Newcastle Meetings Spread Around

Friday, 21 October 2011 05:15

Saturday week's scheduled Newcastle race meeting will be staged at Wyong with five other meetings also moved away following the temporary closure of the track for urgent remediation works.

Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys sent a team of experts, including chief steward Ray Murrihy, to inspect the Newcastle surface on Thursday following concerns raised by jockeys that it was unsafe for racing and the decision was made to close the track in the interests of safety.

A Racing NSW statement on Friday said the revised schedule "seeks to minimise disruption for participants by maintaining the majority of racing in the broader Newcastle/Hunter region".

Wyong will host the meeting on October 29 while Gosford will stage the Saturday fixture on November 5.

Scone will play host to the meetings on November 13 and November 26 while Cessnock is the venue for the December 10 program.

The Australian Turf Club meeting on Wednesday, December 14 has been moved from Newcastle to Kembla Grange.

Karakatsanis Produces Promising One

Wednesday, 19 October 2011 06:45

Trainer Con Karakatsanis no longer has dual Stradbroke Handicap winner Black Piranha in his care but in the past week has produced two promising youngsters with hopes of filling that void.

On the back of lightly-raced Riva De Lago's victory at Randwick last Saturday, unraced three-year-old Howmuchdoyouloveme justified his short quote of $1.45 when scoring an impressive debut win on the Kensington track on Wednesday.

"I've put very big wraps on him and he could be as good as anything I have trained," Karakatsanis said after the gelding's winning debut.

"He was the unwanted giant at the sales, my dad paid just $5000 for him."

Eight-year-old Black Piranha recently went through the sale ring to dissolve a partnership and is now based in Victoria.

Last Saturday four-year-old Riva De Lago scored a dominant first-up win at Randwick and Karakatsanis has high hopes for both horses.

"Riva De Lago stepped up on Saturday and he (Howmuchdoyouloveme) is the horse on Riva De Lago's heels that could really take the bull by the horns and say 'I'm the one'," Karakatsanis said, referring to who could fill the void left by Black Piranha's departure.

Howmuchdoyouloveme was left to chase leader Platinum Choice in the R & W Northbridge Handicap (1100m) and he rounded him up in the straight to win by 1-1/4 lengths.

Later in the day, senior jockey Josh Parr picked up the winning ride on Tropicana Girl in an apprentices' series race when Michael Grantham was unable to make the weight and no other apprentice was available.

Grantham was due to ride Tropicana Girl who had 56kg but informed stewards on race morning that he was unable to ride the mare at less than 58kg.

Western Australian-based Grantham, who is in Sydney on a one-month loan, will have to front stewards later this week.

"We'll insist he comes and sees us before he accepts any rides," chief steward Ray Murrihy said.

"We want to get him to come and stand on the scales to show us what (weight) he can ride at."

Meanwhile, the Darley team has a big weekend ahead with star colt Helmet favourite in the Cox Plate but on Wednesday it was two three-year-old fillies who showed their potential.

Well-bred Sindarin was impressive when narrowly winning the Bar Coluzzi Darlinghurst Handicap (1300m) on debut after missing the start by three lengths.

"That was a super debut," top jockey Corey Brown said.

"The penny has nowhere near dropped with her yet but she is loaded with ability on that effort."

Brown made it a double for Darley on staying filly Angelus who took out the Testlogistics Maiden Plate (1800m).

Stable foreman Brad Widdup said next year's AJC Oaks or Queensland Oaks would be looked at for the filly.

Newcastle Closed For Racing

Thursday, 20 October 2011 06:59

Newcastle's Broadmeadow racecourse has been temporarily shut down for racing, effective immediately, so urgent remedial work can be conducted on the troubled track.

Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys sent a team of experts, including chief steward Ray Murrihy, to inspect the surface on Thursday following concerns raised by jockeys that it was unsafe for racing.

While the team of experts came away with differing views on what action should be taken, V'landys decided to close the track in the interests of safety.

"The opinion was divided in relation to the track but I decided to err on the side of caution and shut the track down until rectification work is done," he said.

"I'm not prepared to take any risks, with the jockeys' safety or with that of the horses.

"I appreciate the club will suffer some losses but to me, safety is paramount."

V'landys said the problems with the Broadmeadow track had been identified to industry officials some time ago and related to uneven sections of ground.

While local jockeys were aware of the issues and took the "necessary precautions", visiting riders found the track harder to navigate safely.

"There are corrugations in the track and horses can lose their footing or dip from it," V'landys said.

There are seven meetings scheduled for Newcastle before the end of the year, with the next due to be run on Saturday week.

Venue changes for Newcastle's scheduled meetings over the next eight weeks will be announced on Friday.

