Import Kelinni Earns Cup Bonus For Waller

Saturday, 03 November 2012 02:00

KelliniSydney's premier trainer Chris Waller will have his first live Melbourne Cup chance with a horse he bought in the hope of winning "an ordinary Saturday race".

The Waller-trained, Irish-bred Kelinni surpassed his modest ambitions with victory in the Group Three Lexus Stakes (2500m), the win earning him an automatic Melbourne Cup start.

"This is the cream on the cake," Waller said.

"Tuesday is the bonus."

Kelinni($9.50) scored by a neck from the luckless Dare To Dream ($8.50) with a length to Exceptionally ($10) in third place.

In a race that offered the final chance of a Cup start for several runners, including the favourite Gatewood, Kelinni proved the superior stayer - and by far the best chance Waller has had in Australia's greatest race.

Chris WallerBut the man who dominates Sydney racing said he hadn't anticipated anything like a Melbourne Cup when he bought Kelinni in England.

"I just try and buy bread-and-butter horses, Saturday winners," Waller said.

"I'm not over there looking for Cup horses."

Kelinni follows the same path as last year's Lexus winner Niwot who finished eighth in the Cup and was the first Australian horse home.

Kelinni, who escaped a penalty for his win, will carry his original handicap of 51kg, the same weight as Niwot.

For the other Cup aspirants the Lexus provided only disappointment.

Bart Cummings's bid to have a third Cup runner with Dare To Dream met trouble when the horse missed the start and again when it failed to get a clear run inside the final 200m.

Gatewood had an easy run but only plodded to finish sixth while fellow English entry Ibicenco ran a surprisingly good race for fourth.

In a slightly ironic postscript to the race, Waller will take over the training of Gatewood.

Photos: Fiona Tomlin

Williams's Concern For Beaten Green Moon

Saturday, 27 October 2012 07:31

Craig Williams's hopes of back-to-back Cox Plate wins fell flat at Moonee Valley on Saturday as favourite Green Moon didn't show the fight the jockey had expected.

Williams won the Cox Plate last year on Pinker Pinker and went into this year's race on Green Moon, a horse he said this week he'd love to go to war with.

But after racing three-wide in the showpiece weight-for-age contest, Williams said Green Moon was beaten a long way from home before finishing seventh.

"I'd just like to see how he pulled up because that's not the horse that I know," Williams said.

"You don't win many weight-for-age races sitting three-wide.

"He did get tightened and buffeted going out of the straight the first time but I didn't have a horse from the 600-metre mark at all.

"(The winner) Ocean Park followed me throughout and when the chips were down I expected my horse to pick up. He tracked a bit sideways around the turn and didn't show his usual guts and determination in today's race."

Green Moon started the $5 favourite ahead of three-year-old Pierro ($5.50) who finished third.

Waller Imports Pay Off

Saturday, 03 November 2012 01:58

Kellini and Date To Dream (inside)Chris Waller's strategy of buying horses with staying potential out of the UK paid off yet again today when Kelinni won the Group 3 Lexus Stakes at Flemington.

Fresh from picking up another 9 stayers at this week's Tattersalls Horses In Training sale for a $1.2 million dollar outlay, Waller was surronded by a throng of happy owners after Kellini confirmed a place in the Melbourne Cup field with a gritty win.

"The horse has been a model of consistency and ran a good second in the Group 1 (Metropolitan) last start and then we purposely kept him for this race hoping that he could qualify but still have some life left in him", Waller said.

"It's a great feeling to be part of the Melbourne Cup and this has proven to be a pretty good form race in the past."

Winning jockey Nash Rawiller settled Kellini well back in ninth position in the 13 horse field, content to sit back off the pace set by Dame Claire.

Chris WallerComing to the home turn Rawiller made his run and Kellini ($9.00-$10-$9.50) sustained a strong finishing burst to win by a neck from the Bart Cummings trained Dare To Dream ($6.00-$8.50). Third a length away was Exceptionally ($8-$10) while the favourite Gatewood ($3.00-$3.20-$3.00F) only plodded to come sixth.

Waller was confident that Kellini, which ran second to Glencadam Gold in the Group 1 Metropolitan at his last start has the class to be competitive at Group 1 level.

"This preparation he has really gone to the next level", Waller said.

Waller preferred to keep Kellini as fresh as possible for today's race, concerned that he would not make the Melbourne Cup if put under too much pressure.

"If we had run him before today we would have run the risk of running him too many times."

Waller pointed out that although Kellini was effective over 2500 metres today he had no doubt that he would get the two miles of Tuesday's big race.

