Danehill Stakes Next Test For Wazzenme

Thursday, 08 September 2016 08:54

Wazzenme will chase feature race success in his home town after trainer Stuart Webb decided against a Golden Rose mission in Sydney.

Caulfield-based Webb admitted Saturday's Golden Rose at Rosehill had been a consideration but he felt a couple of the Sydney horses looked too strong.

And Webb also said a trip north might have shortened the Caulfield Guineas aspirant's Melbourne spring campaign as he has already had five starts since late June.

Wazzenme runs in Saturday's Group Two Danehill Stakes at Flemington having finished third to Defcon and Highland Beat in the Group Three McNeil Stakes last start.

Webb is happy to keep Wazzenme at 1200m on Saturday with a distance progression planned for his next two starts with the trainer hoping he can get to the 1600 metres of the Caulfield Guineas.

"He got pushed wide last start and if we happened to get a bit of rain on Friday, that will be good for his chances," Webb said.

"But he's been good on top of the ground as well. He really hasn't put in a bad run yet."

Wazzenme finished 1-1/4 lengths from Defcon in the McNeil Stakes after the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained colt took an inside run.

Defcon is the $4 favourite for the Danehill Stakes with Godolphin colt Archives at $6.50 and New Zealander Saracino at $7.

Samara Dancer and Highland Beat are at $7.50 while Wazzenme is at $11.

"It's another step up now," Webb said.

"They're some of the A-graders but he was good the other day and if he had the run of the winner, you'd probably nearly swap the result.

"He'll go to the Guineas Prelude a fortnight after the Danehill and then the Guineas after that if he's going well and if he looks like he'll get a trip.

"He has got a speed physique, but he's very clean-winded so I hope he does step out in trip."

Sandown Abandoned After Three Races

Wednesday, 07 September 2016 08:18

A Sandown meeting has been called off for the second time in two months with jockeys voting not to ride at the city course.

The July 20 meeting was abandoned after one race while three races were run on Wednesday before racing was abandoned.

Both meetings were held on Sandown's Lakeside circuit.

Jockeys first alerted Racing Victoria stewards to a problem on the home turn following race two after which a 400m section of track was aerated.

There were mixed reports following race three before jockeys were called before stewards and a secret ballot of riders in race four was taken.

The vote was five-four to abandon the meeting.

Champion jockey Damien Oliver said Wednesday's problem was in the same area that caused the July 20 meeting to be called off.

"It's unfortunate, especially when you get what looks a good track," Oliver said.

"There's obviously a problem with that section of the track. It's the second time it's happened now.

"They did some remedial work which we hoped would get us through the meeting but there were a couple of horses that lost their footing coming around the corner.

"It's not ideal for this time of year as we want the meetings to go ahead."

Oliver said recent meetings on the Hillside course had been run without any problem.

Melbourne Racing Club general manager of racing, Jake Norton, said the club would undertake a thorough investigation of the problem area.

He said there had been a problem with that same area of the track over the past three or four months, adding the club was accountable.

"Clearly it is something we have to investigate scientifically and understand how it happens," Norton said.

"Perhaps we need some land engineers to assist us with this process."

Norton said the track looked fine for racing but a strong northerly wind had possibly dried the track out more than anticipated.

Trainer Mitchell Beer had scratched his two runners only minutes before the meeting was abandoned at 2.53pm.

Beer said it did not matter if it was a country meeting or a city meeting, the most important thing was to get the horses home safely.

"A lot of people criticise jockeys but they are the ones that know these tracks," Beer said.

"A lot of them are Group One jockeys and they know what is going on.

"The welfare of horse and jockey must come first."

Sandown's next meeting is scheduled for November 12 on the Hillside course featuring the Zipping Classic.

Kemp On The Road For Rare Sydney Visit

Thursday, 08 September 2016 08:54

It's been a decade since Toowoomba trainer Kevin Kemp has won a race in Sydney, but he has had limited opportunities.

He now has a horse he thinks is good enough and he is looking forward to testing the talented Sold For Song in Saturday's Group Three Sheraco Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill, 20 years after Winsome Dancer won a restricted race.

Kemp also has high hopes of a two-state double with Tisani Tomso to race at Doomben.

"I had a good mare named Dance Girl Dance who was just behind the placegetters in a Millie Fox Stakes at Rosehill about seven years ago. That was the best I have done in a stakes race down there," Kemp said.

"But this is my best chance to have a two-state double.

"Blokes like me don't get that chance often so it will be a real thrill to have two genuine hopes in two states."

