Moroney to be trackside
It’s been a wee while since trainer Michael Moroney laid eyes on his G1 Sky Racing Tattersall’s Tiara contender Tofane (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}), but he has liked what he has seen from afar.
Moroney will be at Eagle Farm this Saturday to see his mare following the easing of the COVID-19 lockdown in Melbourne.
Michael Moroney
“It will be great to see her again,” the trans-Tasman trainer told RSN927. “It has been two and a half weeks since I have seen her. I have seen a lot of videos and photos of her, but that is about as much as I have seen.”
Tofane will be a popular Tiara choice after her lead-up victory in the G1 Stradbroke H.
Randwick to Rosehill
Following the New South Wales Government’s announcement of stay at home orders for people who reside or work in the Local Government Areas of Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick and the City Of Sydney, Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club transferred Saturday’s Randwick meeting to Rosehill.
Only essential personnel will be permitted to attend, along with owners of horses racing on the day, who will be placed in designated areas. Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club will continue to ensure all participants adhere to stringent COVID-19 protocols.
Due to the evolving nature of COVID cases and as a precautionary measure, the race meeting will be closed to ATC members and the general public, with those restrictions to be reviewed next week.
Juvenile stakes winner on the market
A quality catalogue of 561 lots opened for bidding on Friday afternoon in the Inglis Digital June (Late) Online Sale, headlined by juvenile black-type winner Volcanic Rock (Hinchinbrook) and a number of stakes-performed mares in the broodmare category.
Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Volcanic Rock is the only stakes-winning 2-year-old to be offered for public auction in Australia this season.
Volcanic Rock
His win in the Listed Phoenix S. at Eagle Farm two starts ago also qualified him for Hong Kong with a PP rating of 74. The gelding is offered by Newgate, as agent, with x-rays, vet report and scope available in the Inglis repository.
There are also mares in foal to stallions including Extreme Choice, Written Tycoon, So You Think (NZ), Deep Field, Frosted (USA), Microphone, Trapeze Artist, The Autumn Sun, Yes Yes Yes and All Too Hard.
Test for in-form colt
Trainers Jason Warren and Dean Krongold are expecting to get a reliable guide on the ability of Darceandermill (Lonhro) at Caulfield on Saturday.
The colt has won his last two starts in lesser company and will be tested in the Unleash Your Neds Toolbox H.
“We’ve raised the bar again this week,” co-trainer Dean Krongold told Racenet. “This will give us a good idea of where he sits in the pecking order of 2-year-olds.
“Jigsaw will give us a good guide of what ability he does possess.”
Favourite Jigsaw (Manhattan Rain) hasn’t raced since he finished eighth in the G1 Blue Diamond S. behind Artorius (Flying Artie), a colt he had previously beaten when successful on debut.
Fans welcome at Caulfield
Saturday’s Caulfield race meeting will be open to spectators with free admission and mandatory registration via QR code upon entry.
The club can welcome up to 5000 on-course patrons after the State Government on Thursday night changed its advice to Racing Victoria.
Victorians have been locked out of racecourses and stadiums in recent weeks following another COVID-19 outbreak.
Vale Terry Roles
The Tasmanian racing industry is mourning the death of Terry Roles, who lost his battle with MND on Wednesday night.
Roles was one of the state’s best and most successful trainers, but he later turned to nursing, putting the same effort into that profession as he did in preparing his beloved horses.
Roles, 61, trained over 100 feature race winners out of his stable that was located at the now-defunct Deloraine Racecourse.
He was inducted into the Tasmanian Racing Hall of Fame last year and, following his induction into the elite club, he said it was one of his most cherished moments in racing.
Roles is survived by his wife Roseanne and daughters Erin and Sophie. His funeral will be held at the Deloraine Rotary Pavilion in Deloraine next Wednesday at 1pm local time.
Life Is Good to Pletcher
Undefeated and considered one of the most promising horses in America, Life Is Good (USA) (Into Mischief {USA}) will soon join the Todd Pletcher stable. He had been trained by Bob Baffert, who has lost a number of top horses due to his ongoing problems involving the Medina Spirit (USA) (Protonico {USA}) positive in the G1 Kentucky Derby for Betamethasone.
