Daily News Wrap

Sires’ Produce start confirmed

Stay Inside (Extreme Choice) will make his next appearance in the G1 ATC Inglis Sires’ Produce at Royal Randwick.

Co-trainer Michael Freedman announced a change of plan on Monday after earlier indicating the colt would go for a spell in the wake of his G1 Golden Slipper S. victory.

“I’ve had a chat with a few of the owners and the colt has pulled up so well we have decided to press on the Sires' at this stage,’’ Freedman told The Daily Telegraph.

Despite his dashing victory in the Golden Slipper, Stay Inside has been made a $4.50 second favourite for the Sires’ Produce by the TAB behind $4 market leader Anamoe (Street Boss {USA}), who chased him home on Saturday.

No Derby for Mo’unga

The G1 Australian Derby has been ruled out for star colt Mo’unga (NZ) (Savabeel) with the favoured options for him to tackle the older horses.

Trainer Annabel Neasham confirmed on Monday her stable star will bypass the Classic with the G1 Doncaster H. and the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. the main races of interest.

Neasham said Mo’unga had pulled up well after posting the first Group 1 win of their careers in the Rosehill Guineas.

McDonald Verry impressed

Jockey James McDonald could not have been more impressed with Verry Elleegant’s (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) effort to land her eighth Group 1 victory in Saturday’s Ranvet S.

“Obviously to come out on top was fantastic,” he told RSN’s Racing Pulse. “She is a mighty mare and she doesn’t know how to lay down. She gives it her all and turns up every time she steps out on a racetrack.

“I was really happy with the way she executed her race, it was the best she has begun from the barriers this preparation, she has been very tardy out which puts you on the back foot a bit for the first part of the race.”

Verry Elleegant will now look to go one better this year in the Queen Elizabeth on April 17 after finishing runner-up to Addeybb (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) in 2020.

“She is definitely in the form of her life and she can’t go much better,” McDonald said. “Physically she is a stronger mare, she is going through her runs really well. She’ll be hard to beat in a Queen Elizabeth I would have thought.”

Brisbane in lockdown

Brisbane entered another snap three-day lockdown from 5pm (local time) on Monday to contain a coronavirus outbreak with four new community transmission cases among 10 recorded.

Racing NSW has issued a COVID-19 update in response and advised any person at the Eagle Farm race meeting on March 20 and the Doomben race meeting last Saturday, or has been in the Greater Brisbane Area since March 20, must not attend a racecourse in New South Wales or licensed premises until further notice.

Trainers book Bowman

Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman have turned to Hugh Bowman to guide the fortunes of The Frontman (NZ) (Makfi {GB}) in Saturday’s G2 Tulloch S.

The Cambridge trainer’s G1 Australian Derby hopeful is a brother to former star mare Bonneval (NZ), who Bowman won multiple Group 1 events on.

"We’ve had quite a bit of luck together over the years going back to Lion Tamer in the G1 Victoria Derby and even before then he rode Harris Tweed to win this race (the Tulloch) before running second in the Derby," Baker told Racing.com.

"He’s a very similar type to Bonneval, who won the G1 Oaks and a G1 Underwood S."

Tough debut test

Import Nickajack Cave (Ire) (Kendargent {Fr}) will face a baptism of fire on his Australian debut in the G1 Tancred S.

He was in the G3 NE Manion Cup last Saturday, but bypassed the race due to the heavily rain-affected going.

"We decided to wait for the Tancred S. this week where we hope to get a better track," Moody told Racing.com. "He’s done a lot of work so the trip (2400 metres) shouldn’t worry him. It was just we think his chances improve on a better surface."

Nickajack Cave won four of his 10 starts in Ireland for Ger Lyons and hasn’t raced since he was successful in the G3 Ballyroan S. over 2400 metres at Leopardstown last August.

Caravaggio on board

Tenebrism (USA) credited her Coolmore sire Caravaggio (USA) with his first winner when she was successful at Naas in Ireland.

