Dozen for Star Turn
Vinery Stud freshman Star Turn has sired his 12th winner from his first crop after the win of All About Eve at Bendigo on Sunday.
The Andrew Noblet-trained filly surged home from back in the field on debut to win the Catanach's Jewellers 2YO Fillies' Mdn by 0.3l, from the well-related Mac 'N' Cheese (Sebring), the half-sister to another Vinery stallion Exceedance, while Shame For Fame (Brazen Beau), finished third.
All About Eve was a $110,000 purchase for Andrew Noblet Racing/Carbine Thoroughbreds/Suman Hedge Bloodstock at the 2020 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. He is a half-sister to the G2 VRC Sires' Produce S., placegetter Akkadian (Nicconi).
Star Turn has 11 Australian winners from his first crop, putting him second overall for the first-season sires by winners, and has also sired one winner in Hong Kong.
Supps confirmed for Weanling Sale
Magic Millions has confirmed that a total of nine additional horses have been supplemented into the National Weanling Sale and will be offered on Friday.
The Sale’s catalogue already features 408 lots as part of Book 1 and 46 as part of Book 2, has been finalised with the addition of the supplementaries.
They include colts by Better Than Ready, Vancouver, No Nay Never (USA) and Capitalist and fillies by Vancouver, Spirit Of Boom, Pierro and Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (two).
Melham ready for comeback
Multiple Group 1-winning jockey Ben Melham is readying for a return to the saddle having served a five-month disqualification.
Melham has been sidelined since December for betting offences, but can return on May 24.
Ben Melham
“I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on it, learn from it,” a remorseful Melham told the Herald Sun.
“I’m ready to move on and regain some of the faith I’ve probably lost within the industry.
"I’m keen and hungry, it’s been enough time. I’ve missed the game and now the winning post is in sight, it’s really urging me to train harder and have myself right before I get back.
“There won’t be a hungrier jockey than me out there come the 24th of May.”
Gytrash likely for Brisbane
Trainer Gordon Richards says a decision will be made later in the week on whether they’ll pay the late entry fee for Gytrash (Lope De Vega {Ire}) to run in the G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup at Eagle Farm.
Gytrash returned to the races with a creditable third in the G1 The Goodwood on Saturday, beaten 2.4l, and Richards said he was pleased with the performance.
Gytrash
“He was super and I am so proud of him,’’ Richards told Racenet.
“He has pulled up really well and all things going well he will go for the Group 1 race in two weeks (Kingsford-Smith Cup).
“It will be a tight turnaround but we will see. He probably needed the run but he ran on really well.’’
Tiara fits for Hustle
Co-trainer Jason Warren is keen to test Brooklyn Hustle (Starspangledbanner) in Group 1 company once again.
The 4-year-old scored a convincing win in Saturday’s G3 Proud Miss S. at Morphettville and Warren told Racing.com that her campaign will continue towards next month’s G1 Tattersall's Tiara at Eagle Farm.
Brooklyn Hustle
“She’d put the writing on the wall so we expected her to go and do that, but you always want to see them get the job done,” Warren said.
“She’ll come back early next week and then she’ll fly to Brisbane on Tuesday week.
“We’ll either run in the Moreton Cup (G2) on the 5th of June or the Dane Ripper (G2) which is the following week, then into the Tatt's Tiara.”
Warning could back up into Doomben Cup
Warning (Declaration Of War {USA}) could be a chance to back up in next Saturday's G1 Doomben Cup.
The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained 4-year-old claimed his first victory since the 2019 Victoria Derby when he took out the G3 Chairman’s H. at Doomben on Saturday.
Warning | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
"You start to think these horses are never going to win another race," Sam Freedman told Racing.com. "It’s hard to get them back once they have won a Derby. Their rating goes up and then they meet the international horses in the big races.
"Hopefully he can take some confidence from that and go on with it.
"We’ve got him in the Doomben Cup and we’ll give that a bit of thought.
"He appreciates that give in the ground and 2000 metres might be his trip – he’s run some of his best races over that trip."
Options abound for Not An Option
Cambridge trainer Tony Pike was pleased with Not An Option (Not A Single Doubt) after his fast-finishing fourth over 1350 metres at Doomben on Saturday, and will continue towards the G1 Stradbroke H.
“We knew he would need the race on Saturday and I wasn’t too sure how he would cop the Slow track, but he went a terrific race,” Pike said.
“At this stage we are looking at the Fred Best Classic in a fortnight at Eagle Farm where he will definitely appreciate the roomier track.
Not An Option
“It looks like he will be running into a few guns there including Ayrton, who is unbeaten in Melbourne, but I think he will be competitive with the improved fitness on his side.
“If he could win that then a race like the Stradbroke is a possibility or we could look at the Winx Guineas later on.
“There are plenty of options for him before we send him for a break which is likely to be in Brisbane and then we might head to Melbourne in the spring.”
Six straight for Warrior
Tasmanian 2-year-old star Turk Warrior (Outreach) took his unbeaten run to six with a comfortable 2l victory in the Elle Bache Hobart Tasmanian Sires' Produce at Hobart.
The Glenn Stevenson-trained gelding had plenty to spare as he defeated Krupt Candy (Krupt), with Tappa Pass (Pluck {USA}) in third.
Bred by Grenville Stud, Turk Warrior has now won both the Listed Elwick S., and the Listed Gold Sovereign as well as the Magic Millions Tasmanian 2YO race, before capturing the $50,000 Tasbred 2YO and now the Sires' Produce.
He is raced by Sayit Basol, having been initially passed in short of his reserve at the 2020 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale. He has now won just short of $300,000.
Scene set for Cambridge synthetic
All is in readiness for the Cambridge Jockey Club to host its first racemeeting run on a synthetic track on Wednesday.
Construction of the Polytrack surface began in January 2020 and despite some hiccups caused by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown two months later, the Club has been successfully operating jump-outs, trial meetings and morning trackwork on the surface since October.
Cambridge Jockey Club Chief Executive Mark Fraser-Campin said all the final preparations are coming together as it readies to host the historic event.
Mark Fraser-Campin
“It’s a cracking day here today (Sunday) and we’re hoping to get the same weather on Wednesday,” he said.
“We’re flat out getting everything in shape for the day, including all of the things that need to be ready to host what we think could be a pretty decent crowd.
“We’re treating Wednesday as a soft opening and we’re looking at having an official function and the like at our race meeting on July 28 where we will have our NZ$40,000 races in play,” he said.
“By that stage we will have five meetings under our belt and it makes sense to do it then to close out the season."