V'landys said they hoped the rectification work would be completed by mid-December to allow a meeting to be held at Newcastle prior to one of the club's biggest afternoons of the year on Boxing Day.

Dato Tan Goes Home Empty-handed

Wednesday, 19 October 2011 06:15

Prominent owner Dato Tan Chin Nam made a rare racetrack appearance at the low-key Randwick midweek meeting on Wednesday but left winless.

The Malaysian businessman, who has raced a number of champion racehorses in Australia with legendary trainer Bart Cummings, was in town and took the chance to watch his three-year-old Pendragon colt Dragonzone contest an 1800m maiden on the Kensington track.

Unfortunately the colt could only manage fifth to the Peter Snowden-trained filly Angelus.

Among Dato Tan's many great racehorses is So You Think, who has been centre stage on this coming weekend for the past two years with back-to-back Cox Plate victories.

So You Think won't be attempting a three-peat on Saturday having been sent to Ireland after last year's spring carnival to compete on Europe's biggest stages.

Dato Tan sold a controlling interest in So You Think to Coolmore, keen to test the champion on the other side of the world.

"He could have won three Cox Plates, but we decided to take on the world," Dato Tan said.

So You Think has won three Group Ones in Europe this season, finished fourth in the prestigious Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and most recently finished second in last Saturday's Group One Champion Stakes at Ascot.

Ryan Confident Of More Snitzel Wins

Thursday, 20 October 2011 06:45

Trainer Gerald Ryan will look to continue his run of wins with Snitzel-sired runners when Dances On Stars makes his debut this weekend.

The colt will be joined in Saturday's Harvey Norman Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill by stablemate Cordelia, also by Ryan's Group One 2006 Oakleigh Plate winner.

The in-form Ryan bagged a double last weekend at Randwick with Hot Snitzel and Amorino, then on Wednesday he won with four-year-old Top Drop at the Geelong Cup meeting - all progeny of Snitzel.

"We had a good day last Saturday and Top Drop won at Geelong, so the Snitzels are going good at the moment," Ryan said.

TAB Sportsbet has posted Dances On Stars, unbeaten in two barrier trials, as $2.40 favourite.

Cordelia, who finished a lacklustre seventh at her first start at Rosehill on October 8, is an $11 chance.

Ryan said he was pleased with Dances On Stars' form coming into the event.

"He's a nice little horse, he's not a jump-and-run very fast horse, he's probably a horse who will settle off the speed and hit the line," he said.

"His two trials have been good, he won his first trial and in his second trial he didn't do a lot wrong, I'm quite happy with him."

Ryan confirmed Hot Snitzel would take on Sepoy in the $500,000 Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday week.

Hot Snitzel returned from a spell to win the Listed Brian Crowley Stakes (1200m) at Randwick last Saturday.

"He'll go to the Coolmore and Hugh Bowman is riding him," Ryan said.

"He's done well since the other day and he travelled to Melbourne on Tuesday night and is settling in well down at Caulfield.

"He's got to take on Sepoy and Foxwedge, he's only had one run back so he's on the improve.

"They might be at the end of their tether, hopefully."

Ryan was also upbeat about Adnocon's chances in Saturday's Centrebet's Pick Your Own Field Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill.

Adnocon has been a great campaigner with eight wins and 12 placings from his 42 starts.

But his form at Rosehill is not as flash with just two minor placings from 11 tries.

"It's a tough race but he's an honest, consistent horse, he's drawn a barrier (five), he ran really well the other day from a bad barrier, eight wide all the way," he said.

"He's trained on well."

Juvenile Race A Family Affair

Wednesday, 19 October 2011 03:45

Two sets of father and son trainers will engage in a "battle of the babies" when they start rival runners in the two-year-old race at Rosehill on Saturday.

Four-time Golden Slipper-winning trainer Clarry Conners will saddle up debutante Report in the Harvey Norman Hcp (1100m) while son Marc will send around Mai Tai Lady.

The Murray family, father Bede and son Paul, will also have a strong hand with Magical Talent and Kyoto respectively.

"Let's hope the sons prevail," Marc Conners said.

"But if I can't win then I would rather he (Clarry) did than anybody else."

Mai Tai lady is one of only five youngsters in the 14-strong field with race experience and Conners is banking on that being a telling factor.

After finishing third to Gimcrack Stakes winner Hussousa at her first trial she improved to beat Saturday's Moonee Valley entrant Diamond Earth in an 800m heat.

Conners sent her to the races and she fought on solidly for fifth to Tatra over 1100m at Rosehill on October 8.

"I thought her run was great," Conners said.

"She got into a position we didn't really want to be in in front but she boxed on really well and she was still quite green.

"She has gone ahead since that run so it can only be good for her."

