Waller mare set for retirement
G1 Australasian Oaks-winning mare Toffee Tongue (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) seems destined for the breeding barn after Chris Waller Racing provided an update on the 4-year-old following her distant last in Saturday’s G2 Q22 at Eagle Farm.
“Toffee Tongue is bright and sound in the paddock after being eased out of Saturday’s race. She’s likely to now become a mum after a terrific racing career. Thanks for all of your concerns,” Chris Waller Racing tweeted.
Toffee Tongue (NZ) (white cap) | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Isotope ruled out
Exciting filly Isotope (Deep Field) has been ruled out of the spring after undergoing colic surgery.
Trainer Tony Gollan expects the dual Group 2 runner-up to recapture her best form when she does return to the races.
"It was obviously a stressful experience for her, she's had a blockage in her stomach, which has been there for quite a while and you never know how long these things have been in there for,” Gollan told Racing.com.
"So, I'd say she'll be a more comfortable horse post-surgery than what she was pre-surgery, and as long as we give her enough time to heal and get over it all, it shouldn't be a problem going forward."
Elleegant returns
Star mare Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) stepped out for the first time since returning from a spell at Rosehill on Tuesday.
The Chris Waller-trained mare will bypass the G1 Caulfield Cup in preference for a tilt at the G1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.
"She's seemed to have come back well. The pre-trainers must have done a good job with her because she's very nice and settled," track rider Chris Harwood told Racing.com.
Verry Elleegant (NZ)
Emergency deal inked
Racing Victoria and the University of Melbourne have brokered an agreement for the U-Vet Werribee Equine Centre to provide a 24-hour emergency on-call service for serious leg injuries and fractures sustained during training and racing.
The agreement also extends to horses injured at private training facilities and the U-Vet's services include advanced diagnostic imaging and lameness investigation with equipment such as the standing CT scanner.
“U-Vet’s 24-hour year-round on-call emergency service for thoroughbred racehorses will ensure expert care is available for our horses should they sustain a serious injury during racing or training, which is an important welfare outcome,” Racing Victoria’s Chief Executive, Giles Thompson, said.
Chapman to debut
Tianni Chapman, Victoria's newest apprentice jockey, will have her first rides at Warrnambool on Thursday.
The 22-year-old will ride Grey Khan (Dalakhani {Ire}) for her master Peter Gelagotis and Six Shillings (Unecumbered) for Cranbourne-based trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young.
"I'm feeling pretty laid back about it all at the moment but it is a very rewarding feeling, everything is starting to happen now," Chapman told Racing.com.
"It's been a long time in the making and I feel like the time is right to go to the next level."
Bound for Tulloch Lodge
Military Mission (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) is headed to Australia after he fetched £170,000 (AU$310,700) during the Goffs London Sale.
The 3-year-old will eventually leave Hugo Palmer's stable to join his old boss, Gai Waterhouse, in Australia after he was knocked down to Johnny McKeever on behalf of Waterhouse and co-trainer Adrian Bott.
“He may well run on Thursday, Gai and Adrian will decide,” said McKeever of the gelding who is entered in both the King George V S. and the Ascot Golden Gate S.
“He will then head down to Australia and be given a chance to settle in and we’ll see how he gets on.”
The top lot was Zinc White (Ire), a son of Rich Hill Stud shuttler Vadamos (Fr), who sold for £310,000 (AU$566,500) and will now be listed as prepared by Oliver Greenall for his engagement in this week’s G2 Queen’s Vase, having been bought by the trainer with Dan Astbury.
A son of the G1 Pretty Polly S. winner Chinese White (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}), he has made five starts for The Lucra Partnership and Ralph Beckett, with his two victorious outings this year marking him out as a highly progressive individual.
Tatt's Tiara confirmed
Trainer Mike Moroney has confirmed that last start G1 Stradbroke H. winner Tofane (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) will press on towards Saturday week’s G1 Tattersall's Tiara at Eagle Farm.
Moroney said the dual Group 1-winning 5-year-old had come through the 1400 metre feature in good order.
“We hopped on her back for the first time and she felt terrific, you wouldn’t have known she had had a run. So at this stage it is all systems go heading towards the Tatt's Tiara,” Moroney told SENTrack.
Tofane (NZ) | Image courtesy of Michael McInally
In search of crowning glory
Taranaki mare Coventina Bay (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) will attempt to ascend the Queensland throne when she lines up in the G1 Tattersall’s Tiara at Eagle Farm next week.
After pleasing with a trial win at the Sunshine Coast earlier this month, she finished seventh in the G2 Dane Ripper S. last Saturday, but trainer Robbie Patterson was still happy with her effort.
“She just got into a position that she couldn’t get out of, she got stuck on the fence, and it wasn’t the place to be,” he said.
“It chopped up on the inside and it was just circumstances that we ended up there.
“She has got the feel of the track now with the run under her belt and she will improve, which she will need to. I am really happy with her.”
Cameron keen on comeback
Matthew Cameron is planning a return to the saddle after calling time out on his career in December last year.
The two-time Champion Jockey surprised many when stepping away from racing as it entered the peak of the racing season, but after seven months away from riding, the talented 34-year-old has had a chance to properly recharge the batteries.
Matthew Cameron
“I’ve been getting a little bit of itchy feet here watching the races, and being so close to the Cambridge track I can hear it next door which is quite exciting,” Cameron told Weigh In.
“I want to come back and get stuck into it again. I still love it to bits, but it can be tough and hard on the body, and I just needed that time away mentally to just cruise and have a bit of time off. The last two months have been good, and I have been really feeling like I want to go back.”
Disappointing news
After the UK Government announced that they would be taking a four-week pause on the country’s progression out of COVID-19 restrictions, the UK Racing industry acknowledged the reasons for the delay, but expressed disappointment at the news.
The COVID-19 roadmap out of lockdown had been due to switch to Stage 4 on June 21, but instead the current restrictions will continue, affecting major racing events like Coral-Eclipse Day at Sandown Park, and the Moët & Chandon July Festival at Newmarket.
“While it is disappointing that plans for the relaxation of restrictions and the further return of spectators have been delayed, we, of course, understand the principle that Government’s decisions should be evidence-based and public health must come first,” Julie Harrington, Chief Executive of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), said.
Singapore return
Former New Zealand jockey Shafiq Rusof is set to make his return to raceday riding in Singapore next month.
The Malaysian 34-year-old was on Friday among nine jockeys who were granted a six-month licence from July 1 to December 31, 2021 by the Singapore Turf Club.
“I’m so happy I finally get to return to Singapore, but I’m also sad my mum is not with me to share that joy with me. Ever since I left Singapore, she kept hoping I would get a licence again,” Rusof said.
“She believed until the end I would get it, but unfortunately, she passed away last month. I was very close to her and I just wished she was still alive to see her dream of me getting back my Singapore licence came true.
“After I lost my licence, I applied twice without success, but she kept telling me to keep trying. I will now ride just for her, do my best to make her proud.”
Baffert files suit
Bob Baffert has filed suit in the United States District Court against the New York Racing Association charging violations under the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution violating his right to due process.
NYRA announced that it had suspended Baffert on May 17, after it was revealed that Medina Spirit (USA) (Protonico {USA}) had tested positive for Betamethasone in the GI Kentucky Derby.
When asked if he would be filing a similar lawsuit against Churchill Downs, which has also banned the trainer, Baffert’s attorney Craig Robertson said he was not representing Baffert on any legal issues related to Churchill Downs. He declined to comment further.
