Brazilian Moreira Wins Perth Challenge
- Saturday, 27 November 2010 07:59
Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira has made a successful hit-and-run raid on Perth's International Jockey Challenge with a stunning victory on outsider Naku Penda in the final race of the two-event series.
Moreira, 27, flew into Perth at 6am (WST) on Saturday after landing four winners on Friday night in Singapore where he has ridden a record 111 winners for the season.
"When I got here I went straight away to the hotel to have a good rest and I am feeling very good now," Moreira said.
He collected $20,000 as his prize for winning the Challenge which also featured Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Gerald Mosse, fellow French champion Olivier Doleuze, South African Robbie Fradd and Irishman John Egan.
Moreira only got the call to attend the Challenge last Monday after American jockey Jose Verenzuela was unable to compete for personal reasons.
"It is very much a pleasure to be here," Moreira said.
"They called me on Monday so I said straight away I want to go."
Moreira was scheduled to leave on a flight back to Singapore on Saturday night so he could ride at Kranji on Sunday.
To win the Challenge a rider needed to win one of the two races.
West Australian jockey Paul Harvey won the first leg on Copper Reign ($7) who scored by a long head from Dane Commodore ($18), ridden by Nick Hall, with Elle Choisit ($7.50), ridden by Doleuze, a head away third.
Moreira finished seventh on Romida ($13) but nailed the Challenge when he stormed home on Naku Penda($21), who cornered in fifth place, to score by 1-1/4 lengths from Delta Bay ($5), ridden by Mosse, with Darren Gauci's mount Pin Rouge ($4.80 fav) a head away third.
Naku Penda had finished eighth at his last two starts at Ascot this month and trainer Mike Powell was quick to praise the efforts of Moreira.
"You need all that luck in racing and he is a superstar jockey," Powell said.
"He was the difference for sure, and I backed all his winners last night as well."
Powell, who also engaged Doleuze for Naku Penda's stablemate Gondorff who finished sixth earlier at the meeting, said to be associated with such great riders was a huge thrill.
"It was such a privilege for a person like myself to put Olivier Doleuze and Moreira on," Powell said.
"It is a dream come true."
Final tally:
34 Joao Moreira; 30 Paul Harvey; 21 Olivier Doleuze, Darren Gauci; 20 Gerald Mosse, Nick Hall; 18 Clare Lindop, John Egan; 13 Robbie Fradd; 12 Michael Walker; 9 Brad Rawiller; 8 William Pike, Shaun O'Donnell; 6 Damien Oliver.
Rawiller Hoping For Home Ground Advantage
- Friday, 26 November 2010 06:32
Brad Rawiller is hopeful that his familiarity with Ascot will help offset any shortcomings he may have against some of the world's best riders in the International Jockey Challenge.
Rawiller said Saturday's contest would be a great test for him with the field spearheaded by Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Gerald Mosse and fellow French champion Olivier Doleuze.
South African Robbie Fradd, Irishman John Egan and Brazilian Joao Moreira, who is the premier jockey in Singapore, are other international riders along with New Zealander Michael Walker who is now based in Melbourne.
"I am excited to be riding against all these boys," Rawiller, who has won three Group One races at Ascot, said.
He partnered Niconero to two Kingston Town Classic wins and this year won the West Australian Derby on Chartreuse.
"A few of these boys might have the edge on me in ability but at least I have an edge on knowing the course," Rawiller said.
"We all have great fun over here but when we get in those races there will no holds barred and it will be a fierce competition."
Under the rules of the Challenge, a jockey can only win it if he rides the winner of one of the two Challenge races.
Fleming Son, who was a close sixth last start, looks Rawiller's better ride in the two races as in the second leg he will partner 10-year-old Stratazoa who has faded out of the placings at his last two starts.
Mosse is favoured to win the Challenge after being drawn to ride the Bruce Watkins-trained stablemates Comme Ci, who is among the top chances in the first heat, and Delta Bay who is pre-post favourite in the second.
Mosse has never ridden in Perth before and planned to walk the Ascot track on Friday.