Kellini"His pedigree is very stout and we've had a look at that so two miles shouldn't be a problem at all."

"Some of his brothers and sisters have won over more than two miles."

Waller has produced a number of good stayers from his UK shopping trips, which have provided their Australian owners with excellent returns for their investment.

"This is what owners dream about. They don't expect to win in Melbourne Cups and they don't expect to run in Melbourne Cups but if you can win Saturday races and Listed races and races like this I think it's every owners dream."

"Whatever happens on Tuesday is a bonus."

Boss Confidence Works With Ocean Park

Saturday, 27 October 2012 07:00

Ocean Park gets level with All Too HardThe ever confident Glen Boss has been spruiking Ocean Park all Spring and today's win in the Sportingbet Cox Plate at Moonee Valley confirmed his confidence in the horse's ability.

"I pencilled this horse in after the Rosehill Guineas and said this is a star and I kept telling people that when this horse comes back next preparation you must watch because he is a serious racehorse."

"He should've won his last six races all at Group 1 level."

For Boss who has won Melbourne Cups and the Cox Plate on Makybe Diva, Ocean Park represents a new level of excellence.

"It feels like my greatest achievement in this sport so far", he said.

"I know I've done some wonderful things but I've been in this colt's corner the whole time and there's been doubters but I kept saying he is a winner."

"When you're in their corner the whole time and you keep telling everyone that this is the horse, everyone wants to pick you to pieces and find ways to get you beat."

Glen Boss on Ocean Park"He just wants to win, he just wants to beat whatever is in front of him."

Boss had a pre-race plan to settle Ocean Park back in the field, thinking that the three year olds would set a strong pace.

"The tempo was good but he blew the start for me a touch and I was always going to try to ride him back."

"I wanted to be the hunter today because when he is the hunted he is probably not as impressive so I thought I would do the stalking."

Given his race plan, Boss was not suprised when the John Hawkes trained All Too Hard skipped clear on the home turn. But knowing Ocean Park's ability Boss set out in pursuit with the entire Moonee Valley straight at his disposal to reel in the Caulfield Guineas winner.

"I got on the back of Green Moon but he looked like he wasn't going to take me anywhere so I got outside him and ripped past him and once he saw the bunny when he straightened up he just let go", Boss explained.

"Full credit to Johnny Hawkes' colt, he gave me a really good race and he was a really good horse on the day."

"My horse doesn't care what time they run, he doesn't care what's in front of him, he just wants to beat them and once he gets there he just switches off."

Cummings Strikes Early With Carbine Win

Saturday, 03 November 2012 01:31

With an endless string of runnerLunar Rise Gets Level With Tatras, octogenarian master trainer Bart Cummings can be forgiven for forgetting a few.

But he was reminded of one in particular on Saturday as he fittingly struck in the first event on the card on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington.

Seventeen years after he won the first Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) with Saintly, Cummings took out the event again with his gelding Lunar Rise.

And, just as it was back then, Malaysian businessman Dato Tan Chin Nam - who watched Saturday's race from a wheelchair - was the part-owner.

Ridden by Hugh Bowman, Lunar Rise ($8) snuck home by a head from Tatra ($6.50) with Proverb ($6.50) 1-1/4 lengths away third.

"Chin Nam said to me that we won the first Carbine Club that was raced here," Cummings said. "I didn't realise that until he told me.

Lunar Rise"It's nice to have a winner on Derby day and it's nice to win for Chin Nam who's been a loyal client over many, many years."

Cummings said he had no issues freshening Lunar Rise up for the Group Three mile race.

"There was no problem doing that," he said. "He's okay, he was fit for the race and I think he's done a pretty good job," he said.

Lunar Rise's next mission is undecided.

"We'll sort that out in the next few days, probably by the end of the week," Cummings said.

Meanwhile, Cummings was impressed as he watched one of his two Melbourne Cup runners, Precedence, work on Saturday morning.

"Precedence with age is working better. This morning I think it's the best he's worked ever," Cummings said.

Photos: Fiona Tomlin

Ocean Park Wins The Cox Plate

Saturday, 27 October 2012 06:46

Ocean ParkNew Zealand star Ocean Park has produced a sweeping run from the back of the field to give glamour jockey Glen Boss a third Cox Plate triumph.

In a stirring finish, Ocean Park wore down the three-year-old All Too Hard to claim Australia's weight-for-age championship at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

"I feel like this is my finest moment .. this horse is just a winner," Boss said.

"To all those who doubted him, stick that up your shirt.

"He gave me a great ride and always felt like he was going to win throughout the run."

