Kilmore Meeting Transferred To Tatura

Thursday, 17 June 2010 06:43

Racing Victoria have announced that Friday’s meeting scheduled for Kilmore has been transferred to Tatura.

A stewards’ inspection conducted shortly after 3pm today revealed the Kilmore track was rated a Heavy (10) with a penetrometer reading of 6.42.

The provincial racetrack had received 14mm of rain overnight taking its tally to 19mm for the week.

Subsequently, stewards deemed Kilmore unsuitable for racing with sections of the track containing surface water.

Kilmore has staged four meetings since April 12 and the decision to move was made shortly after 4pm this afternoon.

Tatura has only hosted two meetings since March 21 and is currently rated a Slow (7) with only 7.5mm received in the last 24 hours.

However the decision to move to a venue approximately 110km away of arguably inferior standard compared to Kilmore, is sure to anger some participants and lead to several scratchings from the 90 starters accepted for tomorrow's meeting.

Phar Lap's Skeleton Heading To Melbourne

Thursday, 17 June 2010 00:59

Champion racehorse Phar Lap's skeleton and hide will be reunited during celebrations for the 150th running of the Melbourne Cup, but his heart will remain in Canberra.

New Zealand's Te Papa Museum in Wellington - where the skeleton is housed - has agreed to loan it to the Melbourne Museum, after conservators gave it the go ahead to be moved.

Melbourne Museum Manager Brett Dunlop said the loan from Te Papa will be a great way to begin celebrations for the institution's 10th birthday in October.

Phar Lap's skeleton will be on show from September until January 30, 2011.

"This historic reunion of Phar Lap's hide and skeleton will be a fitting tribute to his important place in Victoria's racing history," Mr Dunlop said.

"I'm sure this will make Melbourne Museum's most popular exhibit an even greater attraction."

Victorian Racing Minister Rob Hulls said it would be the first time Phar Lap's skeleton would travel overseas since it arrived in New Zealand in 1933.

He renewed his calls for the National Museum of Australia in Canberra to loan the horse's heart to the exhibition.

Conservators decided Phar Lap's heart was too fragile to travel to Melbourne.

New Zealand's racing minister John Carter said the collaboration would showcase to sporting fans the size of the racehorse giant.

"The Melbourne Cup is a race that stops both our nations and one of its greatest winners ever, Phar Lap, is significant to the racing history of both New Zealand and Australia," he said.

Phar Lap was foaled in New Zealand and raced in Australia.

He was born in 1926 and died in 1932 from a sudden mystery illness that was suspected to be accidental arsenic poisoning.

Mazzacano Out For Steeplechase History

Thursday, 17 June 2010 05:45

Trainer Robbie Laing says Mazzacano is on target to create history at Sandown on Saturday by becoming the first horse to win The Australian Steeplechase for a third time.

The nine-year-old has overcome three serious tendon injuries to become one of Australia's best steeplechasers.

The King Ivor gelding won the 2007 Australian Steeple by 20 lengths but, when winning the Crisp Steeple at Sandown at his next outing he returned to scale with a ruptured tendon which sidelined him for nearly two years.

Laing set him for a first-up tilt at the 2009 Australian Steeple and readied him for it with a series of flat and jumps trials.

Under 69.5kg, Mazzacano won the race by three-quarters of a length from Brookton Mist.

He went on to finish runner-up to last season's Jumper of the Year Pentiffic in the 2009 Crisp Steeple before failing behind Pentiffic, due to a back problem, in the Grand National Steeple (4530m) at Sandown.

Mazzacano has had two runs over the bigger new fences this season for a win under 70kg from Some Are Bent over 3300m at Sandown and a distant fourth to Al Garhood in the Grand Annual Steeple (5500m) at Warrnambool.

"He trialled brilliantly on the flat on the Monday leading into it but he went around in second gear (in the Grand Annual) and when he pulled up blew the place down," Laing said.

"Whether he had a low-grade infection or a back problem I'm not sure.

"We thought it was a two-horse race between him and Some Are Bent but Some Are Bent fell and he got beaten a furlong.

"It was the worst race of his career and he took a week to get over it but he seems really good again now."

Steven Pateman, who has ridden Mazzacano in his two `chasing starts this preparation, retains the ride and the horse drops 0.5kg on last year's winning weight to 69kg.

"If he's right he'll win," Laing said of Mazzacano who has won eight of his 11 jumps starts.

"He has a bit of race fitness this year and he looks well."

Laing said the heavy (8) track rating at Sandown would be in favour of Mazzacano who is $2.40 favourite with TAB Sportsbet ahead of last-start Sandown Steeple winner Tarawera at $3.40.

Great Southern Steeple winner Virvacity is third pick at $7 with Grand Annual runner-up Mali Juraj at $7.50, Last Shogun at $8.50 and Stop The Traffic next best at $9.

