Maher comments on jump-out issue
With jockeys refusing to ride in jump-outs until they are paid, and Racing Victoria stepping in to mediate the dispute, trainer Ciaron Maher has made a comment. “They just went about it the wrong way,” Maher told racenet.com.au.
“I've seen one comment that said, ‘We don't care where the money comes from’, which doesn't sit well with many people. I think all the main ones aren't going to be here (due to the end of the year) and they're making the others (stand down)… the way they went about it, not good.
Ciaron Maher | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“I like jump-outs, I don't think we need officials at all. They cost a lot of money and they're exactly the same, you don't need it. It's just a cost, an additional cost that's not needed, running trials costs a lot more than jump-outs because they're run under somewhat race conditions but they're not.
“You can have an 80kg person (track rider) and a 50kg person (in the saddle). Whether there's a happy medium somewhere and they get some kind of remuneration for their work, which is fine.”
Raise The Flag dies aged 20
White Robe Lodge stallion Raise The Flag (GB) has been euthanised due to old age. “His stats in Australia were quite outstanding with his runners to winners and stakes winners to winners,” White Robe Lodge stud manager Wayne Stewart told nztba.co.nz.
“He left a Sydney Cup winner in Etah James, Broadside won a Newcastle Gold Cup and horses like Yogi, Parthesia, Civil Disobedience, Unfurl and Chequered Flag were more than handy stayers. He also sired some good jumpers like Ablaze, Flying Agent, Heberite, Tommyra and Riding High.
“He was a phenomenally bred horse and he did a lot for us in terms of forging relationships with a number of Australian trainers, including Darren Weir who was an avid fan. Quite a few Victorian trainers including Ciaron Maher and Symon Wilde sent mares to Raise The Flag, so we were lucky to have him.”
Raise The Flag was a son of Sadler’s Wells (USA) and blue hen mare Hasili (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}) and sired eight stakes winners from 288 named foals.
Without A Fight on song for Hong Kong
Jockey Mark Zahra thinks Caulfield/Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) has returned to his best for Sunday’s G1 Hong Kong Vase. “His run in (the Champions S.) told me he's back to where he was, so I'd expect him to be very hard to beat. It would be a great testament to the trainers, Anthony and Sam, to get him back,” Zahra told racenet.com.au.
“For a horse to have a year off after a tendon and winning the Cups, to come back and to be able to be at the same level, would be an extraordinary achievement. All reports are he's going really well… and a bit of the field has dropped away. Rebel's Romance, it's not going now, it looked hard to beat and Japanese horse (Shahryar) isn't going either.
“(Without A Fight) doesn't even need a good draw because he's going to settle back a bit, but a good draw would help and I expect him to run really well. What he needs is speed in the race … as long as he has tempo on it gives him his chance to show he's usually the strongest stayer in the race with the best turn of foot.”
Democracy Manifest needing more luck for Northerly
Chris Waller trained Democracy Manifest (Flying Artie) had no luck in the G1 Railway S. but continues on to the G1 Northerly S. on Saturday. “It just happens sometimes. The draw, we opted to go back and ride for luck and tried to follow James (McDonald) on Light Infantry Man and he didn't get much luck either. Where ever we went it just didn't work out but rather than worry about it, Mark Zahra is going to ride him again for us,” Waller told racenet.com.au.
Democracy Manifest | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He ran really well in the 1800 metres here in the carnival during the spring so we are confident he will bounce back but we would love to see him get a better draw to take the luck out it.”
Jericho Cup won by massive margin
Aaron Purcell trained Farag (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) has won the Jericho Cup at Warrnambool on Sunday by the official margin of 20l for the 4600 metre journey. “It’s about the horse and about the occasion. You don’t get too many races in Australia where it means so much to the people of Australia,” said part-owner Peter Groidis after winning the race that commemorates one of Australia’s most famous World War I battles.
“If you are a patriotic Australian, and you love horse racing, this is the race to win. You can have your Melbourne Cup as there is no other race to win as a family.” The 7-year-old gelding took his record to seven wins from 29 starts with earnings over $330,000.
Attrition gets his flight miles
Trainer Mitch Freedman’s Attrition (Churchill {Ire}) will run in Saturday’s G1 Northerly S. which will be his fourth state in as many months. “He’s been great. He hasn’t missed a feed. He’s settled in really well in Perth. He just seems to thrive on the travel the whole preparation. I know he's done a few trips now, but it just doesn't seem to be affecting him and he seems very bright and well,” said Freedman.
