Daily News Wrap

All-Star Mile top 10 known Monday

The wait for The All-Star Mile’s top 10 publicly voted starters will be over as connections awake on Monday, with voting set to close at midnight Sunday.

The final push for those that found themselves on the edge of the field ahead of the deadline has played out with the leaderboard blacked out on Friday night.

When the leaderboard was blacked out, Peter Moody-trained Lightsaber (Zoustar) was holding the final spot inside the top 10. Lightsaber finished eleventh in Saturday's G1 CF Orr S.

But less than 1000 votes split ninth-placed Elephant (NZ) (Shocking) and King Magnus (Magnus) in 13th. Symon Wilde's Sirileo Miss (Pride Of Dubai) was in 14th.

Tom Dabernig's Flying Mascot (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) who ran a flashy second in Saturday's Bellmaine S. behind Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel) was in position 11, less than a couple of hundred votes behind Lightsaber.

The All-Star Mile will be run on March 19 at Flemington.

Kicking into top gear

The Clayton Douglas-trained Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) kicked the competition to the curb on Sunday at Sale with a dominant win on debut for Pinecliff Racing.

Giga Kick, whose dam is a half-sister to Rekindled Interest (Redoute’s Choice), powered to a 4l win over the 1100 metres under Jamie Kah, prompting some Blue Diamond S. starter suggestions.

Kah said Giga Kick had the class and ability to justify connections paying the $55,000 late entry fee for the Blue Diamond, something they have eight days to do if they are to send him to the big race.

“It’s hard with this boy because he’s just so relaxed, so in his work we never knew how good he was because we’ve never really tested him,’’ Kah said after the race.

“And today I think he still wasn’t fully tested, he had his ears pricked the whole way.”

If Giga Kick does line up for the Blue Diamond S. it will be without Kah in saddle. News out Sunday was that she has been booked to ride Blue Diamond Preview winner Revolutionary Miss (Russian Revolution) in the race.

Woolamai Whirlwind a short affair

If you turn up to the Woolamai picnic races on Saturday you can be forgiven for thinking motoring racing star Craig Lowndes has influenced the club committee when you see the running of the club’s new Woolamai Whirlwind over the unique distance of 888 metres.

But the man within the Triple Eight Race Engineering team hasn’t had anything to do with engineering the Whirlwind, which is now the shortest race in Victoria.

Other racetracks to conduct races in Victoria below 1000 metres include Flemington who run early season juvenile races over 900 metres, while The Valley regularly conducts races over 955 metres and Swan Hill from a 975 metre starting point.

“Woolamai has always been proud of its one turn 1000-metre chute which is the only of its kind on the picnic circuit, however the club has long lamented a lack of suitable race starts from 1000 to 1500 metres,” Club Secretary Adam Olszanski told Racing.com.

“Given the long run to the home corner, the committee came up with the idea of having an additional sprint start, shorter than 1000 metres and we landed on 888 metres.”

All Woolamai’s starting points are over a further eight metres since the judges tower was relocated that distance down the home straight 15 years ago.

It is hoped next season to have a series of 888-metre races culminating in a final.

RV have approved the race start following a series of jump-outs and has, fittingly, limited the field to eight runners.

Some New South Wales and Queensland tracks are known to conduct races over 800 metres.

Group 1 breeder excited by forthcoming Karaka offering

As preparations ramp up for the 2022 edition of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka in March, Curraghmore principal Gordon Cunningham was once again celebrating the success of a past graduate of his Te Awamutu-based operation.

The popular Irishman bred outstanding Ocean Park (NZ) mare Tofane (NZ) who added a fourth Group 1 victory to her impressive career record when she took out the G1 CF Orr S. at Caulfield on Saturday afternoon.

Although initially entered in the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Yearling Sale, Cunningham elected to retain Tofane and send her to trainer Michael Moroney’s Matamata barn under the care of co-trainer Pam Gerard.

Tofane won an 820-metre trial at Te Teko before Ballymore Stable clients purchased her from Cunningham and she was transferred to Moroney’s Melbourne stable where she has gone on to win eight races from 27 starts and over $3.39 million in prizemoney.

