Listed Civic S. to be run on Wednesday at Warwick Farm
Following the postponement of Randwick on Saturday, Racing NSW have announced that the Listed Civic S. will run on Wednesday, June 26 at Warwick Farm.
Warwick Farm
“The field will be carried forward including the barrier draw and scratchings reinstated, however riders will need to be declared on Monday.” Additionally, Monday’s barrier trials have moved to Friday.
Hayes brothers dominate at Sandown
Lindsay Park and the Hayes brothers enjoyed four metropolitan winners at Flemington on Saturday. “It’s a big achievement for Lindsay Park. We’re very happy and it’s a big thrill. I know Will, will be at home excited and JD would have finished his footy game, and he would be having a bit of fun flicking through and seeing the results,” Ben Hayes told Racing.com.
They won with 2-year-old filly Sneaky Sunrise (The Autumn Sun), Crosshaven (Smart Missile), Le Ferrari (Toronado {Ire}), and 3-year-old gelding Aztec State (Pierro).
The training trio are having their best season and sit second on the Melbourne Trainers Premiership with 62 winners.
Emotional win for At Witz End in Listed Eye Liner S
Apprentice jockey Cejay Graham picked up the ride on At Witz End (Epaulette) for the Listed Eye Liner S. after Sam Collett fell in an earlier race. “Sam was the first thing I thought of when I went over the line,” Graham told racenet.com.au.
“I'm absolutely thrilled to win this race but my heart hurts for Sam and it's making me emotional just talking about it. I know what it is like to be out injured and this win is for Sam.”
Trained by Daniel Bowen, 8-year-old gelding At Witz End has 13 wins from 64 starts with earnings over $540,000. He was a Listed winner four starts ago, and Saturday’s win was his second in black type company.
Collett injured in fall
Jockey Sam Collett fell at the home turn in Race 2 at Ipswich on Saturday from Tuki Twelve (Pierro). It was reported that she was sitting up and conscious after the fall, but with a sore arm. The horse was reportedly uninjured.
Ben Foote with Sam Collett | Image courtesy of Race Images
Sam later put on her Instagram “Thanks for all the messages, just waiting for a CT scan and x-ray results. Other than a few nasty bruises, I’ll live to fight another day.”
Treble for Duric at Ipswich
Jockey Vlad Duric rode a treble at Ipswich on Saturday on Rockribbed (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), 3-year-old gelding Hedged (Capitalist) and finished the day winning the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic on Wollombi (Extreme Choice).
A Million Roses breaks through at Queanbeyan
Trainer Joe Cleary’s 2-year-old filly A Million Roses (Nicconi) won at Queanbeyan on Saturday at her sixth raceday appearance, ridden by Jack Martin.
Sent around in the Listed Calway Gal S. on debut back in December, A Million Roses has had a solid juvenile campaign with a win and two placings in her six starts. Passed in as a yearling, she is the first foal of city winner Lucy Rose (I Am Invincible) who is a half-sister to Listed winner Royal Smile (Carry The Flag {GB}).
Sujeed wins at Gold Coast
Juvenile gelding Sujeed (Sooboog) won at the Gold Coast on Saturday at just his second race day outing for trainer Adam Campton and jockey Noel Callow by 1.3l from Shehungthemoon (I Am Invincible) and Capital Diva (Capitalist).
A $100,000 purchase by his trainer from Kitchwin Hills at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Sujeed is the first foal of unraced mare Armidale Princess (NZ) (Savabeel) who is a full sister to Group 2 winner Saavoya (NZ) and Group 3 winner Duchess Kate (NZ).
Iron horse Munhamek carries huge weight to victory
Trainer Nick Ryan’s iron horse Munhamek (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) carried 61.5kg to win The David Bourke at Flemington on Saturday. “It’s a shame for Celine (Gaudray) and I hope she feels better. Billy (Egan) is one from one on him as he won on him in Queensland. He carried 61kg to win the Swan Hill Cup and Billy Egan for 1.5kg, we’d take that any day,” Ryan told Racing.com.
Owned by Racing.com form analyst Clint Hutchison Munhamek is likely to have his next start in the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Final on July 6. He took his record to 12 wins and 17 placings from 61 starts with earnings over $2.4million.
Bowditch given 10 meeting suspension for winning ride
Jockey Joe Bowditch, who missed the early part of this season with concussion, has claimed his first Flemington victory for 2023/24 aboard Mathew Ellerton trained Brazen Lady (Brazen Beau), but was handed a 10-meeting suspension. “She’s racing really consistently around this 1400-metre mark, she stepped up to 1600 metres two back and she had the ideal run, but just didn’t get the trip,” Bowditch told Racing.com.
“Back to this trip she was sharp again … it was pretty effortless for her today. Once she sprinted past them, she wanted to roll around and float a bit.” Unfortunately for Bowditch, the stewards found that Brazen Lady shifted in at the 250-metre point and tightened Electric Impulse (Cable Bay {Ire}) for room. Electric Impulse finished in third, while Belle Savoir (Not A Single Doubt) split them by finishing in second.