James Orman will again ride Sold for Song, who has missed a place just once in her career which has already returned $348,000 on her $2500 yearling price.

"It is also a great thrill for James. He loves the mare and we will see how a couple of battlers from the north go against the big guns on Saturday," Kemp said.

"I don't think we will be out of place."

Kemp set off for Sydney early on Thursday with Sold For Song and was equally confident about Tisani Tomso's chances in the PDF Foods Hcp (1200m).

"I accepted with Tisani Tomso in both the open handicap and the this race and I initially was going to run him in the open," Kemp said.

"But when he drew barrier seven in that race and barrier three in the other we went with the Foods Handicap.

"He likes Doomben and has won three times there. But if you look at his form his best runs are all when he can get near the fence and that was why the owner selected the race."

Sold For Song is a $13 chance in early Sheraco markets headed by the Ron Quinton-trained Dixie Blossoms at $5.

Buffering Sizzles In Raceday Trial

Wednesday, 07 September 2016 08:18

Jockey Damian Browne has a word of warning for his southern rivals following star sprinter Buffering's scintillating win in a barrier trial at Doomben.

Browne was quick to declare while he was happy with Buffering's effort he believed the gelding had improvement in him.

It was a startling statement because Buffering, who was ridden in a heavy saddle, ran 59.58 seconds for the 1050 metres, a tick outside the course record of 59.19s.

Buffering following a trial at Doomben

The eye-catching part of his run was the final 600m where he clocked a sizzling 32.14s.

Buffering took on four rivals in the trial between races including Group One winner Miss Cover Girl and Group One placed The Virginian.

It was Buffering's first serious hit-out since he was injured in the Hong Kong Chairman's Prize at Sha Tin on May 1.

"He pulled up a bit bigger than I hoped and was a bit thick in the wind," Browne said.

"I think there is some improvement in him. But I was happy with the way he went and he seemed to enjoy himself."

Trainer Robert Heathcote is on a short skiing holiday but will monitor Buffering in the next few days before committing him to a start in the Group One Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee valley on September 30.

Buffering's stablemate Hopfgarten was a well-beaten second in the trial but pleased his jockey Jim Byrne.

"it was a nice run behind a super horse," Byrne said.

Jockey Jeff Lloyd was happy with The Virginian, who finished third at his first hit out back since being placed in the Group One Stradbroke.

He said The Virginian showed no signs of the colic which caused him to be scratched on Saturday.

"He gave me a good feel and I liked the way he stretched out in the final 300 metres," Lloyd said.

The Virginian is now likely to run in the Testa Rossa Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday week with Damien Oliver to ride.

Trainer Kelly Schweida said Miss Cover Girl had been fair in the trial but he was still looking to run her in The Shorts at Randwick on Saturday week.

Tycoon Tara Aims To Continue Renaissance

Thursday, 08 September 2016 08:54

The rebirth of Tycoon Tara's racing career has surprised Peter Snowden.

The mare came to Peter and Paul Snowden's Randwick stable from Victoria for one last shot at racing after a disappointing autumn campaign.

Tycoon Tara won the Group Two Missile Stakes in her first run for the Snowdens before proving it was no fluke by winning the Group Three Missile Stakes on August 20.

She has the chance to continue her renaissance in the Group Two Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

"The first run I thought the wet track helped her and she might have been flattered a bit but there was a lot of merit in the second win," Snowden said.

Bendigo trainer Simon Wilde won two Group Three races with Tycoon Tara but after her form dropped off her owners decided it was time for a change.

"The owners wanted to give her one more try before she went to stud," Snowden said.

"Judging on her two runs this time in so far I think stud's been put back just a little bit further."

Snowden is unable to pinpoint the key to her turnaround but believes Tycoon Tara is better suited to Sydney's clockwise racing.

"I just can't believe how well she's done in the stable and I think it's reflecting in the performance on tracks," Snowden said.

While she steps up in grade on Saturday, Snowden says he can't fault her lead-up to the race.

"She looks fantastic," he said.

"She should get a good run and I thought she maps quite well."

Tycoon Tara is on the third line of betting at $8 behind Counterattack at $4.20 and $2.60 favourite Southern Legend.

Counterattack's trainer Chris Waller said the Theo Marks was a good starting point as he heads towards the Group One Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) and Group One Toorak Handicap (1600m).

"He's never been a fully developed horse, but he's starting to get there now," Waller said.

"He's let us down in a couple of his grand finals but he's always impressed in the lead-up races."

