Alabama filly makes light work of trial
Ken and Bev Kelso’s Alabama Express filly Alabama Lass made light work of Heat 3 at Tauranga on Tuesday morning over 950 metres.
The filly is from the Commands mare Abliope, who has produced the five-time winner and Group 3-placed Bad ‘N’ Bouj (Deep Field). Alabama Lass was a $120,000 purchase by Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock (BANZ) and Ken Kelso from the draft of Shadow Hill Thoroughbreds at the 2023 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Earlier on the Tauranga program the R. Listed Karaka Millions-bound Poetic Champion (NZ) (Super Seth) won the 950-metre opening heat.
Aegon looking to produce best
The talented Andrew Forsman-trained Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) will drop back in distance on Saturday when he contests the G1 Thorndon Mile at Trentham on Saturday. Aegon failed to flatter in the G1 Zabeel Classic on Boxing Day over 2050 metres but Forsman is hopeful the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas victor can make an impression on Saturday.
“Things just didn’t work out for him over the 2050 metres,” Forsman told loveracing.nz.
“I’ve kept him fresh to go back to the mile, hopefully it all works out. He always seems to race better on the fresh side, but it’s hard to know how he’ll perform over the mile having dropped back from the 2000 metres. He’s been great since the Zabeel Classic, I can’t really fault him.”
South Aussie ripper to scorch Plate
The Shane and Cassie Oxlane-trained excitement machine Sghirripa (Lonhro) has come through his latest success at Flemington last Saturday in good order and will chase a berth into the G1 Oakleigh Plate.
“He’s got to go to another level to go to an Oakleigh Plate, but if he takes the improvement he took out of his Caulfield win (again from his Flemington success), he’s well on his way,” co-trainer Shane Oxlade told RSN927.
Sghirripa | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“I’ve been lucky enough to win a couple of other Group 3s but he’s the best horse I’ve had, and he keeps lifting the bar.
“He’ll go for a little spell and then we will plan towards the G1 Oakleigh Plate.”
Shaw’s revelation to tackle Westbury Classic
Josh Shaw’s in-form 5-year-old Faraglioni (NZ) (El Roca) will bid for Group 2 glory in the Westbury Classic. Faraglioni has won once and placed in four starts this preparation, including runner-up performances in the G2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ S. and the G1 TAB Classic in her last two outings.
“Every time you raise the bar she jumps over the top of it. She is a bit like an olympic high jumper, you just keep putting it up and hopefully you don’t knock the bar off,” Shaw told loveracing.nz.
“She will go to the Westbury Classic on Saturday-week, a set weights and penalties fillies and mares race. It will be my first runner on Karaka Millions night and it is even better taking a live chance.”
A successful effort could see Faraglioni target races in Brisbane in Australia.
Miller juvenile gets thumbs up
The Simon Miller-trained Golden Vale (Churchill {Ire}) pleased her trainer in a trial at Lark Hill on Tuesday morning and will head towards next month’s Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic.
“She needed it,” Miller told The Races WA after the filly finished second in the 950-metre heat.
Simon Miller | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
“She was a bit aggressive early in the trial and I think the heat got to her prior to it. Golden Vale had a good puff after it and she will strip fitter. William (Pike) said he wouldn’t ride her that way in a race.
“She’s got a brain and she’s got an engine and that’s what you need. I’ll give her every chance to replicate Valour Road by winning the Magic Millions-Karrakatta Plate double. She’s just a good horse.”
Progressive mare returns to work
Symon Wilde’s progressive mare Plenty Of Ammo (Rebel Raider) will return to his stables after a short spell in the paddock.
The lightly raced 5-year-old mare has stakes events on her agenda.
“She’s just had a short let up - two weeks. Plenty Of Ammo had a really long preparation and never really has gone out of work in career,” Wilde told Racing.com.
“She’s done really well. We’ve had to handle her so delicately so it’d be silly to rush anything, we’ll take our time, run her in her grades and if she drags us up to Listed or Group racing, that would be fantastic.”
Coleman back on track
Matt Laurie’s promising juvenile Coleman (Pierata) is back on track after a minor setback, with the G1 Blue Diamond S. the main aim.
Coleman worked around the new Heath track at Caulfield on Tuesday morning.