Walker fancies his chances in the Challenge on Global Flirt, who has won three of five starts and is likely to start favourite in the first leg, but he will need to scramble for points on Volcanic Causeway who has finished down the track at his two runs this campaign.
Other Melbourne jockeys competing are Damien Oliver, Nicholas Hall and Darren Gauci.
Adelaide-based Clare Lindop is also in the Challenge while Paul Harvey, William Pike and Shaun O'Donnell represent the locals.
Cup-winning Mosse To Star In Perth
- Wednesday, 24 November 2010 04:59
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Gerald Mosse has landed on the back of two Bruce Watkins-trained gallopers in Perth's International Jockey Challenge.
The champion French jockey, who is based in Hong Kong, is looking to continue his love affair with Australia on Saturday after being drawn to ride both Comme Ci and Delta Bay for Watkins.
Mosse was the personality of the Melbourne spring carnival, winning the Geelong Cup and the Melbourne Cup on Americain.
Both his rides in the Challenge are winning chances.
Comme Ci was a last-start second at Pinjarra while Delta Bay is a consistent six-year-old who was fourth at Ascot at his most recent run late last month.
Mosse is one of six international jockeys competing in the two-race Challenge.
Fellow Frenchman Olivier Doleuze will ride last-start winner Elle Choisit for Doug Wilson and the in-form Alan Mathews-trained Broome Time.
Joao Moreira, Robbie Fradd and John Egan make up the international contingent of riders along with former New Zealander Michael Walker who is now based in Melbourne.
Other Melbourne jockeys competing are Brad Rawiller, Damien Oliver, Nicholas Hall and Darren Gauci.
Adelaide-based Clare Lindop is also in the Challenge while Paul Harvey, William Pike and Shaun O'Donnell represent the locals.
Mosse's Shot At Another Aussie Feature
- Friday, 26 November 2010 06:32
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Gerald Mosse is set to add another Australian feature race to his world-class record in the Group Two Winterbottom Stakes.
Mosse, who blew a kiss to the crowd when he won the Cup on Americain, will ride in the two-race International Jockeys' Challenge at Ascot and as a bonus has picked up the ride on the Ian Glading-trained King Kool Kat in Saturday's $750,000 1200m feature.
The champion French jockey arrived from Hong Kong on Thursday night and immediately watched replays of in-form sprinter King Kool Kat's recent wins, which impressed him.
"His form looks good," Mosse said.
"He's got plenty of speed and when I saw a DVD he showed me something special."
Mosse replaces Duncan Miller on King Cool Kat after the star apprentice broke his collarbone in a race fall at Bunbury on Wednesday.
"It was obviously very bad luck for Duncan as he is four (wins) out of four on the horse but I am very pleased to get him (Mosse) in such a big race over here," Glading said.
A seven-year-old, King Kool Kat has won seven of his 57 starts but has never raced better with six of those wins in succession before his last-start third to Ma Ma Machine in the Group Three Colonel Reeves (1100m) two weeks ago.
"The Colonel Reeves was his biggest step up in class and he handled it pretty well," Glading said.
"The 1100 metres was always going to be too short for him so for him so to run third and beat home horses like Marasco was a super effort."
Glading said King Kool Kat had trained on superbly since the Colonel Reeves and that his work this week had been his best ever.
"I couldn't be happier with the horse," Glading said.
"If anything I think he has improved.
"His work has been sensational, perfect."
He said King Kool Kat was an adaptable horse who could settle anywhere in his races and that he would be giving Mosse limited instructions.
"You can pretty much ride him how you find him," Glading said.
"They will run it pretty hard and fast and that should suit him, and he has got the right barrier draw (four) to sit fourth, fifth, sixth just in behind the pace.
"The harder they go the better he likes it."
King Kool Kat has firmed slightly from $10 to $9.50 with TAB Sportsbet while Damien Oliver's mount Whitefriars, last-start winner of the Group Two Salinger Stakes at Flemington, has been a significant shortener from $4.60 to $4.
Oliver has ridden Whitefriars most of his work the last two weeks in Perth and said the five-year-year-old had settled in well.