Omei Sword Looking For Backyard G1 Glory

Wednesday, 07 September 2016 08:18

Chris Waller is confident Omei Sword has the strength to match it with the colts in the $1 million Golden Rose.

The lure of the rich Group One purse in Omei Sword's backyard at Rosehill on Saturday was enough to convince the trainer to take on the strong line-up of mostly males.

"What knocked me in the face was she's got to walk 100 metres from the stables to the tie-up stalls," Waller said.

"It's her home track for a Group One worth $1 million."

Omei Sword has shown her trainer she has the strength to measure up in the race but he hinted there was improvement still to come.

"She's not foolproof yet. She's still learning her trade," Waller said.

If she can win, Omei Sword will be the first filly to claim the race since it was elevated to Group One status in 2009.

Forensics won when it was run at Group Two level in April 2008 because of the equine influenza outbreak the previous spring.

Of 32 other female runners since 2003, three have been placed.

Waller said trainers' reluctance to race fillies against colts and geldings in the spring was behind the lopsided score card.

"From my personal perspective I would run 95 per cent of my fillies against their own sex because it's sheltered," Waller said.

"I would say that's been a big reason behind why there wouldn't be many fillies successful in the Golden Rose."

Group One-winning filly Yankee Rose has been well supported with bookmakers turning her in from $11 to $8 on Wednesday.

Omei Sword remains favourite but has eased from $3.20 to $3.50 while Run To The Rose winner Astern retains the second line of betting despite drifting to $4.20.

The other filly in the race, O'Reilly Cyrus, is at $101.

Waller said the timing of the Flight Stakes three weeks after the Golden Rose was perfect for Omei Sword.

She is likely to meet stablemate Foxplay in the Flight after that filly won the Group Two Furious Stakes in dominant fashion on Saturday.

The Rosehill track was in the soft range on Wednesday as temperatures broke into the low 20s.

Between four and eight millimetres of rain are predicted to fall in Sydney's west on Friday but fine conditions are expected for race day.

Parr Gets First City Win Since Surgery

Wednesday, 07 September 2016 08:18

Sydney jockey Josh Parr has earned a long-awaited first city win since returning from hip surgery, riding Oculist to win at Canterbury.

The 29-year-old didn't ride for more than seven months and had surgery on his hip in March.

Parr said he was relieved to return to the Sydney winner's circle after the 1550m benchmark handicap on Wednesday.

"I've had limited opportunities so far but it's nice to get the city winner off the back," Parr said.

It was Parr's 15th metropolitan ride since his return.

The John Sargent-trained Oculist was scratched from Kembla Grange on Tuesday, which Parr said was initially disappointing.

"I was very keen on his chances yesterday at Kembla, I thought with the scratching I'd been robbed of a winner," Parr said.

"They know best and they brought him to the race he could win and thankfully they did."

Oculist won from the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained trained Coonawarra with Retaliation third.

"I knew Coonawarra would take me a long way. I was happy to follow him, got off his back and he let off really well my guy and he was in for the fight right till the end" Parr said.

Lane Hopeful Ahead Of Makybe Diva Stakes

Wednesday, 07 September 2016 08:18

Damian Lane's association with Rising Romance has yet to reap a big race reward despite a couple of near misses, but the jockey is hoping their day will come in the Makybe Diva Stakes.

Lane has finished second in three Group One races on the mare in the past year, including the 2015 Makybe Diva Stakes.

Their latest second placing came in the Group One Memsie Stakes at Caulfield on August 27 behind Black Heart Bart.

Lane admits Black Heart Bart is the one he fears most again in Saturday's Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington but is hoping Rising Romance can get the run of the race from barrier two.

"She's going really well and she's drawn barrier two which helps," Lane said.

"Obviously Black Heart Bart is going to be ultra-hard to beat again, but I couldn't be happier where she's at and the frame of mind she is in at the moment.

"I should be able to cuddle her up right on the back of the speed and save her for one short sprint at the end."

Black Heart Bart is the $2.25 favourite with Damien Oliver replacing the suspended Brad Rawiller.

His Darren Weir-trained stablemate Palentino is at $6 with Rising Romance and Tarzino at $10.

Rising Romance, winner of the 2014 Group One Australian Oaks, was narrowly beaten by Fawkner in the Makybe Diva last year.

"I was a touch unlucky on her in the Makybe Diva last year, so hopefully we can go one better," Lane said.

"She was three back on the fence and didn't get clear galloping room until the last 150 metres and Fawkner had the momentum on her."

The combination's other Group One runner-up finish was also at Flemington in the Mackinnon Stakes.

