Son of Jameka first winner for Impending
There were double celebrations as Impending colt Sir Bailey put his name on the winner’s board and became the first winner for the Darley-standing stallion with a win at Sandown for trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace on Wednesday.
And the celebrations spread far and wide as connections of the colt and his superstar mum, Caulfield Cup queen Jameka (Myboycharlie) got a first taste of what might be should the legacy of the G1 Caulfield Cup winner live on in her son.
The win by Sir Bailey, putting paid to Peter Moody’s Written Tycoon colt Merchant Prince and the Mick Price and Michael Kent-trained Water Bomber (Headwater) for second and third, was, by all accounts, expected to have come a fortnight earlier on debut. But it is not just the colours Sir Bailey has in common with his mum, but also a laid back attitude that needed a bit of remedying to get him on the job of winning.
“It was great… that’s what was supposed to happen first-up,’’ David Eustace said after the race. “He caught us a little bit by surprise just how laid back he was first-up but we weren’t disappointed. He ran well considering how he behaved in that run.
“It was great… that’s what was supposed to happen first-up.’’ - David Eustace
“He was more switched on, the winkers helped I think he travelled really nice and strong. It’s a little bit of a trait of the family that he sort of flicked his head a couple of times down the back there but they weren’t going quick either.’’
Eustace confirmed that Sir Bailey will also follow in the footsteps of his champion mother, by racing next in the G2 VRC Sires Produce S., a race Jameka won seven years ago.
“You think a race like the Sires would suit. It’s just a great story isn’t it? Colin and Janice’s (McKenna) colours on the first foal out of Jameka. A lot of people here, Tyson, Big Al’s come four and a half hours and nearly deafened me while he stood next to me watching the race,’’ Eustace said..
Caulfield to close for six months
Caulfield Racecourse will close for at least six months immediately following the running of the Zipping Classic Day in late November to allow extensive track renovations to the course proper with the build of an inner track.
The Melbourne Racing Club made the announcement on Wednesday. It is part of the $300 million vision for Caulfield Racecourse announced in 2019 and which would allow racing at Caulfield up to 45 times a year once complete.
The announcement comes just days after trainer Peter Moody delivered a swipe at the management of the Caulfield track, claiming it has been ‘rooted’ due to over-watering.
“The best on speed on fence track in the land rooted from over watering to help expensive imports,’’ Moody said in a tweet following the Rubiton S. won by Marine One (Capitalist) ahead of Moody’s Oxley Road (Exceed And Excel).
O’Dea and Hoysted top the 2-year-olds at Doomben
Eagle Farm training duo Steven O’Dea and Matthew Hoysted took three debutant 2-year-olds to Doomben to contest the two QTIS 2-year-old maiden races, and could not have got a better result, coming away with a quinella in the colts’ race and winning the fillies' affair.
Shalaa (Ire) colt Prince Shalaa took the win ahead of Hang Five (Astern) while the Chris Munce-trained Suenito (Whittington) ran third. Prince Shalaa was bred and is owned by Joe Rapisarda, based in Ayr, North Queensland.
O’Dea and Hoysted partnered with Proven Thoroughbreds to buy the Astern colt Hang Five at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from Glenlogan Park for $45,000.
Spirit Of Boom filly She’sgottheboom was dominant in winning the filly’s race for O'Dea and Hoysted. The first foal of Golden Archer mare Rosa’s Charm streaked away to win by more than 3l. Second was Even Now (Better Than Ready) and the Les Ross-trained Mishani Hood (Domesday).
Anamoe to fly flag in Hobartville
James Cummings will rely on Anamoe (Street Boss {USA}) in the G2 Hobartville S. at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, with Paulele (Dawn Approach {Ire}) to be kept to sprint races.
Cummings was encouraged by Anamoe’s effort when third in the G2 Expressway S. on resumption and Saturday's race shapes as a key indicator as to where he heads this campaign.
Anamoe | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“He had all the signs (first-up) of being the horse from that race to take the most obvious improvement," Cummings told the Daily Telegraph.
“Anamoe ran into some capable sprinters. But now he can sail along the traditional path and he has the extra advantage of having that weight-for-age run under his belt.
“He is back to set weights for 3-year-olds on Saturday for the first time since winning the Caulfield Guineas which is going to be good.”
Crusader nearing his peak
Managing owner Rupert Legh believes this campaign will see the best of star sprinter Masked Crusader (Toronado {Ire}).
The 5-year-old resumes in Saturday's star-studded G1 Black Caviar Lightning S. at Flemington.
