Options open for Ole Kirk
Hawkes Racing is keeping its options open on where to resume star colt Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) after he was scratched from the G2 Expressway S. on Saturday.
Ole Kirk will be nominated for the G3 Eskimo Prince S. at Randwick on February 6 but could yet head to Melbourne for the G1 CF Orr S. at Caulfield.
Michael Hawkes
“Ole Kirk will be nominated for next Saturday (February 6) for the Eskimo Prince and we will see where we go. We don‘t rule anything out and with him it is a bit different because we are trying to place him," Michael Hawkes told Racenet.
“We felt with the rain we had, the track was heavy and we didn‘t want to take any chances with the three of the horses we had in.”
WA lockdown impacts on racing unclear
A strict five-day lockdown in Western Australia is likely to have an effect on racing in the state during the week with the state's long COVID-19-free status looks to have come to an end.
Racing WA has not confirmed exactly what the lockdown will mean, but WA state premier Mark McGowan did say that the Perth metropolitan area, the Peel region and South West region is set to go into a full lockdown after a security guard from a quarantine hotel tested positive to COVID-19.
Pubs, clubs, playgrounds, and gyms will close. Restaurants will be takeaway only and there will be no visitors allowed to care homes or hospitals.
Schools, which were due to be re-opened on Monday, will remain closed for another week.
Sunday's feature meeting at Bunbury was abandoned after the third race because of government advice. There is no racing scheduled in metropolitan WA this week, but there were set to be trials on Monday. There are scheduled race meetings at Geraldton on Wednesday, Albany on Thursday and Esperance on Friday.
Begg to differ on Cup path
Grahame Begg believes this year's G1 Australian Cup could prove an opportunity for progressive 4-year-old Nonconformist (Rebel Raider).
Nonconformist, who has only had 10 starts, was an impressive winner in the G3 Coongy Cup last spring, beating dual Australian Cup winner Harlem (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) and Begg told Racenet that the gelding could benefit from the better weight-for-age horses taking on the $5 million The All-Star Mile.
Nonconformist
“We’ve nominated for The All Star Mile but so have all the big guns which to my way of thinking suggests the Australian Cup could fall away,” Begg said.
“Horses like Arcadia Queen, Sir Dragonet and Russian Camelot are at the top of the markets for the Australian Cup and you’d think they are doubtful with The All Star Mile on their radars.
“Then you have Verry Elleegant and I’d think she’ll stay in Sydney so the race (Australian Cup) could drop away pretty quickly.”
Nonconformist trialled well at Geelong last week, beaten narrowly by G1 Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}).
“His trial was exactly what I expected of the horse, he’s the type you need to really make do it and he closed off very nicely,” Begg said.
Victorian bubble burst
Victoria will remove the participant bubble which has been operational on racetracks since the beginning on Monday,
Monday’s meeting at Donald will be the first in over 10 months where the course is not separated by biosecurity protocols, with the raceday experience will remain somewhat limited for attendees.
The Victorian Government’s Public Events Framework currently permits spectators, including owners, to attend race meetings on the basis that they have an allocated seat.
There remain only four approved reasons for spectators to leave their seat - to eat, drink, place a bet or use the restrooms.
For owners this means that entry to the mounting yard and visits to the tie-up stalls currently remain prohibited.
Kiss impresses and has long-term appeal
Trainer Daniel Bowman has long-term Group 1 plans for Fortunate Kiss (Divine Prophet), who debuted with a stakes placing when third in Saturday's G3 Chairman's S.
She may have been beaten 3.5l by star filly Enthaar (Written Tycoon), but Bowman has plenty of faith in Fortunate Kiss, especially heading into her 3-year-old campaign.
“You would think with natural progression she will improve and might be the type of horse who could aim for a Thousand Guineas,” Bowman told Racing.com.
Fortunate Kiss
“Her dad (Divine Prophet) won a Caulfield Guineas and she’s out of a Savabeel mare (Kiss Me Goodbye), so you would think that could be up her ally.”
Bowman's placement proved a bit of masterstroke, with the filly getting black type with her debut performance.
“They hadn’t kept it any secret where Enthaar was going to kick-off and we knew a month ago, so I thought that this race was going to come up a bit light,” he said.
“A lot of horses need to win their first start to get in the Blue Diamond and we’re not nominated so it doesn’t bother us, so I thought it might be a good chance to tick that black-type box at her first start.
“It doesn’t say in the pedigree catalogue that there were only five runners in the race, it just says ‘Group 3, 2-year-old placed’.”
Stewards back photo call
Racing Victoria stewards have confirmed that judge Paul Egan made the right call when declaring the final race at Saturday's Caulfield meeting a dead-heat.
Defibrillate (NZ) (Shocking) and Hang Man (Ire) (Windsor Knot {Ire}) dead-heated after Egan took several minutes to determine the placings.
There was considerable discussion on social media about the result, with suggestions that Defibrillate had been unlucky not to be declared the winner, but chief steward Robert Cram said the right call has been made.
“The judge has access to the pure form of the digital image, it’s straight from the camera to the computer, and it’s the purest form without any pixilation or distortion,” Cram said on RSN’s Correct Weight.
“What you’re seeing on the TV monitors is not as pure form of the image as what the judge has available to him in the judge’s box.”
Moore reflects on Bluey's amazing Cup performance
Trainer Kenny Moore is contemplating what could have been after his stayer Bluey's Chance (NZ) (Remind {USA}) went within a few strides of winning the G3 Wellington Cup at odds of NZ$151 on Saturday.
Bluey's Chance, once purchased for just NZ$500, was just run down late by the favourite Waisake (NZ) (Zed {NZ}), in what would have been a monumental upset.
Moore, who had earlier in the day produced NZ$51 winner Amazon Goddess (NZ) (Shamoline Warrior) at Riccarton, was far from disappointed with the result, preferring to reflect on a magnificent performance from his charge.
Bluey's Chance (NZ) (blue and white silks) | Image courtesy of Race Images
“It was a pretty amazing day,” Moore said. “I was actually really confident of a good run as long as he settled.
“We have two Bluey’s Chances as if he is out in the open, he will pull his head off but if he can get a good sit with some pace on then almost nothing will outstay him.
“He is one of those remarkable horses that he doesn’t care if it’s wet, dry, 1200 metres or two miles, he just goes his grand, honest race. When he was in front turning in, I was just gob-smacked and couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
“I actually became really confident as I just know how tough he is and he won’t let anything past him without a real scrap. In the end I couldn’t have been any happier than if he had won.”
Co-owner Dave Mitchell purchased Bluey’s Chance for just NZ$500 from the Long Acres Stud draft at the 2015 New Zealand Bloodstock South Island Sale.
“When we got him, our main aim was to win a maiden race at Greymouth. We never dreamed we would end up in something like the Wellington Cup,” Moore said.
El Tirador emerges with Pukekohe win
El Tirador (NZ) (Shocking) could be set to make late claims as a G1 New Zealand Derby prospect after an impressive win for trainer Nigel Tiley at Pukekohe.
Backing up from his win a Ruakaka earlier in the month, El Tirador proved too strong over 1400 metres, leaving Tiley with a bit of a dilemma.
“He still wants to go a little bit keen, but he was very strong at the line today,” Tiley said.
“Once he got to the front and lengthened out, he was very good and that is no slug (Opalescence) that he has beaten.
“He is Derby nominated and they are only three once, but at the moment a mile would probably see him out.
“If he happened to win over a mile and his owners wanted to have a crack at the Derby then we’ve got nothing to lose.
“To be honest I haven’t really looked past today for him, but we will see how he pulls up."
