Daily News Wrap

Ardrossan sires first winner

Waikato Stud’s first-season stallion Ardrossan sired his first winner on Tuesday courtesy of Codigo's (NZ) victory at Matamata.

The 2-year-old gelding came out on top of a blanket finish to beat She Turns Heads (Headwater) by 0.2l. Time Is King (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) was a further 2.8l away in third.

Ardrossan stands at Waikato Stud in New Zealand he will be represented by seven yearlings at Book 1 of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale, which gets underway on January 29.

Firestorm gets off the mark

The Paul Mirabelli-trained Firestorm (NZ) (Satono Aladdin {Jpn}) handed a timely update to her Karaka-bound half-brother when she made a winning debut at Matamata on Tuesday.

The daughter of Rich Hill Stud shuttler Satono Aladdin (Jpn) scooted home 1.5l in front of Cyclonic King (Exceed And Excel).

Firestorm’s Sweynesse half-brother will be offered by Woburn Farm as Lot 727 at Book 2 of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale.

Romancing The Moon

Stakes races could now lie in wait for the Mark Walker-trained Romancing The Moon (NZ) (El Roca) after she made a winning return at Matamata on Tuesday.

The Te Akau-raced 3-year-old filly had not been sighted since her fourth-placed finish in the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas and she chalked up her second career win with a 2.8l win over Image Of You (NZ) (Pins).

Romancing The Moon was purchased by David Ellis for NZ$50,000 from Book 1 of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale and her half-brother by Ardrossan will be offered by Kilgravin Lodge as Lot 1065 at Book 2 of this year’s New Zealand-based auction.

Ellsberg retired

Time has been called on the career of Group 1 winner Ellsberg (Spill The Beans) after he suffered a career-ending leg injury during trackwork last week.

Trained by Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, the 5-year-old horse broke through at elite-level for the first time this season when dead-heating with Top Ranked (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the G1 Epsom H. and followed up that win with victories in The Five Diamonds Prelude and The Five Diamonds.

The son of Spill The Beans retires the winner of nine of his 24 career starts which saw him accrue $3,310,000 in prizemoney.

All systems go for Tijuana

Tijuana (American Pharoah {USA}) warmed up for his tilt at the R. Listed Magic Millions 3YO Guineas with a trial at the Gold Coast on Tuesday.

The Lindsay Park-trained son of American Pharoah (USA), who landed the G2 Stutt S. in September, finished fifth of five runners in his trial, but despite failing to beat any home co-trainer Ben Hayes was not concerned by his performance.

“He's never been an impressive horse at the jump-outs - he's never been an eye-catcher," Hayes said “It was just a tick-over jump-out to keep him up the mark. He really needed it and had a good blow, so it should really bring him on beautifully for the race.

“It took him a while to get balanced around the bend but through the line, he was quite good.”

Skirt The Law on show this weekend

Tony Gollan has no qualms about running his R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic hope Skirt The Law (Better Than Ready), in the Gold Pearl at the Gold Coast on Saturday.

The 1100-metre event is just seven days before the $2 million contest, but Gollan said this had been his preferred approach all along.

“It's worked very effectively for other trainers and other horses over the years and she profiles as the right sort of horse for it,” he said. “She's very strong – she's not that feminine, she's more like a little colt – so I think the seven-day back will be spot on for her.

“She's still got to show us she's at that level. The good 2-year-olds that have backed up and done well (in the Magic Millions) have been very good the week before, so if she's very good on Saturday you'll see her be very good again the week after.”

De Kock plotting Derby redemption for Aberfeldie Boy

Co-trainer Mathew de Kock said he is going to focus on winning a race with G1 VRC Derby placegetter Aberfeldie Boy (So You Think {NZ}), before looking ahead to bigger targets with the colt.

Aberfeldie Boy's luckless Group 1 third placing, when held up early in the straight before flashing home out wide to finish just 1.8l behind Manzoice (Almanzor {Fr}), was just his fourth start in a race and de Kock said the first mission was to make him a winner.

“At this stage we'll probably kick him off in a maiden, just to try and get a win and a bit of confidence because he still hasn't won a race,” de Kock said.

“Then we'll start looking at some of the Derbys that are around; Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane. But we're keeping all options open at this stage.”

Tuvalu eyes return

Group 1 winner Tuvalu (Kermadec {NZ}) will likely make his return in the Listed John Dillon S. on Australia Day at Sandown-Hillside, a track where he is undefeated in two previous starts.

The Lindsey Smith-trained gelding will race second-up in the G1 CF Orr S., with a decision to then be made between The All-Star Mile or stepping out to 2000 metres for the first time in the G1 Australian Cup.

“He's back doing even time, he's going to quicken up a little bit because there's a 1400-metre race before the Orr that I think I might put him in,” Smith told RSN927.

“He eats as much as you can eat, he's a very docile horse and hasn't got a truckload of character, he just goes about his business.”

Incentivise to miss Melbourne return

The 2021 G1 Caulfield Cup winner Incentivise (Shamus Award) has hit a minor blip in his return from injury and is unlikely to race in Melbourne for the remainder of this season.

The 6-year-old Shamus Award gelding has undergone extensive rehabilitation in a bid to return to the racetrack after sustaining an injury in the 2021 edition of the G1 Melbourne Cup.

Managing part-owner Ozzie Kheir confirmed that Incentivise had recently experienced a 'minor setback' in training.

“It is bad timing, although it's only a two-week injury that normally pushes their preps back by about four weeks,” Kheir told Racing.com. “That will mean he will miss the autumn in Melbourne and likely resume in Sydney and potentially continue into Brisbane.

“But we have always said as an ownership group he will never be rushed and return when he is 100 per cent ready. Let's hope that is sooner rather than later as racing needs stars like Incentivise running around.”