Settling in the second half of the pack, Ocean Park made a long, sustained run to put himself into the race at the 400m.

In search of a fourth successive Group One triumph, Ocean Park levelled up to All Too Hard at 100m before edging ahead.

"It's the epitome of every trainer's career," Ocean Park's trainer Gary Hennessy said.

The Gai Waterhouse-trained Pierro finished third, just ahead of Ethiopia.

Modern-day great Makybe Diva gave Boss his breakthrough Cox Plate win and he partnered So You Think in the first of the horse's two victories in the race.

Photo: Quentin Lang

Boss In Late Bid For Melbourne Cup Ride

Monday, 29 October 2012 06:16

Glen BossGlen Boss's chances of claiming a fourth Melbourne Cup trophy are almost certain to hinge on English stayer Gatewood earning a ballot-exempt place in this year's race.

Boss is so far without a ride in the race he won three times on Makybe Diva but his fortunes have taken a turn for the better with Gatewood's nomination for Flemington on Saturday.

Gatewood took out the Geelong Cup last week but remains 36th in the order of entry for the Melbourne Cup after receiving only a 1kg penalty.

The penalty lifted the John Gosden-trained five-year-old's weight to 52.5kg but Boss said he was aiming for the stayer to make a "back door" entry into the Melbourne Cup.

"I'm going to try and squeeze Gatewood into the race," Boss said.

"He's going to run in the (Group Three Lexus Stakes) on Saturday."

Boss said he was confident Gatewood could win the 2500m Cup qualifier.

"John Gosden's got him in great shape down at Werribee so if he can race his way into the field, in my mind he's a legitimate top-four chance of winning the race.

"He only got a kilo penalty and I was hoping for a kilo-and-a-half so he's going to obviously go in the back door, which is not the norm for the Europeans, to back up.

"But he's had two very soft runs so he's still got very fresh legs and (owner) Terry (Henderson) said to me he had seen him at Werribee this morning and he looks unbelievable."

Boss said the Lexus would be an ideal race for Gatewood and maintained the horse would still be fresh enough to be highly competitive in the Melbourne Cup.

"It's going to be run at his tempo - hopefully a soft victory and we go into Tuesday with the hope that there are still fresh legs," he said.

Owners OTI Racing have nominated the English stayer for both the $1 million Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) as well as the $250,000 Lexus Stakes with both races offering the winner ballot exemption into the Melbourne Cup.

Henderson said the issue was whether the potential for increasing the horse's future stallion prospects outweighed what was best for his Melbourne Cup pursuit.

"We have to weigh up whether the potential increase of Gatewood's value as a stallion makes it worth running in the Mackinnon," Henderson told racingvictoria.net.au.

"If we think it isn't the best option for his Melbourne Cup chances then we will run in the Lexus.

"Backing him up shouldn't be an issue as he has just come through the run at Geelong so well," he said.

AAP TURF rg/w

Silent Achiever Springs Valley Surprise

Saturday, 27 October 2012 06:46

Silent Achiever Beats RangirandooNew Zealander Silent Achiever sprang a surprise on both the favourite and her trainer when she took out the Group Two Crystal Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

The four-year-old ran down Rangirangdoo ($3.10 fav) in the closing 100 metres to win by three-quarters of a length with Toorak Handicap winner Solzhenitsyn ($5.50) third.

Ridden by rising young Sydney-based New Zealand star James McDonald, Silent Achiever ($6) came into the race at her second start for the campaign following a fourth at Te Rapa earlier this month.

Trainer Roger James said he had not expected such a run from last season's New Zealand Derby winner.

"It was a little bit of a surprise really," James said.

"I thought she had a few boxes ticked against her today - first time around the Valley, first time at weight-for-age and to be fair the mile is far short of her distance.

Silent Achiever"But she's a class act, always has been, and maybe maturity has topped her right off."

Trailing a hot pace from the start, Silent Achiever outlasted her rivals in the sort of quickly run race James was looking for.

"We hoped that it would be, because staying is her forte and we hoped it would make it into a staying test - and the best stayer won, really," he said.

She will now be set for the Matriarch Stakes at Flemington on November 10 rather than the Emirates Stakes (1600m).

"I think she'll go to the Matriarch Stakes - 2000 metres will suit her much better," James said.

Rob Heathcote, trainer of Solzhenitsyn, said the third-placegetter runner had been unlucky.

"There's no doubt he should have won," Heathcote said. "Nothing went right.

"Maybe by not winning today the handicapper will look after us in the Emirates (Stakes)."

