Brilliant Gondorff In Queens Cup Victory

Saturday, 05 December 2009 14:15

Dan Staeck returned to the saddle of the reigning Kalgoorlie Cup winner and positioned the son of Montjeu perfectly just off the moderate speed, set by the stable mate Esroh.

Entering the straight and the superior turn of foot of Gondorff came into play and he quickly put a match winning space on his rivals.

It was left to the favourite Ma Chienne to fly home from last but she ran out of ground failing to haul in the winner by half a length.

Esroh showed great fight to hold onto third place ahead of Marine Drive who lacked the zip to catch the place getters in the straight.

Gondorff had suffered an injury during his unplaced run in the Northam Cup and his future looked in jeopardy but the genius of Read rejuvenated the strapping gelding and he last raced in the Tatt's Cup but went into that race under prepared.

Read who recently retired for five minutes from harness racing to concentrate on his thoroughbred training, got to work on Gondorff and he was a far fitter horse on the day.

He will be set for the BMW Perth Cup and the way he is progressing will take plenty of holding out.

"He went into the Tatts Cup a bit on the soft side so I bored it up him and he responded. It is great for the owners and also for Dan Staeck who rides him so well."

Margins: ½ x ¾ x ½ Time: 2.29.05

Winners Breeding: Montjeu (IRE) - My Funny Face (Marscay)

Media Release - Perth Racing

Harvey A Hope To Win Fifth Kingston Town

Thursday, 03 December 2009 07:30

The Neville Parnham-trained Tarzi looks the right horse at the right time for jockey Paul Harvey going in to the Group One Kingston Town Classic.

Harvey, who has dominated the race with four wins in the last nine years, only needs an established formline to stand up to add to his impressive tally on the Railway Stakes runner-up in the 1800m Ascot feature on Saturday.

Three of the last four winners finished in the top four in the Railway Stakes which also enhances the chances of Railway winner Sniper's Bullet and fourth-placed Grand Nirvana.

Harvey had never ridden Tarzi until the Railway and the way he chased home Sniper's Bullet suggested the extra 200 metres would be ideal.

His only previous start at the distance was in the Group Three Strickland Stakes in April when second to Marasco.

"He is fit and ready to go," Parnham said.

"The key to him is getting him to switch off and not pull which probably went against him in the Railway Stakes."

He said with the benefit of having had a ride on Tarzi, Harvey would most probably ride him conservatively from his wide barrier (15).

Parnham will also saddle up three-year-old God Has Spoken who will be ridden by his son Steven.

The winner of last Saturday's Listed Aquanita Stakes (1800m), God Has Spoken drew barrier seven and Parnham rates him as a WA Derby horse in the making.

"He ran terrific last start and was strong on the line," Parnham said.

"He deserves his spot in the race and good three-year-olds have a good record in it."

Parnham said the weight-for-age scale brought God Has Spoken right into the race while he is mindful of the seasoned weight-for-age campaigners Scenic Shot and Sniper's Bullet.

God has Spoken would be the 14th three-year-old to win the Kingston Town and the sixth in the last 20 years.

Sniper's Bullet Does The Double

Saturday, 05 December 2009 13:20

Top class Mudgee trained galloper Sniper’s Bullet has etched his name in Perth Racing history, with a comprehensive triumph in the $500,000 Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m) at Ascot on Saturday.

Sniper’s Bullet became the first horse since Modem in 2004, to take out the Railway Stakes/Kingston Town Classic double in the same year.

Champion rider Damien Oliver was at his tactical best, riding Sniper’s Bullet like the best horse in the race, trailing a breakneck speed set by Danny Miller on Dante’s Banquet, before stealing a march on the swing and powering to Group 1 glory.

The wide barrier draw proved no obstacle with Oliver biding his time in cruising across to trail the speed and similar to the Railway Stakes tactics, proved too classy for his opposition in the run to the judge.

Former gifted jockey Tracey Bartley learnt a lot from his visit to Perth last year with his stable ace, who was desperately unlucky when second to Gilded Venom in the Railway and placed behind high class pair Niconero and Gilded Venom in last year’s edition of the Kingston Town Classic.

Bartley knew he had the horse in Sniper’s Bullet to climb the Group 1 mountain again, however he had to wait more than two years as the old saying goes ‘when it rains it pours’.

For Oliver a hometown hero, he can now add the Kingston Town Classic to his growing Group 1 cabinet’s at home.

Three-year-old God Has Spoken ran out of his skin to finish second, on the back-up from an Aquanita Stakes win last week, giving his all and holding off the strong finish of seasoned performer Scenic Shot in third place.

