Debut winner for Maurice
The Arrowfield Stud shuttler Maurice (Jpn) enjoyed a Sunday 2-year-old winner on debut at Mudgee courtesy of Moritz Girl. The Annabel Neasham-trained daughter of Maurice took out Race 4 over 1100 metres from Ferro Vero (Real Steel {Jpn}) and Bare To Witness (Star Witness).
Moritz Girl was a $350,000 yearling purchase by her trainer and Lizzie Jelfs Bloodstock from the draft of Arrowfield Stud at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She hails from the family of star gallopers Red Tracy (Red Ransom {USA}) and Alligator Blood (All Too Hard).
Maurice will shuttle to Arrowfield Stud for the 2023 breeding season and be available for $82,500 (inc GST).
Overpass ready to rock in the Doomben 10,000
The Bjorn Baker-trained Overpass (Vancouver) will tackle Saturday’s G1 Doomben 10,000 at Doomben. The 4-year-old gelding was a last-start winner of The Quokka at Ascot in Perth, and Baker is hopeful Overpass will once again put his best foot forward.
“Overpass is going as well as ever. Josh Parr galloped him last Tuesday and gave him an A-grade report,” Baker said.
“He will have his final hitout on Tuesday, then travel north for the Doomben 10,000.”
Josh Parr will be back in the saddle in the Group 1 in Brisbane; however, the Doomben 10,000 is likely to be the gelding’s only run during the winter, “I’ll weigh things up after Saturday, but my eye is on his 5-year-old season and setting our sights on The Everest.”
J-Mac scores prized mount
James McDonald has scored the ride on the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Coolangatta (Written Tycoon) when the filly chases ‘Royal glory’ in the G1 King’s Stand S. at Royal Ascot.
McDonald has already been engaged to ride Artorius (Flying Artie) in the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. on the last day (Saturday) of the carnival but will be defending his King’s Stand S. title after claiming the race on the Champion Nature Strip (Nicconi) in 2022.
Coolangatta has not raced since her breathtaking win in the G1 Lighting S. where she beat Nature Strip.
“She’s the fastest filly in the land. Anyone that can win the Lighting as Coolangatta did earlier in the year is the fastest horse in the country,” McDonald said.
“I had a lot to do with her early days, obviously being a 3-year-old filly running in weight-for-age features, it’s not my go weight-wise.
“It is great to be back associated with her, and I think she will have a great chance up there, 1000 metres and fast ground if they get it.”
Daniel Moor makes an impression in Singapore
The former Victorian-based jockey Daniel Moor has quickly made an impression upon his return to Singapore Racing taking out the G2 Singapore 3YO Classic on Saturday aboard Coin Toss (Flying Artie) at just his second meeting back in the Asian city.
Coin Toss is trained by the former Zimbabwean trainer Michael Clements, and was settled in the second half of the field by Moor and weaved through in the home straight to land the Group 3 feature.
Moor was eager to share his love for Singapore after the triumph, having been based there permanently from May 2018 to 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought racing in the city to a halt for three months.
Daniel Moor | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“The only reason I ever left was because of the pandemic lockdown.
“I always toyed with the idea of returning, especially when riding horses like Coin Toss. Michael (Clements) contacted me several weeks ago to ride this horse in the 3-year-old series. I only had to look at one or two replays to know he was the one.”
Gatt downplays comeback
The name Paul Gatt in the race book as the jockey engaged to ride over the weekend surprised quite a few; however, Gatt shared he has no plan of making a full-blown comeback to race-riding.
The former South Australian-based rider retired at Morphettville at the end of November and relocated to Victoria, where he’s working with his brother-in-law, the Group 1-winning trainer Clayton Douglas.
Gatt was back in the saddle at the races for the first time in over five months at Cranbourne on Friday night and then at Warracknabeal on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s not a comeback. I’m just taking the odd ride every now and then,” Gatt told Racing.com.
“I am still committed to working for Clayton more than anything.”
Quality field to chase Melbourne Cup ticket
The Listed $500,000 Listed Andrew Ramsden S. on Saturday at Flemington will likely attract a quality field chasing a golden ticket into the G1 Melbourne Cup.
The 2021 G1 Sydney Cup winner Selino (GB) (Champ Elysees {GB}), the quality mare Lunar Flare (Fiorente {Ire}), Hezashocka (NZ) (Shocking) and Herman Hesse (GB) (Frankel {GB}) all feature in early nominations for the feature 2800 metre contest.
“In recent years, the Andrew Ramsden has been used as a launching pad for horses like Realm Of Flowers, Steel Prince and Point Nepean. It has a successful move to make the race a Melbourne Cup ballot-exempt event,” said Leigh Jordon, Victoria Racing Club’s Executive Manager of Racing.
“I’d say, if you look at pre-becoming ballot exempt, the quality has lifted for sure.”
Jordan also explained the tweak to the age restriction for the Andrew Ramsden, which was previously limited to horses between three and five years of age but is now open to 3-year-old gallopers and those above that age.
“We wanted an up-and-coming stayer to win it, but I think now, the race is so established, we don’t need an age restriction anymore.”
Patterson readies team for Queensland
The outstanding season for trainer Robbie Patterson continued on Saturday when the New Plymouth horseman saddled the quinella in the Adrian & Associates Insurance BM75 at Te Rapa with progressive mares Mary Louise (NZ) (The Bold One {NZ}) and Nom De Plume (NZ) (El Roca).
