Vale David Hains
Kingston Town's (Bletchingly) owner and Melbourne-based billionaire, David Hains, has died.
Hains scored 35 Group 1 wins, including the 1990 G1 Melbourne Cup with Kingston Rule, three G1 Cox Plates with Kingston Town, three top-flight wins with Spirit Of Kingston (Bletchingly) and Rose Of Kingston (Claude).
Hains' remarkable business career spanned manufacturing in the 1950s, retailing, various takeovers, turning around a US steel business, running Indian factories, property developing and hedge fund investing in global equities, currencies, fixed income and other assets at Portland House, run by three of his sons.
Needs Sugar dominates Elwick Stakes
Having finished second on her first two starts, Needs Sugar (Needs Further) broke her maiden in the Listed Elwick S. at Hobart on Sunday.
The daughter of Needs Further pulled 3l clear to beat Thespian Waters (Headwater) and Encounter Sphere (Stratosphere) was another 2l away in third.
In winning the race, Needs Sugar becomes the sixth stakes-winner for Armidale Stud’s Need Further, whose progeny is headed by Group 1 winner Mystic Journey, who won the Listed Elwick S. in 2018.
Needs Further has six lots catalogued for the 2023 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale which takes place on February 20.
Mr Brightside gears up for the autumn
Lindsay Park is looking forward to Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) being the flagbearer for the stable in an upcoming autumn campaign.
The Ben and JD Hayes-trained gelding had his first jump-out following his spring break at Flemington last Friday with Michael Dee replacing regular jockey Craig Williams.
An official trial at Geelong on January 31 is expected to have Mr Brightside ready for a racetrack return in the G1 CF Orr S. at Sandown on February 11.
“Craig (Williams) is still on holiday, so Michael Dee rode him. He sat back and hit the line strong,” Ben Hayes said. “It was probably the best first jump-out that we have seen him do. He's very forward and I'm very happy with how he's come up.
“He's strengthened, looks fantastic and will trial again at Geelong on January 31 and then he'll go to the Orr Stakes first-up on February 11.
“He'll have a gallop into his next trial, and he should be pretty ready to go.”
Big hopes for Joyful Fortune
Trainer Mark Newnham is keen to see how far sprinter Joyful Fortune (Nicconi) can go with one full Australian preparation under his belt.
The straight-track specialist will have his first public hitout of the year in a 900-metre Randwick barrier trial on Monday following a promising spring that yielded a brace of wins at Flemington and an appearance in the $15 million The Everest.
Joyful Fortune is being geared up for a Group 1 return in the G1 Lightning S. at Flemington on February 18 and Newnham is optimistic the gelding can continue to build on his strong record in Australia, particularly now horse and trainer are better acquainted.
“He is in really good shape so hopefully we get to the Lightning Stakes in just as good an order,” Newnham said. “He came back from Hong Kong after knee surgery, so he takes a little bit of management, but I know him better now too.
“This is the second prep he's had for me so I know what makes him tick and we seem to be getting on well.”
The All-Star Mile off the table for I Wish I Win
Peter Moody has ruled out running I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel) in The All-Star Mile revealing he would prefer to keep the gelding for sprint races at Flemington.
Moody has mapped out a plan that will see the son of Savabeel line up in the G1 Lightning S. and G1 Newmarket H.
“Rightly or wrongly, I'm going to run him in the Lightning and the Newmarket,” Moody said. “He'll have a couple of soft trials at home, with a bit of beach work and that will be the path he takes.
“I want to run him in the Newmarket. The Futurity is only two weeks before, so I didn't want to go the Futurity, back to the Newmarket.
“With the Lightning, I'm not going there thinking we can beat Nature Strip and all those fast horses. But a nice horse like him, he can bowl along, pull a few lengths off them in the last 100 metres, but more importantly, he's had a look at the straight.”
Aditi and The Instructor set for Blue Diamond
Gai Waterhouse and Adrain Bott will saddle Aditi (Exceed And Excel) and The Instructor (Russian Revolution) in the G3 Blue Diamond Preview (Fillies) and G3 Blue Diamond Preview (Colt and Geldings) respectively at Sandown Hillside on Thursday.
“I’ve got one to run in each of the divisions, with Aditi being a filly and The Instructor a colt,” Waterhouse said.
“I think they are both very good. They are both winnable races and live chances and can stamp themselves as genuine Blue Diamond hopes.
“They will run on Thursday and then into the Blue Diamond Preludes and then into the Blue Diamond.”
Aditi, who is owned by Rosemont Stud, had one start last spring for a second in the Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. at Flemington behind Zulfiqar (Exceed And Excel).
“She’s going very well,” Waterhouse said. “She won a jump-out in Sydney and then the other day at Flemington, she led throughout and won another impressively.”
Group 1 targets for Montefilia
After two failed attempts in the G1 Melbourne Cup, David Payne has decided to keep Montefilia (Kermadec {NZ}) to shorter distances and she will be aimed at the G1 Tancred S. and the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. this season.
Montefilia (white cap and sleeves) | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
“She's come back good, I think now we'll just keep her around the mile-and-a-half maximum," Payne said.
“She's fine, she's come back good, she'll trial in the next 10 days and then she'll head to the races.
“She'll kick off at the mile, probably the Chipping Norton or one of those races, then she'll go to her main mission, which will be the Tancred and the Queen Elizabeth.”
Forsman not giving up on Ethereal Star
Despite finishing second in the R. Listed Karaka Million 2YO, trainer Andrew Forsman believes Ethereal Star (Snitzel) has a big future ahead of her.
“I’m very proud of her. She had every possible chance and Damian rode her a treat,” Forsman said.
“She was probably just a little bit too aggressive. I was surprised there was no more pressure from the outside and she ended up with a lovely run and she came out to win it, it was just a case of the winner being too good.
“We never really wanted to give her too many races as a 2-year-old so we will just have to be a little bit careful and see how she comes through it.
“Maybe she will have two more runs as a 2-year-old before we turn her out. We would love to get her to Australia in the spring.
“I think she is a miler. I love her to bits and I think she will make the grade in time.”
