Fort Lincoln Charges Late To Win Karaka
- Sunday, 30 January 2011 08:15
Australian hopeful Chateauneuf Dupape has finished an unlucky eighth in the Karaka Million at Ellerslie in Auckland won by outsider Fort Lincoln.
With the benefit of a peach of a ride by Jonathan Riddell, Fort Lincoln got up in the last few strides to beat Antonio Lombardo by a nose in the Listed $1 million race restricted to two-year-old graduates of the national yearling sales at Karaka.
The Lee Freedman-trained Chateauneuf Dupape was up with the leaders early but couldn't get a clear run when the charge was on to the winning post.
Winning trainer Lisa Latta said the weekend rain which resulted in a dead track on Sunday benefited her horse.
"We were quietly confident and his work this work has been good," Latta told Trackside TV.
The trainer was pleased staunch stable clients John Street and Lincoln Farms had enjoyed such a big win, while Street told racegoers the winning $550,000 stake would go towards purchases at the Karaka sales which begin tomorrow.
"We are pouring it back into the industry and we love every minute of it," he said.
Gordon Cunningham of Curraghmore Stud sold Fort Lincoln at the sales for $110,000 last year but should get a better payoff when he offers a full brother to the colt, who is out of the Flying Spur mare Belle Toujours, at this week's sales.
Latta said Riddell's ride was brilliant and the jockey, formerly best known for his efforts over jumps, agreed it was one of his better ones.
"I would rather be known as a horseman, than a hurdle jockey or flat jockey," he said before hinting that a training career could be in the offing after he rides Jimmy Choux in the NZ Derby.
Favourite Planet Rock flew home late to grab third off Super Easy, whose stablemate Savabill was fifth.
Earlier, Banchee, who was an unlucky third in last year's Karaka Million, showed she was back to her best with an emphatic win in the $200,000 Karaka 3YO Mile. She was far too good for Icepin and the NSW visitor Miss Confidential,who boxed on solidly for third.
There was success for Australia early in the day when Michael Rodd rode Arakti to win a 2100m event.
Racing Boss Rejects CV Report
- Sunday, 30 January 2011 07:15
New Zealand's departing Racing Board chief executive Andrew Brown says allegations his CV was inaccurate are "spurious and without foundation".
Mr Brown was hired in May 2009 for a reported $900,000 a year but is leaving New Zealand to return to Britain.
The Sunday Star-Times reported he was under investigation after an online allegation that his CV was inaccurate.
Racing Board chairman Michael Stiassny confirmed the board was making inquiries.
"We have done some homework and we don't think there is an issue," he said.
Brown issued a statement today saying his CV was entirely accurate.
"The allegations are spurious and without foundation. No evidence has been produced to support any accusations and yet the Sunday Star-Times has chosen to publish unfounded and unsubstantiated rumours," he said.
"I regard this as extremely irresponsible journalistic practice and I will vigorously defend my qualifications and professional work record, both of which are accurately recorded in my CV."
Mr Brown resigned on January 14, saying he wanted to return to Britain with his family.
Heathcote Losing Cup Battle With Tabulate
- Friday, 21 January 2011 02:45
Trainer Rob Heathcote concedes he's losing the battle to have underrated stayer Tabulate ready in time for the Group One Auckland Cup at Ellerslie in March.
The 3200-metre feature was pencilled in for the six-year-old after his fine performances during last year's Brisbane winter carnival.
Tabulate, who hasn't raced since finishing seventh to Crossthestart in the Group Two Brisbane Cup (2400m) in June, will resume in the www.brc.com.au Handicap (1600m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
"Our plan has been the Auckland Cup in March but we're running out of options with all the bad weather we've had," Heathcote said.
"It's very doubtful he'll get to New Zealand now."
Heathcote has been forced to reshape Tabulate's summer campaign due to the loss of meetings caused by the recent deluge in southeast Queensland.
"He's been in work around eight weeks but 1600 metres is not ideal for him first-up," Heathcote said.