Charlie Bucket heading to mainland if he wins on Sunday
Trainer Glenn Stevenson will look to take Charlie Bucket (Myboycharlie) to Melbourne if he wins at Hobart on Sunday. “If he actually won or everything went right on Sunday, he would probably go to a midweek if I can find a mile race, then he would go out because I think he will get 2000 metres,” Stevenson told tasracing.com.au.
“We haven’t had time or a chance to test that due to his manners, but he works like a racehorse now, and we can set different goals, so we will give him a run in Melbourne if all goes well this week.”
The last foal of Listed winner Tivoli Dancer (NZ) (Pins), Charlie Bucket has won five of his seven starts.
Did The Trick leads Spratt’s four wins at Tauranga
Jockey Sam Spratt rode four winners at Tauranga on Saturday, led by 3-year-old colt Did The Trick (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}). “I was always going to be there, I thought Alexander’s horse (Cornelia) might kick up a bit, but it didn’t, so I got a pretty easy lead,” Spratt told Loveracing.nz. “He kicked away really nicely and he’s putting it together, it was good.”
Raced by Evans Breeding Ltd, Did The Trick was bred by the late Emma Evans, and now has two wins from five starts.
Spratt’s other winners were Martell (NZ) (El Roca), Impaired Vision (NZ) (Rock ‘n’ Pop), and Midnight Scandal (NZ) (Belardo {Ire}).
Jockey Ho hoping to end season on high note
Jockey Vincent Ho has had a season frustrated by injuries but is fit to ride rising star Galaxy Patch (Wandjina) in Sunday’s G3 Premier Plate at Sha Tin. A scary off-season fall in Japan which left him with a fractured T5 veterbra and pneumothorax on his lung forced him to miss the first two meetings of the 2023/24 campaign, then a fall at Sha Tin in January caused more issues.
Vincent Ho | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
“It’s been a bit tough, but that’s part of the journey for athletes and jockeys,” Ho told scmp.com.
“I haven’t been riding too many months this season, so we’ll keep on going this summer and I’m happy to go back to the UK and then Sapporo for the World All-Star Jockeys series. I want to try and enjoy it and ride as much as I can.”
Tough ask for Do Deuce in Japan’s Group 1
Sunday's G1 Takarazuka Kinen will be contested this year at Kyoto Racecourse due to ongoing renovations at its normal home at Hanshin. The 2200-metre contest will earn the winner a fees-paid berth into the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar in early November.
The Takarazuka Kinen is one of two fan-voted events on the JRA calendar annually, and the current leading votegetter Group 1 winner Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) will take a fair bit of beating. The mount of Yutaka Take, Do Deuce was fourth to Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in the G1 Japan Cup before powering home in the G1 Arima Kinen the following month. Near-enough favoured in the G1 Dubai Turf at Meydan March 30, he sat an inside trip and was bottled up for a good portion of the run home, finally breaking free to close strongly for fifth.
Do Deuce | Image courtesy of the JRA
“He returned to Japan without any problems, and has had a break at Northern Farm Shigaraki,” said trainer Yasuo Tomomichi. “In training at the end of last month, his times were faster than I thought. More recently, he's been moving well in his work with other horses, despite the pace not being that quick.”
Ohio Derby for Kentucky Derby runner
A veteran of two-thirds of this year's Triple Crown series, Albaugh Family Stables' Catching Freedom (USA) (Constitution {USA}) gets a fair bit of class relief while facing nine others in Saturday's $500,000 G3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown outside of Cleveland.
Winner of the G2 Louisiana Derby to earn his spot in the field for the GI Kentucky Derby, the $575,000 Keeneland September purchase ran fourth in the G1 Kentucky Derby and third in the G1 Preakness S. this season.
Trio of Grade I Winners Clash In Chicago S.
Saturday's G3 Chicago S at Churchill Downs has attracted just five female sprinters, but of those, three have succeeded at the highest level, including two at the specialist distance of seven furlongs.
Vahva (USA) (Gun Runner {USA}) won the GI Derby City Distaff over the same course and distance back on May 4.
Society (USA) (Gun Runner {USA}) took this race by 10 3/4l last June when it was contested at Ellis Park and the 2022 GI Cotillion S. winner added a front-running score in the Pink Ribbon S. at Charles Town last August. Peter Blum's homebred makes her first trip to the races since a slightly troubled fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint November 4.
Chi Town Lady (USA) (Verrazano {USA}) caused a 17-1 upset in the 2022 seven-furlong GI Test Stakes at Saratoga and annexed this year's Minaret Stakes at Tampa before rallying to be fourth to Vahva in the Derby City Distaff last time.
Retired jockey loses home in wildfires
Several American news channels have reported that more than 1400 structures—half of them residences—have been destroyed by two wildfires that have ravaged New Mexico since the morning of June 17.
The Ruidoso Fire is near Ruidoso Downs, one of the Quarter Horse racing capitals of the world, and a track that also offers Thoroughbred racing, and so many racing people have been affected by the fire including retired jockey Casey Chavez who lost his house.
"I hadn't seen the fire at first, but state troopers were in the area screaming at us to leave saying 'It's coming, it's coming!'" Chavez told Bloodhorse.com. "But then the next moment I looked up from putting my bag in the car and I just see these towering 150-foot flames behind my house. It was pretty scary.”
