Glamour filly slated for midweek debut
The highly anticipated first start of Global Glamour’s (Star Witness) first foal - a filly by Justify (USA) - will take place on Wednesday.
Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Just Glamorous, who is unbeaten in two trials, will contest Race 1 at Warwick Farm under Rachel King.
Bred and offered by Coolmore Stud, the filly was knocked down to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds for $900,000 at 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Just Glamourous as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Global Glamour won two Group 1s and $1,561,400 in prizemoney. This is her second foal; her first, the Waterhouse and Bott-trained Scientist (Zoustar), has a win and a third from three starts.
Just Glamorous will have a stablemate in the race, with Royal Entrance (Snitzel) to be ridden by Regan Bayliss.
Uncommon James to go for Group 1s
Rising star Uncommon James (Cable Bay {Ire}) will be given his chance to land an elite-level victory in the autumn.
Co-trainer Matthew Hoysted said the 4-year-old sprinter was likely to run first-up in the $300,000 G2 Rubiton S. at Sandown on February 11, before tackling two of Melbourne’s Group 1 sprints, the Oakleigh Plate and Newmarket H.
“That’s our plan for three runs in Melbourne if his form warrants it, of course, but we couldn’t be happier with how he is at the moment,” Hoysted told Racing.com.
“He’s back in work and has been doing some three-quarter-pace work and is ready for his first gallop for the preparation later this week, with a view of him being back at the trials up here in Brisbane on the 10th (January).
“Then we’ll bring him down after that and have his second trial in Melbourne before going first-up into the Rubiton Stakes.
“The figures he is running are saying that if he keeps trending that way, he could have Group 1 ability. Let’s hope so.”
VRC targets Dettori farewell
Following the weekend news that Frankie Dettori will retire after next year’s Breeders' Cup weekend in the US on the weekend of November 3 and 4, the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) is keen to lure the Champion Jockey to Australia for one last crack at the G1 Melbourne Cup.
The great race has eluded the 52-year-old in 17 attempts; however, he has twice finished runner-up.
Frankie Dettori | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“He is a superstar of racing and one who would has stated that he would love to win a Melbourne Cup,” Leigh told Racing.com.
“He’s had such a relationship with the race over so many years that it would be sensational if he came to Melbourne for one last attempt.”
Dettori said earlier this year: “It’s one of the big races in the world that I haven’t won, so of course, I’m super keen to win it.”
‘Gator aimed at The All-Star Mile
Cult hero Alligator Blood (All Too Hard) will have a short autumn campaign, with his main target being the $5 million The All-Star Mile at The Valley on March 23.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained gelding took all before him during the spring, winning the G1 Underwood S. and G1 Champions Mile.
“Everything is solely based around The All-Star Mile,” Bott told News Corp.
“It's the main event, obviously 1400 metres to a mile has proven to be his ideal trip and we don't really need to test too much outside those boundaries this preparation.”
Duais sidelined for autumn
The Edward Cummings-trained Duais (Shamus Award) will miss out on an autumn campaign after it was reported that the 5-year-old mare has undergone surgery to remove a small bone chip.
Duais | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
A multiple Group 1 winner, Duais failed to find form when competing in five top-level events this season, though was at one point favourite for both the G1 Melbourne and Caulfield Cups and managed a best place of eighth in the latter.
Williams is bound for Brisbane
Top Victorian jockey Craig Williams will head north this weekend to partner Chris Munce’s unbeaten Spirit Of Boom filly Miss Coota in the $250,000 G3 B J McLachlan S. (1200 metres) at Doomben.
“Chris Munce has never wasted my time,” Williams said.
“When he calls me, I know it’s not for nothing.
Craig Williams | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
“I’ve only ridden a few times for Chris, but I’ve had a bit of success for him and when he rang up for one particular horse my ears pricked up and we looked into her.
“I’ve looked at her form and looked at her profile; you can only be excited about her.”
Miss Coota has won her two starts by a combined 12.7l.
Wellington Guineas a possible for The Racketeer
Following a tough victory at Te Rapa on Saturday, the Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray-trained The Racketeer (NZ) (Proisir) will likely head to the G2 Wellington Guineas (1400 metres), as his trainers look to avoid some tough competition with the 3-year-old gelding.
“At his previous two starts he ran into the 1000 Guineas winner Legarto and was only beaten 2.8l, and the start after that he was beaten by the top male in Wild Night, and they will be the favourites for the Karaka Mile,” Ritchie said.
“So, playing it smart and running him in the right races, perhaps the second tier 3-year-old races, might be best for him. Because the Wellington Guineas is over 1400 metres and one week before the Karaka Million, he might dodge a few of the other horses that are going for that race.”
Lindsay Park’s latest Kiwi import
Ben and JD Hayes will look to repeat history with their latest Kiwi import Rheinberg (NZ) (Swiss Ace), who was purchased by the same connections as stable star Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) following three runs in New Zealand.
The 4-year-old Rheinberg captured his maiden win pleasingly at Sandown earlier this month on his first start in the country and will now be aimed at Flemington on New Year's Day.
“He's another one Wayne Ormond found at the races and we were pretty bullish going into his first-up run,” JD Hayes told Racenet.
Rheinberg (NZ) with connections after winning at Sandown | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“It's normally pretty hard to win first-up in a different country and also break a city maiden so to do that shows that he's a pretty progressive horse with a nice future.
“I think he's going to be a nice miler but we're just going to take him through his grades, he seems to put himself there and he's a lovely big and strong horse that might even get over 2000 metres,” Hayes said.
Jockeys stand firm on whip regulations
Matt Hyland, the head of the Victorian Jockeys' Association, has said he will not be pushing for a review of whip regulations in the aftermath of Saturday’s controversial results change at Flemington.
My Yankee Girl (American Pharoah {USA}), ridden by Blake Shinn, was demoted from first in a dead-heat to second place after stewards claimed that Shinn used his whip 12 times before the 100-metre mark, seven times more than the permitted amount. It is the first time that Victorian stewards have altered a result over an incident of this kind.
“We encourage all riders to ride to those rules,” Hyland told Racing.com. “We say, leave the rules as they are.
“The rules are there for everyone to see. They are fit to purpose and they work well. They have stood the test of time and have helped bring down whip indiscretions over time.
“It is up to the stewards to implement the rules and apply the sanctions they see fit. It’s up to our members to ride within them.”
