Daily News Wrap

Vale Trevor Wilkes

The New Zealand racing and greyhound industries are mourning the death of commentator Trevor Wilkes following his passing on Thursday.

Up until his retirement in July of last year, Wilkes had been commentating races since 1979 and was a hugely well-liked personality across the industry, particularly around the Canterbury greyhound racing scene.

I Wish I Win for Hong Kong?

Racing.com reported on Thursday that the Kiwi-bred winner of last year’s Golden Eagle, I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel), could be heading to Hong Kong for its G1 International Sprint next month. Trainer Peter Moody said he wasn’t short of options for the star 4-year-old.

“There’s a race for him every Saturday from now until the end of May,” he said on his podcast, Moody on the Mic. “Let’s hope he can win on Saturday and then we can start discussing options beyond that.”

I Wish I Win is raced by Waikato Stud and he will line up this weekend in the G1 Newmarket H., for which he is second favourite. Later options include the G1 TJ Smith S. in Sydney, The All-Star Mile this month and, alongside Hong Kong, offers have come in from Western Australia for the $4 million The Quokka.

Black Opal draw

The barrier draw for the G3 Black Opal S., one of the autumn’s feature juvenile races, took place on Thursday afternoon in Canberra. The race is this Sunday at Thoroughbred Park and the Bjorn Baker-trained fancy Disneck, a son of Trapeze Artist, drew the inside barrier with jockey Rachel King.

The Godolphin colt Razors (Sidestep) got barrier two while the Coolmore colt Limburg (Justify {USA}) drew 14, and the widest of the 17-horse field is Love Shuck (Mikki Isle {Jpn}), who will compete for local trainer Todd Smart from barrier 17.

Kiwi filly takes on Kembla Classic

The Karaka horseman Lance Noble, a private trainer for the Cambridge Stud operation, is in Sydney ahead of his filly, the 3-year-old Polygon (NZ) (Highly Recommended), contesting this Friday’s G3 Kembla Grange Classic. Polygon races in the Cambridge colours and she’s won her last two starts on the trot, both at Group level in New Zealand.

“She’s done well,” Noble told NZ Racing Desk. “It took a few days but we are really happy with how she carried on. She had a gallop on Monday and worked really well. She looks nice and bright and her coat is good.”

Polygon will press on to the G1 Vinery Stud S. later this month, all being well, with a possible tilt at the G1 Australian Oaks during The Championships.

Noble fly-in, fly-out mission

Following Polygon’s effort in the G3 Kembla Grange Classic on Friday, trainer Lance Noble will fly out of Sydney on Saturday morning in an effort to make it home to New Zealand in time for the G2 Auckland Cup. Noble has Aquacade (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) in the field, the 4-year-old mare having won her last three starts, including the G2 Avondale Cup last month. She is an early race-favourite for the Auckland Cup and will carry 53kg.

“All reports are that she’s in good nick,” Noble told NZ Racing Desk. “She is in a similar frame of mind and condition as what she went into the Avondale Cup in. She comes in with a lovely weight.”

Hope in their Heart for the Coolmore Classic

The 4-year-old mare Hope In Your Heart, a daughter of Dundeel (NZ) and last-start winner of the G2 Guy Walter S. a fortnight ago, will take her place this Saturday in the G1 Coolmore Classic. Her Kembla trainer, Kerry Parker, said he was hoping desperately for the Group 1 victory for her owners, Deidre and Alexander Illes.

“They have been terrific supporters of ours and to even have a horse running in these races, you feel like you are paying them back for their loyalty,” Parker told journalist Ray Hickson. “They’ve had this family for a long time and a lot have been city winners, but none had black type before her.”

Jockey Tim Clark will continue his association with Hope In Your Heart on the weekend and the pair has been dealt barrier nine. The field will include the last-start Group 3 winner Annavisto (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}), Sheeza Belter (Gold Standard) and the William Haggas raider Purpleplay (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}).

No plans to retire Boomnova

The Listed BRC Lightning H. winner Boomnova (Spirit Of Boom) will step out at Eagle Farm this Saturday in a 1000-metre open handicap, the result of which will give her trainer, Chris Munce, an idea as to what stakes path she will take this winter. Boomnova was a last-start fourth in her autumn debut on February 18, but she won’t head to the breeding shed just yet.

“She never runs well first-up,” Munce told journalist Glenn Davis this week. “No plans are set in stone for her for the winter yet until I see how she goes this Saturday and how her form stacks up a bit later. She’s a valuable broodmare but there’s no plans for her to go to stud yet.”

Moroney with a dual hand in the Newmarket

Trans-Tasman trainer Mike Moroney has two strong chances this Saturday in the G1 Newmarket H., with the more obvious being his defending winner, the star sprinter Roch ‘N’ Horse (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}). However, he also has in the field the mare’s stablemate, the 5-year-old Snapper (NZ) (Power {GB}), a winner of the G3 Standish H. at this track and distance on January 14.

“We’ve had him out doing a little bit of dressage and he’s had a bit of time in the paddock, so we’ve got him as fresh as we can to aim at this race,” Moroney told NZ Racing Desk. “But we are well aware that he has been up for a while. He loves the straight and that’s going to take him a long, plus it’s a handicap.”

Snapper is a well-seasoned sprinter of 23 lifetime starts for six wins. He will join a vintage field this Saturday that includes his stablemate, plus the likes of Mazu (Maurice {Jpn}), I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel) and Godolphin’s in-form In Secret (I Am Invincible).

Stakes winner tests positive to cocaine

Unbeaten 3-year-old End Assembly (Outreach) could be stripped of his breakthrough stakes win in the Listed Gold Edition Plate after returning a positive swab for Cocaine in his post-race urine samples.