Photos: Fiona Tomlin

Ocean Park And Boss Claim Cox Plate

Saturday, 27 October 2012 08:16

A tough and talented New Zealand racehorse and "an uneducated boofhead" with a lot of faith and a rare set of riding skills have won a Cox Plate that proved a triumph for experience over youth.

Ocean ParkOcean Park and Glen Boss made a perfect pair, claiming Australia's most prestigious race at Moonee Valley on Saturday thanks to a simple plan and a final, irresistible surge to the line.

"He just wants to win, he's a winner. Simple as that," Boss said.

"Every time he goes to the races he does a little bit better.

"His will to win is enormous ... he just loves his job and I've got to love him for it."

The victory also made Boss happier than ever with his work, even surpassing Makybe Diva's classic Cox Plate of 2005 and rivalling her three Melbourne Cups.

"This feels like one of my greatest achievements because I picked this horse out in the autumn," he said.

"Everyone kept questioning him. I just kept telling them that he is a winner."

Ocean Park ($6) ran down the three-year-old All Too Hard ($9), grabbing the lead 30m out to score by a neck.

Pierro, the one-time favourite and another three-year-old, ran an honest race to finish third, a further 3-3/4 lengths away.

Ocean ParkThe other three-year-old, Proisir, finished eighth after leading for much of the race while Ethiopia ran above himself to hold fourth ahead of Shoot Out.

Ocean Park's win also represented a triumph for his trainer Gary Hennessy, a New Zealander of few words, four sons and great horse sense.

"We came here with a plan, we stuck to it and it worked," Hennessy said.

"People weren't sure about him, but I was.

"He goes out and does what he has to do."

Hennessy said he and Boss had devised a plan that involved horse and rider playing a waiting game.

"Glen wanted to be the last one to come off the bridle," he said.

"It didn't work too bad."

Boss said Ocean Park's only mistake was to miss the start by half a length.

But the error proved a blessing, allowing Boss to settle his horse before reaching the winning post the first time.

Ocean Park raced with only three behind him for much of the race with Boss waiting for Craig Williams ahead of him on the favourite Green Moon ($5) to take him into the contest.

"I was on Craig's back but I could see him start to push and he was going nowhere," he said.

"I couldn't believe how fast I went past him."

Ocean ParkThe pair made steady ground in the run to the home turn but Boss's confidence only rose to a winning level as they straightened.

"Around the turn it was as though he caught sight of the bunny," Boss said.

"He saw All Too Hard up ahead and he surged.

"In the last 100 metres there was no way he wasn't going to catch him."

As he reached the line Boss stood in the irons and acknowledged the win with a trademark shake of the head.

"I can't believe I'm here sometimes," he said later.

"An uneducated boofhead who didn't get past grade ten."

And now a winner of three Cox Plates to match his three Melbourne Cups.

Photos: Quentin J. Lang & Fiona Tomlin

Vatuvei Takes Out Moonee Valley Cup

Saturday, 27 October 2012 06:16

VatuveiLightly-raced stayer Vatuvei could be a Melbourne Cup horse but premier jockey Luke Nolen believes it won't be for another year.

The Peter Moody-trained four-year-old proved too good in Saturday's Group Two Drake International Cup, best known as the Moonee Valley Gold Cup, defeating Reuben Percival and Ironstein but is well down the Melbourne Cup order of entry.

Vatuvei, winner of the VRC St Leger last season, is 44th in the Cup order of entry with just 50kg and is unlikely to make the field even with a penalty.

"It might be a blessing because it will be great to see him with another season under his belt before he tackles the better stayers," Nolen said.

"He switched off well in behind the solid tempo and he was very convincing on the line.

"I think he is a stayer with nice quality but I'm thinking in 12 months time he'll be a lot better."

VatuveiAny Cup penalty will be announced by Racing Victoria's chief handicapper Greg Carpenter on Monday.

Vatuvei ($13) came from back in the field during the run and tracked Precedence into the race before going on to have 1-1/2-lengths to spare over Reuben Percival ($9.50) with another two lengths to Ironstein ($5) in third.

Favourite Midas Touch ($4.20) covered ground early and raced on the speed but was a beaten horse on the home turn and finished eighth while international runner Ibicenco was seventh.

Gai Waterhouse said Reuben Percival would head to a 2800m race on the Melbourne Cup day undercard before going to the Sandown Cup.

Ironstein will be paid up for the Melbourne Cup.

"We'll still pay up for the Cup and if he doesn't get in he'll go to the Queen Elizabeth (Stakes)," trainer Gerald Ryan said.

Photos: Quentin Lang, Fiona Tomlin