Lane is well acquainted with Black Heart Bart having gone close to winning the Newmarket Handicap on him earlier this year.

"He's a very good horse and the mile won't worry him a bit," he said.

RV Head Vet Thought Cobalt Testing Was OK

Wednesday, 07 September 2016 08:18

The driver of Racing Victoria's cobalt rule believed there was no issue over the testing despite the racing labs lacking specific accreditation covering horse urine.

Testing of urine was straightforward whether it was from a person or a horse, Racing Victoria head vet Dr Brian Stewart said.

Trainers Danny O'Brien and Mark Kavanagh, as well as Lee and Shannon Hope, are trying to overturn their cobalt disqualifications in part by arguing the labs involved were not properly accredited to do the testing at the time.

No laboratory in the world had an accredited method to test for cobalt in equine urine when Racing Victoria introduced its cobalt threshold in April 2014, the appeal has heard.

Stewart said while it was better in principle to have a method specific to a species, an official racing laboratory's scope of accreditation was adequate if it covered urine generally.

"I was satisfied that the testing in human urine or equine urine was equivalent," Stewart told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Wednesday.

"It's a straightforward, simple analytical procedure.

"Human urine was in the scope of the laboratory and I was satisfied that was acceptable."

Stewart said the advice from Victorian lab Racing Analytical Services Ltd was that human accreditation was acceptable.

He said testing for cobalt in plasma was a different issue as there was some controversy about the appropriate method.

Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey on Wednesday blamed a backlog at Perth lab ChemCentre for the delays in telling O'Brien and Kavanagh about their cobalt positives.

The two trainers learned of the results on January 14, 2015 - Kavanagh for a horse that raced on October 4, 2014, and O'Brien for three horses in November races.

O'Brien later learned of a fourth positive from a December race.

O'Brien argues he would have stopped using drips containing a substance called vitamin complex if he had known about Kavanagh's October positive.

He told stewards: "We have a situation where there was horse that raced on the first Saturday of October that went over on these drips and you guys left the meter running until the middle of January."

Bailey said Racing Victoria wanted a timely testing process but there was a backlog at Perth-based ChemCentre, which was "engulfed" with samples from racing regulators across Australia.

"We were in the hands of ChemCentre," he said.

Bailey did not believe the delay was caused by RASL's decision to split samples from mid-2014, with ChemCentre testing for cobalt and the Victorian lab for everything else.

"My understanding was it was the backlog at ChemCentre, not the splitting process," he said.

Stewart, who leaves Racing Victoria in November, will continue his evidence on Thursday.

NSW Saturday Races To Jump To $100k

Tuesday, 06 September 2016 08:31

Sydney Saturday races will be worth a minimum $100,000 a race as part of a raft of prize money increases in NSW.

Australian Turf Club chief executive Darren Pearce said Group Two races would be worth a minimum of $200,000, Group Three races $150,000 and Listed races will jump to $125,000 with the increases to take place from October 1.

"Today marks a turning point for New South Wales racing after 10 years of toil and transformation," Pearce said.

ATC and Racing NSW members during a press conference

Premier Sydney trainer Chris Waller said after a decade of tough times for NSW racing, it was now the best jurisdiction in the world.

"People don't realise that $100,000 prize money, you get $2000 back to 10th place," Waller said.

"There's just as many horses that run 10th as there are win races."

In a joint announcement on Tuesday, Racing NSW also announced increases for provincial and country meetings.

Country and Provincial Championships qualifying heats will be worth $150,000, while regular provincial races will rise to $30,000.

There is to be a $40,000 fortnightly provincial maiden race and 30 country restricted maiden races with the same purse.

Newcastle-based Group One trainer Kris Lees said the majority of horses in his stable were on the provincial and country circuit.

"To think that we're racing for that type of prize money in provincial and country areas is wonderful news," Lees said.

Lees said it would give his diverse ownership base a chance to cover training fees by winning country races.

"It's a really great influx for provincial and country racing," Lees said.

A feature race worth $150,000 will be added to selected metropolitan meetings including Randwick's Melbourne Cup day meeting, and night racing programs will have an $80,000 feature race added to them.

Racing NSW chairman John Messara said the money would come from the sale of digital media rights, Race Fields legislation fees and tax parity.

Pearce flagged infrastructure improvements including racetrack upgrades and rebuilds as well as a synthetic track for Sydney, likely to be at Warwick Farm.

He also foreshadowed the expansion of night racing, currently held at Canterbury, to Randwick and in the longer-term Rosehill.