Leading trainer Neville Parnham now has to make a decision whether to back God Has Spoken up in the $100,000 Listed Seacorp St.Leger (2100m) next Saturday, a race he would start a short priced favourite in and be extremely hard to beat.

The favourite Scenic Shot never stops trying and despite being run off his feet throughout, worked to the line strongly, and the $250,000 Group 2 Landscape Development CB Cox Stakes (2100m) in a fortnight looks at his mercy.

Outside the placing’s WA Oaks winner Cassandara Shadow (4th) and classy staying mare Star Encounter (7th) both ran well in their preparations for the BMW Perth Cup on New Years Day.

“All credit to the horse, the horse has done so well over in Perth," winning trainer Tracey Bartley said.

“It’s wonderful! It is unfortunate for Nash (Rawiller) who missed out on the ride but all credit to Tracey who has prepared the horse to the minute," winning rider Damien Oliver said.

Camilleri Suspended

Thursday, 03 December 2009 05:30

On Inquiry Camilleri was found guilty of a charge of careless riding under ARR.137(a) for allowing his mount to shift inwards passing the 600m causing Verscene (D. Staeck) to be crowded inwards onto Aint No Angel (J. Whiting) which was buffeted and lost ground.

Camilleri subsequently had his licence to ride in races suspended for a period of 15 days to commence from midnight 6 December 2009 and to expire at midnight 21 December 2009.

Media Release - Perth Racing

Sniper's Bullet Wins At Ascot

Saturday, 05 December 2009 08:15

Six-year-old Sniper's Bullet won his third Group One feature and his second in as many weeks when Damien Oliver steered him to an emphatic victory in the Kingston Town Stakes at Ascot.

Saturday's win in the 1800m weight-for-age event followed the Tracey Bartley-trained gelding's triumph in the Railway Stakes (1600m) at the same track on November 21 and in the 2007 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm in Brisbane.

Oliver was the third to jockey to win at the elite level on Sniper's Bullet after Craig Williams was aboard in the Stradbroke and Nash Rawiller was the pilot in the Railway.

The win was Sniper's Bullet's eighth in 34 starts which have also yielded 13 placings for prizemoney approaching $2.5 million.

Dante's Banquet set a cracking pace in front but Oliver was able to bring Sniper's Bullet over from his wide gate to sit second.

He gave chase to the leader approaching the home turn and put the race beyond doubt when he dashed to a winning lead at the top of the straight.

Local three-year-old God Has Spoken ran home strongly for second while dual Group One winner Scenic Shot got a long way out of his ground early and was doing his best work late for third.

Scenic Shot Favourite After Good Draw

Wednesday, 02 December 2009 07:30

Damien Oliver, who will ride Sniper's Bullet for the first time in a race, hasn't given up hope that he can win Saturday's Group One Kingston Town Classic at Ascot despite the six-year-old's horror barrier draw.

The Railway Stakes (1600m) winner will jump from the outside barrier in the 16-horse field.

"It is not a great barrier but we will do our best from out there," Oliver said.

"He can race forward or back but I haven't seen the field so I can't comment which way we will go.

"One thing is that it is a better start than the Railway start when you are trying to get over from out wide."

Sniper's Bullet finished third from gate six in the 1800m weight-for-age feature at Ascot last year behind Niconero.

The Bite The Bullet gelding jumped from 12 when he won the Railway last Saturday week with Nash Rawiller in the saddle.

Dual Group One winner Scenic Shot, to be ridden by Jason Brown, shortened marginally as favourite when he drew barrier two but will jump from one following the scratching of first emergency Sentenza.

Oliver said his main rival Scenic Shot, who he has won on, was awkwardly drawn on the inside.

"It is probably not the best for him because he likes to get out and rolling," he said.

Scenic Shot firmed from $3.60 to $3.50 with TAB Sportsbet while Sniper's Bullet drifted from $5.50 to $6 but remained second pick.

Third choice in the betting Grand Nirvana ($6.50) drew barrier 11, Lords Ransom (four) is at $7.50 and Tarzi (15) at $10.

The David Hayes-trained Largo Lad ($16), who drew wide in barrier 14, has had blinkers added to his gear and will again be ridden by Glen Boss.

Hayes is trying to win the race for a fourth time having already had success with Credit Account (1993) and Niconero (2006 and 2008).

Megatic ($17), who won the race two years ago from barrier 10, drew gate three.

The Neville Parnham-trained colt God Has Spoken ($18), who won the Aquanita Stakes (1800m) at Ascot last Saturday, drew barrier seven.

Trainer Adam Durrant, who has two runners in Lords Ransom (Alan Kennedy) and Star Encounter, finalised riders when Brad Parnham picked up the ride on Star Encounter who drew barrier 10.

