Stawell Cup postponed
Sunday’s Stawell Cup meeting has been postponed after the track conditions were unsafe for horses. “The track had been aerated yesterday, and there were barer sections of the track,” Racing Victoria’s Regional Mid-West Stewards Manager Jason Shultz told racing.com.
“When you get down, the aerator really seems to have loosened them up, and you can pick up noticeable chunks out of the surface. The riders didn’t feel it was suitable, and we were in agreeance… we didn’t go to a vote. We, as the stewards, declared it was unsuitable for racing and therefore postponed the meeting.
“Very unfortunate for everyone involved – the club, the riders, the participants. It’s terrible, but that’s the cards we’ve been dealt with, unfortunately. The track was inspected 10 days ago and then it was inspected again yesterday. That was when the decision was made to aerate the track, just to try and get it somewhat more consistent.
“Everywhere you go in this area, it’s extremely dry. Racecourses are about the only green thing you see around. It’s tough, and obviously we’ll have a discussion with RV and the club with what we do moving forward.” A decision on a new date has yet to be made.
Nock chasing Champion Apprentice title
Apprentice Braith Nock feels the Championship Metro Apprentice Jockey title is within his grasp this season. “I’ve knocked quite a few wins off in a short period of time,” Nock told racingnsw.com.au.
“It’s definitely within striking distance now so we’ll go with it and see what we can do. It wasn’t necessarily an aim, if anything it was next season, but we’re quite close so we might as well try to go for both of them.” He has 20 city wins, two behind premiership leader Molly Bourke with Zac Wadick on 19 in third, and Ben Osmond fourth with 14.
Braith Nock | Image courtesy of Home Of Racing
He rides Written Scandal (Written Tycoon) on Monday at Canterbury who has won two of her four starts. “She’s jumping a lot in the weights and it’s a step up from the provincials to this grade but I’m sure she’s got the ability to be there. She goes forward in her races, she doesn’t have to lead, she’s got a good turn of speed and we’ll make use of that. Both times I've ridden her she’s been quite impressive, it was a bit of a hiccup second-up, but she has the potential to be right in the finish.”
Waterhouse and Bott target Oaks
Trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will have two runners in the G1 Australasian Oaks at Morphettville on Saturday with Too Darn Lizzie (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Phenom (Zoustar). “Phenom ran well down there (in Adelaide) last weekend, she stuck on nicely so she should appreciate the 2000 metres,” Bott told racing.com.
“It’s new territory for both of them. Too Darn Lizzie, we haven’t raced her beyond the mile before, but the intention has always been to take her over there. She trialled up nicely the other day. The form around her has been excellent. She didn’t quite appreciate the soft conditions (at The Valley) last start, but she seems to have done well between runs.”
Gollan to push onto Group 1 with Zarastro
Trainer Tony Gollan will take Zarastro (I Am Invincible) to the G1 Doomben 10,000 after he ran fifth in the Listed Ascot Handicap on Saturday carrying top weight. “Well he was the best horse in the race and he had the 61kg to prove it. I mean he has room for improvement and he was vulnerable first-up, which we know, and I think that's how he raced,” Gollan told racenet.com.au.
“He loomed up like he was vulnerable. With that run under his belt, you'll see a much better version of Zarastro when he gets out to 1200 metres. He's the horse I like going forward, particularly when they get out over further, but King Kapa had his win (on Saturday) because he's a hard-fit horse.
Zarastro | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“I'd love to go to the Doomben 10,000 with Zarastro. I know it's a big throw at the stumps but they're a big local mob of owners and he's a good, dominant, up-on-speed horse. I'm pretty keen to throw him in the deep end now and get him away from the handicaps. I'm happy to have a crack at a weight-for-age major with him.” Stablemate King Kapa (Capitalist) who won the race will head to the Listed Australian Turf Club Trophy on the Gold Coast on May 10.
G1 Satsuki Sho won in record time
The Japanese 2000 Guineas, the G1 Satsuki Sho, was won by 3-year-old colt Museum Mile (Jpn) (Leontes {Jpn}) in 1:57.00 for the 2000 metres on Sunday afternoon which is a race record time. Ridden by Joao Moreira, and trained by Daisuke Takayanagi, the winner was coming off a last start Group 2 fourth placing. In second was Croix Du Nord (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) with Masquerade Ball (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) in third.
Previously unbeaten colt Eri King (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), a son of Australian Group 1 winner Youngstar (High Chaparral {Ire}) was 11th in his seasonal resumption. Moreira also won aboard 3-year-old colt Invincible Papa (Shalaa {Ire}) who took his record to five wins from eight starts. He was sold by Arrowfield at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale for $200,000 and exported to Japan.
Warren pair aimed at SA black type
Trainer Jason Warren will aim his pair of 3-year-old fillies Bon Fete (Hellbent) and Flyer (Exceedance) at the upcoming feature races in South Australia this weekend. “(Bon Fete) will probably run in the Oaks,” Warren told racing.com.
“She’s been going well. She’s had four runs at a mile and is hard-fit and ready to go up in trip. They are only three once. She’s in good form, winning two of her last three and she finished very hard in a strong midweek Sandown meeting last start without having any luck. Jamie Melham rode her in that race and was very much in favour of us taking her to Adelaide, so it sort of helped us with our decision.”
Flyer will likely run in the G2 Tobin Bronze Stakes. “She’s going well, and she’ll probably head across more than likely for the Group 2 race for 3-year-olds. She’s come on for the run (last start) and I think she’ll go over there and acquit herself very well.”