“Life Is Good worked this morning with our farm trainer, Destin Heath at Keeneland,” Walden said via text to TDN America. “His team has done a wonderful job getting him back to the work tab. The plan is to ship to Todd Pletcher in the coming weeks with a possibility of running in New York later this year. With the ban on Bob in Kentucky and New York right now, our opportunities are limited. We will continue to evaluate the situation with Bob and appreciate everything he has done with Life Is Good.”
Hoping for fruitful day
Graham Richardson is hoping for a fruitful day when he heads across the Kaimai Ranges to Tauranga on Saturday.
The Matamata horseman, who trains in partnership with Rogan Norvall, will have four runners at the Bay of Plenty meeting this weekend, headed by Paisley Park (NZ) (Azamour {Ire}) in the Seeka Kiwifruit Cup.
The Listed Kaimai S. winner was set to lumber 62kg, but Richardson has elected to utilise apprentice jockey Masa Hashizume and his 2kg claim.
“He is not an easy horse to ride, but Masa rides like a senior and he has got a 2kg claim,” Richardson said. “He is a very genuine horse and he handles most tracks, but a very heavy track is a question mark and so is a very firm track.”
Second Derby test
Europe's most famous maiden Mojo Star (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will face 10 rivals in the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at The Curragh.
Amo Racing's G1 Epsom Derby runner-up was supplemented at a cost of €75,000 (AU$144,110) by Richard Hannon this week and is the foremost representative of the June 5 Blue Riband, with the third Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and fourth Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) set to re-oppose for Charlie Appleby and Jim Bolger, respectively.
“We got a bit held up on Tattenham Corner, we were travelling very well and the ground he was making at the line was very pleasing,” Hannon told TDN Europe. “I think this track will suit him a lot more.”
Trainer appeals result
Trainer Archie Watson has lodged an appeal with the British Horseracing Authority against the decision by stewards at Royal Ascot to disqualify Yoshiro Kubota's Dragon Symbol (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) from victory in last week's G1 Commonwealth Cup.
Dragon Symbol and Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) moved into a joint lead approaching the final furlong of the Commonwealth Cup, at which point Dragon Symbol, ridden by Oisin Murphy, began to drift towards the far side rail, bumping Campanelle, with Frankie Dettori aboard, as he did so.
Stewards deemed that at the time of interference, both horses were travelling equally well and they determined that the distance lost by Campanelle as a result of the interference cost her the win. Campanelle had been beaten a head on the line by Dragon Symbol, but was ultimately declared the official winner.
Charlatan retired
Multiple Grade 1-winner Charlatan (USA) has been retired from racing and will take up stud duty at Hill 'N' Dale at Xalapa. A service fee will be announced at a later date.
Bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC, the imposing chestnut, out of the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff-placed Authenticity (USA) (Quiet American {USA}), sold as the second-highest priced colt for his sire at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale at US$700,000 (AU$922,500).
Purchased by SF Bloodstock/Starlight West, the colt raced for owners SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Frederick Hertrich, III, John D. Fielding and Golconda Stables.
“Horses with Charlatan's immense ability combined with superior pedigree, conformation, depth of female family and star-quality appeal are a very rare commodity,” John G. Sikura, President of Hill 'N' Dale, told TDN America.
Tiznow filly stars
This week’s Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale was topped by a Tiznow (USA) filly who brought the auction's top price when selling to Spendthrift Farm for US$250,000 (AU$330,000). She was one of eight to sell for six figures during the one-session auction.
“I think we saw that there is a viable marketplace,” Fasig-Tipton's President, Boyd Browning Jnr., told TDN America. “There were plenty of buyers in attendance at the Sale and overall I thought horses sold well and were well received.”
From a catalogue of 115, 68 went through the ring and 53 sold for a gross of US$2,981,000 (AU$3.9 million). With 15 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 22.1 per cent, the average was US$56,245 (AU$74,140) and the median was US$50,000 (AU$65,900).
With 69 of 108 offered horses sold for a gross of US$3,769,500 (AU$4.97 million) in 2019, the average was US$54,630 (AU$72,000) and the median was US$30,000 (AU$39,500).