"It is probably a little bit of a concern that the track might be a bit too firm for him, but he hasn't run for three or four weeks and he is in great order," Oliver said.
Bowman Gathers Another Group One Chance
- Wednesday, 24 November 2010 04:15
Sydney jockey High Bowman has been given a gilt-edged chance to add to his season's Group One tally.
Bowman is the confirmed Kingston Town Classic rider for Gathering, the Patinack Farm galloper who will be one of the main chances in the 1800m weight-for-age feature.
Patinack Farm racing manager Robyn Hartney said Bowman had taken the Group One ride on Wednesday.
Bowman will replace Craig Williams, the Melbourne-based rider who partnered Gathering to victory in the Group One Railway Stakes last Saturday.
Williams will miss the Kingston Town Classic meeting at Ascot on December 4 because of overseas commitments.
Bowman said he chased the Gathering ride when he heard Williams was heading to Japan.
His booking could mean missing out on keeping an association with one of Sydney's most promising gallopers.
"Shamash might be running on the same day but I can only be in one place at one time," Bowman said.
Bowman has ridden Shamash to two impressive comeback wins at Canterbury and Rosehill as the Bart Cummings-trained galloper heads towards a possible Villiers Stakes start.
Bowman won two majors during the Melbourne Cup carnival - the Victoria Derby and the Emirates Stakes - to join Williams in second place in the jockeys' race for 2010-2011 Group One honours.
He will share top billing with So You Think's spring jockey Steven Arnold if Gathering can go back-to-back in Perth.
Pre-post operators on the Kingston Town have Gathering $7 second favourite with Railway Stakes runner-up Famous Roman heading charts at $6.
On Gathering's Kingston Town chances, Bowman said: "He's not as well suited at weight-for-age but he's the type of horse who races up on the speed making his own luck."
Gathering's stablemate Trusting is at $10 for the Classic after finishing sixth in the Railway.
Picture: Sportpix
Mosse's Shot At Another Aussie Feature
- Friday, 26 November 2010 04:59
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Gerald Mosse is set to add another Australian feature race to his world-class record in the Group Two Winterbottom Stakes.
Mosse, who blew a kiss to the crowd when he won the Cup on Americain, will ride in the two-race International Jockeys' Challenge at Ascot and as a bonus has picked up the ride on the Ian Glading-trained King Kool Kat in Saturday's $750,000 1200m feature.
The champion French jockey arrived from Hong Kong on Thursday night and immediately watched replays of in-form sprinter King Kool Kat's recent wins, which impressed him.
"His form looks good," Mosse said.
"He's got plenty of speed and when I saw a DVD he showed me something special."
Mosse replaces Duncan Miller on King Cool Kat after the star apprentice broke his collarbone in a race fall at Bunbury on Wednesday.
"It was obviously very bad luck for Duncan as he is four (wins) out of four on the horse but I am very pleased to get him (Mosse) in such a big race over here," Glading said.
A seven-year-old, King Kool Kat has won seven of his 57 starts but has never raced better with six of those wins in succession before his last-start third to Ma Ma Machine in the Group Three Colonel Reeves (1100m) two weeks ago.
"The Colonel Reeves was his biggest step up in class and he handled it pretty well," Glading said.
"The 1100 metres was always going to be too short for him so for him so to run third and beat home horses like Marasco was a super effort."
Glading said King Kool Kat had trained on superbly since the Colonel Reeves and that his work this week had been his best ever.
"I couldn't be happier with the horse," Glading said.
"If anything I think he has improved.
"His work has been sensational, perfect."
He said King Kool Kat was an adaptable horse who could settle anywhere in his races and that he would be giving Mosse limited instructions.
"You can pretty much ride him how you find him," Glading said.
"They will run it pretty hard and fast and that should suit him, and he has got the right barrier draw (four) to sit fourth, fifth, sixth just in behind the pace.
"The harder they go the better he likes it."
