Jockey Lisa Allpress sustains broken leg behind the gates at Trentham
In a shocking stroke of luck, jockey Lisa Allpress was dislodged from her mount Hickory Jack (Shooting to Win) behind the barriers before race 4 at Trentham on Saturday, sustaining a significant leg injury in the process.
Hickory Jack, who Allpress had partnered with four times previously, reared backwards dislodging Allpress before landing on her right leg. She was attended to at the scene by St John’s Ambulance paramedics before being transferred to hospital, causing a delay.
Lisa Allpress | Image courtesy of Race Images
“It sounds like she has got a broken leg, so we just have to get her stabilised. There is another ambulance on course and we are just trying to arrange if we can get that out there on course as well,” Chief Stipendiary Steward John Oatham said.
The four-time premiership winner has had a bad run of luck in recent times, suffering a fractured vertebra in a fall after the line at a Riccarton Synthetic meeting in early August and was therefore was unable to fulfil an invitation to the World Jockey‘s Series in Japan. Allpress had a successful return to racing in early December, riding a double at New Plymouth on her return before this latest incident.
As a result, all race times were pushed back one race.
Five for Gollan at Eagle Farm
Trainer Tony Gollan dominated the Eagle Farm meeting on Saturday, winning half the card. Jockey Angela Jones won on Habeebah (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and About To Explode (Spirit Of Boom) while James Orman won on Hurts So Good (So You Think {NZ}) and Kronenbourg (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}). Apprentice Emily Lang won on Torabella (Toronado {Ire}).
Four for McDonald at Rosehill
Jockey James McDonald signalled his intention to win a seventh Sydney Jockeys Premiership after winning four races at Rosehill on Saturday aboard Wodeton (Wotton Bassett {GB}), the Listed January Cup on Osipenko (NZ) (Pierro), Polyglot (Lonhro), and Tajanis (Ire) (Australia {GB}). “I want to win the premiership again but it is not going to be easy,” McDonald said.
James McDonald | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I'm going to be missing a fair chunk (of the Sydney season), which I don't like, when I ride overseas and at the interstate carnivals. So, the next few months will be a test for me, body-wise. The travel takes a lot out of you so I will need to be very disciplined – and to stay out of the stewards room, too.” Three of McDonald’s four winners were trained by Chris Waller, while Polyglot is from the James Cummings stable.
Injured rider updates
On Saturday afternoon, Racing NSW stewards posted two updates on Beany Panya and Blake Spriggs after their fall on Friday. “[Update at 3:00pm Saturday] Beany is still drowsy but she’s not showing any obvious neurological deficits at this stage, and she’s able to move her limbs. Neurosurgeons are still assessing whether she requires surgical fixation of her spine. At this stage, no other orthopaedic injuries have been noted.” They noted earlier that she had a “thoracic spine fracture”.
“Blake continues to be intubated and sedated and being closely monitored in ICU.” Stewards noted earlier that Blake “has been intubated with chest and abdominal injuries that will require surgery. He also has fractures to his ribs and clavicle with Blake waiting for an assessment from a neurosurgeon.”
Perfumist aiming for the NZB Kiwi
Bjorn Baker’s stable is on fire and his 3-year-old filly Perfumist (NZ) (El Roca) might head over the ditch for the NZB Kiwi after she won her fourth in succession at Rosehill on Saturday. “It's ($3.5m), even New Zealand dollars it's pretty good money. There will be a lot of slot takers. It could be interesting and might be an option but she is definitely heading towards black type,” Baker said.
“She has done a marvellous job. That's four in-a-row. We actually bought her at the Ready To Run Sale in New Zealand about a year and a half ago. She has taken work and is starting to put it together now.” Perfumist was a NZ$190,000 purchase by OTI, Bjorn Baker, Phil Cataldo Bloodstock and Clarke Bloodstock at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale from Westbury Stud. With five wins from nine starts, she has earnings over $230,000.
Begg’s filly putting together strong record
Grahame Begg-trained 3-year-old filly Reluctantlycharmed (Invader) won at Flemington on Saturday to take her record to three wins from seven starts and will be set for stakes class next. “She’s put in a good performance, this filly, today, coming off running over 1200m a month ago,” Begg told racing.com.
“There’s a little black-type race in about three weeks’ time at Caulfield, maybe we’ve got to consider that and have a little roll at that. We’ll work that out, and see if she pulls up well.”
