Vale the Chief

Chief De Beers (Hula Chief {NZ}), who passed away at Living Legends on Friday, enjoyed a remarkable racing career during which time he displayed a special affinity with one Queensland course.

Trained by Bill Calder, he was successful on 20 occasions with all of his victories registered at Doomben and included editions of the G1 Doomben 10,000 in 1995 and in 1998.

Chief De Beers was recruited by Queensland Police on retirement from racing in July 1999 and had a long and distinguished career, including serving as the designated Governor’s police horse as well as search and rescue missions, bushfire victim recovery and crowd control.

He retired to Living Legends in 2012 and this year was selected for a Blue Cross Medal by the Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation (AWAMO) in conjunction with the Blue Cross Fund (UK).

“He will be sorely missed at Living Legends and his unique achievements as a champion both on and off the track will be his lasting legacy,” Living Legends Chief Executive Officer and Veterinary Director Dr Andrew Clarke said.

Third tilt at Cup

Finche (GB) (Frankel {GB}) has begun his build-up toward a third crack at the G1 Melbourne Cup.

The 6-year-old finished fourth two years ago to Cross Counter (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) and unplaced last year behind Vow And Declare (Declaration Of War {USA}).

“He’s been in pre-training for a couple of months now out at Wild Oaks, using their lovely hill track. He’s made excellent progress, looks great and looking forward to the first Tuesday in November,” trainer Chris Waller told Racing.com.

Finche won the G3 Prix du Reux when trained in France by Andre Fabre and won the G3 Kingston Town S. for Waller before he was runner-up in the G1 Turnbull S. and fifth in the G1 Caulfield Cup before running seventh in the Melbourne Cup.

Mungrup catalogue online

The catalogue for the Mungrup Stud Complete Dispersal Online Sale is now online with bidding open on 157 unreserved lots from August 6-11.

Buyers will have the opportunity to buy young stock or broodmares in foal to two of the hottest sires in the country - Playing God and I'm All The Talk, both former residents at Mungrup Stud.

Plenty of interest will surround members of the first crop of Tapit's (USA) stakes-winning son A Lot (USA), while fellow Mungrup resident, the hugely popular and proven Oratorio, will also have strong representation.

The Mungrup Sale comprises of 13 2-year-olds and a 3-year-old, 69 soon to be yearlings and 74 broodmares. The 69 soon to be yearlings are all breeder nominated to Westspeed Platinum and all soon to be 2-year-olds have been both breeder and owner nominated.

The catalogue as well as videos, photos, agent assessments and other information for prospective buyers is now available for viewing at the Magic Millions Online portal here.

Mungrup Stud will be conducting Open Days for inspections at the farm from 10am to 3pm (AWST) on Thursday, July 30, Friday, July 31, Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2.

Stake levels returning

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has announced stake levels for the 2020/21 racing season will return to those in the 2019/20 season pre-COVID.

“The NZTR Board met and I am pleased to advise the wider industry that our stake levels were determined for the coming season,” NZTR CEO Bernard Saundry said. “It is our intention that stakes levels will remain consistent with the pre-COVID levels, however we need to be aware that we continue to operate in an uncertain environment.

“We need to provide encouragement for our owners, and we will be continuing with two initiatives introduced during our return to racing period in the new season.”

NZTR introduced payment back to 14th place and no nomination or acceptance fees for those horses which started at the return to racing meetings, as an acknowledgement of the difficult times experienced by owners during the lockdown period. Both will continue from August 1.

Vaughan leaving training ranks

Ed Vaughan, who last week sent out the Anthony Oppenheimer homebred Dame Malliot (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) to win the G2 Princess of Wales’s S. at his home track of Newmarket, has announced that he will relinquish his training licence at the end of the 2020 season.

“I haven’t just woken up and decided to do this. It’s been on my mind for a while and now seems the right time to finish up training here in the UK,” he said.

“As everyone is aware, with the reductions in prizemoney and the cost of running a business being so high, the economics of training in Britain are not good. I’m taking this decision now because I can see things getting worse in the next year.”