"I'd prefer it to be over 1400 metres and he'd have a chance but he just might need the run over this trip.
"I spoke to his owner, John Thompson, who lives in New Zealand and we've decided to take a few kilos off him to make it easier."
Apprentice Michael Hellyer, who claims two kilograms, will partner the gelding for the first time.
Heathcote hasn't ruled out a possible trip to Sydney in the autumn if Tabulate misses a trip across the Tasman.
"I'm not ruling out taking him to Sydney if we don't get to Auckland," he said.
"I thought he was very unlucky when he ran seventh in the Brisbane Cup last year.
"The Brisbane Cup was run to favour the leaders and he did a good job to come from near last and only got beaten three lengths."
Tabulate earned a shot at the winter staying races in Brisbane last year with four successive wins including the Listed Tails Stakes (2150m) at Eagle Farm on May 1.
After failing behind Crossthestart in the Group Three Chairman's Handicap (2020m) at Doomben on May 15, Tabulate claimed the Group Three Premier's Cup (2200m) at Doomben a fortnight later before the Brisbane Cup.
Heathcote also has Humma, a Jason Holder mount, engaged in the same race.
Humma beat only one runner home in his comeback in the Listed Lough Neagh Stakes (1350m) won by Zero Rock at Doomben on December 18.
"Humma is in the same boat as Tabulate and he may need a run or two more to find his best form," Heathcote said.
Booming Wins Group One Thordon Mile
- Saturday, 29 January 2011 05:45
Six-year-old Booming made it back-to-back Group One wins with a stunning victory in the $NZ200,000 Thorndon Mile at Trentham on Saturday.
He had won the weight-for-age Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day before being given a brief let-up.
The Don Eduardo gelding burst from the pack and charged through on the rail for an emphatic half-length win, beating fast-finisher Dasoudi and brave mare Eileen Dubh who led from the start until after the turn and refused to give in.
Booming was brilliantly ridden by Japanese jockey Masa Tanaka for the Jeff Lynds stable.
Despite his big Auckland win against a top field, punters shied away from him on Saturday and he drifted to odds of better than 16-1.
Favourite November Rain showed little in the run, finishing 12th.
Meanwhile, outsider Spiro stunned punters with a gutsy run down the straight to capture Saturday's Group Two Wellington Cup (2400m).
Carrying 53kg and ridden by unfashionable jockey Kane Smith, the five-year-old hit the front as the field straightened for the run to the line and put a break on the others.
Spiro, who paid better than 28-1, looked a sitting duck for the challengers as they came at him but held them all out.
In the last 100m veteran Six O'Clock News and Loose Change charged at Spiro but he wouldn't give in, winning by three-quarters of a length.
Six O'Clock News edged Loose Change by a head to take second.
Australian Mission For Mr Tipsy
- Sunday, 16 January 2011 04:15
New Zealand trainer Murray Baker is planning another raid on Australian riches with Mr Tipsy set to be aimed at the Tasmanian summer carnival.
Baker, who trains in partnership with his son Bjorn, has enjoyed some of his greatest successes over the past few years in Australia most recently with Lion Tamer in the Victoria Derby.
Placed in the 2009 Sydney Cup, Mr Tipsy reacquainted himself with the winner's stall in Sunday's Marton Cup, his third run back from a lengthy injury lay-off.
Baker said the lure of the Australian dollar, the ease of travel and tackling the second tier of stayers in the $A300,000 Hobart Cup (2200m) on February 13 and the $A225,000 Launceston Cup (2400m) 10 days later was attractive.
"How good will they be?," Baker said.
"(And) you just fly to Melbourne and then fly on. They fly them (from Melbourne to Tasmania) all the time."
Before Tasmania is confirmed, Mr Tipsy will run in the Group Two Wellington Cup (2400m) at Trentham on January 25.
"The Wellington Cup is the immediate focus but the Tasmanian races are on the radar," Baker said.
Mr Tipsy comes in well at the weights in the Wellington Cup with 53.5kg and cannot be re-handicapped for his Marton Cup win.
