Ballarat Meeting Moved To Geelong Synthetic

Thursday, 12 August 2010 03:49

Next Wednesday’s meeting scheduled for Ballarat has been transferred to Geelong Synthetic due to the state of the track.

The Ballarat Turf Club notified Racing Victoria today that the track will not be suitable for racing on Wednesday with the track receiving over 50mm of rain in the last 24 hours.

Consequently, the 0-68 Handicap previously advertised to be over a mile will now be held over 1900 metres.

Additionally, the 0-62 Handicap over a mile at Cranbourne on August 22 has been changed to a 0-68 Handicap.

Geelong Synthetic (August 18)

$15,000 3YO Fillies Maiden Plate 1200m (no change)

$15,000 Maiden Plate 1200m (no change)

$15,000 Maiden Plate 1900m (was 1500m)

$15,000 0 – 62 Handicap 1200m (no change)

$22,500 Showcase Fillies & Mares 0 – 68 Handicap 1300m (was 1400m)

$22,500 Showcase 0 – 68 Handicap 1900m (was 1600m)

$22,500 Showcase 0 – 72 Handicap 1000m (no change)

$22,500 Showcase 0 – 78 Handicap 1900m (was 1600m)

Spirit Cent Impressive In First-up Win

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 07:15

Trainer John Leek is taking a measured approach with former Blue Diamond Stakes contender Spirit Cent who bounced back to win first-up in city class at Geelong.

Leek said there were some unknowns going into Wednesday's Caranna Handicap (1000m) and he was relieved to see the Invincible Spirit colt charge away to a 3-1/2 length win over maiden colt Dusty Star and Kyneton winner Follonica.

Spirit Cent's only previous win was at Ballarat in January but he showed pace in the Blue Diamond Stakes before fading to finish last to Star Witness.

Leek said that in hindsight Spirit Cent should not have run in the Diamond.

"He'd had enough by then but we'd paid the fees and sent him around," Leek said.

He said the winter break had been extremely beneficial to the colt and he was racing 50kg heavier than last campaign.

He has now won two of his six starts and is Moonee Valley-placed.

"We were worried about how he would come back and then there was the ProRide track and how he would handle it," Leek said.

"It is a big thing with the owners anticipating that the horse is going to come back and be good."

Leek said he was in no rush to take Sprit Cent back to stakes level but remains hopeful that he will measure up.

"I'm pretty happy with him and I thought it was a handy field today," Leek said.

"I am just planning it a step at a time.

"He has won a city midweek, even though at Geelong, and we will go back home and look for something else."

Leek said a Saturday race was now the most likely next target for Spirit Cent.

Early Timeslot For Sandown Jumping Features

Thursday, 12 August 2010 01:57

Racing Victoria stewards have this morning inspected the Betfair Park Sandown track ahead of Sunday’s Grand Nationals meeting.

The inspection established that the steeple track at the back of the course is currently unsuitable for racing due to the state of the track following extensive rain.

Should the condition of the steeple track not improve, the three programmed jumps races will be held on the Hillside track course proper at Betfair Park which is currently rated a Heavy 10 and is safe for racing.

In anticipation of the likely conduct of these races on the Hillside track course proper, the three feature jumps races have been programmed as Races 1,2,3 instead of Races 3,4,5 as originally planned.

This programming change has been made owing to time constraints which impact on the erection of the jumps obstacles in between flat races.

“The use of the steeple track allows a majority of the obstacles in all three races to be erected prior to the meeting, thus requiring only minimal assembly of the course proper obstacles between races,” Racing Victoria Racing Operations Manager, Paul Bloodworth, explained.

“If the races are run on the course proper the entire course would need to be assembled between races which could take as much as 90 minutes to complete.

“This is not practical and therefore the races have been programmed as Races 1, 2 and 3 to enable the obstacles to be erected prior to the commencement of the meeting.”

A further track inspection will be conducted tomorrow at which time a final decision will be made on whether the steeple track can be used.

Sandown Hillside (Sunday)

Race 1 @ 12:10pm - $100,000 J.J. Houlahan Hurdle (3400m)

Race 2 @ 12:46pm - $150,000 Grand National Hurdle (4530m)

Race 3 @ 1:31pm - $150,000 Grand National Steeplechase (4530m)

Picture: Colin Bull

Liston A Stepping Stone To Spring Glory

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 06:15

Should either Cox Plate favourite Shoot Out or So You Think win Saturday's Liston Stakes at Caulfield and go on to claim the weight-for-age championship, he would be the first to achieve the feat since So Called 32 years ago.

Prepared by the late Colin Hayes, So Called had won the Sandown Guineas the previous spring and won a string of races during his 1978 spring campaign including the Liston, Feehan and Underwood Stakes.

In his Cox Plate victory he beat the 1977 winner Family Of Man and three-year-old Karaman.