The filly is a daughter of Group 1 winner Immortal Verse (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and was also the first 2-year-old runner of the year for trainer Aidan O’Brien and, under rider Seamie Heffernan, came from last with 400 metres to run to storm to victory.

“She was always very natural from day one and she's able to quicken up very well, which is what the dad was able to do. You would have to be very happy with her. She's smart and we can look at all those quick races for her,” O’Brien said.

A dual Group 1 winner, Caravaggio has shuttled to Australia and will have two first-crop daughters, Attunga Stud’s Lot 47 and Lot 66 from Lime Country Thoroughbreds, and a son from Coolmore, Lot 73, to be sold at next week’s Inglis Australian Easter yearling Sale.

Middle distance test

Group 1 winner Callsign Mav (NZ) (Atlante) will be tried beyond a mile for the first time in his career in Saturday’s G2 City Of Palmerston North Awapuni Gold Cup.

Prepared by Hastings trainer John Bary, Callsign Mav has been a consistent performer throughout his 16-start career, netting five wins and seven placings, highlighted by victory in the G1 Tarzino Trophy) at the beginning of the season.

“Everything indicates he will be fine out to the 2000 metres,” Bary said. “All the signs tell me he will be fine over the distance and Jonathan Riddell, who rides him, said it will be no problem at all.”

Regular rider Riddell will again partner the 4-year-old, having also had the option to ride Royal Performer (GB) (Medicean {GB}), on whom he won the G1 Herbie Dyke S.

“I suppose he has taken the line that Mav has had a pretty good season, he hasn’t run worse than third all season and has been racing in Group 1s in four of his six starts,” Bary said.

Southern raider

Riccarton trainer Andrew Carston is hopeful his improving 3-year-old Milford Sound (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) will be up to the task of taking on his North Island age group rivals in the G3 Higgins Concrete Manawatu Classic at Awapuni this weekend.

Milford Sound only has one victory to his credit, a 1600 metre maiden at Riccarton on March 11, but he nearly won the Listed Southland Guineas at his previous start, only going down by a nose, and Carston has a high opinion of him.

“He didn’t really want to take the gap on the inside at Southland. Had he been a bit more race-wise he probably would have won the Southland Guineas,” Carston said. “He’s learning all the time, but the win in the maiden would have done his confidence the world of good.”

Further aid for racing

The UK Government will give the UK racing industry £21 million (AU$38 million) in loan support to help ease the financial fallout of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In November, it was announced that British racing would receive £40 million (AU$72 million) in government loans as part of the £300 million (AU$542 million) Sport Winter Survival Package.

“The funding will ensure essential raceday integrity costs and related health and safety expenditure are safeguarded, enabling the Levy Board to continue their program of financial support and funding into the industry which has suffered considerably as a result of COVID-19,” the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport England said.

Smash emulates sire

Danon Smash (Jpn) finally broke through at the highest level with a neck defeat of boom mare Resistencia (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) in Chukyo's G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen on Sunday.

He followed in his sire Lord Kanaloa’s (Jpn) hoofprints, who captured the 1200-metre grass feature in 2013.

Trained by Takayuki Yasuda, Danon Smash settled off the fence near the back of the field and wound up strongly the run home to cut between Resistencia and a rival at the 200-metre mark and found his way to the line a neck on top.

Richards takes up Goffs role

Goffs has announced the appointment of Mark Richards to the newly created role of British Agent for the Irish auction house. He will commence his new role on May 1.

To take up the position Mark is returning to Newmarket after 20 years in Hong Kong where he has fulfilled a variety of roles with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, starting out as a broadcaster before being appointed Racing Club Manager and more recently Executive Manager of the International Sale for which he travelled to the major yearling sales around the world successfully purchasing horses on behalf of the HKJC.

“It is an honour to join the Goffs team and I look forward to bringing the company’s personal approach and impeccable standards to a wider field of clients in the UK as they attend the major Goffs Flat and National Hunt sales in Ireland,” said Richards.