Group 1 spring goals
Talented colt Profiteer (Capitalist) will have Group 1 targets on his spring radar with the Moir S. and the Coolmore Stud S. likely to be his only two appearances.
Co-trainer Mick Price said the rising 3-year-old was currently on a regime of equestrian work before returning to his Caulfield stable.
Profiteer | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“He’s in New South Wales doing some equestrian work and he’s settled. He’ll come back down to me in a few weeks’ time,” he told Racenet.
“He’s doing a mixture of jumping poles on the ground, 30-centimetre arches, little jumps as well as some trot and canter work in a quiet environment.
“It’s good work for him and it’s probably something we’d be doing with him down here anyway. That sort of work gets them off the bit and it gives them a bit of discipline.”
Melbourne program
Talented 3-year-old Not An Option (Not A Single Doubt) rounded out his campaign with a game third in the G3 Winx Guineas at the Sunshine Coast.
“The run was super. He ended up getting shuffled back to near last, a mile off the speed and the winner saved a lot of ground up the fence,” trainer Tony Pike said. “He just got wider and wider and wider from the 600 and closed off really well.
“He’s going to spell in Sydney at Limitless Lodge for probably two or three weeks and then a Melbourne program will be put together looking ahead to the spring.”
Smart filly with Waller
Peter and Dawn Williams have lost one of their fillies to an Australian stable with Il Affare (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) joining Chris Waller’s team.
Il Affare (NZ) | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
Il Affare won twice this season and put up a number of top performances in black-type company, finishing third in the G2 Royal S., fourth in the G2 Fillies’ Classic and fourth again in the G1 New Zealand Derby.
Though Il Affare has departed, the Williams team still have two other 3-year-old fillies that were black type-placed this season in Helsinki (NZ) (Savabeel) and Slave To Love (NZ) (Savabeel) to look forward to in the spring.
COVID-19 action
The increased numbers of COVID-19 cases in the Greater Sydney Area has resulted in Racing NSW taking increased action to ensure it does not impact the ongoing viability of racing.
Any essential personnel that reside or have been to the Greater Sydney Area since July 12 and wish to attend races, trials or trackwork in a Regional Area (outside the Greater Sydney Area) must provide Racing NSW Stewards with a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 72 hours prior to attendance.
Essential personnel intending to travel to a racecourse or licensed premises in a Regional Area should also ensure they have proof of a negative COVID-19 test obtained within the previous 72-hours.
Mandatory face masks are to be worn by all persons attending a race meeting or working at racecourses, licensed premises or stables in the Greater Sydney Area.
Grimwade joins Varian
Newmarket native Kate Grimwade, who is well known in Australian racing circles, has returned to her home town to take up the role of general manager for Roger Varian's stable.
Grimwade has had international experience in training and pre-training yards and after graduating from the Godolphin Flying Start Program worked as racing manager to Gai Waterhouse in Australia before heading Godolphin's pre-training operation for eight years back in Newmarket. She later returned to Australia to take up the role as assistant trainer to James Cummings.
Kate Grimwade | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
“My role now is probably what Australian trainers would describe as a racing manager, but Roger has a racing manager so I am very much not that,” she says. “I'll sit between the assistant trainer and Roger and have an overview of the equine side of the business.”
Since returning to England from Australia the second time, Grimwade has been employed as a key worker through the pandemic at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.
“I think it has been really good for me because I grew up in racing and left school at 16 so it's been good to get a bit of perspective. It also makes you feel very grateful for your health,” she said.
Slipper noms increase
A total of 2302 horses have been nominated for the G1 Longines Golden Slipper S. to be run at Rosehill on March 19.
The number of entries for the 66th running of the iconic race is the third highest in the event’s history and up 69 horses on last year’s first nominations.
Leading stables from across Australia and New Zealand have nominated considerable numbers led by Ciaron Maher Racing with 132 entries.
Other leading trainers and stables with the largest number of nominations include Godolphin (105), Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott (91), Mick Price Racing & Breeding (88), Chris Waller Racing (82), Annabel Neasham (79), Ben & JD Hayes (61), Hawkes Racing (60) and Richard & Michael Freedman (54).
Sires with the highest nominations include I Am Invincible (123), Zoustar (100), Snitzel (99), Capitalist (98), Written Tycoon (69), Deep Field (68), Russian Revolution (66), Pierro (64), Shalaa (Ire) (55), Spirit Of Boom (54) and Sebring (53).
Cup hopes for mare
Tralee Rose (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) is back in work following successful knee surgery and trainer Symon Wilde is hopeful she can win her way into the G1 Melbourne Cup.
"She's done a couple of weeks, we are just building towards the spring with her," Wilde told Racing.com.
"She had a minor operation on her knee and all seems to be good at the moment. She's come through it well. She is ticking along beautifully and we are not quite sure where we will kick her off yet.”
Tralee Rose has won five of her 11 starts and hasn’t been seen since she finished fourth in the G2 Adelaide Cup.
Tralee Rose (NZ) | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Jockey hoping to get home
Injured jockey Lachie King is hopeful he will gain an exemption to return from New South Wales to Victoria when he is released from hospital.
He is in Albury Hospital with three fractured ribs, a fractured vertebrae and a punctured lung after a race fall at Wodonga on Sunday.
"We're confident he will be okay to get back into Victoria under an exemption. No one outside of the ambulance staff was able to travel with him across the border from Wodonga to Albury on Sunday, so it's all been in line with the protocols,” King’s Manager, Justin Phillips, told Racing.com.
King George next
The G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. on July 24 will be the next race for G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby runner-up Lone Eagle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), instead of the G1 Grand Prix de Paris.
The Ballylinch Stud and Aquis Farm runner saluted in the G3 Zetland S. at Newmarket last October and ran fourth in the G3 Classic Trial at Sandown. Back in the winner's circle after a 4l win in the Listed Cocked Hat S., Lone Eagle made the running in the G1 Irish Derby before being passed by Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the shadow of the post.
“He's going for the King George. Everything's been perfect since the Irish Derby,” said trainer Martyn Meade. “Obviously, it's a huge ask going there. It was a toss-up of going there or to France, and we decided we'd stay on home territory and take on the big guns at Ascot.”
Mare Australis injured
Gestut Schlenderhan's Mare Australis (Ire) (Australia {GB}), a winner of the G1 Prix Ganay, has suffered a setback and will be out for the summer according to trainer André Fabre.
A winner of a French Listed race last June, the chestnut ran second in the G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris and G2 Prix d'Harcourt prior to his May 2 Ganay win at Paris Longchamp.
“Unfortunately, Mare Australis has a problem with an ankle,” Fabre said. “I hope he will recover in time for the autumn, but he won't run at all through the summer.”
Good run continues
Jockey Sam Spratt kept her recent run of good form going when she produced a heady ride to score aboard the Tony Devcich-trained Pow Wow (NZ) (Power {GB}) at Te Rapa.
Spratt had been successful aboard the 4-year-old when he won over 970 metres on debut on the Cambridge synthetic track last month and followed that up on the weekend with another impressive performance.
Sam Spratt aboard Pow Wow (NZ)
“It was a really good effort as he was stepping up to 1400 metres and the way the track was, it was more like a mile,” Spratt said. “He is still learning the game but looks pretty versatile as this time he raced on the speed whereas when he made his debut, he missed the kick and stormed home late.
“He was very tough in the last bit and I still think I had petrol in the tank if something had really got close to him.”
