COVID all clear from Cranbourne stables

Racing Victoria has lifted the lockdown which was imposed on seven Cranbourne stables after 88 licenced and registered participants were tested for COVID-19 and all returned negative tests.

The stables of Richard Laming, Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, Wendy Kelly, Nathan Dunn, Michael Trotter, Adrian McGregor and Tom Nikolic were all closed after a member of Laming's staff tested positive to COVID-19.

But training at Cranbourne will return to normal, with no positive tests from the blitz conducted over the past two days.

“It’s both pleasing and comforting to know that all the tests taken yesterday have been returned as negative. This underlines the importance and benefit of the strict biosecurity protocols that we have had in place since mid-March to allow for the safe conduct of over 1800 races here in Victoria," RV Chief Executive, Giles Thompson, said.

Victorian Racehorse of the Year finalists confirmed

G1 Australian Guineas winner Alligator Blood (All Too Hard), dual Group 1 winner Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible), Japanese star Lys Gracieux (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), the world's highest-rated sprinter Nature Strip (Nicconi) and G1 Melbourne Cup hero Vow And Declare (Declaration Of War {USA}) are all in the running to claim the Victorian Racehorse of the Year .

Wednesday’s broadcast on Racing.com will also feature 12 other awards highlighted by the Scobie Breasley Medal, the Tommy Corrigan Medal and the Fred Hoysted Medal.

The jockeys are those in contention to take home the Scobie Breasley Medal, which recognises excellence in riding during the metropolitan flat racing season as voted by the panel of RV Stewards are Dwayne Dunn, Jamie Kah, Damian Lane, Jye McNeil, Ben Melham, Jamie Mott, Damien Oliver, Michael Poy, Daniel Stackhouse and Craig Williams.

Will Gordon, Darryl Horner (Jnr), Lee Horner, Shane Jackson, Steven Pateman, Tom Ryan and Ronan Short are those leading the running to receive the Tommy Corrigan Medal, which is awarded to the leading jumps jockey of the season in Victoria and South Australia as voted by the RV and Thoroughbred Racing South Australia (TRSA) Stewards.

Bee Tee Junior claims Grand National

Bee Tee Junior (NZ) (Nom De Jeu {NZ}) upset the red-hot favourite Ablaze (NZ) (Raise The Flag {GB}) to claim the final feature jumps race of the Australian season, the $350,000 Ecycle Solutions Grand National Steeplechase.

The Rachael Cunningham-trained 9-year-old was having his first start over the bigger fences and turned the tables on Ablaze, who beat him in the Grand National Hurdle at Sandown.

Having sat just back off a strong pace set by Lucques (High Chaparral {Ire}), jockey Lee Horner brought Bee Tee Junior into contention just as Ablaze had stepped up to challenge the leader at the 800 metre mark.

Michelin (NZ) (Pentire {GB}) also surged into contention and the three of them had the race to themselves as the field turned for home.

Horner then set Bee Tee Junior alight, and the 6kg weight difference proved decisive as he put a gap on Ablaze, who was shooting to keep his unbeaten run over the jumps intact.

While Bee Tee Junior put in a sticky jump at the last obstacle, Horner, had plenty of time to salute the judge, with a 9l margin to Ablaze on the line with Michelin another 6l adrift.

Cunningham said she was too superstitious to watch the race but was delighted to have secured the biggest win of her career.

"Just looking at him now, he's pulled up so well, I couldn't be prouder," she said.

Berry begins season in fine form

Tommy Berry is enjoying his fastest ever start to a season and with 11 winners leads the Sydney jockeys' premiership, including Saturday's win in the G2 Silver Shadow S. by Dame Giselle (I Am Invincible).

"It is a long way to the end of the season but it's the best start I have had," Berry told Racenet. "I guess I finished on a really good note last season which set me up for this season.

"I ran second in my first year back (from overseas) and third last year so it has made me hungrier and hungrier to try and win a premiership."

Berry will begin a week's suspension following Saturday's Randwick meeting and will return on Chelmsford S. day on September 5.

Timing suits Alexiou and Ryan

Sterling Alexiou is confident the formation of a training partnership with Gerald Ryan has come at the right time. Ryan confirmed on Friday that his stable foreman would be promoted into a co-training role from this weekend.

They celebrated the new arrangement with the victory of Zell (I Am Invincible) at Newcastle on Saturday.

“We have spoken on and off about it for the past three or four years and have just been looking for the right time that suited Gerald,” Alexiou told Racenet.

“I have a young family now with my partner Rachel and 4-year-old Mya. We just wanted to do it when it suited all of us.

“When it happened, I wanted to make sure we were both really solid that we wanted to do it. I didn’t want Gerald to do it out of any sense of loyalty or anything like that. We were both happy to progress and the time was right.”

Bell mulls Plan B with Jungle Edge

Trainer Mick Bell is looking at several options for his evergreen sprinter Jungle Edge (Dubawi {Ire}) having shaken off the disappointment of Saturday's Listed Carlyon S. being called off because of the track.

Everything looked to be falling to the noted wet-tracker's favour as the rain fell on Saturday, but as it turned out, too much fell and the meeting was abandoned ahead of race six.

“I was completely shattered yesterday,” Bell told Racing.com

“He’s a 10-year-old now, opportunities like yesterday on tracks that he loves don’t come around every day. But you dust yourself off and we’ll just revert to plan B now.”

He confirmed that plan B featured multiple options.

“I’ve put in a late entry for The Heath S. next Saturday at Caulfield, or he could head to the McEwen the following week,” he said.

“If the border restrictions ease, we may head to Sydney for the G3 Concorde S. on September 5.”

The Bostonian pleases Pike

Trainer Tony Pike was happy with the first-up performance of The Bostonian (NZ) (Jimmy Choux {NZ}) in Saturday’s G1 Winx S.

The multiple Group 1 winner was beaten 3.8l into seventh after briefly hitting the lead at the top of the straight.

“I got the sectionals sent to me last night and they were going pretty quick early on and most of those who were up there around him dropped out to the tail in the straight," Pike said. “He will improve a heap off of that, so I don’t think he was disgraced by any means.”

Pike is considering his next option with the 6-year-old.

“There is the Chelmsford S. in a fortnight and then the George Main S. two weeks after that or there are some shorter sprinting options later on. "

Instigator ends three-year drought

Persistence paid dividends for trainer Aaron Purcell when Instigator (Ger) (Nayef {USA}) secured his first Australian victory in the $125,000 JJ Houlahan Hurdle at Ballarat on Sunday.

Instigator had not won a race since his debut at Koln in Germany in May 2017 and has had 19 starts without a win in Australia before Sunday's win in the feature hurdle.

But he powered away in the heavy conditions to win by 16l.

“He’s a horse that’s been very frustrating,” Purcell said.

“He’s probably a Listed-class flat horse that’s been struggling in lower races, but he’s a really good jumper and that keeps him involved in the races.

“It’s a very good feeling winning a feature.”