Clarry Conners' runner Report is beautifully bred being a daughter of Canny Lad and a granddaughter of his 1992 Golden Slipper winner Burst.

She has finished runner-up in both trials but has drawn poorly in barrier 13 while Mai Tai Lady has gate five.

The other runners with race experience include topweight Emperor Of Rome who has won his only two starts in the country at Tamworth and Port Macquarie.

Temora Girl and Cordelia, sixth and seventh to Tatra respectively, and Rise To The Top, who is expected to bypass Rosehill for Moonee Valley, also have race day experience.

Meanwhile, Marc Conners reported exciting colt Didntcostalot pulled up well from his slashing debut win at Wyong last week and would have his next start at Gosford on October 27.

The three-year-old set a track record of 1:02.32 when he won an 1100-metre maiden by 5-1/2 lengths.

"There are not many that do what he did at their first start in a race," Conners said.

"The possibilities are there."

Waller's Big Plans For Subarc

Thursday, 20 October 2011 04:15

Chris Waller has a $1 million summer target for the progressive Subarc, but an impressive win at Rosehill on Saturday could still force a slight rethink from Sydney's premier trainer.

Subarc will be joined in Saturday's Sportingbet Handicap (1350m) by inexperienced but talented stablemate Said Com who made a stunning debut at Canterbury recently and is being earmarked as a probable autumn carnival player next year.

Three-year-old Subarc returned froma spell with a last-to-first victory at Rosehill two weeks ago and could head back to the paddock for a short let-up as soon as next week.

Waller is keen to set Subarc for January's $1 million Magic Millions Guineas (1400m) at the Gold Coast.

"After Saturday we'll probably back off him and target a race like the Magic Millions three-year-old race," Waller said.

"I still think he's a preparation away so while he's like that I don't want to put too much pressure on him.

"If he happened to win impressively on Saturday you could have a look at the Sandown Guineas which we won last year with Pressday, but I'd like to head to the Magic Millions."

The Group Two Sandown Guineas (1600m) is on November 12 but pressing on to that event with Subarc would then eat into the time Waller has to prepare him for the Gold Coast feature.

"Obviously you need to target a race like that (Magic Millions) and if he is going for a race like that he's going to need to have a short break," Waller said.

Waller said the difference between Subarc and the promising Said Com heading into Saturday's event was experience.

Subarc has had two racing preparations prior to his current campaign while Said Com only made his debut with an eye-catching 2-1/4-length win on October 5.

The Rosehill trainer believes stepping out in Saturday company for the first time will stand Said Com in good stead for his future, regardless of the result.

Said Com has been a firmer with TAB Sportsbet and was at $4.20 on Thursday while Subarc was at $8.

The Peter Snowden-trained Mental was the $3.60 favourite with last-start winner Hendricus at $5.

"Said Com has to step up to Saturday grade at only his second start so that will be difficult," Waller said.

"We're sort of looking at next preparation with him.

"It gives him a bit of exposure in a better race so he can come back in the autumn where I expect him to make the grade.

"Whatever he does on Saturday is a bonus and I'm hoping he's going to be a carnival horse next preparation."

Said Com carries the same white and blue colours and his Group One-winning stablemate Rangirangdoo.

Villiers Target For Somepin Anypin

Wednesday, 19 October 2011 03:15

Somepin Anypin is about to have the stakes raised in a spring campaign which could continue through to the start of summer.

Set to continue his preparation at Rosehill on Saturday, trainer Gary Portelli said there was a chance Somepin Anypin might be kept in work to contest the Group Two Villiers Stakes - the biggest summer feature in Sydney.

"At this stage the favoured target is the Hawkesbury Cup and after that we'll reassess but there is talk of theVilliers," Portelli said.

"There is a long break between Hawkesbury and the Villiers so we'll just wait and see."

The $150,000 Group Three Hawkesbury Gold Cup will be run on November 3 but the $175,000 Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm isn't on until December 17.

Hawkesbury will be the first time Somepin Anypin races at 1600m but he will step up to 1400m in Saturday's Centrebet's Pick Your Own Field Handicap at Rosehill.

Portelli trained Something Anything to win the 2008 Villiers and Somepin Anypin is raced in similar interests.

The Warwick Farm trainer was keen to test Somepin Anypin over 1600m as an autumn three-year-old but his plans to run the galloper in the Randwick Guineas were shelved after a Hobartville Stakes failure.

Jim Cassidy, making the most of extra opportunities with a lot of Sydney's top riders involved in the Melbourne spring carnival, continues his association with Somepin Anypin.

Cassidy has ridden Somepin Anypin five times for three wins, the most recent at Rosehill on October 8.

It's a record Portelli believes can be enhanced this week on the score of fitness alone.

"He'll be having his fourth run back and he's showing no signs that he won't be at his peak," Portelli said.

