Jockey changes
Brett Prebble has picked up the ride on Saturday’s G1 Memsie S. contender Behemoth (All Too Hard) and he has also been confirmed as the new spring carnival partner for Incentivise (Shamus Award), currently at the head of betting for the G1 Caulfield Cup and the G1 Melbourne Cup.
Brett Prebble
Prebble picked up the mount on Behemoth after Jamie Kah was outed for flouting COVID protocols while he got the call up for Incentivise after Glen Boss, who was originally booked, was informed his quarantine application ahead of a Victorian stay was cancelled.
Linda Meech will ride Beau Rossa (Unencumbered) in the Memsie after Ben Melham was also ruled out for breaking lockdown regulations this week, and Kah’s ride on the exciting Ayrton (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) in the Neds Filter Form H. has gone to John Allen.
Vale Nini Vascotto
Nini Vascotto has passed away after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
The Australian Turf Club employee and enthusiastic owner was diagnosed a decade ago and defied medical opinions of an initial life expectancy of between five and eight years.
Vascotto shared her battle on social media in candid and honest fashion in the hope of inspiring others who were similarly suffering.
She was also a part-owner in the seven-time winner Cradle Mountain (West Quest {Can}) and Forzanini (Pride Of Dubai), who was a maiden winner earlier in the winter.
Gallery: Vale Nini Vascotto | Images courtesy of Bronwen Healy
NZ racing ruled out
Weekend racing in New Zealand has been ruled out again with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday announcing a continuation of the Alert Level 4 lockdown.
Auckland is likely to remain at the highest level for at least another fortnight while the rest of the country may move to Level 3 at midnight on Tuesday.
As a result of the extended lockdown, the G2 Foxbridge Plate and G3 Northland Breeders’ S. have been rescheduled to September 4.
The opening day of the Hawke’s Bay spring carnival at Hastings featuring the G1 Tarzino Trophy will be held on September 18.
New path for Tofane
Flemington trainer Michael Moroney admits he is in unchartered waters with triple Group 1-winning mare Tofane (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}), who will contest the G1 Memsie S. at Caulfield on Saturday.
Tofane (NZ) | Image courtesy of Michael McInally
“Getting her ready to go 1400 metres off a short break has been a bit different,” Moroney said. “She has usually had long breaks and at times we have only given her one jump-out and gone to 1000 metres first-up.
“This time she has had two jump-outs, and I have done a bit of work with her in between. She has some residual fitness from her Queensland campaign and she is already there in the coat and looks great.
“We know that her first-up record is not that good, but this is a totally different scenario and it is going to be of interest.”
Brown in winners’ circle
Cliff Brown was on the board at Pakenham on Friday with his first winner since returning from Singapore.
The now Mornington-based trainer produced Veterock (Shalaa {Ire}) to strike at his second appearance over 1200 metres in the Kennards Hire Pakenham 3YO Plate.
Brown spent 12 successful years in Singapore and was regularly in the top five in the Trainers’ Premiership. He prepared 566 winners, among them the 2016 Singapore Horse of the Year Debt Collector (NZ) (Thorn Park).
Hold up for Sword Of State
Group 1 winner Sword Of State (Snitzel) will be freshened ahead of a trial and a planned resumption toward the end of next month.
He was to have contested Saturday’s G3 San Domenico S., but was scratched after unsatisfactory blood tests.
“He will head towards the Listed Heritage S. It’s a 3-year-old set weights and penalties race and then he will run in the Roman Consul on the way to the Coolmore in Melbourne.”
Sword Of State won four of his five starts as a 2-year-old, including the G1 Sistema S.
Ready to go Boom
Trainer Rob Heathcote is bullish about the resuming prospects of Prince Of Boom (Spirit Of Boom) at Doomben on Saturday.
“Prince Of Boom is not totally screwed down, but it will take a bloody good one to run past him,” Heathcote told Racenet.
“The main speed has drawn out, the likes of Hamlet Von Snitzel, they will push forward and I think Prince Of Boom can be in the second or third line in the run. I am pretty confident he will be going to Sydney for the Run To The Rose after this.”
Among his opposition in Saturday’s Emery, Mears & Jeffs 3YO Plate is the Toby and Trent Edmonds-trained Alpine Edge (Better Than Ready), a possible G1 Caulfield Guineas candidate.
Wootton Bassett 2-year-olds shine
Wootton Bassett (GB) will serve his first Australian book at Coolmore this year and the multiple Group 1 winner and producer was represented by a timely winning treble in Europe this week.
His sons Cilantro (Fr) and Topgear (Fr) were successful at Deauville in France, while another colt Ring Of Beara (Fr) won at Ffos in Wales.
The Christophe Ferlan-trained Cilantro was second on debut and had no trouble going one better on Thursday over 1600 metres, while Topgear was making his first appearance for Fabrice Chappet when winning over 1300 metres.
Runner-up first time out at Goodwood, the Richard Hughes-prepared Ring Of Beara was untested to score over 1400 metres.
High hopes for stayer
A Group 1 target is on the radar for progressive stayer Heart Of Puissance (Puissance De Lune {Ire}), who will step out in Saturday’s G3 The Agency Illawarra Premier’s Cup at Kembla Grange.
"We're excited to see him run. He's raced well throughout the winter; we gave him a little bit of a freshen for the spring,” co-trainer David Eustace told Racing.com.
"The Metropolitan's been the plan for a little while, obviously amongst other races, we just identified the race as most likely to have some give in the ground and under handicap conditions at that level, he should carry a low weight.
"He's probably got to win another race to get in, I would think, or that would be borderline, hopefully it's Saturday, if it's not, there's another race for him in three weeks."
Heart Of Puissance
Lafferty on loan
Apprentice Laura Lafferty has secured a three-month loan stint with Randwick trainer John O'Shea.
The 22-year-old, who will firstly complete two weeks in quarantine, has struggled to get a foothold back in Victoria since returning from a horror fall at Swan Hill in June.
"I'm going on loan to John O'Shea. After I had that fall at Swan Hill, it was always going to be pretty tough coming back heading into the spring,” Lafferty told Racing.com.
"It's quite competitive in Victoria at the moment so Liam (Prior, manager) suggested the idea and I was happy to head up for three months.”
Waiting game with Skalleti
Two-time Group 1 winner Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), runner-up in last October's G1 Champion S. at Ascot, will not take his place in Sunday's G2 Grand Prix de Deauville and instead wait for the G2 Prix Foy on September 12, trainer Jerome Reynier has confirmed.
“He is very good, we're very happy with him,” Reynier said. “We've decided not to go to the Grand Prix de Deauville because the ground is too firm, and by the end of the meeting it could be very patchy and dangerous for the horse.
“We think the G2 Prix Dollar, two weeks prior to the Champion S., which is his aim, would be too close.”
Chariot next target
The G3 Atalanta S. heroine Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), runner-up in the G1 1000 Guineas in Newmarket in May, will make her next start at that course in the G1 Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot S. on October 2.
Originally, the GI EP Taylor S. at Woodbine in Canada had been under consideration, too, for the 2020 G3 Oh So Sharp S. victress, trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam said.
“The plan going forward will be to head to the Sun Chariot. It is her back yard and she has done extremely well there before having won there twice and finishing second there twice in four starts so she knows the track really well.
“She had excuses in the Oaks as it came up really heavy and she had a dirty lung after finishing down the field in the Falmouth S.”
