Levendi retired
G1 Australian Derby winner Levendi (Pierro) has been retired with his ownership group looking to a future at stud.
Stable representative Manny Gelagotis said there was interest in standing Levendi in Victoria, Western Australia and New Zealand.
His final run was in Saturday's G2 Zipping Classic, where he faded from on the pace to finish seventh.
“A sad chapter closed yesterday,” Gelagotis told Racenet. “He’s been our best horse, we’ve had good horses, but this guy had panels on them.
“I’m really sad people didn’t get to see what he was, he was a bloody good horse.”
He retired with a record of 18 starts for five wins and two placings, having earned over $1.7 million in prizemoney.
Levendi (red sleeves) when winning the G1 ATC Derby
Too Close The Sun on track for Railway
Lindsey Smith has had a re-think about Too Close The Sun's (Carlton House {GB}) summer goals and he will now head to the G1 Railway S. after his win in the Listed Ascot Gold Cup on Saturday.
The G2 Perth Cup on January 2 was to be the main goal for the 5-year-old but next week's $1 million Railway S. is of more immediate concern.
"He looked pretty good here yesterday and he’s pulled up well so we’ll go again next week in the Railway," Smith told Racing.com.
‘"It (victory) might interfere with the Perth Cup but that’ll be all right.
"Next Saturday looks a pretty good race for him with that weight and the fact he camps on speed and makes his own luck. Plus, with the restrictions this year and not many eastern state horses here, it might just be the right year to go for a race like that."
Lindsey Smith (left)
Record-breaking Jonker's summer plans
Jonker (Spirit Of Boom) will target next month's G3 George Moore S. after breaking Takeover Target's 15-year-old 1200 metre track record at Doomben on Saturday.
Trainer Tony Gollan said the parallels between Jonker and his sire Spirit Of Boom were there for all to see in the brilliant performance in the Keith Noud Quality, which saw him stop the clock at 1:07.83s and win by 4.5l.
“He reminds me so much of his father. It’s just like having him back in the stable again,” Gollan said.
“We took plenty of time to get him ready and he put the writing on the wall in the trial, but I guess we just wanted to see some intent on raceday.”
After the George Moore, Jonker is likely to tackle the $1 million Magic Millions Sprint in January.
Allibor's autumn ambition
The G1 Australian Guineas and South Australian Derby are among races being considered for G2 Sandown Guineas winner Allibor (All Too Hard).
Trainer Symon Wilde is still assessing his options with the 3-year-old, who broke his maiden with victory in Saturday's feature 3-year-old race.
’I think he’ll stay, although he’s not really bred to,’’ Wilde told Racing.com. ‘’We might look at something like a South Australian Derby with him but we’ll just see where he takes us.
‘’You might miss a few grade races on the way through but the upside to winning a Group 2 so early in his career is that we can plan a campaign in the autumn as he can get into pretty much any race we want."
Allibor after winning the G2 Sandown Guineas
Surround on La Mexicana's radar
La Mexicana (I Am Invincible) is likely to campaign towards Group 1 races in the autumn after completing her spring campaign with a second in the Listed Twilight Glow S. at Sandown on Saturday.
The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained 3-year-old broke through for her first stakes win in the Listed Crockett S. at The Valley last month and Sam Freedman told the Herald-Sun, he feels she is capable is stepping up further at her next campaign, having not enjoyed much luck at Sandown on Saturday.
“She got pestered a little bit in the run and had to spend too much early,” Freedman said. “She got the trip but just had to do too much work.
“We think she’ll be better with give in the ground so we’ll look to Sydney and the Surround S. in the autumn.”
From super Saturday to the sales for Te Akau
Having celebrated five wins on Saturday, including the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas with Kahma Lass (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), Te Akau Racing's David Ellis is turning his attention to the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale of 2YOs.
Ellis is heading to Karaka with a spring in his step after an extraordinary day, even by Te Akau's lofty standards.
“That was the day you want to win races, New Zealand Cup Day,” Ellis said. “It’s one of the biggest, if not the biggest day on the calendar in terms of crowd numbers and the like.
"We’re pretty excited about the sale as we always buy two or three horses from it.
“It’s not our main sale as we do like concentrating on the yearlings but we have had some great success with three Group 1 winners coming out of it in Hall Of Fame, Gingernuts and Te Akau Shark.
David Ellis purchased Group 1 winner Te Akau Shark (NZ) from the 2016 NZB Ready to Run Sale of 2YO's
“We’ve been able to prepare for the Sale the same way we always do and I do think this week will offer some unique opportunities for buyers to select and purchase some really lovely horses with beautiful pedigrees."
Colgan hungry for more success after treble
A winning treble from Vinnie Colgan has the experienced New Zealand rider hungry for more success.
Colgan was close to giving the game away at the start of the year as he battled with the debilitating effects of a neck problem, but having taken a break and returning in October is back in top form, highlighted by three wins at Tauranga on Saturday,
“After I had surgery, the doctors said to me to take it easy to let the bone grafts I had to settle in and strengthen up,” Colgan said.
“I didn’t miss that much racing but now I’m back, I’m into it full on.
“It was great to win three on Saturday and even more satisfying to do it on horses for David Ellis (Festivity), who I rode a lot for when I was an apprentice and Roger James.
“They both helped shape my career so I’m thankful to them both.
“I’ve been doing a lot of work at Roger’s over the past couple of months and they have a really nice team at the moment so I was pleased to be able to win on Concert Hall for the stable and for owner Joan Egan."
The three victories took Colgan’s tally to seven for the season and 1167 for his career.