As reported by News Corp, an inquiry into the matter from stewards of the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission is set to be opened next week. If found guilty, connections of the boom sprinter being stripped of the win and associated prizemoney, with runner-up Golden Boom (Spirit Of Boom) set to be promoted to the winner.

End Assembly has built an impressive profile in his short career to date, winning his first two starts on his home track of Toowoomba by a combined 12.1l prior to his Gold Edition Plate success, a race which has been won by the likes of Isotope (Deep Field), Winning Rupert (Written Tycoon) and multiple Group 1 winner Alligator Blood (All Too Hard) in recent seasons.

Tuvalu ruled out of All-Star Mile

Group 1 winner Tuvalu (Kermadec {NZ}) has been ruled out of The All-Star Mile, paving the way for fellow Group 1 winner Sheeza Belter (Gold Standard) to gain a start in Saturday week’s $5 million feature at The Valley.

The Lindsey Smith-trained Tuvalu was found to have a lung infection following his below-par effort in the G2 Blamey S. at Flemington last weekend, meaning that G1 JJ Atkins heroine Sheeza Belter, who finished 11th in the public vote, is now assured of a start.

The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained filly is set to line up in the G1 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday prior to making her way down south for 1600-metre contest.

O'Hara picks up soft tissue injury

Sydney-based jockey Kathy O’Hara has sustained an injury after she was dislodged from her mount ahead of the last race at Randwick-Kensington on Wednesday.

O’Hara was due to partner Flying Step (Sidestep) in the BM72 H. for fillies and mares, but the 4-year-old became fractious in the barriers and reared, before eventually being scratched.

O’Hara was assessed by the on-course doctor and was reported to have sustained a soft tissue injury.

Jockey injured at Kembla

Jockey Scott Pollard was involved in a fall during Kembla Grange trackwork on Thursday morning. Pollard was transported to hospital with a knee injury and was cancelled from his riding commitments at Goulburn’s meeting in the afternoon.

The jockey was found with a fracture of his left femur which will require surgery. Pollard’s career feature wins included the G3 Black Opal S. aboard Uber (Shovog) and the Listed Parramatta Cup on Kaapgun (NZ) (Kaapstad {NZ}).

Dates revised for McDonald ban

Racing NSW Stewards have acceded to an application from James McDonald to amend the dates of the careless riding charge he incurred at Randwick-Kensington yesterday so that he can fulfil his riding commitments pending the hearing of an appeal.

The revised dates for the Champion Jockey’s six-meeting suspension will now commence on March 14 until March 24, meaning he will be able to ride the likes of Group 1 winners Zougotcha (Zoustar) and Hinged (Worthy Cause) at Rosehill on Saturday, as well as William Haggas’ British raider Protagonist (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the G3 Sky High S.

At this stage, McDonald’s ban still rules him out of riding at next Saturday’s G1 Golden Slipper S. meeting, at which he was due to partner race favourite Cylinder (Exceed And Excel).

Sire Zazou stolen in Czech Republic

The Group 1-winning European stallion Zazou (Ger), a son of Shamardal (USA), was stolen last Friday evening from Darhorse Stud in the Czech Republic, where he stands. His recovery is being sought by the Czech authorities, according to published reports.

The stallion is part of the sanctioned assets of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, an ally of Vladimir Putin, and the sanctions on Kadyrov were invoked following Russia’s invasion of the Ukrainian Crimea district in 2014. An attempt was made to kidnap Zazou in January, but it failed on that occasion.

Zazou was a winner of the G1 Premio Roma in Italy and second in the G1 German Derby. He was bred by Stiftung Gestüt Fahrhof, and the 16-year-old was standing at Darhorse Stud about 50km north of Prague.

Ballydoyle dominates Derby nominations

After the March 7 scratching stage, 83 horses remain in contention for the 2023 G1 Epsom Derby, to be run on June 3. Of those 83, over half (45) are trained in Ireland and, of those 45 again, 29 are from the Ballydoyle yard of Aidan O’Brien.

Among them are the Group 1-winning son of Deep Impact (Jpn), Auguste Rodin (Jpn), along with G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}). Alfred Munnings (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) are also among them.

O’Brien’s sons, Joseph and Donnacha, have eight horses nominated between them, while John and Thady Gosden have the largest contingent of UK-trained horses nominated with 15. The King also has three among the possibilities, including Slipofthepen (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Desert Hero (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Circle Of Fire (GB) (Almanzor {Fr}).

Graded stakes increased in Canada

The Jockey Club of Canada’s Graded Stakes Committee has updated the number of Grade and Listed stakes races in Canada to 42. The increase is due to the return of the G1 Canadian International and the upgrade of one of its Listed races to Grade 3 status. No Graded stakes races were downgraded.

The G3 Seagram Cup S. will be upgraded to Grade 2 status and the Listed Belle Mahone S. will also be upgraded to a Grade 3. Additionally, the Ontario Damsel S. and Algonquin S., the latter previously run as the Ontario Racing S., will be upgraded to Listed level.

Offers called for Adena Springs Farm

An official Call for Offers and expressions of interest campaign will open on March 28 for the 2300-acred Adena Springs Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, which was listed for sale last year for US$55 million (AU$83.2 million). The campaign will conclude on May 6, with final bids due by May 15.

Icon Global is handling the campaign and will issue final-sale process and campaign details by March 28, which will include sealed bidding and offer process guidelines. The seller will reserve the right to negotiate and accept offers at any time before the close of the campaign in mid-May.

Buyers will be able to choose a single sale opportunity or choose from any combination of one or more subdivision parcels together with various barns, pastures, amenities and improvements.