Ridden by three-kilo claiming apprentice Ciel Butler, Mary Louise carried 57kg after the claim and, despite travelling wide for much of the trip, proved too good for her opposition, while Nom De Plume hit the line well for second.
“Mary Louise was probably the class horse of the field yesterday,” Patterson said. “I thought she got in well at the weights with the claim and I was expecting her to go pretty well.
Mary Louise (NZ) | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
“She got away at Rotorua the week before and got late scratched but we got a chance to run on Saturday and get the chocolates. She is a really progressive stayer going forward.
“Nom De Plume was always going to get back a little bit and find the line strong. She is a staying mare as well and I was really happy with her run.”
Te Rapa has been a happy-hunting ground for Patterson, who saddled Queensland-bound pair Puntura (NZ) (Vespa {NZ}) and The Fearless One (NZ) (The Bold One {NZ}) to finish first and third at the Hamilton venue a week earlier, with a winning strike-rate of 22.4 per cent at the course over the duration of his career.
“Every horse always seems to have their chance there,” Patterson said.
“It is a four-hour trip for us, so we’re not going there for the drive. When we go, we make sure we have got the right horses. It has been a really good track to us.”
While Puntura and The Fearless One are all but confirmed to make the trip to Queensland, Mary Louise and Nom De Plume will also be considered, with Patterson to take a squad of four on May 22.
“The Fearless One will go to the Lord Mayor’s Cup at the end of May and then to the Ipswich Cup, with the Tattersall’s Cup or the Caloundra Cup (Listed, 2400 metres) also options,” Patterson said.
The Fearless One (NZ) | Image courtesy of Kenton Wright
“Puntura will go to the Spear Chief and then to either the Tattersall’s Mile or The Glasshouse
“Nom De Plume, Mary Louise, One Bold Cat and Terziere are all in consideration but I have only got four spots on the plane.”
“We’ve got races next week that will tell the story of who is actually going to Queensland based on how they go next weekend.”
Like a number of trainers on both sides of the Tasman, Patterson has had difficulty securing suitable boxes in Brisbane, with stabling in short supply and in aged-condition.
“I will get them, but we might just have to go further out of town to a place like the Sunshine Coast,” he said.
Mary Louise’s victory on Saturday was Patterson’s 43rd for the season at a phenomenal strike rate of a winner every 3.88 runners. The career-best tally has Patterson currently third on the Trainers’ Premiership behind the juggernauts of Mark Walker (176 wins) and Stephen Marsh (81 wins).
“I have got really good staff and I am starting to get a few numbers around me now,” Patterson said.
“We can weed out the slow ones a lot quicker now. If they are not showing anything at home we just get them rehomed as quickly as we can so we don’t sour the owner and we move on to the next one hopefully. Overall it is a well-oiled machine at the moment. Long may it last.”
Des Wyatt remembered as a true gentleman
Des Wyatt never achieved champion status as a jockey, however after his recent passing he is being fondly remembered as one of the gentlemen of the jockeys’ room during an era of great riders.
Wyatt was farewelled in Auckland last week following his death at age 95. During a career that began in 1946 and ended with a win on his final raceday mount in 1978, he rode 584 winners in New Zealand as well as a handful in Australia.
One of those in the latter group came on the leading 1976/77 3-year-old Silver Lad (NZ), on which he had won the New Zealand and Wellington Derbys, Clifford Plate and Rotorua Challenge S. before adding the Australasian Championship S. at the Sydney autumn carnival.
Whangarei-born Wyatt was by then in the twilight of a career that had centred for more than three decades on the Auckland Racing Club’s Takanini training centre.
Major early wins included the 1956 Jubilee Wellington Cup on Fox Myth (NZ), the 1960 Great Northern Oaks on Summer Sari (NZ) (Summertime {GB}) and the following year’s New Zealand Oaks on Challen (NZ) (Ruthless {GB}), and the 1961 Clifford Plate on Lord Sasanof (NZ).
On the same horse he won the first of three consecutive editions of the Thames Valley Stakes, followed in 1962 and 1963 on Key (NZ) (Fairs’ Fair {GB}) and Fencourt (NZ) (Final Court {NZ}), as well as adding another on Honestly (NZ) (Le Filou {Fr}) in 1966.
Into the next decade, Wyatt’s successes included the 1976 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ S. on Pheroz Jewel (NZ) (Pakistan II {GB}), coinciding with the emergence of the horse that was to define his career, the classy colt Silver Lad.
Wyatt rode for only another year after Silver Lad’s retirement and at age 50 he brought the curtain down on his career in the best possible way when riding Ric Rossato to victory at Matamata on May 1, 1978.
He was then employed as course manager of the Takanini training tracks that had played such a part in his life before enjoying a long retirement.
“Dessie was a proper gentleman, always obliging and someone who got on well with everyone,” commented one of his long-time colleagues and friends, Hall of Fame jockey David Peake.
“He was older than me, he began in the era of a lot of very good jockeys – Grenville (Hughes), Wally Hooton, Jack Mudford, Norm Holland, to name just some of those in the north – who were all seniors to me.
“He was a very fair rider and if he was on the right horse, he gave no quarter. I still remember the time he just beat me in a race on the big jackpot day at Matamata back in the early ’70s – as he got up on the line he looked across with that big grin of his and yelled out ‘Gotcha!’”