Champion galloper Tobin Bronze completed the Liston-Cox Plate double in 1966, the year before he went on to win the Caulfield Cup and a second Cox Plate, while Tauto completed the double in 1971 and won the Liston again the following year.

In the past 20 years the Cox Plate winners to contest the Liston as a lead-up race early in their spring campaigns were Maldivian (third in 2008) and Better Loosen Up (eighth in 1990).

In the 61 runnings of the Liston, the only winner to take out the Caulfield Cup in the same year was the Bob Hoysted-trained Sydeston in 1990.

But no Liston winner has gone on to victory in a Melbourne Cup.

Subzero is the only Melbourne Cup winner in the past 20 years to come through the Liston.

The grey finished sixth to New Zealander Jim's Mate in 1992 before giving trainer Lee Freedman the second of his five Melbourne Cup successes six runs later.

Freedman's first Melbourne Cup winner Tawrrific (1989) also came through the Liston, finishing third to Kiwi galloper Kairau Lad.

The Liston has been a better guide to the Caulfield Cup over the past 20 years with six winners of the 2400m handicap coming through the 1400m weight-for-age event - Elvstroem (fifth in 2004), Mummify (10th in 2003), Diatribe (sixth in 2000), Sky Heights (second in 1999), Fraar (fifth in 1993) and Sydeston.

Other notable winners of the Liston include Chicquita (1951), Lord (1958), Nicopolis (1963), Craftsman (1964), Samson (1965), Winfreux (1968), Sovereign Red (1981), Military Plume (1987), Dr Grace (1991), Mahogany (1994), Lad Of The Manor (2005), Pompeii Ruler (2006) and Apache Cat (2007).

Predatory Pricer, the 2009 Liston winner when prepared by Paul Murray, will be having his first start for trainer Mick Price on Saturday and if he wins he would emulate dual winners My Peak (1960 and 1962) and Tauto.

Pictures: Quentin Lang & Fiona Tomlin

Winks Season Off To Winning Start

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 10:10

Returning rider James Winks registered his fourth win from his last ten rides in a twelve day period after Charbet fought hard to win the $30,000 Betfair 0-82 Handicap (1300m) at Geelong Synthetic on Wednesday.

Winks, who was injured for over a month after falling from The Fugitive at Flemington in May, brought up his third win at the Geelong Synthetic this season aboard the Peter Snowden-trained galloper.

Settling close to the speed set by Side Splitter, Charbet ($3.10-$3.70-$3.50 fav) overhauled Side Splitter ($7-$6) in the final 75 metres of the race to win narrowly yet meritoriously.

“He struggled to pick him up halfway up the straight but when he really switched on he lengthened and really won well,” Winks said alluding to how the blinkers aided Charbet to hit the line.

“It’s a good time of year to be riding winners early in the spring.”

Gold Energy ($6-$7) carried her sound South Australian form across the border in finishing third while Into The Sun ($14) finished fourth beaten over three lengths from the winner.

Stable foreman Paul Snowden praised the four-year-old gelding's consistency post-race

“This is his eighth race today and he’s only been out of the money once,” Snowden said.

“That’s probably how he’s won or placed in most of his races, he is up on the speed and just grinds out results late.

“He was one of the more fit horses on the day and when the rain comes that’s probably on your side.

“He’s probably been well-placed but the indication the whole way through is that he’s going to get better and better,” he added.

By Commands, Charbet has accumulated in excess of $63,000 in prizemoney.

Picture: Fiona Tomlin

Houlahan Test Looms For Some Are Bent

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 06:00

Champion jumper Some Are Bent will undergo a vet check tomorrow morning prior to contesting Sunday’s $100,000 J.J. Houlahan Hurdle (3400m) at Sandown Hillside.

The nine-year-old was dramatically eased out of the $100,000 Kevin Lafferty Hurdle (4150m) at Warrnambool last start at the 600 metre mark when he failed to respond to the urgings of Brad McLean.

Upon pulling-up, trainer Robert Smerdon discovered the son of Distorted Humor had developed a foot abscess.

Smerdon believes the horse is now fit enough to gallop in race conditions and intends on accepting Some Are Bent for the Houlahan Hurdle rather than the Grand National Steeplechase which is over five furlongs longer.

McLean is expected to take the reins yet again with the handicapper making the gelding topweight with 69kgs, one more kilo than last start winner Regal Heir.

RVL stewards along with RVL Chief Veterinary Officer Paul O’Callaghan will supervise Some Are Bent after trackwork tomorrow morning.

Some Are Bent has won 14 races from 62 starts whilst boasting a 50% winning record over the jumps, ensuring that his prizemoney tally is in excess of $1 million.