Polyglot aimed at Eskimo Prince next
Godolphin gelded their 3-year-old Polyglot (Lonhro) after he was fifth in the Listed Poisedon S. in the spring and he returned in style winning at Rosehill on Saturday. “We had a decision to make, we were faced with it at the end of last preparation,” trainer James Cummings said.
“We are comfortable with that and think we've unlocked the potential of a really smart horse. I would love to see him get up to seven furlongs or a mile but we will see and just let it unfold for him with a couple of six furlong races coming up over the next few weeks.
“We'll reflect on the ratings after his win today, there is a handicap for three and 4-year-olds in a couple of weeks or if we want to step him up we could go to the Eskimo Prince in three weeks. We will make that decision in the next week. But I like the way he has returned.” Polyglot now has two wins from five starts.
Around the Nation: Saturday’s other highlights
It was a busy Saturday with fourteen meetings around the nation. It should have been sixteen but both Wyong and Tuncurry in NSW were abandoned due to weather conditions. At Camperdown, 3-year-old gelding El Pibe De Oro (Neorealism {Jpn}) won on debut to become the second winner for Oaklands Stud’s Neorealism (Jpn). Jockey Will Gordon dominated with four wins at Camperdown aboard Millvina (Spieth {NZ}), Brandnu Deal (Dundeel {NZ}), Rhinoceros (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}), and Whiskey Tango (NZ) (Proisir).
Trainer Helen Harding enjoyed a treble at Esperance with Favaios (Jimmy Choix {NZ}), Crunchy Nut (Ducimus), and Pearly Nuggett (Snippetson).
Listed Dunedin Cup next for Waikouaiti Cup winner
Brian and Shane Anderton-prepared 6-year-old gelding Mayor Of Norwood (NZ) (Ghibellines) won Saturday’s Waikouaiti Cup at Wingatui and will be set for the Listed Dunedin Cup next. “There was a lot going for him today as he likes the bigger tracks and genuine staying races, so he was very good,” Shane Anderton told Loveracing.nz.
“It would be nice if we could stretch him out to the Dunedin Gold Cup distance of 2400m as we are looking at a race like that before he gets too much weight on his back.” He took his record to five wins from 26 starts.
Choisya wins G2 Cape Verdi S.
Father and son training duo Simon and Ed Crisford are on the board at Meydan with the win of Choisya (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) in the G2 Cape Verdi S. on Friday night. She led all the way for a 5l win under jockey Mickael Barzalona.
“I got an easy lead in front; it felt like a French race. When I asked her to pick up she did it very well,” Barzalona told bloodhorse.com. “It would have been better to have a lead but all of the others had the instructions to take back; sometimes it is lucky to have horses who are versatile like she is.” Previously a Listed winner in England, Choisya now has six wins from 18 starts and is one of 61 stakes winners for her sire.
She is the second stakes winner for her stakes placed winning dam Fragrancy (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}), whose other is dual Listed winner Pelerin (Ire) (Shamardal {USA}).
Livestreaming available for World Racing Awards
The 2024 Longines World Racing Awards ceremony, which will be live streamed, will be held at The Savoy in London on Tuesday, January 21.
Organised by Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), the ceremony will honour the Longines World's Best Racehorse (12th edition) and the Longines World's Best Horse Race (10th edition) of the 2024 season. The winners will be announced beginning at approximately 1:40 GMT/8:40 EST. The connections of the winning horse will be presented with a Longines watch and a replica of the vase of the Longines World's Best Racehorse. The connections of the Longines World's Best Horse Race will also be presented with a watch and a replica of a trophy representing a proud horse head. Additionally, the IFHA's annual list of the Top 100 Group/Grade 1 races will be released, as well as the rankings for all horses around the world rated 115 or higher.
To view the live stream, please visit the social media accounts of the IFHA and World Horse Racing (WHR).
Arqana February more streamlined in 2025
Arqana has announced that its forthcoming mixed sale will be held over one day on Wednesday, February 12 owing to a “more streamlined offering”. The February Sale, which has traditionally stretched to at least two sessions, will feature just shy of 300 short yearlings, fillies, mares and horses in training. The catalogue will be available online on Thursday, January 23.
Arqana Online's January Sale has been bolstered by the addition of a share in Haras d'Etreham's City Light (Fr). Offered as Lot 7, the share gives the right of two coverings per year. The son of Siyouni (Fr) is the leading second-crop sire in Europe by percentage of winners and black-type horses per runners.