Milestone for Brisbourne
Trainer Ben Brisbourne won his 50th race for the season with the Kerang Cup victory of Star Buyer (Written Tycoon) on Saturday. “We just fell short the last two years, so it was nice to get that milestone up, with a bit of time in hand this time around,” Brisbourne told racing.com on Sunday. He trained 49 winners in both of the past two seasons, and 47 the season before that.
Star Buyer winning the Kerang Cup | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“Actually, at the start of the season I was a bit worried about how much ammunition we had, but all the horses we’ve had have put their hand up and contributed. We’re certainly ahead of schedule, numbers wise (of wins), of where I thought we’d be. We just push on now and set a target for the following season. It will be interesting to see how many (winners) we end up with.”
Rain to suit Payne team at Sandown
If it rains on Easter Monday, pay attention to sibling trainers Patrick and Michelle Payne’s team of five runners at Sandown, particularly last start winner 3-year-old filly Flattered (Yes Yes Yes). “She's very genuine, she'll do what she can,” Patrick Payne told racenet.com.au.
“She was a very forward and early 2-year-old and we used that. She needs a bit of juice in the ground for her action.” She debuted with a second placing in the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes last season and picked up two other stakes placings at two.
Around the nation: Sunday’s highlights
With Stawell abandoned, there were still nine meetings across Australia for Easter Sunday punters to enjoy. At Sale, Snitzel sired a double with Nasraawy and 3-year-old gelding Volatile. At Mt Isa, 4-year-old gelding Room For Squares (Rubick) made it four in a row with his fifth career victory.
Muswellbrook to honour soldiers on Monday
Muswellbrook Race Club’s Monday event will honour Australian returned service people with their annual Lone Pine Charge Day. “In conjunction with the Muswellbrook RSL Sub-Branch, our Club will commemorate the Gallipoli campaign with a service honouring Australian veterans and serving personnel,” MRC’s General Manager, Christine Williams, told racingnsw.com.au.
“The Lone Pine Charge comes with a perpetual trophy, an 18-pounder artillery round with the shell case and commemorates the ANZAC Landing by recognising the ‘Charge at Lone Pine’, a battle that went from August 6 to August 10 in 1915. The trophy’s round is made of Jacaranda, and the base is of Cypress Pine, with the woodwork completed by Dick Gordon and Fred Pearse. And also in attendance will be the Light Horse.”
Fire Star resumes on Monday
Having won four in succession in the spring, 4-year-old gelding Fire Star (Deep Field) resumes on Monday for trainer Peter Snowden. “Two of them were tough wins where he looked like he was beaten and came again. He had a really good prep but it was his fifth run (of the preparation) before he put those wins together,” Snowden told racingnsw.com.au.
“It was really good to see and he’s come back in really good order. He’s kicking off now in a benchmark 94 compared to a 72 last time so you’ve got to keep that on board. Physically he looks great, his work has been sharp and everything about him seems the same from when he went out.”
Machine Gun Gracie to spell ahead of Group 1 targets
Trainer Justine Erkelens will spell Saturday’s G2 WA Derby winner Machine Gun Gracie (Maschino) and set her for the G1 Northerly Stakes. “She’s pulled up good and is just incredible, she doesn’t really realise what she’s doing at the moment,” Erkelens told racingwa.com.au.
Machine Gun Gracie | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
“She’s a special horse and seems to do everything you ask of her. I would like to prep her and have her run in the Northerly. I would like to win a race in Perth before we go east. I would like to win the Northerly and the Perth Cup.
“She would be good for that, but we’ll let the dust settle and see where we head. She just amazes me how she’s such a big horse, so young and can do everything.”
First stakes winner for Maximum Security
Instant Replay (USA) (Maximum Security {USA}), a very good closing third in the G2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, became the first stakes winner for his second-crop sire in Saturday's Bathhouse Row Stakes at Oaklawn Park, a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Preakness Stakes.
Australia seen as fall-back option to breeze ups
Never in the history of the breeze-up game have the top horses been worth more. That was evident at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale last week when the record for the most expensive horse ever sold at the sale was broken not once but twice and top agents Richard Brown and Billy Jackson-Stops admitted to finding it hard to land a blow.
Malcolm Bastard's 1.75 million gns (AU$3.8 million) record-breaking Havana Grey (GB) colt played a pretty significant role in the turnover reaching an all-time high of nearly 20 million gns (AU$43.6 million). On top of that, the clearance rate rested at an extremely healthy 83 per cent, suggesting there was a real depth to the market. Another encouraging sign for vendors going forward.
Lot 143 - Havana Grey (GB) x Show Stealer (GB) | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
However, Con Marnane, who sold the fifth most expensive horse in the sale–a 650,000gns (AU$1.4 million) Havana Grey colt to Godolphin–says there are still gaps in the market, pointing to the fact that he brought home two expensively-bought Too Darn Hot (GB) colts from the sale.
“Hats off to Tattersalls,” Marnane said, “it was a remarkable sale–the crowds that were there and the money that was around the place was phenomenal. We enjoyed a fantastic result with the Havana Grey colt but we also took two Too Darn Hots home with us, which I was shocked about. But they are mile/mile-and-a-quarter horses who didn't do a time and, unfortunately, that's the way the thing is gone. We'll just have to race them now and, if they show something on the track, they'd sell like hot cakes to Australia.”
