Tofane secures Everest slot

The Mike Moroney-trained Tofane (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) has earned herself a slot in next month's $15 million The Everest.

The G1 All Aged S. winner will run in Yulong Investments' slot off the back of her first-up performance on Saturday when she finished third in the G2 Bobbie Lewis Quality.

"It’s a big thrill for us to partner with Yulong on this,” Moroney said. "I was more than satisfied with her effort (on Saturday) under the circumstances.

"She had topweight, the race wasn’t really run to suit so I thought for her to be beaten under 0.5l was an excellent run.

"She won the All Aged S. at Randwick in April after good efforts in The Galaxy and the TJ Smith and she beat Gytrash home over 1200 metres in Adelaide last year so she deserves a crack at a race like The Everest."

Breeze-up videos online

Inglis have released the videos for the Seymour and Eagle Farm Ready2Race breeze-ups.

The action was headed by a pair of Shaun and Tal Nolen’s JCS Thoroughbreds 2-year-olds, which both breezed up on the synthetic track at Seymour.

A Vancouver x Anatole (USA) (Quiet American {USA}) colt (Lot 176) topped the session, stopping the clock at a speedy 10.16s, while their Unencumbered x Magic Of Melbourne (Johannesburg {USA}) colt (Lot 43) was just shy of that at 10.20s.

Watch: Lot 176 breeze up.

Shaun Nolen described the Vancouver colt as “a dream to deal with’’.

“Jake Duffy, who has been breezing ours up for at least the past decade, says he’s not sure this bloke is the fastest we’ve ever had but he’ll definitely be the best we’ve ever offered,’’ Nolen said.

“He’s just the sort of horse who you don’t really feel like you’re going that fast on him, he’s very economical and he gets over the ground so easily but then when you look at the clock, you realise how good he’s going.

“He doesn’t act like a colt, nothing phases him, his temperament is perfect and he’s more like a 3-year-old who’s raced a few times he’s that strong and confident.’’

Breeze-ups continue at Warwick Farm on Friday where 93 juveniles will be put through their paces, before action heads across the Tasman on Monday for the Taupo breeze-ups.

Videos of those breezes will be available at inglis.com.au on Sunday.

Regal debut

Vancity Gem (Vancouver), the first foal to race out of Group 1 winner Precious Gem (Econsul {NZ}), broke her maiden on debut for Tony and Calvin McEvoy at Balaklava on Wednesday.

The 3-year-old filly sat outside the leader throughout the run and kicked away in the straight to win by 1.9l.

Vancity Gem was purchased by Jarrod Byers for $130,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale from the draft of Sledmere Stud and is from the family of multiple Group 1 winner Turffontein.

She also becomes the 16th first-crop winner for Coolmore second-season sire Vancouver.

Cox Plate unlikely

Chris Waller’s multiple Group 1 winner Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) is unlikely to contest the G1 Cox Plate and will instead target the G1 Caulfield Cup, co-owner Brae Sokolski said on Wednesday.

"With what has transpired with Aidan O'Brien coming and some of these other horses now running in the Cox Plate, it makes our decision so much easier," he told Racing.com.

"I'd say she's definitely going to the Caulfield Cup.

"The Cox Plate was looking a little bit shallow about four weeks ago but now with what Russian Camelot did last week and with the internationals now confirmed for the race, it has further galvanised our conviction that the Caulfield Cup is the right race this year.

"We thought with everything that's gone on this year that we were going to have an easier run at these big races, but it now looks as though they will be as tough as ever."

No Moir for Hustle

Brooklyn Hustle (Starspangledbanner) will not contest next Friday’s G1 Moir S. and will instead run in the Listed Testa Rossa S. at Caulfield on September 26.

“I think we are bypassing the Moir and stepping her up to 1200 metres and she will run in the Testa Rossa at Caulfield in two weeks’ time,” co-trainer Dean Krongold told Racing.com.

“We think she is better suited to the 1200 metres and it looks like it’s going to be a pretty strong Moir and she is going to need a lot of luck.

“I think she is a mare, and as she is owned by Rosemont, you want to capitalise and get some black type with her and a black-type win is our main goal this preparation at least.

“She’s an exciting prospect and we want to capitalise with her and then we can target her for a race like the Manikato, which she will be better suited to.”

Spring off for Maid

Dual Group 1 placegetter Moonlight Maid (Puissance De Lune {Ire}) will not feature this spring with trainer Mitch Freedman opting to give her an extended break.

"She hasn't had a spell since she was two," Freedman told Racing.com. "So I decided to give her the spring off and let her get over it.

"Same as Broadwayandfourth, she's got a future as a broodmare. So we will be looking to tackle the autumn with her."

Farnan enquiry to resume

The enquiry into Hugh Bowman’s ride on Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) in the G2 Run To The Rose last Saturday will resume on Thursday at 2pm AEST.