Hong Kong-based William Pike was going to make the trip to ride the Jeune mare but cancelled the trip after being unable to make satisfactory travel arrangements.

Stick With Grand Nirvana, Says Kersley

Friday, 04 December 2009 05:30

Fred Kersley has advised followers of Grand Nirvana to stick with him in Saturday's Group One Kingston Town Classic at Ascot.

Grand Nirvana has been racing well without things going his way and Kersley believes the step up to 1800 metres will be in the Scenic four-year-old's favour.

"He has run into traffic problems and had his share of ordinary luck in his past few runs," Kersley said.

The entire was third in the Asian Beau Stakes (1400m) and the RJ Peters Stakes (1500m), both at Group Three level, before his late-surging fourth to Sniper's Bullet in the Group One Railway Stakes (1600m) two weeks ago.

Last year, Grand Nirvana finished eighth in both the Railway and the Kingston Town Classic.

"I have been impressed with the way that he has found the line, particularly in the Railway Stakes when he recorded one of the fastest closing sectional times in the race," Kersley told perthracing.com.au.

"Dan (Staeck) will be instructed to ride the horse in a positive manner. At his past two runs he was further back then we planned but that could have been because he was looking for the ground.

"This race is usually run at a genuine tempo and that should give my horse every chance to finish on late in the race.

"He has wanted to lay-in down the straight and that is because he is a stallion and he wants to get down onto the other horses.

"If you have been following Grand Nirvana, I think you should stick with him one more time.

"His fitness is very good and I cannot fault the horse at home."

Scenic Shot is favoured to give trainer Dan Morton his first home state Group One success.

Morton's father Len Morton said the Doomben Cup and Mackinnon Stakes winner had to wait a couple of weeks to get a flight back to Perth after he finished fourth to Zipping in the Sandown Classic on November 14.

"It hasn't set him back in any way as he was able to stay in work at Flemington," Morton said.

The Scenic seven-year-old, who was runner-up to Niconero in the race three years ago, had a solid gallop at Ascot on Tuesday morning.

Jason Brown replaces Shane Scriven on Scenic Shot who is $3.20 favourite with TAB Sportsbet ahead of Railway Stakes winner Sniper's Bullet ($6.50), Grand Nirvana ($7), Lords Ransom ($7.50) and God Has Spoken at $10 with Thorn Dancer and Tarzi best of the rest at $12.

Kingston Town Classic - Final Field & Barriers

Wednesday, 02 December 2009 05:45

The son of American sire Bite The Bullet drew barrier 12 before winning the $1 million Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) last start, however his task appears considerably harder this weekend and jockey Damien Oliver will need to at his best.

His main threat will be Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) winner Scenic Shot who has drawn perfectly in barrier two while winner of the 2007 Kingston Town Classic, Megatic, will jump from gate three.

Star Encounter will be ridden by Brad Parnham and replaces William Pike after he opted to stay in Hong Kong to ride at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Ascot (Saturday)

$500,000 Go For 2&5 - Kingston Town Classic (1800m)
Group 1 - 3yo&Up - Weight For Age

Gossage To Leave Racing Radio

Friday, 04 December 2009 03:45

Gossage has been hosting Racing Radio's weekday breakfast show for three years and financial constraints have seen RWWA relinquish his services.

"The decision is not a reflection on Tim's performance as host for the past 3 years, but simply RWWA is not in a position to have the Show anchored by the services of a high profile sports presenter in these economic times," said RWWA General Manager Racing Ken Norquay.

"RWWA continues to strive for cost saving measures within the racing and wagering business.

"Tim has been a great supporter of Racing Industry and a key personality at Racing Radio during his 3 years as the Breakfast Show host and will be missed at the station," he added.

Gossage said he was "deeply disappointed" not to be continuing with the station however pledged "to be passionate and professional until my final on air shift" which will be early February.

Gossage is an experienced and versatile performer. Working with Network Ten for over a decade, he has provided commentary for the NBL, AFL and was an integral member of Ten's coverage of the Melbourne Cup Carnival in the late 90's.

He also enjoyed a four year stint on radio with Austereo prior to joining Racing Radio in February 2007.

A replacement in the absence of Gossage has not yet been announced.

Pike Cancels Perth Trip

Wednesday, 02 December 2009 01:15

Pike was expected to ride Star Encounter in the $500,000 Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m).

However due to difficulties in making satisfactory travel arrangements, Pike will stay in Hong Kong and ride at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Pike rode at Ascot's Railway Stakes meeting a fortnight ago and was able to ride one winner from seven rides.

His mount in the Railway Stakes, Keytomoney, finished last after leading the field into the straight.

Picture - Greg Irvine