He ran fourth last start in the Five Diamonds. “He ran very well. If he brought the form from those two Sydney runs, he would be really competitive.”
Around The Nation: Sunday’s highlights
With two meetings lost due to poor weather, there were five remaining meetings on Sunday. At Grafton, 3-year-old filly Break Free (Capitalist) took her record to two from two for trainer Matthew Hoysted. At Newcastle, 3-year-old filly Burj (Pride Of Dubai) won on debut.
Pinjarra’s meeting saw 3-year-old gelding Oisin (Shamus Award) win on debut. During race three, jockey Cassey Martinan fell from Ofcourse She Has (War Chant {USA}) and it was reported that both horse and rider were okay with Martinan mentioning a sore hip.
Two Cromwell Cups for Capo Dell Impero
Capo Dell Impero (NZ) (Ghibellines) went back-to-back in the Cromwell Cup on Sunday. “That was a great run, he’s always carrying a lot of weight and at the corner today I thought we may have been a bit far back, so it was a pretty good effort to get there,” co-trainer Shane Anderton told Loveracing.nz.
Capo Dell Impero (NZ) | Image courtesy of Race Images South
“He’s always got a good finish on him, the three kilos today made a big difference and was probably the winning of the race. He’s hard placed in the handicaps so we’re going to have to pick some nice races. A race like the White Robe later on possibly, and some other nice races in the autumn.” Capo Dell Impero took his record to eight wins from 32 starts and earnings over NZ$230,000.
Formidable Man wins G1 Hollywood Derby
East Coast-based horses had won the GI Hollywood Derby in six of the last eight years and three of the last four, but it was a California 1-2 in Saturday's renewal at Del Mar, as William and Suzanne Warren's Formidable Man (USA) (City Of Light {USA}) parlayed a perfect trip in the box seat into a clear-cut victory over King Of Gosford (GB) (Zoustar).
Formidable Man is the second elite-level winner for City Of Light (USA), joining Fierceness (USA), who added this year's GI Curlin Florida Derby and GI Travers S. to the 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Formidable Man took his record to five wins from 10 starts.
A Grade 2 winner and Grade 1-placed on the turf on the Southern California circuit, Fanticola (USA) (Silent Name {Jpn}) has thrown four winners from four to the races, with Formidable Man clearly the best of them.
Perfect Power colt tops final day of Tattersalls Foal Sale, turnover up 46 per cent
New dreams abound for Harry and Oliver Vigors, some of the youngest pinhookers to get in on the action at Tattersalls this week, with the pair going to 72,000gns (AU$148,000) to secure a Perfect Power (Ire) colt in partnership with Redwall Bloodstock.
That proved to be the sale-topping figure for the final session of what has been record-breaking foal trade at Tattersalls. In fact, such records had already been achieved by Friday when the 30,906,000 (AU$63.3 million) turnover for that memorable session exceeded what was spent during the entirety of this sale 12 months ago.
Turnover climbed by a massive 46 per cent to 43,504,000gns (AU$89.2 million) for the entire sale. The 78 per cent clearance rate was up by 4 per cent on last year while the 67,658gns (AU$138,700) average represented a 52 per cent rise. The median jumped by a similar level to 30,000gns (AU$61,600).
Uncle Mo colt earns Derby points
First Resort (USA) (Uncle Mo {USA}) sat a perfect, stalking trip beneath Luis Saez and held off a late rally from the odds-on Jonathan's Way (USA) (Vekoma {USA}) to give Godolphin a sweep of Saturday's graded races for 2-year-olds in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill Downs. With the victory, First Resort collected 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
The Eoin Harty-trained Godolphin homebred Fair Maiden (USA) (Street Boss {USA}) upset the 2020 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita and also came within a neck of capturing the previous year's GI Natalma S. over the Woodbine lawn. First Resort is her first foal.
Ontario responds to Woodbine issues
Responding to a rash of recent breakdowns at Woodbine, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), which regulates racing in the province, has taken steps it hopes will lead to fewer injuries. Woodbine has now had six fatalities since the November 9 card in which two horses died and the remainder of the day's program was cancelled, as was the next scheduled day of racing.