Masked Crusader | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“We always thought the autumn this year would be the year that he would be fully matured mentally and physically, be ready to put what we consider his best foot forward,” Legh told Racing.com.
“I think we’re right, from the reports coming back from John, Michael and Wayne (Hawkes) is that he now looks the real deal physically and even mentally. His jump-outs have been a lot sharper, where he’s jumped the gates a lot better than what he was doing last prep. Just looking at the horse now, you’re just looking at a fully mature horse and mentally, you just think he’s ready to race.
“Hopefully in the next two years, we’ll see the best of Masked Crusader.”
Group target for Expat Kiwi
Trainer Mark Newnham is hoping to add to Expat’s (NZ) Group tally when she heads to Rosehill on Saturday.
The daughter of Makfi (GB) will contest the G2 Millie Fox S. and Newnham is pleased with his mare heading into the race after her trial win at Warwick Farm earlier this month.
Expat (NZ) | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The 4-year-old mare will be fresh-up after winning her last start in the G3 Belle of the Turf S. at Gosford in December.
“She has been a fantastic mare – 12 starts, seven wins. She has won on all types of ground and goes very well at Rosehill,” Newnham said.
“I am really looking forward to getting her back to the races and testing her in Group company again.”
Lindsay returns at Kangaroo Island
Apprentice jockey Alice Lindsay makes her track return after a horror fall at Darwin’s Fannie Bay race track last July, with rides on Thursday and Saturday as part of the popular Kangaroo Island Cup carnival.
Lindsay, 28, broke two vertebrae, fractured her, broke her nose and was left unconscious from the fall when her mount Jomera (Foxwedge) clipped heels. She was overrun by several other horses and her horse was euthanised as a result of the incident.
Hospitalised for nine days, Lindsay was also in back brace for two months. She returned from Darwin to Adelaide and has been trackwork riding for Murray Bridge-based trainer Heather Lehman since December.
Her return to race riding includes on Saint Olga (War) for Lehmann and the Akeed Mofeed (GB) pair of Aquaboy (Akeed Mofeed {GB}) and I’m Kenny for Darren Magro.
Weighty Cup bid best option for Group 1-bound mare
Concert Hall’s (NZ) standing will force her to concede significant amounts of weight to her opposition in Saturday’s G2 Avondale Cup, but connections believe it is the best means to an end for their quality mare.
Concert Hall (NZ) | Image courtesy of Trish Dunnell
With a rating of 105, the 7-year-old is head and shoulders above her Ellerslie rivals in the Wallen Concreting-sponsored feature. She will shoulder 59kg and give away 5kg to those closest to her in the handicap and 7kg to the rest of the field.
“She has got a bit of weight and that’s not ideal, but we felt it’s a better race for her than the Herbie Dyke S. as we want to give her a chance at the Auckland Cup,” said Robert Wellwood, who trains in partnership with Roger James.
“Going a mile and a-half this weekend suits better, if she had gone to the Herbie Dyke we would probably have had to run her again before the Auckland Cup."
Bill filed to sidestep stallion cap
In an attempt to get around a controversial rule by The Jockey Club (TJC) that mandates that stallions born from 2020 onward will only be allowed to cover up to 140 mares, the Speaker of Kentucky's House of Representatives on Febuary 14 co-filed a bill that would prohibit “a registrar of Thoroughbreds” from restricting “the number of mares that can be bred to a stallion or otherwise refuse to register any foal based upon the number of mares bred to the stallion.”
In addition, the measure would empower the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to “select and utilise an entity to serve as the registrar,” meaning that the state's selection might not necessarily end up being the 128-year-old, industry-standard TJC.
Yet if the chosen registrar does end up being TJC and that organisation does not “submit to the jurisdiction of Kentucky” and “comply with the laws of this chapter,” the bill's summary states that Kentucky will amend state statutes to instead “allow the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund registrar to stamp a Thoroughbred's certificate with the registrar's seal.”
Steady start at Arqana opener
There was a steady start to proceedings at Arqana's two-day February Sale, with figures pretty much on par with last year's trade and the National Hunt filly Be A Nice Girl (Fr) (Bathyrhon {Ger}) topping the first session at €120,000 (AU$190,000).
A decent clearance rate of 78 per cent from 141 horses sold brought turnover of €1,772,000 (AU$2.8 million), with the average and median both contracting slightly at €12,567 (AU$20,000) and €6000 (AU$9500) respectively.
The day's leading lady was the 4-year-old hurdler offered as lot 63 by her trainer Jean-Pierre Fertillet. Happily for him, Be A Nice Girl will be returning to his stable after she was signed for by Marco Bozzi on behalf of an unnamed French owner.
