Avilius to trial before stewards
Avilius (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) will be required to trial before stewards ahead of the G1 Cox Plate after the stable reported he had blood in one nostril following a gallop at Moonee Valley on Saturday morning.
Avilius will have to work over 1000 metres in front of a steward at Flemington on Tuesday before he is cleared to take his place in the weight-for-age race.
“Racing Victoria (RV) wishes to advise that trainer James Cummings has reported to the Stewards that Avilius (GB) had blood in one nostril after returning to the Flemington stables yesterday following a track gallop at Moonee Valley racecourse," a statement from Racing Victoria said.
“Before racing again, Avilius (GB) is required under the Rules of Racing to undergo a satisfactory gallop of at least 1000 metres in the presence of a Steward.
“Mr Cummings has indicated he wishes to gallop Avilius (GB) at Flemington on Tuesday morning (22 October) for reinstatement ahead of Saturday’s Ladbrokes Cox Plate.
“He has further advised that the gelding’s Spring campaign has not been interrupted as a result of this matter."
No Eagle guarantees for Arcadia Queen
Arcadia Queen's (Pierro) owner Bob Peters will not guarantee the mare will contest the Golden Eagle.
Arcadia Queen was a leading hope in The Everest, but weakened to finish 11th and her owner told Racing.com that he was disappointed with the run and her spring campaign is up in the air.
Arcadia Queen
“She was in a position where if she was good enough she should have won,” Peters said. “I was disappointed in the performance.
“The first signs are that she’s come out of it well, but we’ll know more in the next 24-hours,” he said. "It’s not a guarantee she’ll go there (to the Golden Eagle).
“I’ll decide later next week what she does now.”
Distance changes for Inglis races
Inglis has confirmed that its two feature races, the $2 million Inglis Millennium and the $1 million Inglis Sprint will be run over new distances from next year.
The Millennium will be contested over 1100 metres rather than the 1200 metres of this year when won by Castelvecchio (Dundeel {NZ}) while the Inglis Sprint will increase 100 metres to 1200 metres.
“These changes have been made following extensive communication with owners and trainers to ensure the best field sizes can be achieved for both races,’’ Inglis’ GM of Bloodstock Operations and International Development Jonathan D’Arcy said.
The announcement comes on the eve of Saturday’s $500,000 Inglis Banner at The Valley, which begins the 2019 graduates Inglis Race Series.
Among those eligible for entry for the Inglis Race Series are horses purchased at Tuesday’s Inglis Ready2Race Sale at Riverside Stables which are not yet paid up.
Steel Prince headed to Geelong
Steel Prince (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}) is back on track for the G1 Melbourne Cup and will take his place in Wednesday's G3 Geelong Cup.
The 6-year-old was set to have his final lead-up run in the G2 Herbert Power S. last week at Caulfield but was scratched at the barriers after putting a hind leg through the back of the stall.
Steel Prince (Ire) is back on track for the G1 Melbourne Cup
But while he took some skin off, the damage was superficial and all is in readiness for Plan B, which will see him contest the Geelong Cup and then head to the Melbourne Cup on November 5.
The Anthony Freedman stable has confirmed that he is fit and ready to go, with the imported stayer guaranteed a spot in the $8 million race because of his win in the Listed Andrew Ramsden S. earlier this year.
G1 goals for Admiral's Joker
Kylie Vella will target Group 1 races over Melbourne Cup week at Flemington with evergreen Admiral's Joker (Bel Esprit), who cracked his first stakes win in the Listed Seymour Cup.
A well-backed favourite, Admiral's Joker swept home from back in the field to a comfortable win under jockey Craig Williams and Vella is now keen to test the 7-year-old out at the top level.
She wants to contest the G1 Cantala S. on Derby Day and then head towards the G1 Emirates Mackinnon S. a week later.
The homebred for Seymour-based Frank Butler has won six of his 13 starts, including his last four this campaign.
R2R ready to make an impression
New venture R2R Club is confident of making an impression at this Tuesday’s Inglis Ready2Race sale at Riverside Stables.
R2R Club comprises industry professionals Stuart Kendrick, Mary-Lee Trivett, Simon Adams, Neil Douglas and Andrew Dunemann and will use KBL Thoroughbreds to sell its trio of colts at Tuesday's sale.
The three colts, by Smart Missile, Spirit of Boom and Deep Field, breezed up at the recent Eagle Farm session finishing with three of the top four times.
“The colts by three of Australia’s upcoming stallions in Deep Field, Smart Missile and Spirit of Boom all have great quality about them,” said Dunemann. “They all look to be horses that will improve with age.”
Vale Glenn Pickwick
The racing industry is mourning the death of former Jockey Glenn Pickwick.
Pickwick, who passed away suddenly at his home on Saturday morning, rode winners at 50 different tracks across Australia, mainly in NSW.
He spent considerable time working with the stable of Neville Begg and rode winners at all four metropolitan tracks in Sydney before his retirement in 2002. He made a brief comeback to the saddle in 2007.
He is survived by his son Cooper and his long-term partner Diane and her daughter Renell.
