Hayes quartet to take on Mystic Journey
All-Star Mile winner Mystic Journey (Needs Further) headlines nominations for Saturday's G2 PB Lawrence S. at Caulfield, but Lindsay Park will tackle the mare with a four-pronged attack of imports.
The PB Lawrence features 15 nominations all up, 12 of them from horses which are first-up, which should make it a fascinating race.
Among that group are Harlem (GB) (Champs Elysees {Ire}), Fifty Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Neufbosc (Fr) (Mastercraftsmen {Ire}) and Sikandarabad (Ire) (Dr Fong {USA}), with co-trainer David Hayes confirming that they will all take their places.
"Sikandarabad could be a good chance because he’s got good fresh form and did run second to Avilius (Carlyon Cup) earlier in his preparation last time and he does look like he’s come back better again so he’s an import who is on the improve," Hayes told Racing.com.
"He’s a consistent horse who ran one bad race last prep and he had heart fibrillation, but he’s gotten over that well and truly and I’d look for him in the early spring to be featuring."
Hayes said that Fifty Stars may take another run, while both Neufbosc and Harlem were on a preparation designed at peaking later in the Spring.
RQ offers Gateway to Stradbroke
Racing Queensland has introduced a new 4-year-old race which will provide the winner with a ballot exemption for the 2020 G1 Stradbroke Handicap.
Known as The Gateway, the $250,000 race will be run over 1400m and be held at Eagle Farm on December 14 as part of a revamped Queensland Summer Carnival, which will run across nine weeks and includes Queensland’s richest raceday, the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast on Saturday, January 11.
Changes among the 22 black type races to be staged include the movement of the G3 Grand Prix S. from Brisbane’s winter program to December 21.
That race is now worth $250,000 as is the G3 B.J McLachlan Stakes, while the G3 Vo Rogue Plate goes to $300,000 and the Listed Nudgee Hcp and the Listed Gold Edition Plate go to $200,000.
Romanised claims Deauville G1
Sunday’s G1 Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois at Deauville looked perfectly teed-up for Robert Ng’s Romanised (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and last year’s G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hero did not need a second invitation to secure another major prize for the Ken Condon stable.
“It is fantastic–there have been some great winners of this through the years and he was always travelling smooth and was impressive,” Condon commented.
“He’s a horse with a lot of class and is always underestimated a little bit, running at some big prices. Last year, when he went to Ascot he was probably not good enough for that at that point but he’s got much stronger and more mature and showed his true class here. The timing is perfect for the [Oct. 6 G1 Prix de la] Foret [at ParisLongchamp] and then I want to take him to the Breeders’ Cup Mile.”
Elsewhere on the Deauville program, Swettenham Stud's Toronado (Ire) got his third stakes winner in Europe with Alwaab (Fr) winning the Listed Prix Nureyev.
Tarzino first test for Shadows Cast
G1 Thorndon Mile winner Shadows Cast (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) will head into the G1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings on August 31 first-up.
Trainer Mark Oulaghan said the 7-year-old will have one trial and go straight into the Group 1 test, which is the opening leg of the Hawke’s Bay Triple Crown.
“The plan is to get a trial into him then go straight into the Tarzino,” the Awapuni trainer said.
“He had six or seven weeks off after his run here and I’m happy with him.”
G1 Thorndon Mile winner Shadows Cast (NZ)
Shadows Cast's main aim is the G1 Windsor Park Plate, which he will go into second-up before being freshened again.
“I’ll probably back off him after the mile race and set him for the Captain Cook Stakes (G1, 1600m) at Trentham in early December,” Oulaghan said.
Free Eagle secures first stakes winner
Justifier (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}) who was his sire’s first winner at Leopardstown on June 13th is now his first black-type scorer after his game effort in Sunday’s Listed Coolmore Caravaggio S. at Tipperary.
Free Eagle will have his first Australian-bred 2-year-old runners this season.
“He has done what we’ve asked him there and will genuinely improve for stepping up and he is ticking all the right boxes at the minute. It is five weeks to the [G2 Champions] Juvenile Stakes [at Leopardstown] on Champions Weekend, but we’ll run wherever the race presents itself,” said Shane Lyons [brother to trainer Ger Lyons].
Free Eagle previously shuttled to Cornerstone Stud, SA and will have his first Australian-bred 2-year-old runners this season.
Aussie breakthrough for Proisir
Rich Hill's Proisir has marked his first winner in Australia with Vertical victorious on debut.
Trained by Toby and Trent Edmonds, the 3-year-old was a narrow winner over 1230m for jockey Ryan Maloney.
He is the seventh starter for Proisir in Australia. The stallion has had four winners in New Zealand.
Proisir
Commentators take over Trackside
Legendary NZ sport commentators Grant Nisbett and Ian Smith will step in as guest presenters for TAB Trackside, attending the Tarzino Trophy TAB Daffodil Raceday on Saturday August 31.
This year's event is a celebration of "Rugby, Racing and Volunteers" to raise money for the Hawke's Bay Cancer Society.
Hawke's Bay Racing chief executive Andrew Castles said it was a way to mark the occasion with something different and the two icons were keen to help support a worthy cause.
"Smithy being a local gets to the races here at Hastings when his commentating commitments allow, and I know Nisbo enjoys a day at the races when he gets the chance," Castles said.
"Their involvement in the day certainly creates another talking point and underlines what an important cause it is we are raising money for."