Led by chief stipe Marc Van Gestel, stewards grilled Bowman and co-trainer Adrian Bott during a race day inquiry into the 3-year-old’s unplaced performance where he started a drifting favourite and after being sooled to the lead shortly after the start, he over-raced and compounded in the straight to finish fifth.

The top jockey said once he made the decision to lead, Farnan would not come back underneath him and went too hard.

"I was trying to judge it the best I could. It is not like driving a car and putting the breaks on if you go too fast. It's not that simple," Bowman told stewards at Rosehill.

"I understand you have sectional times and obviously horses can't sustain the pace he was going and that's why he finished the way he did."

Meech expecting first child

Leading jockey Linda Meech is pregnant with her first child due in January 2021 but plans to continue riding after giving birth.

Meech, who was the first female jockey to win the Victorian jockeys' premiership in 2018/19, was last seen riding at Stawell on April 12.

Breeding Awards cancelled

The 2020 Ebbett VW National Breeding Awards has been cancelled due to the constraints and complications of holding a large event during the current COVID-19 situation.

“We are all disappointed the event could not go ahead but we were left with little choice for obvious reasons,” NZTBA council member Shannon Taylor said.

“The organising committee had been trying to work around the different alert level scenarios. We’d already had a change of date and venue, but for the event to go ahead at the standard it deserved, we just couldn’t operate within the time frames and uncertainty.”

Ruakaka resumption

Group 1 performer Melt (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) will kick-off her spring campaign in the Harcourts Tai Tokerau Trophy at Ruakaka on Saturday.

The daughter of Iffraaj (GB) hasn’t been seen on race day since her runner-up effort over 1200 metres at Tauranga last November and trainer Nigel Tiley is looking forward to her return.

“Melt had a nice break,” he said. “She came back from Sydney and we gave her one start just to make sure she was happy.

“We put her aside while the tracks were a bit firmer. She was ready to go when we had to go into lockdown with COVID-19, so she just went out to the paddock and then went down to David and Emma-Lee Browne’s to do a bit of work on the hills.

“She has come back in pretty good nick.”

Hayes pleased with Beauty

Beauty Generation’s (NZ) (Road To Rock) campaign ramped up a notch on Tuesday at Sha Tin with a 1000 metre turf barrier trial that connections hope will lead to a fourth consecutive win in the G3 Celebration Cup H. in a fortnight’s time.

Hong Kong’s standout miler of recent seasons strode down the home straight shortly after dawn.

The gelding travelled close to the inner guide markers under Zac Purton, galloped by the winning post eighth behind Amazing Chocolate (Sepoy) (clocked at 57.14s), and advanced after the line to lead the pack around the bend.

“He’s come out of it well,” trainer David Hayes said of the 8-year-old.

“He was beaten a bit for speed in the middle stages, but I thought through the line was pretty strong and more importantly Zac said he felt like his old self.”

Fellowes’ jockey search

With Michael Walker being booked to partner Dashing Willoughby (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in this year’s G1 Melbourne Cup, Newmarket trainer Charlie Fellowes is on the hunt for a new jockey for Prince Of Arran (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}).

"The one thing I thought I didn't need to worry about was a jockey," Fellowes said.

"It's very sad Michael can't ride him as he can take a huge amount of credit for our success here.

"When we came here two years ago I thought it would take a miracle to get him into the Melbourne Cup but it was the confidence between the horse and the jockey which was the reason for their success."

Fellowes said he had already been contacted by numerous Australian jockeys and he would put them on a list but he wasn't in a hurry to make a decision.

"There's not likely to be any European jockeys and there's question marks whether Sydney jockeys will be available," Fellowes said.

"I'll see who is available and then work out who can suit the horse the best.”

Pat Smullen passes away

Pat Smullen, Irish Champion Jockey nine times throughout his career, passed away on the evening of September 15 at St Vincent’s Hopsital in Dublin, Ireland. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March of 2018, he was 43.

Smullen began riding out as an apprentice for Tom Lacy, and made an immediate impact, being named champion apprentice both in 1995 and 1996.

He also rode for Joanna Morgan and after serving his apprenticeship, Smullen rode for various other trainers, including John Oxx, and Tommy Stack before joining forces as first call rider for Irish maestro Dermot Weld in 1999. For Weld he would serve the rest of his 20-year career.

Among those two decades were the aforementioned nine riding titles, the most recent in 2016, after piloting Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) to a win in the G1 Epsom Derby.

Smullen booted home 10 other Classic winners, including G1 Irish Oaks victress Covert Love (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), G1 2000 Guineas hero Refuse To Bend (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}) and quadruple G1 Irish St Leger winner Vinnie Roe (Ire) (Definite Article {GB}).