Sandown Savvy Ghostmilk Eyes Final

Thursday, 17 June 2010 00:46

Trainer Peter Moody is confident his Irish import Ghostmilk can continue on her winning way in the $70,000 Captain Gerrard At Lindsay Park Series Final (1400) this Saturday at Sandown.

"She comes in nicely at the weights and has drawn well," said Moody this morning.

"On her last start effort she should take a lot of beating."

At her last outing Ghostmilk handed out a three length lesson to the fillies and mares some of which will line up again on Saturday in a race which looks no stronger on paper.

Moody will claim three kilograms on the six-year-old mare thanks to recently indentured apprentice Taylor Lovelock-Wiggins, adding to the oppositions woes.

"With Taylor's claim she will drop two kilos on her last start win which is a big help going into the final of an series," said Moody.

"Taylor is riding well given his claim and has already saluted a number of times on Saturday city meetings for me," Moody added.

Ghostmilk is still an unknown quantity to the leading Melbourne trainer having only had a handful of starts since arriving from Ireland and Moody admits he is still working the mare out.

"There are still a number of unknowns with the mare," said Moody.

"I'm still not sure what her ideal distance is nor how she will handle the 10 day backup.

"In saying that she pulled up well after the win and has won twice at the Sandown track over the distance so it would be hard to overlook her on Saturday," he added.

Ghostmilk has raced just the six times in Australia for two wins and has only missed a cheque on the one occasion for the Moody stable.

Picture: Colin Bull

Placement Key To Falaise This Winter

Thursday, 17 June 2010 04:59

The Peter Snowden stable is treading a fine line with Falaise as it tries to place the seven-year-old to advantage this winter.

While a winner on heavy ground, Falaise has always preferred firmer going which is making the task of finding suitable races for him harder at this time of year.

Melbourne foreman Paul Snowden said big weights and age were also catching up with the gelding who has won 10 of his 51 starts and more than $700,000 in stakes.

Falaise will be looking to improve on that record when he lines up in Saturday's Le Pine Funerals Cup (1200m) at Sandown.

Again he is one of the topweights with 58kg on a track that was rated a heavy (8) on Thursday and was likely to deteriorate with more showers forecast.

"He has never really had a liking for wet tracks," Snowden said.

"As a three-year-old he won a few races in a row including some in the wet but he was in his prime and beating horses like Mentality.

"He is older now and feeling his old bones a bit and the hardest part for him is the weights he has to carry.

"His competitiveness is there for one or two runs a preparation whereas before we could get four or five out of him."

Snowden said Falaise was a difficult horse to ride and that Mark Zahra would again ride the gelding.

"You can't really claim on him with an apprentice as he is a bit cagey nowadays," Snowden said.

"He knows when young blokes are on him and he has a bit of a lend of them.

"He is a horse who just needs the right run in a race."

Falaise won first-up at Moonee Valley in March but has had his subsequent three runs spaced, his most recent five weeks ago when fifth to Skiddaw Peak at Flemington on May 15.

Topweight Pinnacles resumes on Saturday with 59.5kg and Steven Arnold takes the reins while El Mandon, In the Shadows and Arch Symbol are among the other leading chances.

Some Are Bent In Pleasing Trial

Wednesday, 16 June 2010 08:15

Some Are Bent pleased the Robert Smerdon stable in a hurdle trial at Stony Creek on Wednesday which is expected to qualify the gelding to run in Saturday's The Australian Hurdle at Sandown.

Smerdon did not travel to the south Gippsland course for the jumps trials but received an encouraging report from rider Brad McLean.

"I've spoken with Brad McLean and he said he was very happy with him," Smerdon said.

"He just bowled along in front and jumped really well. The conditions were obviously very wet and testing but that's okay for him so it was a very positive report that he gave to me."

The jumps review panel, chaired by Racing Victoria Limited steward James Williams, will meet early on Thursday to watch video of the Stony Creek trials ahead of acceptances for The Australian Hurdle (3400m) and The Australian Steeplechase (3900m).

Smerdon said he would also start the very much in-form Black And Bent in The Australian Hurdle.

The winner of his last five starts and six of his last seven, Black And Bent won't go to Sydney for Saturday's Stayer's Cup (3200m) at Rosehill.

"The thinking was that if Sandown was really heavy, like a 10, the owners might have looked at it (taking him Sydney)," Smerdon said.

"He's not a great wet-tracker, he's okay in it depending on the degree of it, but the way things are at the moment he'll run at Sandown unless it turned ugly later on."

The Sandown track was rated a heavy (8) on Wednesday.

Some Are Bent received 71.5kg, the biggest weight of his career, but Smerdon was not perturbed.

"I expected that," Smerdon said.

The last horse to carry more weight to victory in an Australian Hurdle was Contador who had 72.5kg in 1962.

Steven Pateman thought there was something amiss with Some Are Bent when he pulled him up out of a 3300m steeplechase at Sandown on June 2.

But Smerdon believes it was more the rising nine-year-old not handling the new fences which are bigger than the old ones.

