Hyeronimus guilty

Adam Hyeronimus is facing a lengthy ban after he was found guilty on multiple betting charges on Monday.

Racing New South Wales stewards deemed Hyeronimus and stablehand Blake Paine to be guilty of 30 of the 31 charges laid against them.

A hearing in respect of an outstanding charge of providing false evidence and submissions on penalties will be conducted on a date to be fixed.

Two Waterhouse winners in ring

Next week's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale will feature the past two winners of the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic.

Ready To Prophet (Smart Missile), a multiple stakes winner for the Dynamic Syndications team, has joined a star-studded supplementary catalogue.

The winner of almost $300,000, she won the 2019 running of the Gai Waterhouse Classic and also the Listed Denise's Joy S. at Scone.

Solar Star (Zoustar) will return to the Gold Coast for the National Sale for the second straight year after a dashing breakthrough stakes win in the latest edition of the Gai Waterhouse.

She was purchased for $105,000 by Damon Gabbedy's Belmont Bloodstock Agency last year for John and Marilyn Baxter's Ruane Menangle operation.

Quality colt to trial

John Sargent will give Brandenburg (NZ) (Burgundy {NZ}) a trial outing next week to add further momentum to the colt’s preparation, which will open in the G1 Winx S.

Brandenburg won the G3 Hobartville S. last preparation, and placed at Group 1 level in the G1 Randwick Guineas and against older opposition in the G1 Doncaster H. He was spelled after an unplaced run in the G1 All Aged S.

"He is travelling very well and I am really happy with him," Sargent told Racenet. "The break treated him well and he has come back bigger and stronger, especially behind the neck and behind.

"He is more mature and will have two trials heading into the Winx S. He will trial for the first time on July 28."

Cup target

Trainer Grahame Begg has the G1 Caulfield Cup as the spring goal for Noncomformist (Rebel Raider).

He will have a jump-out and a trial next month ahead of kicking off in a handicap on August 29 with his second outing likely to be in the G1 Makybe Diva S.

Nonconformist has won three of his six starts and was turned out after his success in the G2 Alister Clark S. at Moonee Valley.

Pair relishing preparation

Leaving star gallopers Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) and Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel) in New South Wales to spell after their autumn campaigns is proving to be a masterstroke by Te Akau principal David Ellis.

“David Ellis made the decision after the carnival to leave the horses there and Ashley Handley, who works for us, took a bit of a break and she stayed over there and welcomed the horses back in after they’d spent six weeks in the paddock,” trainer Jamie Richards said.

“Melody Belle will trial at Randwick on the July 28, and then she’ll run in the Missile S. first and then the G1 Winx S. a couple of weeks later. "

Richards said stablemate Probabeel is a little bit behind Melody Belle in her preparation, but she too is being set for a trial later this month.

“She’ll trial on the 28th and then a couple of weeks again after that, and she’ll run first-up on August 22 in one of those quality handicaps on that day.”

Track delay

New Zealand’s border restrictions have put a spanner in the works in the construction of the Cambridge Jockey Club’s synthetic track.

Civil works for the track are nearing completion, however, the club is waiting upon the expertise of Australian-based company Martin Collins to be able to mix and lay the track surface.

“We have been pretty lucky with the weather and prior to lockdown we were ahead of time and budget,” Cambridge Jockey Club Chief Executive Mark Fraser-Campin said.

“They have done a great job and have caught back up. The last couple of coats are going on now of the gravel and the asphalt, which will take a couple of more weeks.

“However, all of our polytrack is sitting in Matamata ready to be mixed. We are just working through the process now of getting the team from Martin Collins over to mix it. Unfortunately, they were about to mix it three days before lockdown and they had to go home.”

The Cambridge Jockey Club has filed for an exemption with Immigration New Zealand in order to allow members from Martin Collins into the country to complete the project.

Time to bounce back

Time To Reign (Time For War) was a first-up flop, but trainer Gary Portelli is confident the colt can atone in Saturday’s July Sprint at Rosehill.

The G2 Silver Slipper S. winner resumed last month and tailed the field home after over-racing back in a slowly-run race.

Time To Reign has since won at the trials in the hands of Robbie Dolan and he will resume his association with the colt at the weekend.

Celebration time

Former Argentinian apprentice Diego Montes de Oca has had to cope with some major life changes since coming to New Zealand, but it proved all worthwhile when winning on Lalone (NZ) (Makfi {GB}) at Awapuni.

It was the first New Zealand victory from five race day rides for the 28-year-old since teaming up with leading trainer Jamie Richards at Matamata 18 months ago.

Montes de Oca rode 89 winners during his apprenticeship in Argentina and, with his last winner in his home country being on September 10, 2018.

“It was very good to get that winning feeling back,” he said. “Jamie told me not to get carried away at the finish so I held it in, but I was so excited.”

Montes de Oca wanted to further his riding and get the opportunity to earn a better living and after scanning the internet, he clicked on to Te Akau Racing and, impressed with what he read, he emailed Richards over the prospects of a job.

“Jamie responded so fast so I made the decision to come to New Zealand,” Montes de Oca said.