Among Mr Tipsy's other placings are a second in the 2009 Auckland Cup (3200m) but he missed the race last year with a hoof problem that kept him from racing for nine months.
"He had a really bad foot problem," Baker said.
"It took a long time to clear and in the end we decided we had to turn him out."
The Bakers won the 2008 AJC Australian Derby with Nom Du Jeu and trained the second placegetter the following year in Harris Tweed who has run fifth in the past two Melbourne Cups.
Bowman Heading To NZ Again
- Thursday, 27 January 2011 03:45
Hugh Bowman has a busy weekend ahead with the leading jockey to ride in Sydney on Friday night and Saturday before making his third trans-Tasman trip this month for Sunday's Karaka Million meeting.
Bowman will partner the John Sargent-trained Savabill in the $NZ1 million Karaka Million (1200m) at Ellerslie and he'll also be aboard the Mark Wallace-trained Miss Confidential in the Karaka 3YO Mile (1600m).
Bowman rode in New Zealand on New Year's Day at the Railway Stakes meeting and again last Saturday for the running of the Telegraph Handicap.
He partnered Savabill to third in the Group Three Eclipse Stakes (1200m) on January 1, with the race won by Anabandana ahead of Savabill's stablemate Super Easy.
Super Easy, who beat Savabill home by 2-1/4 lengths, is again among his rivals on Sunday.
"It was a good run from him (Savabill) last start, he'll have to improve a couple of lengths but I think he has that improvement in him," Bowman said.
"And he'll be better again in another six months."
However, Savabill's chances were dealt a blow when he came up with the outside barrier in the field of 14 plus four emergencies.
The Sydney hoop rode a winner at the same meeting last year but is yet to claim a feature race win across the Tasman.
"I went over for the same three meetings last year, I'm yet to win one of the feature races there but if I keep going around I might get one," he said.
With Bowman headed over to ride in the Karaka Million, Sydney-based trainer Mark Wallace was able to secure the leading hoop's services for Miss Confidential.
Miss Confidential has won three of her four starts on the NSW provincial circuit including a last-start win in a Kembla Class Two on January 15.
Ben Melham will ride the Lee Freedman-trained Chateauneuf Dupape who is third favourite for the Karaka Million.
Michael Rodd also has rides at Sunday's twilight meeting, while Michelle Payne will be in New Zealand on Saturday when her mounts include Eileen Dubh in the Group One Thorndon Mile (1600m).
Blinkers To Go Back On Monton
- Sunday, 09 January 2011 06:45
Blinkers will go back on Monton in an attempt to get him back in the winners' circle in New Zealand's Telegraph Handicap at Trentham.
The Sydneysider started favourite in the first of New Zealand's big sprints, the Railway on New Year's Day, but he could only manage eighth in the Ellerslie feature won by outsider Miss Raggedy Ann.
Trainer Tim Martin is confident the four-year-old can show his best in Wellington on January 22 and come away with a Group One win.
"He pulled up well but then again he should, he didn't do anything in the race," Martin said.
"He's had a good week and the blinkers will go back on.
"He needs to be ridden quieter.
"It's going to be a tough race but I think he can certainly do a lot better."
The Gai Waterhouse-trained Swift Alliance is the $3.50 favourite with the NZ TAB while Saturday's Caulfield winner First Command is at $9 while Monton rounds out the Australian contingent at $10.
Last season's NZ Filly of the Year winner Katie Lee is an $8 chance and will have the services of Australian jockey Corey Brown.
Katie Lee's owner Sir Patrick Hogan requested Brown when regular rider Opie Bosson told him he would not be able to make the filly's 53 kilograms.
"I've been to New Zealand to ride at Ellerslie but I've never ridden at Trentham," Brown said.
"Sir Patrick asked for me when Opie couldn't make the weight and I'm only too happy to say yes.
"I rode for him when I was with Lee Freedman in Melbourne as he had horses there."
