Missed opportunity
There was plenty of talk about the missed opportunity by Racing NSW to recruit Te Akau Racing’s Jamie Richards following his continued domination of the Karaka Million Day. Richards trained four of the six winners on Saturday’s card at Ellerslie, including both the million dollar R. Listed Karaka Million 2YO, with Dynastic (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) and the R. Listed Karaka Million 3YO Classic with Pins filly, Pin Me Up (NZ).
In the wake of the big day, which gave Richards his sixth consecutive win in the Karaka Million 2YO, Newgate Farm boss Henry Field tweeted: “Not recruiting Jamie Richards to train in Australia was a massively missed opportunity by our industry” adding a “well played Hong Kong Jockey Club” for good measure.
Andrew Williams, who bought Pin Me Up at the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale for client Peter Collier, chipped in with a comment to say Racing NSW could have made one of its biggest strategic moves if they had worked with Richards to set up in Sydney.
Both Williams and Collier, in interviews with TDN AusNZ on Sunday said it was terribly disappointing they would lose Richards as a trainer to Hong Kong in April, sentiments echoed by Cambridge Stud CEO Henry Plumptre. Sword Of State (Snitzel), trained by Richards for Cambridge Stud, won the Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy on Saturday as part of Richards’ Karaka Million Day treble, and Cambridge Stud is 15 per cent owner of the Karaka Million 2YO winner, Dynastic.
Repose to visit Frankel
Repose (USA) (Quiet American {USA}), the dam of last year's Cox Plate and G1 Saratoga Derby Invitational winner State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner) will visit Champion sire Frankel (GB) this year, owner Dermot Cantillon told TDN AusNZ. The 10-year-old mare is in foal to Sea The Stars (Ire) and is due to foal soon.
State Of Rest is the second foal out of Repose, and he was bought by Diamond Bloodstock for 45,000 gns as a foal before being pinhooked for 60,000 gns when purchased as a yearling by Aiden O'Ryan and Joseph O'Brien. He started out racing for the Long Wait Partnership before being bought privately by Teme Valley Racing.
State Of Rest (Ire) | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
State Of Rest ran just three times last year but made the most of his opportunities; after finishing third in The Curragh's Listed Celebration S. on June 26, he shipped to New York to win the Saratoga Derby. He travelled to Australia off 77 days' rest, but made it a Group 1 double when beating the G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Anamoe (Street Boss{USA}) by a short head at The Valley.
Teme Valley also races Repose's 3-year-old filly Tranquil Lady (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who broke her maiden at second asking in September before finishing second in the Listed Staffordstown Stud S. Repose has a newly turned 2-year-old filly by Dandy Man (Ire) who was bought by American trainer Tony Dutrow for €180,000 at Goffs Orby, and she was rested for 2021 before being covered by Sea The Stars (Ire).
Aquis stallions trifecta
It was an Aquis stallions trifecta in the opening race of the card at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday when Soothsayer (Divine Prophet), Mishani Embrace (The Mission) and Like A Lark (Spill The Beans) crossed the line in that order in the 2-year-old Maiden H. over 1300 metres.
Divine Prophet | Standing at Aquis Farm
Divine Prophet stands for $16,500 (inc GST), with The Mission at $8800 (inc GST). Spill The Beans died in November 2019 just days after siring his first winner, Tennessee Boy at Townsville on debut.
Top price for a Divine Prophet at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale was $110,000 for a filly from Adio (Lonhro) sold by Telemon Thoroughbreds to Laming Bloodstock. A colt by The Mission out of Any Wonder (Fasliyev {USA}) was the only from the sire offered at the Sale, selling for $72,500 from Kembley Park to Jarod Wehlow.
Dogs-gone from Cranbourne Tricodes meeting
Greyhound races at Friday’s Tricodes meeting at Cranbourne have been scrapped after infrastructure issues put an indefinite delay to greyhound races at the venue.
The only event of its kind in Australia, 24 races would normally be conducted every 10 minutes across the three codes of thoroughbred racing, harness racing and the greyhounds.
“Following an independent review of the Cranbourne greyhound racing track, racing and trialling at Cranbourne will remain closed for an extended period because of rail infrastructure issues,” a statement from Greyhound Racing Victoria said.
“Following an independent review of the Cranbourne greyhound racing track, racing and trialling at Cranbourne will remain closed for an extended period because of rail infrastructure issues.” - Greyhound Racing Victoria
While the thoroughbred and harness action will continue to go ahead as a dual code meeting, Cranbourne Turf Club CEO Neil Bainbridge said the three clubs had committed to hosting the 21st running of the Tricodes meeting later this year.
Tricodes was hosted for the first time in the new January time slot last year attracting a COVID-capacity crowd of 4000 patrons. Ticketing this year has been capped at 5000.
Friday’s race meeting is now scheduled to run 17 thoroughbred and harness races.
All-Star Mile voting opens
Voting for The All-Star Mile contenders opened at Midnight Sunday with the top 10 horses in the public vote guaranteed a start in the race.
One voter could win up to $250,000 from the big race as the “owner for the day” of the horse they pick. If it wins, the cash prize is theirs.
Voting is open from Monday, January 24 to Sunday, February 13, with The All-Star Mile voting leaderboard going into blackout mode at 10pm AEDT on Friday, February 11 to build suspense of the official reveal of the top 10 for the big race on Saturday, March 19.
Metro treble for Stokes
Phillip Stokes Racing were catching their breath, and catching up on the socials on Sunday, after scoring a metro treble on Saturday.
In The Navy was a smart winner on debut at Gawler, bringing up the second winner for sire Merchant Navy, and Lady Dunmore (Wandjina) notched up her sixth career win, also at Gawler. Lady Dunmore was raised by Mill Park Stud.
But it was Daqiansweet Junior (NZ) (Sweet Orange {USA}) with a big win at The Valley with Jamie Kah aboard to make it four wins in a row that had the Stokes camp super excited. He’ll now target the Hobart Cup.
Alf’s Magic bounce back
Grafton galloper Alf’s Magic (Rubick) is getting some attention as the 3-year-old gelding for Dwayne Schmidt builds a picket fence with a hat trick of wins, including the QTIS 3-year-old colts and geldings H. at Doomben on Saturday.
He’s also getting some respect for his toughness, with it revealed he suffered from Ross River Fever last year.
Trainer Dwayne Schmidt bought Alf’s Magic, from Starzel (Snitzel) at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast March Sale for $55,000 from the Kenmore Lodge draft after he had been passed in at the earlier Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