King Kool Kat has firmed slightly from $10 to $9.50 with TAB Sportsbet while Damien Oliver's mount Whitefriars, last-start winner of the Group Two Salinger Stakes at Flemington, has been a significant shortener from $4.60 to $4.
Oliver has ridden Whitefriars most of his work the last two weeks in Perth and said the five-year-year-old had settled in well.
"It is probably a little bit of a concern that the track might be a bit too firm for him, but he hasn't run for three or four weeks and he is in great order," Oliver said.
Picture: Sportpix
Aquinas Gives Trainer Biggest Win
- Saturday, 20 November 2010 13:39
Popular Perth horseman Bernie Miller notched a career breakthrough success at Ascot today when quality stayer Aquinas won the listed Tattersall's Cup (2100m).
Ridden to perfection by Patrick Carbery, Aquinas got home in a busy finish to beat Brandy Lane by head.
Miller said Aquinas and Carbery were the perfect combination - no one knows his charge like the affable Perth based senior rider.
"The only instruction was, whatever you decide to do - that's the correct decision and as you just saw - it was magnificent," a delighted Miller said.
"He did a fantastic job. He rated him well. It was an excellent staying effort from the horse - it just shows what he can do."
"They are a great little team. They appreciate each other. He's been very good to us."
Miller went into today's race quietly confident that Aquinas would put his best foot forward and give him his first stakes race success as a trainer.
"I think it's the best I've ever had him," he stated moments after the win. "We'll just get him over the next 48 hours and we'll go from there and see what happens."
Dreams of winning the state's most famous race, the Perth Cup on New Year's Day, were given a boost with the Tattersall's Cup victory.
"We'll go one step at a time - but hopefully we can get there (to the Perth Cup) for the crowd - he's starting to get a bit of a following."
"He'll get the 24(00) no worries in the Cup," he added.
Aquinas, purchased for $24,000 as a yearling at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, has now earned over $148,000 in prizemoney.
One of two stakes winners on the day for Blackfriars, Aquinas is one of three winners produced by the Grosvenor mare Lyric Grove.
She is a half sister to Tri Lyric - the dam of the stakes winners Global Win and My Mo Rally, in turn the dam of Group One winner Le Drakkar.
It is also the family of multiple Group One winner Heroicity.
"Improved" Secret To Tackle Winterbottom
- Thursday, 25 November 2010 05:15
Exciting sprinter Waratah's Secret has improved in "leaps and bounds" to earn a second crack at the Group Two Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot.
The four-year-old last year finished five lengths sixth to Ortensia in the 1200m Winterbottom but trainer David Harrison said the speedster was now more seasoned and ready for the $750,000 feature again on Saturday.
Harrison said the Winterbottom was a race he hoped Waratah's Secret could win and so far the signs were positive.
"He's got a good barrier (one) so hopefully the luck will continue," Harrison said.
"A race like this, worth good money, you always have in the back of your mind and hopefully he is good enough.
"He has been good to us so far and has come along in leaps and bounds."
Waratah's Secret has an imposing record of seven wins and four seconds from only 12 starts.
The only time he finished out of a place was in last year's Winterbottom which he contested as favourite on the strength of an unbeaten record of six starts for six wins, including the Listed Fairetha Stakes (1400m).
Waratah's Secret won his first three starts this campaign, including the Group Three Prince Of Wales (1200m) by nearly two lengths from veteran Idyllic Prince, before another Winterbottom rival, Ma Ma Machine, beat him a long neck in the Group Three Colonel Reeves (1100m).
Harrison said that with an inside draw and easier run on Saturday Waratah's Secret gets his chance to turn the tables on Ma Ma Machine.
"The winner took the short cut last time and didn't spend a penny but he (Waratah's Secret) hit the line well and in two more strides wins it," Harrison said.
Waratah's Secret is a big, strong son of Oratorio from a Zabeel mare and is $5.50 second favourite with TAB Sportsbet.
Sydney five-year-old Whitefriars, a last-start Salinger Stakes winner at Flemington, is at $4.60 and the horse Harrison fears most.
"He looks pretty good," Harrison said.