Brown said Katie Lee's trainers Graeme and Debbie Rogerson would have other runners on the program and he hoped to pick up more rides from the camp.
First Command is topweight with 58.5kg while Swift Alliance has not yet been handicapped as he will be among late nominations which close on January 18.
A Group Two winner of the 2009 Caulfield Sprint, First Command has won nine of his 17 starts, six with Dwayne Dunn aboard.
Dunn said he hoped to be asked to partner First Command in his New Zealand assignment.
Mufhasa Takes Telegraph
- Saturday, 22 January 2011 06:15
Former Horse of the Year Mufhasa outran a star-studded field with an amazing time on a slow track to win Saturday's $NZ1 million Telegraph Handicap at Trentham.
The six-year-old gelding made a sizzling run to record his fourth Group One win, and his Auckland trainer Stephen McKee put the performance partly down to Mufhasa being in the right place at the right time.
Rider Samantha Spratt brought Mufhasa home in 1:07.05 in the 1200m feature to beat highly-fancied Australian raider First Command by 1-1/4 lengths with Coup Align a head away third.
The million-dollar win, with Mufhasa sprinting wide around First Command and Coup Align in the straight, tipped the gelding's stakes earnings over the $NZ2 million mark.
McKee said Spratt had the horse well placed at the right time.
"We were in the right part of the track," he said.
Spratt said the win was "awesome".
"The moment he got out on the good (part of the) track, he really went," she said.
Mufhasa ran fifth in the Railway Handicap in 2009 before winning the Telegraph Handicap and the Group One Waikato Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa at his next two starts, and last year again ran in all three races, finishing ninth, eighth and third respectively.
Another Australian raider, the Gai Waterhouse-trained Swift Alliance, started favourite on Saturday but could only manage 10th.
Ritchie Family Ties To The Fore
- Sunday, 02 January 2011 08:15
The names of two of the best horses from the Ritchie family past were prominent with a feature race double at Ellerslie on Saturday.
City of Auckland Cup winner Showcause, trained by Frank Ritchie, is a son of Showella who won the South Australian Derby for Ritchie in 1999.
And Ellerslie Championship Stakes winner Hidden Asset, trained by Frank's son Shaune, is out of a half-sister to Bonecrusher, the champion trained by Frank and strapped by Shaune in the 1980s.
Showcause was bred by Terry Archer, whose cousin Peter is in a nine-person syndicate which races Showcause.
Saturday's success was Showcause's second major Cup win for the season after he earlier won the New Zealand Cup at Riccarton.
Frank Ritchie now has a third Cup in mind - the $1 million Auckland Cup back at Ellerslie in March - though Saturday's victory in the Group Two 2400m contest may persuade him to abandon plans to contest the Wellington Cup later this month.
"He'll get a higher rating and we need to be mindful of the weight ahead of the Auckland Cup," Ritchie said.
"I'll need to think about what's the best path for him."
Showcause was caught wide early in the $100,000 feature but Daryl Bradley eased him forward until he was fourth, one off the fence, with 1000 metres to go.
He got to the lead soon after straightening and fought hard down the straight to deny Cassini and topweight Red Ruler, who was conceding 5.5kg to the first two.
Hidden Asset also has a rich Ellerslie prize in March in the mind of his connections - the $2.2 million New Zealand Derby (2400m).
The Derby was won by Bonecrusher in 1985 on his way to becoming the first New Zealand-trained horse to win $1 million.
Shaune Ritchie has not surprisingly been keeping an eye on relatives of Bonecrusher but Hidden Asset - a $50,000 purchase in 2009 - was the first one he has bought.
He is by High Chaparral out of the Zabeel mare Fragile Asset, a half-sister to Bonecrusher.
"I've looked at just about every single one since then, but none of them really grabbed me until this one," Ritchie said.
"Even then I had trouble syndicating the horse. Originally I had three-quarters of the horse, but he became much easier to syndicate once the High Chaparrals started to win in Australia."
The syndicate includes former sports broadcaster Rocky Paterson and prominent racing journalist Mike Dillon.
