start to finish under Billy Egan for trainer Peter Moody.
“It was a good win,” Egan told Racing.com.
“He is still slowly figuring it out.
“I would say watching most of his replays and the way he raced (on Monday) has been a nice improvement.”
He becomes Black Caviar’s fourth winner, joining Oscietra (Exceed And Excel), Prince Of Caviar (Sebring) and Invincible Caviar (I Am Invincible).
Black Caviar has a yearling filly by Written Tycoon named Persian Caviar, and is currently in foal to The Autumn Sun.
Purton to stay in Hong Kong
Five-time Champion Jockey Zac Purton has resisted the temptation to return home to Australia and will remain in Hong for at least the 2023/24 season.
“At the end of the day, it just came down to the discussions we had with the (Hong Kong) Jockey Club. Whether they were going to be more flexible than they had been, whether it was going to be easier to base myself in Australia,” Purton told South China Morning Post.
Zac Purton | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“What they’re going to do – and this is not a Zac Purton rule, this is going to be a rule for all the jockeys – is they’re going to give us more freedom to travel. They realise if they’re going to attract the best jockeys from around the world, they need to be able to compete at the bigger carnivals.”
Allen eyes more glory in Adelaide
Irishman John Allen, who guided Affaire A Suivre (NZ) (Astern) to victory in Saturday’s G1 Australasian Oaks at Morphettville, will be back in Adelaide this weekend and will take the ride aboard Ruthless Dame (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) in the G1 Sansgter S.
Allen has chalked up seven Group 1 successes in Adelaide.
Like Afaire A Suivre, Ruthless Dame is trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
Meanwhile, Ben Melham will partner stablemate Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai), Craig Williams will handle the Chris Waller-trained September Run (Exceed And Excel), while Damien Oliver will be aboard Zapateo (Brazen Beau) for James Cummings.
Jukebox juvenile winner
Jukebox, who has recently moved from Aquis Farm in Queensland to Platinum Thoroughbreds in Victoria, celebrated a new winner on Monday, with the Matt Kropp-trained 2-year-old Lets Dance Jandy taking out Race 3 at Ipswich.
The gelding won the 800-metre event by 0.2l from Upstart Legend (Worthy Cause), with Iron Power (Power {GB}) third.
Jukebox | Standing at Platinum Thoroughbreds
Lets Dance Jandy is the second foal from the Monashee Mountain (USA) mare Jandy Girl. She won three races and hailed from the family of the Group 1 winner Camino Rose (Sea Road).
Jukebox will stand in 2023 at a fee the of $5500 (inc GST).
Bosson takes SA Derby ride
Champion New Zealand jockey Opie Bosson will ride the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Suizuro (Real Impact {Jpn}) in Saturday week’s G1 South Australian Derby at Morphettville.
Suizuro ran third in the G1 ATC Derby in April, before finishing third in Saturday’s G3 Chairman’s S.
Three hopes for McEvoys in Wangoom
Tony and Calvin McEvoy will have three runners in Wednesday’s Listed Wangoom H. at Warrnambool as they look to go back-to-back in the $200,000 sprint.
The father-son training pair will saddle reigning champion Frankie Pinot (Your Song), Scissor Step (Toronado {Ire}) and Bill The Boxer (Foxwedge).
Calvin and Tony McEvoy | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Frankie Pinot, who will jump from gate four under Madison Lloyd, is the topweight with 60kg, having successfully carried 55kg to victory 12 months ago.
Sell injured in horse accident
Kyneton-based trainer Mick Sell has been injured in a horse-related accident on Monday morning, leaving him with a broken ankle and fractured leg.
Sell was leading a horse back from the pool when the horse reared and got its legs tangled among Sell’s legs.
The trainer spent the morning in hospital and will be operated on this week, with pins to be inserted, before he will be required to wear a moon boot.
The horseman, who rides his own trackwork, usually 10-12 horses each morning, will not be able to work for at least three months.
The Sells have had a tough time of late, as they were heavily impacted by the floods in the Kyneton district late last year.
Kah’s desire to return to the saddle
Jamie Kah shared her intent to return to the saddle as she continues to recover, seven weeks on from a fall she sustained in the G2 Sires’ Produce S. at Flemington.
The multiple Group 1-winning jockey attended the annual charity event hosted by prominent owners Colin and Janice McKenna on the eve of the Warrnambool May Racing Carnival.
Jamie Kah | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I still have a lot of doctors appointments ahead of me, hopefully not too long before I can get approved to return,” Kah told Racing.com.
“I am going crazy not riding at home.
“It is the only thing getting me through, looking after the horses. It’s been a pretty tough few weeks but it’s good being home.”
Aegon Hong Kong effort pleases Forsman
Cambridge-based trainer Andrew Forsman was pleased with the effort of Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) in Sunday’s G1 FWD Champions Mile at Sha Tin, despite the gelding finishing outside the top three.
The well-travelled galloper attacked the line under the Champion Jockey James McDonald to finish sixth behind local hero Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}), who was winning the event for an unprecedented third year in succession.
“I was rapt with his run. We were worried that he would make a mess of the start, which he did with the blinkers on, which obviously didn’t help,” Forsman said.
“They just went steady around the bend and left him flat-footed when they sprinted. They are just so quick those horses. But to his credit he really dug in and he was really strong through the line.
“James got off him and said he wants 2000 metres.”
With that comment, Forsman said it opens up a host of options and he wouldn’t rule out another trip to Hong Kong in December for the G1 Hong Kong Cup, should the Hong Kong Jockey Club extend an invite.
“A lot of it comes down to tempo and what horses you are racing against too,” Forsman said. “I suppose if you were going to go to Hong Kong again and attempt something like that, maybe in Hong Kong he needs 2000 metres whereas he needs a mile in New Zealand.”
Vadeni unplaced in seasonal debut
Sunday’s G1 Prix Ganay was as strong as any in recent times and there was no fluke about the victory of Bertrand Milliere’s Iresine (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) who provided trainer Jean-Pierre Gauvain and jockey Marie Velon with a once-in-a-lifetime moment at Paris Longchamp.
Iresine’s run was timed perfectly to overhaul Simca Millie (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) and Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}) inside the final 100 metres. The returning G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runner-up Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) was fourth, 1.5l back.
Horse of the Year Havre de Grace passes away
Havre de Grace (USA) (Saint Liam {USA}), the 2011 Horse of the Year and Eclipse Award-winning older mare who sold to Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm for US$10 million (AU$15 million) at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, passed away in the early morning hours of April 30 (local). Wayne Sweezey, who boarded Havre de Grace at his Timber Town Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, confirmed that the 16-year-old mare haemorrhaged multiple times and died after producing a colt by Into Mischief {USA}) the afternoon of April 28 (local).
“She was just so smart, she fought all the way to the end, so full of grace, like her name says,” an emotional Pope said via phone on Sunday afternoon (local). “She was stoic right to the end. I am so grateful that I was able to be here, it would have been a great deal more difficult if I hadn’t made it up.”
Raced in the colours of Fox Hill Farms, Havre de Grace finished out of the top three just once in her 16 career starts.