“I was more than happy. He had a nice trial behind a horse from the Freedman yard that has probably got a bit more fitness on than we do at this stage,” Lauire told Racing.com.
Coleman | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“We haven’t had the path to the Blue Diamond as we would have liked - he did have a little bit of a setback with a virus.
“Coleman is perfectly fine now, fully recovered but our initial thoughts were probably to go from a Chairman’s into a Blue Diamond, but that would mean we’d probably have to trial him again next week. I’m leaning to trialling the following week and then going to the Blue Diamond Prelude (Colts and Geldings).”
Eleven Eleven retired
Greg Hickman confirmed Eleven Eleven (Fastnet Rock) has been retired after the $3 million earner finished sixth in last Saturday’s $1 million Magic Millions The Syndicate on the Gold Coast.
“Everything has probably just caught up with him,” Hickman told Punters.
Eleven Eleven | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“He’s a 7-year-old now and the younger ones are coming through. You don’t want to push the button too many times. He’s had 40-odd starts, won plenty of prizemoney and given us lots of memories.
“We’re not too sure where he’s going as of yet but I’m sure he’d make a good jumper down the track for someone. If anyone wants to ring up and have him for another career after racing as a jumper or something like that, reach out.”
No Oaks for Beholder’s daughter
Tamara (USA) (Bolt D'Oro {USA}), the beaten favourite in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, is not being pointed for the G1 Kentucky Oaks, reports Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. The beautifully bred daughter of Beholder (USA) (Henny Hughes {USA}) finished seventh in the Breeders' Cup and came out of the race with a crack in a splint bone.
“She's out of training,” Mandella said. “It was a small crack in the splint bone, but it needed time to heal up. She'll start training again in about a week, but that won't give us enough time to make the Oaks. She'll be ready when she's ready.”
Mandella, however, has developed a worthy replacement in Kopion (USA) (Omaha Beach {USA}), who was an impressive winner of the G2 Santa Ynez S. Mandella said the February 4 G3 Las Virgenes S. will be her next target.
Prizemoney at Newbury receives a rise
Following last week's announcement of record prizemoney across the Jockey Club's portfolio of racecourses, Newbury has followed suit by increasing its prizemoney for 2024 to £7 million (AU$13.4 million), which is also a record figure. The 13 per cent increase in purses will be spread across 31 fixtures, 11 of which are denoted as 'premier' meetings and the other 20 as 'core' fixtures.
The G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. will this year be run for £400,000 (AU$764,900), up from £350,000 (AU$669,300), and again on a card which is one of the World Pool meetings in Britain. Also receiving as boost is the G3 Geoffrey Freer S., which is now worth £90,000 (AU$172,100), and the G2 Hungerford S., to £125,000 (AU$239,000), while the G3 Dubai International World Trophy and G2 Mill Reef S. receive prizemoney boosts of £15,000 (AU$28,700) and £10,000 (AU$19,100) respectively, to £85,000 (AU$162,500) and £100,000 (AU$191,200). Furthermore, all Class 5 H., in flat core fixtures are guaranteed to be run for a minimum of £11,000 (AU$21,000) up from £8650 (AU$16,500) in 2023.
Dubai World Cup runner-up retired
After what his connections described in a tweet on X as 'works not showing the same sparkle' as in years prior, the 2023 G1 Dubai World Cup runner-up Algiers (Ire) (Shamardal {USA}) has been retired from racing.
A multiple Group winner in Meydan in addition to his second-place finish to multiple Group 1 winner Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), he'd last been seen in Canada on October 7, missing victory in Woodbine's G3 Durham Cup S. A horse for Dubai's dirt courses, his first Group triumph came in 2022 when he took the G3 Jebel Ali Mile Sponsored by Shadwell and he won both rounds of the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge series as the lead up to that World Cup attempt.
“Unfortunately, Algiers is not showing the same sparkle in his work, and we have decided to retire him,” said co-conditioner Simon Crisford in that statement on X through the Gainsborough Thoroughbreds account. “He was a very consistent horse who loved Meydan. He showed his brilliance in Rounds 1 and 2 of the Maktoum Challenge before running a close second in the Dubai World Cup.
“He will now enjoy a happy retirement and I would like to thank his owners Sultan Ali and Hamdan bin Sultan Ali Alsabousi for their support.”