Gate in mare’s favour

In-form mare Jami Lady (Spirit Of Boom) has the ideal gate to make her presence felt in the Listed TAB Gai Waterhouse Classic over 1350 metres at Ipswich.

She scored the seventh win of her 19-start career when she led all the way to win the Listed Bright Shadow S. at Eagle Farm two weeks ago.

Jami Lady has only raced beyond 1200 metres once when fourth to Invincibella (I Am Invincible) in the Magic Millions Fillies and Mares’ race in January.

Confidence in filly

Trainer Graeme Rogerson is confident De La Terre (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) can notch the third win of her juvenile year when she tackles the Dylan Johnson Bloodstock 2YO at Te Rapa on Saturday.

She will likely have a brief let-up after Saturday and be targeted at more lucrative races in spring and heads a host of runners for Rogerson, who trains in partnership with wife Debbie, with 14 runners accepted at Te Rapa in addition to three at Awapuni on Saturday.

“She is a really good filly,” Rogerson said. “I just hope everything goes right. She is getting up in the weights but I think she will run well.

“She was desperately unlucky in a couple of those big races in the summer, but I think she is a Group filly in the making. She looks every bit of a G1 1000 Guineas filly and she is heading down there.”

Smart triallist

The Face (Rubick) kept his unbeaten trial record intact at Rosehill on Friday morning when he ran the quickest time of the four 900 metre 2-year-old heats.

Trained by Gerald Ryan, the gelding was a comfortable winner under jockey James Innes Jnr in 55.59s. He was successful in his first trial outing earlier this month when he beat the subsequent race day winner North Pacific (Brazen Beau).

The Face is a son of Crazy Quality (Elusive Quality {USA}) and the family of the G2 Angus Armanasco S. winner and G1 Thousand Guineas runner-up La Bella Dame (Royal Academy {USA}).

Begg happy with low draw

An inside barrier draw for Romancer (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) at Flemington has trainer Grahame Begg hopeful the gelding can land the first win of his current campaign.

Romancer heads into Saturday's James Dunbar's Flemington Inn off an unplaced finish in the Listed Winter Championship Series Final over the same course and distance last Saturday week.

But Begg believes drawing barrier two in the current field of 12 gives Romancer a better chance to figure on Saturday, with apprentice Teo Nugent to claim 2kg off the gelding's 59kg impost.

"He's going to get two kilos off his back and he's drawn a good gate which is the first time this preparation he's drawn a decent gate over the right distance," Begg said.

Sale takes tumble

A reshuffled and rearranged juvenile sales season like no other came to a conclusion with the final session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s July 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale Thursday.

With a market left shaken by the fallout of the ongoing global pandemic, numbers were predictably down at the three-day auction.

At the close of business Thursday, 498 horses had grossed US$15,195,300 (AU$21,775,427). The average fell 12.1 per cent to US$30,513 (AU$43,727) from a year ago and the median dropped 23.5 per cent to US$13,000 (AU$18,629).

The July sale was into its supplemental section when bloodstock agent Jacob West made the week’s highest bid, going to US$700,000 (AU$1,003,118) to acquire a colt by Distorted Humor (USA) on behalf of Robert and Lawana Low from the McKathan Bros. consignment.

The sale topper marked a highlight of the sales season for Kevin McKathan, who had purchased the youngster for US$165,000 (AU$236,400) at last year’s Fasig-Tipton October sale,

Gates to close

With the announcement that phase four of Ireland’s Roadmap for Reopening of Society and Business has been delayed until August 10, owners will no longer be permitted on Irish racecourses from July 20 as previously announced. Phase four will allow gatherings of up to 500 people.

“Since we resumed racing in Ireland on June 8 Horse Racing Ireland has kept tandem with the government’s movement on the Roadmap for Reopening of Society and Business, and will continue to do so,” Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland Brian Kavanagh said.

“The decision taken by the Cabinet to defer phase four of the Roadmap means we will also regrettably have to defer our ambition to welcome owners back to the racecourse from July 20. I understand how disappointing this will be for owners, who remain our first priority to return to the racecourse once restrictions are eased.”