Pictures: Colin Bull

Big Spring Looms For Rock

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 08:15

An ambitious spring campaign is underway for exciting Mark Kavanagh-trained galloper We're Gonna Rock after he scored a confidence-boosting win at Sandown's transferred meeting at Geelong.

The four-year-old is nominated for the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate and was tenacious as he took an inside run to score his second win in three starts when resuming in Wednesday's Ammon Ra Handicap (1000m).

The win put the big, robust entire's racing career back on track after his last-start shock defeat when odds-on favourite at Moonee valley in February.

He had won his race debut at Flemington in explosive fashion beating the previously unbeaten Marconi but finished at the tail of field at the Valley, beaten more than 13 lengths.

Kavanagh needed and expected We're Gonna Rock to bounce back at Geelong and was impressed with the way the $1.80 favourite charged to the line to score a three-quarter length win over Mo' Money and Forays.

"Certainly it was good to see him come through a field, go through the traffic, be held up and then accelerate and take a run," Kavanagh said.

"That will help get his rating up and we will put him in at 1200 metres next start or something like that and see where that takes us.

"It is all about getting his rating up so we can put him in a (good) race.

"He's a four-year-old and a 72-rater who has had three runs so he is going get balloted out of every race on a Saturday at the moment."

Kavanagh has long viewed We're Gonna Rock as a spring horse but admitted the Valley failure had put the skids under his confidence.

"Certainly it was character building," Kavanagh said.

"At Moonee Valley his legs just went everywhere which really bothered us a lot.

"That put a dampener on everything after expanding our chest after his first start.

"No-one has got excited about him over the winter but he has got 2000 metres in his pedigree and he's a pretty relaxed sort of horse although there is still a long way to go."

Jockey Michael Rodd said We're Gonna Rock was only going to get better as he was still learning about what was expected of him.

"He knows nothing," Rodd said. "He is still very, very raw.

"He didn't get going until I gave him a couple of backhanders and then he just rolled past the other horse. He wasn't in any hurry."

Kavanagh finished with a double after Sea Hunter, ridden by stable apprentice Billy Egan, landed the Lucknow Handicap (2200m).

But Egan was in Kavanagh's bad books after the stable was denied the chance of a treble when the previously unbeaten Cat's Pyjamas ($1.90 fav) pigrooted soon after the start of the Wild Rose Handicap (1000m), losing up to a dozen lengths and trailing in last.

Kavanagh blamed the size of her saddle, which shifted causing the problem to the four-year-old mare who had won at Bendigo and Caulfield at her two other starts.

"He used the same saddle he used on Sea Hunter ... but it didn't suit and didn't fit Cat's Pyjamas as it did Sea Hunter," Kavanagh said.

Pictures: Fiona Tomlin & Colin Bull

Price Wary Of Pricer's Prospects

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 05:59

Mick Price is treating Predatory Pricer's prospects of making it back-to-back wins in the Group Two Liston Stakes with caution.

The five-year-old makes his debut for the Caulfield trainer at his new home track on Saturday.

Previously with NSW trainer Paul Murray, the big chestnut entire beat Whobegotyou, Typhoon Tracy and the Price-trained Heart Of Dreams in the 2009 Liston (1400m).

However the four-time Group One placegetter wrenched a joint when 12th to Viewed in the Caulfield Cup (2400m) in October and hasn't raced since.

Price expects the son of Street Cry, who is a half-brother to former champion sprinter Takeover Target, to run well without winning.

"All in all I'd say he's had a really good preparation," Price said.

"I think he'll settle wherever we want him to and if he's working into it he can run into the first three or four.

"I'm not expecting him to win because he's got an off-fetlock that has to be looked at and vetted just about every single day.

"Basically he's got his own vet but it's been really good. He's missed no work and he swims and we've just been able to work our way around it really well.

"We're three days off the race and he's pretty damn perfect."

Craig Newitt will ride Predatory Pricer for the first time in a race while Damien Oliver will handle stablemate Heart Of Dreams.

Price said dual Group One winner Heart Of Dreams worked really well solo at Caulfield on Tuesday morning with Oliver in the saddle.

"He can run well first-up. We haven't got him souped up yet but he's in good order," he said.

"I'm sure they'll both run well. It's that sort of race with a lot of nice horses coming back (from spells)."

If Predatory Pricer wins the Liston he would join My Peak (1960 and 1962) and Tauto (1971-72) as dual winners of the race.

Price has won the Liston twice in the past four years with Pompeii Ruler in 2006 and Light Fantastic in 2008.

The Caulfield track was rated slow on Wednesday and master trainer Bart Cummings said if it was no worse than it was when reigning Cox Plate winner So You Think worked there on Tuesday morning, he would take his place on Saturday.

"If the track doesn't get any worse he'll be okay. He doesn't like it real heavy," Cummings said.

"He worked reasonably well, the time was okay and he pulled up well.