Top West Australian jockey Paul Harvey continues his association with Waratah's Secret in the Winterbottom while Damien Oliver will ride Whitefriars.
Noske's Perfection Gets Xaaravid Home
- Saturday, 20 November 2010 13:36
Star Perth apprentice Jarrad Noske showed his older, seasoned rivals how its done at Ascot on Saturday when he produced a copybook ride to win the listed Carbine Club Stakes (1400m) with Xaaravid.
George Daly, one of the state's most respected trainers, puts the polish on Xaaravid and he described the ride from Noske as perfect.
"I give the credit to a terrific ride," Daly said. "It was first class."
Noske allowed Xaaravid to find his feet early and then kept cool when it looked like his charge was going to held up behind runners.
But showing the poise and class that proven star riders would have been proud of Noske found an inside run and guided the four-year-old home to a comprehensive win.
"He's been a really nice young lad to get associated with going through his apprenticeship," Daly commented.
"He's outridden his claim and I think he will go on and be a very competitive senior rider."
Xaaravid, placed earlier this year in the Magic Millions Perth 3YO Trophy, has been a high class galloper since he debuted at two.
"He really is a terrific little horse," Daly said. "A person said to me this morning - he's won as a two-year-old, a three-year-old and a four-year-old - he keeps going on we're moving him up in distance."
Daly said next year's Railway Stakes could be on the cards for Xaaravid.
"I didn't think he was ready for this year's (Railway)."
Sent out as a $9 chance with bookmakers, Xaaravid cruised home to beat Elliotto ($5) by a soft half length. The fancied runneer Mabel Grace ($2.40 fav) was another length and a half back in third place.
A Korilya Stud graduate from the 2008 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, Xaaravid is raced by George and Wally Daly in partnership with high profile Perth businessman Rick Hart.
Hart, a former president of the Fremantle's AFL Football Club, is best known through his electrical appliance stores in the WA capital.
Xaaravid was bred by one of WA's best known and most successful breeders Ellie Giles from her Korilya Stud property.
Giles has a half brother to Xaaravid heading to February's 2011 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale - a colt by Balmont.
The athletic youngster is a member of the first Australian crop of Balmont - a Stravinsky stallion who won the Group One Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.
Chloe Chatfield Stood Down
- Thursday, 25 November 2010 02:45
Stewards will inquire into a report received from Western Diagnostic Pathology, that the urine sample taken from Apprentice Chloe Chatfield at the Lark Hill Barrier Trials on Monday, 22 November 2010 revealed the presence of a banned substance listed in ARR.81B.
Acting under the provisions of ARR.81A(3) Apprentice Chloe Chatfield has been immediately stood down from riding until the completion of the Inquiry.
Apprentice Chloe Chatfield is required to attend this Inquiry with her host trainer, Mr D. Casey which will be held at the offices of Perth Racing on Friday, 26 November 2010 at 11:30am.
Gathering Wins Railway Stakes
- Saturday, 20 November 2010 09:15
The Patinack Farm-owned Gathering ran his rivals ragged to score an emphatic victory in the Group One $1 million Railway Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
Perfectly ridden by Craig Williams, the Tale Of The Cat four-year-old sped out of gate six and led all the way in the 1600m feature, comfortably downing Famous Roman and Megatic.
The win broke a frustrating run of Group One second placings for Patinack's trainer John Thompson whose only previous win at the elite level was with Small Minds in the 2010 Australasian Oaks at Morphettville.
Patinack have had five Group One seconds this spring, with Trusting, unplaced in the Railway Stakes, providing two of them in the George Main Stakes and Epsom Handicap.
Thompson lauded Williams' ride.
"It was an 11 out of 10 ride," he said.
"A fantastic ride, and the horse well deserves it.
"He's been racing at the top level all his career.
"He's an honest horse."
Williams was equally effusive in his praise of Gathering.
"Today Gathering was supreme," he said.
"He was in the zone.
"When I asked him to be good and tough, he was.
"We saw Gathering at his best today."
Gathering beat Famous Roman by 2-1/4 lengths with Megatic a head away third.
Picture: Fiona Tomlin