Hyland retires
After more than 60 years in racing as a jockey and trainer, Pat Hyland has retired after a successful career.
Ill-health has forced Hyland to relinquish his role in a training partnership with his son Chris to spend time on his farm in rural Victoria.
Pat Hyland
Inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2016, Hyland is one of only eight jockeys to have won Australian racing's Group 1 grand slam of the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Golden Slipper.
"He rode trackwork until he was 74 and then he slowed down a little bit in the last few years," Chris Hyland told RSN927. "He's had a few little health issues, but overall he's not too bad at the moment."
Awaiting test result
Trainer Matthew Williams is hoping a test result will explain the disappointing last-start effort of Harbour Views (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) at Caulfield.
He was sent out a hot favourite off the back of a victory at The Valley, but could do no better than fourth.
Harbour Views (Fr)
Racing Victoria stewards said Harbour Views was lame in the left fore-leg following Saturday's race, but Williams was not using that as an excuse.
He is hopeful a lung wash will shed some light on the below par performance with the result expected later in the week.
McDonald appealing
Jockey James McDonald will be lodging an appeal against his three-week suspension over a running and handling charge.
McDonald was found guilty of failing to take all reasonable and permissible measures to win or obtain the best possible placing on Threeood (Star Witness) in at Randwick on June 20.
"I'll be appealing for sure and hopefully get that heard as soon as possible," McDonald told RSN927.
James McDonald
McDonald landed a treble at Rosehill on Saturday to bring up a century of winners in consecutive seasons on Sydney tracks.
He has a 20.5 win lead over Nash Rawiller in this season's Sydney metropolitan jockeys' premiership heading into Wednesday's meeting at Randwick.
Time called
Multiple black type winner Crack Me Up (Mossman) has been retired after re-injuring a fetlock in the Listed Civic S. at Rosehill.
Crack Me Up
"He’s a lovely horse and we’ll miss his majestic presence in the stable,” trainer Bjorn Baker said.
Crack Me Up won the G2 Villiers S. when prepared by Liam Birchley and was also successful in the G3 Liverpool City Cup and G3 Sunshine Coast Guineas, as well as three Listed events.
Magical winner for O'Brien
Playing host to a Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in full swing, Sunday’s G1 Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly S. at The Curragh was as good as over after less than a furlong as Seamie Heffernan committed to front-running duties on the returning 2-5 favourite. Kept in training for good reason, the G1 English and Irish Champion S. and G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup heroine of 2019 showed no mercy to her opposition and took off heading to two out en route to a 4.5l dismissal of the 3-year-old Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}), with 1.75l back to Fleeting (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in third.
“She’s very exciting and always has been, but she’s got stronger this year and that’s why the lads decided to leave her in training,” Aidan O’Brien said. “She was to go to No Nay Never.”
Magical is out of the excellent producer Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), who herself won the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas, G1 Nassau S. and G1 Sun Chariot S. All her progeny to date are by Galileo (Ire), including the triple Group 1-winning Rhododendron (Ire).
Open to Derby double
Trainer Aidan O’Brien has revealed that the door is still open for Saturday’s G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) to attempt to make it two Derbies in seven days in the Epsom version on July 4.
Santiago and his five stablemates that contested the Curragh Classic could be entered for the G1 Investec Derby on Monday, O’Brien told Racing TV’s Luck On Sunday program.
“It’s very possible. If any of them come out of the race exceptionally well and the owners want to make an entry, that’s what will happen.
“It was unconventional to run them so soon after Ascot, but they came out of the race well and that is why they ran. Nothing is definitely ruled out.”
Charming success
Windsor Park Stud shuttle stallion Charm Spirit (Ire) sired his eighth stakes winner when Time Scale (GB) proved a cut above her rivals in the Listed Betway Empress Fillies’ S. at Newmarket at the weekend.
The Ralph Beckett-trained 2-year-old continued her climb through the ranks when backing up her comfortable success at Chepstow last time.
A step up to Group race company is next on the agenda for Time Scale, who was installed as a 25-1 for next year’s G1 1000 Guineas, with Beckett earmarking potential targets both at home and abroad.
“She will have an entry in the G2 Robert Papin. There is also the G3 Princess Margaret S. at Ascot and it is just as likely that she could go there.
“Hopefully we can then look at the G2 Lowther S. and the G1 Cheveley Park S. later on in the season.”
Oaks performer to Maher
Southland trainer Kelvin Tyler may have lost one of his star 3-year-olds to Australia, but he is excited about the prospects of another.
The G1 New Zealand Oaks placegetter Feel The Rush (NZ) (Proisir) has joined Ciaron Maher and David Eustace’s Sydney barn, however, Tyler’s brother Allan and sister-law Marie have retained a half-share in the promising filly.
Feel The Rush (NZ) | Image courtesy of Race Images
“My brother already has a horse over with Ciaron at Ballarat, so we knew him a little bit and Allan was quite keen for her to go over so it fell into place quite nicely.”
Tyler said he fielded a few offers for the filly and also for her dual stakes-winning stablemate Lightning Jack (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}).
“He is quite exciting. He is a good horse and could have easily gone over to Australia as well. My brother and sister-in-law own him as well and they are quite keen to have a horse racing in New Zealand,” Tyler said.