"He worked brilliantly (on Tuesday), his recovery has been excellent and he's got basically the same weight (53.5kg) on Saturday."

Portelli is hoping to be part of WS Cox Plate day at Moonee Valley with Rosehill-placed two-year-old Rise To The Top.

He nominated Rise To The Top for the $250,000 Inglis Banner (1000m) as well as a Rosehill race.

"I'm putting blinkers on him and Hugh Bowman will be riding him at Moonee Valley," Portelli said.

Rise To The Top worked the Melbourne way of going last week and convinced Portelli he is a natural in the opposite direction.

"I worked him on the B grass at Warwick Farm which is nice and tight and he got straight on the right leg," Portelli said.

Bluebird Back From Retirement

Thursday, 20 October 2011 02:45

A few months ago, trainer Bede Murray attended to retired Group One winner Coniston Bluebird and was struck by how well he looked.

"It was just before August, he'd spent six months in the paddock and I went there one day to have a look at his feet," Murray said.

"I looked at him and he looked so well, I thought `he's only a five-year-old' so I asked the owners to give him another preparation and see."

His owners were persuaded and on Saturday Coniston Bluebird will line up in the Centrebet's Pick Your Own Field Hcp (1400m) at Rosehill.

It will be the second run of his comeback after he finished down the track over 1350m at Rosehill on October 8.

The gelding won the 2009 Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m) and contested that year's AJC Australian Derby won by Roman Emperor.

But that was to be his last race for almost 18 months.

"He strained a suspensory and had to go to Melbourne for stem cell treatment," Murray said.

"When he came back his benchmark rating was so high he had to run in all the weight-for-age races, all the top races.

"We decided to retire him, not because he had a problem with his suspensory or anything, but because we thought he might have done enough."

Murray was buoyed by some of Coniston Bluebird's performances post-injury, including a sixth to More Joyous in the 2010 Group One George Main Stakes (1600m).

Given the gelding was a Derby winner, Murray stretched him out to 2400m again in last year's Christmas Cup but he now believes his charge is not a genuine stayer.

"He ran some nice races last preparation when he was out of his grade but when he went up in distance he just didn't measure up," Murray saud.

"As a three-year-old he won a Derby but I don't think he stays so we will probably keep him to distances around a mile (1600m)."

Coniston Bluebird will be one of three runners for Murray along with unraced two-year-old Magical Talent in the Harvey Norman Hcp (1100m) and Heza Playboy in the Sportingbet Hcp (1350m).

Magical Talent, by Show A Heart, finished third in his only trial and Murray has put blinkers on for his debut.

"He was very green (in the trial) and he still has a lot to learn," he said.

"He's had a jumpout since then and I've put the blinkers on for Saturday, I think they will help him a bit.

"He's not a big, robust colt but I think he will make a nice horse. He will be much better next preparation."

Murray said Heza Playboy would be spelled after Saturday with a view to the autumn.

Lofty Summer Goals For Legsman

Wednesday, 19 October 2011 01:59

Form around a genuine Melbourne Cup fancy has trainer John O'Shea looking forward to the summer with honest stayer Legsman.

The six-year-old will take another step towards his off-season goals when he runs second-up over 1800 metres at Rosehill on Saturday in the Ingham Love'Em Handicap.

"The form around him is pretty fair," O'Shea said.

"He did beat Tullamore at the end of his last preparation which is not bad."

That was in the Listed Winter Cup (2400m) before Tullamore went to Queensland and claimed the Brisbane Cup.

Last Saturday Tullamore finished third to Southern Speed in the $2.5 million Caulfield Cup (2400m).

Legsman resumed with a midfield effort on October 8 over 1350m at Rosehill.

O'Shea was satisfied with the performance over a journey well short of the gelding's best.

"He's getting ready for the Christmas and Summer Cups and we're bringing him along steadily," O'Shea said.

"In another run or two he'll be ready to really produce his best."

Legsman came in 6-1/2 lengths behind the smart Somepin Anypin first-up in a pass mark for the stayer.

"He was keen and he wanted to be there," O'Shea said.

"We usually kick him off at the provincials so to kick off in Open company and get beaten five or six lengths was not a bad effort."

He said the step up to 1800m second-up was probably not ideal but believed it would bring the gelding right on again.

In a 25-start career Legsman has forged a reputation as a no-nonsense, on-pace stayer who will dig in for a fight.

The son of Pins has five wins and 13 placings to his name with his best performance being his length victory over Tullamore in the Winter Cup in June.

He will have up to 12 rivals on Saturday including multiple stakeswinner Pepperwood, while the Anthony Cummings-trained pair of Dealer Principal and Red Lord are dual acceptors with both also paid up for the opening race over 2000m.