Daily News Wrap

Incentivise sidelined

Incentivise (Shamus Award) has been ruled out for the foreseeable future after recent scans revealed serious injuries to both his front suspensory ligaments.

The gelding's owner and former trainer Steve Tregea said the G1 Caulfield Cup winner is in danger of missing the Queensland winter carnival as a result of the injuries suffered in last month’s G1 Melbourne Cup.

“He has had exhaustive scans along with an MRI at the University of Queensland Vet Hospital at Gatton and it found damage to his fetlocks,” Tregea told Racenet.

“He has to be re-scanned in February to see where it is at then. The report says it takes three to six months to heal and they will advise us from there.”

McGrath to head up Shen You Holdings

Former Managing Director of Tony Fung Horse Investments and Aquis Farm CEO, Shane McGrath, has taken up the position of Executive Director for Shen You Holdings Limited.

McGrath has been a well-established figure in the Australasian bloodstock industry for over 20 years having held senior bloodstock positions at Eliza Park, Coolmore Australia and within the Aquis Farm Group.

“I will forever be grateful for the opportunity afforded to me by the Fung Family and the Aquis Group, they always showed great faith in our selection process, and we have cherished every success along the way," McGrath said.

“Shen You Holdings have exciting plans over the coming years, and I am honoured that they have entrusted me to head the company and drive our significant investment into a truly buoyant domestic market.”

McGrath will assume his new role in the first week of January at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Coolangatta to trial on Tuesday

Leading R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic contender Coolangatta (Written Tycoon) is set to take on older opposition in a trial at Randwick on Tuesday.

The emphatic G3 Gimcrack S. heroine is being prepared for her resumption in the 1200 metre G3 BJ McLachlan S. at Doomben on Boxing Day and will line up against mostly 3-year-old fillies in a 1050 metre trial, the fifth of 17 heats.

Coolangatta’s part-owner Brae Sokolski told Racing.com that Ciaron Maher and David Eustace opted against running the galloper against her own age group due to the trials for juvenile fillies only being held over 740 metres.

Cusack heads 2YO Classic ballot order

The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Cusack (Not A Single Doubt) heads the 2022 R. Listed Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YO Classic ballot order as of 4pm Monday, December 6 with $139,700 in prizemoney followed by Mishani Warfare (The Mission) and G3 Gimcrack S. winner Coolangatta (Written Tycoon).

Of the 30 gallopers that have currently accumulated the most in earnings, 21 of those are fillies, including Matt Cumani's impressive Magic Millions Ballarat 2YO Classic runner-up Cover Star (Star Witness).

A total of 344 juveniles remain in contention for the lucrative $2 million feature at the Gold Coast.

Alister Clark receives major prizemoney boost

Racing Victoria has announced that the G2 Alister Clark S., to be run at Moonee Valley on March 18, 2022, will receive a $450,000 prizemoney boost.

The annual 3-year-old feature, which is run over 2040 metres, will increase from a purse of $300,000 to $750,000 in an attempt to enhance the current 3-year-old program throughout the Victorian Festival of Racing.

The Alister Clark is scheduled 13 days after the G1 Australian Guineas.

“Not only does the increase enhance the current Victorian March racing calendar, but it also provides an attractive progression for Victorian horses into interstate Derbies or for those staying 3-year-olds remaining in Victoria for the Galilee Series,” Racing Victoria Executive General Manager Greg Carpenter said.

Magic Millions magazine goes live

The 2022 Star Magic Millions Carnival magazine is now available for download.

Featured in the 256-page spread is interviews with key vendors, leading bloodstock agents and various other content to whet your appetite ahead of next month’s Sale and raceday on the Gold Coast.

McDonald to miss Villiers meeting

James McDonald will forego his Villiers Stakes Day commitments at Randwick on Saturday after jetting off to Hong Kong to ride in Wednesday’s International Jockeys' meeting at Happy Valley.

McDonald won’t remain in Hong Kong for Sunday’s International Cup meeting at Sha Tin but will be required to complete 72 hours of self-isolation on return to Australia.

Anamoe unlikely for All-Star

Anamoe (Street Boss {USA}) is likely to avoid March’s lucrative All-Star Mile in preference for an autumn preparation centred around Sydney’s premier 3-year-old features.

Godolphin Australia’s Managing Director Vin Cox suggested the star colt would be better suited to races such as the G2 Hobartville S. and the G1 Randwick Guineas.

"We're probably looking more at 3-year-old type races. He might be better off suited in the Hobartville and Randwick Guineas, those style of races at this stage,” Cox told Racing.com.

"We're just really excited about what he can do going forward."

Litt pencils in Randwick Guineas for Profondo

Richard Litt has pencilled in the G1 Randwick Guineas on March 19 as a return date for valuable colt Profondo (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

The $1.9 million 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase, who was an emphatic winner of the G1 Champagne S. at just his third career start, returned to Litt’s Warwick Farm stables over the weekend.

"He looks good, he's put on lots of weight and had a good time and is very well freshened. He has developed a lot more and I couldn't be happier with him,” Litt told Racing.com.

"We will just prepare him for the Randwick Guineas and will probably have a couple of trials into that, but we are very much taking every day as it comes."

Jonker prepares for farewell tour

Jonker (Spirit Of Boom) has returned to the stables of Tony Gollan ahead of a four-run farewell tour.

Gollan said the G1 Manikato S. hero will resume in the G1 Oakleigh Plate on February 26 at Caulfield before contesting the G1 William Reid S. at Moonee Valley on March 18.

The 6-year-old entire will then return to Queensland for the G1 Doomben 10,000 on May 14 and G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup on May 28.

"Four runs and then that's him, he's finished and hopefully a stud deal can be done at some stage in the autumn for him," Gollan told Racing.com.

"I think we've got a lovely six months ahead of us with Jonker, not a lot of racing there, but four Group 1s I hope we can compete in and, who knows, if we can get another one, then that'd be fantastic."

Bergerson’s plans in disarray

Roydon Bergerson is angry and bemused by the decision to move feature events from Saturday’s abandoned Trentham meeting to Te Rapa this Saturday.

The G2 Wakefield Challenge S. was set to be a key lead-up into the R. Listed Karaka Million for Bergerson’s impressive Otaki winner Wolverine (NZ) (Tivaci), who was partially acquired by Australian Bloodstock after her feats on debut.

“It’s a joke that they have taken the race away from the Central Districts, I can’t believe that. It’s all wrong and just a debacle,” Bergerson said.

“I don’t know why they didn’t say we’ll run the two races at Hawke's Bay on Wednesday, they’ll get a reasonable track. It will be a Dead 4, the same as Trentham should have been.”