Cunningham is justifiably proud of the mare, who he admitted didn’t really standout as a young horse until she began to mature.

“She was a pretty typical Ocean Park early on, but with maturity she developed with more obvious quality and the look of a good horse ,” he said. “She has gone on to show she is an absolutely elite galloper, who always gives her best.

“I actually feel she is probably still a touch underrated as the field she beat yesterday (Saturday) was full of quality and she did it in confident fashion."

With the National Yearling Sales less than a month away, Cunningham and his Curraghmore team are hard at work putting the finishing touches on a draft that will see them present 23 individuals in the Book 1 Sale and a further four in Book 2.

Future plans still to be decided for Levante

Trainer Ken Kelso is content to sit back and savour the thrill of winning a second consecutive Group 1 with star mare Levante (NZ) (Proisir), before any decisions on her immediate future are made but suggests a trip to Australia may well be on the cards.

The daughter of Proisir delighted her connections and multitude of fans when she held out the challenge of another class mare in Entriviere (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) to take out the G1 BCD Group Sprint, after the pair waged a two-horse war down the Te Rapa home straight on Saturday.

Kelso, who prepares the 5-year-old in partnership with wife Bev, was a happy man after watching Levante deliver again at the elite-level to confirm the promise he saw in her since the day she entered their Matamata stable.

“That win was very special and to make it back-to-back Group 1 wins is something I think she deserves,” Kelso said.

“All the way through we have thought she could win at this level, however until her last two starts she just hadn’t had the rub of the green.’’

Kelso will now take a few days to let the dust settle before he sits down with the mare’s connections to discuss what the future holds, suggesting sending her to race in Australia is definitely among the options.

Patterson eyes Australian return for Coventina Bay

The long trip home to New Plymouth from Hamilton on Saturday evening flew by for trainer Robbie Patterson as he reflected on what had happened just a few hours earlier at Te Rapa.

Relishing the damp underfoot conditions, classy mare Coventina Bay (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) out-finished Vernanme (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) to take out the G1 Herbie Dyke S. to add a Group 1 title to her already outstanding career record, whilst also providing Patterson with his first elite level victory when training in his own right.

Patterson is determined to return to Australia with Coventina Bay after she endured a luckless three race campaign in Brisbane last winter.

“I really want to go back and show the Aussies just how good she is,” he said.

“I felt I was on a steep learning curve over there and no matter what you have been told, you do have to experience it to fully appreciate the magnitude of the task.

“I had spoken with Wheels a number of times and wish I had listened a bit more, but now I’ve been there I think I can do a far better job with her this time.

“Now she has shown she can get the 2000 metres, I would dearly love to tackle a race like the Doomben Cup with her.’’

Hefel soon to return

Carleen Hefel, 32, will make a return to riding by the end of the month having been sidelined since September due to a trackwork accident.

She fractured her femur in the accident but the Victorian apprentice, who has ridden 100 winners, said her recovery had gone smoothly and she was back doing trackwork and trials.

“Expect me back at the races maybe end of February,’’ she said. “I’m really hanging to get back.”

An apprentice to well-respected horseman Julien Welsh, Hefel had a horse rear and fall on top of her only days after riding her first winner at The Valley.

Hefel had success in Western Australia with 27 victories while on loan to Lindsey Smith and is now looking to outside her claim and finish her apprenticeship in Victoria before considering any moves.

Peg Leg Ben hangs in for big win

It had been 1138 days between wins, but Peg Leg Ben (Danehill Express) saluted for an eighth time at his 76th start on Sunday at Werribee at the massive quote of $91.

Trained by Terang trainer Jamie Barry and ridden by apprentice Sheridan Clarke, the 10-year-old gelding got the chocolates over 1600 metres.

Peg Leg Ben last won on New Year’s Day 2019 when under the training of Jamie’s father Harold. The best he had performed for Jamie Barry was a third-placing and in the past year he has had five races where he failed to beat a runner home.