Hidden Asset came from midfield and, despite veering off to the outside of the track, had enough ability to hold out Hot Pursuit and Yourein.
Hidden Asset is likely to have a short break and then return for the Waikato Guineas and possibly the Avondale Guineas as lead-ups to the Derby.
First Command Backed Despite Draw
- Friday, 21 January 2011 06:45
A horror barrier draw hasn't frightened punters as First Command has been well backed to win Saturday's Group One Telegraph Handicap in New Zealand.
Sportingbet Australia reported good support for the Lee Freedman-trained sprinter on Friday while he has also firmed with TAB Sportsbet since markets opened for the 1200m feature at Trentham.
First Command came up with barrier 24 in the field of 18 plus six reserves.
The last-start Listed Laurie Cleary Stakes (1200m) winner has firmed from $7.50 to $7 with Sportingbet Australia while his price has been trimmed from $7.50 to $6 with TAB Sportsbet.
"We've taken a stack of bets on First Command including one of $2500 each-way at $7.50," Sportingbet Australia boss Michael Sullivan said.
"You'd think (Dwayne) Dunn would need to have a bit of luck from barrier 24 but the money keeps on coming."
The Telegraph will have a distinct Aussie flavour with six Australian-based jockeys and three sprinters set to compete.
Sydney's top three riders - Nash Rawiller, Corey Brown and Hugh Bowman - will all be in action along with Melbourne-based hoops Dunn, Craig Williams and Michelle Payne.
Rawiller will partner the Gai Waterhouse-trained Swift Alliance who is the race favourite at $3.80 with TAB Sportsbet.
Swift Alliance scored a strong first-up win at Randwick with 60kg in the Listed Razor Sharp (1200m) to confirm plans for the New Zealand trip.
The five-year-old entire has the formidable record of seven wins from nine attempts at 1200m.
Bowman crosses the Tasman again to ride the Tim Martin-trained Monton who was unplaced in the Group One Railway Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year's Day.
Brown was approached for the ride on top New Zealand mare Katie Lee who is considered the biggest threat to an Australian victory.
Williams (Twilight Savings) and Payne (Eileen Dubh) also picked up mounts in the $NZ1 million sprint.
Miss Raggedy Ann Stuns Punters
- Saturday, 01 January 2011 08:15
Few people expected Miss Raggedy Ann to win Saturday's Railway Handicap at Ellerslie - including her connections.
Miss Raggedy Ann was at $87 for the Group One contest after running 11th of 13 in last Sunday's Newmarket Handicap and her trainer Andrew Scott had been struggling to keep the weight off her.
But the Boxing Day run, along with rain earlier in the week which meant the track was not too hard, gave them some hope she might sneak a placing.
As it turned out, Tasha Collett found Miss Raggedy Ann a good spot one off the fence behind midfield and she found plenty in the straight to fight off Atapi by a nose.
"It's been a pretty tough six weeks for us," Scott, for whom the Railway was his first Group One win on his own account in New Zealand, said.
"She was running through winter and as the weather warmed she just put on weight.
"But we gave her three runs in the past two weeks and she went into today in better shape."
The Railway was the first Group One win for Collett, who beat her jockey brother Jason and her father Richard, who trains at Pukekohe, to a Group One win.
"I thought she might run a nice fifth or sixth but she got a nice run and gave me plenty when I let her down," Collett, who is not long out of her apprenticeship, said.
It was also the first Group One winner bred by the Llanhennock Trust, run by the Hawkins family of Cambridge, which also owns Miss Raggedy Ann.
The trust bought her dam, the Gold Brose mare Miss Pollyanna, when she was carrying Miss Raggedy Ann.
"Miss Pollyanna was a phenomenal racehorse but she was also nuts," Des Hawkins said.
"We were part of the team which brought in Gold Brose and we really wanted a Gold Brose mare."
Atapi ran second in the race for the second year in a row, just ahead of Tip The Wink.
The Australian visitor Monton, who started favourite, looked to have every chance in running eighth.