"We think he's just not as effective over those bigger obstacles which is the reason for coming back to the hurdles," the trainer said.

A dual Jumper of the Year, Some Are Bent shouldered 71kg when he won the Brierly Steeple (3450m) at Warrnambool on May 4, two days before he fell under 70kg in the Grand Annual Steeple (5500m) at the same track.

Pateman retains the ride on Some Are Bent while McLean will be aboard Black And Bent who will carry 66kg.

Today's Seymour Meeting Abandoned

Thursday, 17 June 2010 04:42

Today’s Seymour meeting has been abandoned by order of RVL stewards due to inclement weather and the subsequent state of the track.

Upon arrival on-course at 9.30am stewards downgraded the track to a Slow 7 due to showers.

Prior to the running of Race 1 significant thunderstorms struck the racecourse receiving 9mm of rain in a 15 minute period.

Stewards and riders then conducted a track inspection and observed significant amounts of surface water.

Acting on this observation and advice from the Weather Bureau that electrical activity was highly likely to continue in the vicinity of the course for a number of hours stewards abandoned the meeting.

Dubleanny Brightens Up Dull Winter Period

Wednesday, 16 June 2010 04:22

Winter racing can be pretty boring.

Heavy tracks, the same horses going around week after week - there’s not much inducement to leave a warm fire and a good book.

The only savour really has been the brilliant filly Dubleanny, she has put together four wins which takes her record to five wins from seven outings.

She was on the verge of going for a spell after winning at Caulfield except for her astute trainer, Mick Price, noticing a listed race for fillies three weeks away at Flemington.

Being aware of the value of Black Type in pedigrees, Price is not the type of fellow to turn his back on an opportunity.

The race, the AR Creswick Stakes (1200m), could easily have been lost at the start when the favourite, Dubleanny, was sandwiched between two runners as the field was dispatched.

Price was concerned with the incident soon after the start when his filly took quite a battering but to her credit she stuck to her guns, it was quite a courageous win .

The spelling paddock is her next port of call, she will have a few weeks break before being prepared for the spring.

“There are a few nice races for mares over the spring and she can run a strong 1200 metres” said Mick Price who has done a great job with the filly.

Dubleanny is by the little known sire Dubleo, a son of Southern Halo from Uncanny Lady.

Her dam, Nance Chrissie, was a half sister to the triple Oaks winner Northern Rain.

Pictures: Fiona Tomlin & Colin Bull

Cautious Cups Approach With Bauer

Thursday, 17 June 2010 04:30

Bauer, who failed by the barest of margins in the Melbourne Cup of 2008, will be among the entries for this year’s Cup when they close on August 3.

Whether the grey entire will make the trip from his stable in Newmarket is difficult to predict at this early stage.

He was weighted at 50kg in 2008 when second to Viewed. How the chief handicapper, Greg Carpenter, treats him this year will be interesting.

Part owner, Simon O’Donnell, is enthusiastic, but is acting on the side of caution realising it is a huge ask for the horse to come back from where he left off after sustaining a bowed tendon.

“All is going well at this stage with Bauer. He will commence some serious gallops towards the end of this month,” said Simon.

“Each morning when Luca Cumani goes into the horse’s loose box and while everything looks well, we will just press on, keeping our fingers crossed.

“There are no expectations, we are taking it a day at a time.

“We would love to bring him back but there will be no firm commitment for quite a while,” O’Donnell added.

Picture: Quentin Lang

Trustus Defies Training Traditions

Tuesday, 15 June 2010 09:44

A two day turnaround and 59 kilograms was not enough to stop Trutus prevailing in the $50,000 StrathAyr Turf Systems Handicap (1519m) at Moonee Valley.

Trustus ($4.60,$5,$4.40) left the gates well and was given the run of the race by Steven Arnold who went around just one horse on the way to victory.

Turning for home Arnold used experience and poise to shoulder his way off the rail and was able to run down the persistent Prospect ($15,$18) by just a half neck on the line with Have A Shot ($6,$7) two lengths away third.

Most punters were surprised to see the four-year-old line up let alone win the event but co-trainer Fran Houlahan was never concerned by the short back up.

"When you have got Steven Arnold, you have drawn inside and the horse has pulled up so well, there is no reason not to run," said Houlahan.

"We know our horse, we know he is fit and we have them very fit before their races so they can do these sorts of things."

However Arnold admitted he wasn't as confident leading into the race but praised the training duo for backing their own judgement.

"I thought he had a hard run on Saturday and with the big weight here today I thought the job was ahead of him," said Arnold.

"Congratulations to Fran and Brian for going against traditional training methods and backing their judgement."

Trustus has now won five of his 23 starts for more than $250,000 in prizemoney and Houlahan is hoping to add to the total in the Winter Championship final.

"We will look at the Winter Championship with him, but we would like to get him out over 2000m this time in," said Houlahan.