"He's a big, strong horse and we're happy with him.

"(Race jockey) Steven Arnold rode him and he said he worked a lot better than last time he rode him, so that's good news.

"If the track stays reasonable he can run.

"I couldn't be happier with him at the moment. He's going well."

Picture: Sportpix

Some Are Bent Has To Pass Vet Test

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 07:45

Classy jumper Some Are Bent will run in Sunday's JJ Houlahan Hurdle at Sandown providing he passes a veterinary examination after trackwork on Thursday.

It was feared the career of the $1 million earner could be over when rider Brad McLean eased him out of the race near the 600m in the Kevin Lafferty Hurdle at Warrnambool on August 1.

McLean told stewards on the day that Some Are Bent did not respond to his riding.

Trainer Robert Smerdon subsequently informed stewards that the nine-year-old had been found to be suffering from a foot abscess and had since recovered.

Stewards and RVL chief veterinary officer Paul O'Callaghan will examine Some Are Bent after he works on Thursday morning.

Some Are Bent received topweight of 69kg in the Houlahan (3400m), 1kg more than the Ciaron Maher-trained Regal Heir who won the Kevin Lafferty Hurdle on his home track at his latest appearance.

Some Are Bent has won two races at Warrnambool this preparation, carrying 71kg to victory in the Brierly Steeplechase (3450m) on May 4 and 70kg when taking out the Tom Corrigan Hurdle (3550m) on July 11.

Australian Steeple and Crisp Steeple winner Tarawera heads the weights with 69kg for Sunday's Grand National Steeple (4530m) ahead of Sir Pentire (66.5kg) and the in-form Juan Carlos (66kg).

Desert Master is topweight for the Grand National Hurdle (4530m) with 69kg, the grey having won the race last year under 67kg.

Stablemate Sir Pentire has 68kg, last year's runner-up Juan Carlos 67.5kg, Regal Heir 65.5kg and last Saturday's South Australian Grand National Hurdle winner Man Of Class (64.5kg).

Meanwhile, dual Australian Steeple winner Mazzacano has been retired after he was pulled up in the Kevin Lafferty Hurdle.

"He's on a huge property in NSW where he will do a little bit of `showing' and mainly hang around with some ponies," trainer Robbie Laing said.

"The people were rapt to get him."

Ortensia's Virus Won't Affect Spring

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 04:59

Trainer Tony Noonan is confident a minor setback caused by a virus won't derail star mare Ortensia's spring campaign.

Ortensia is still spelling in Queensland after blotting her copybook with three failures at Group One level during the Brisbane winter carnival.

The five-year-old mare was spelled after finishing 16th to Black Piranha in the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 12 which followed her eighth to Hot Danish in the Doomben 10,000 and fifth to Albert The Fat in the BTC Cup at Doomben in May.

Noonan is hoping Ortensia can earn an invitation during the spring for the international Hong Kong meeting at Sha Tin in December.

"She got a virus while spelling in Queensland and she's still in the paddock up there," Noonan said.

"It's knocked her about a little but at this stage she's still on track to return for the Moir Stakes and hopefully that will lead us to an invitation to Hong Kong."

The Group Two Moir Stakes (1200m) will be run at Moonee Valley on October 23.

Ortensia tested positive to a prohibited substance in a post-race urine sample following her Group One Galaxy win at Randwick on April 17.

The mare and stablemate Kutchinsky were able to campaign during the Brisbane winter after both underwent a series of further tests amid reports their feed may have been contaminated.

Noonan said NSW stewards were continuing their investigations and he hadn't yet been informed of any result.

Kutchinsky is set to make his comeback next month ahead of his bid for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

He produced a sensational performance to win the Group Three Grand Prix Stakes (2200m) at Doomben in May before finishing second to the Bart Cummings-trained Dariana in the Group One Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 12.

"Kutchinsky is due to return on September 4 in either the Tramway in Sydney or there's a suitable race at Flemington the same day," Noonan said.

"He's also still in Queensland but he'll probably fly back to Melbourne tomorrow or early next week.

"I don't have any doubt he'll run 2400 metres and hopefully he'll get 3200 metres for the Melbourne Cup."

Noonan is delighted with the way Kutchinsky has spelled following his outstanding Queensland Derby performance when he came from near the tail of the field on the home turn.

"A month spelling in Queensland in June or July is like having three months out in the Melbourne winter," he said.

"He won't need a heavy preparation for the spring but we've still got to get him qualified for the Cup races.

"I'll have to pick my mark if he's only going to have about three runs beforehand."

Noonan is hoping the Queensland Derby will prove another reliable guide for the major staying races in Melbourne.

The Mark Kavanagh-trained Shocking was runner-up to Kiwi stayer Court Ruler in last year's Queensland Derby before going on to win the 2009 Melbourne Cup.

Picture: Sportpix