Portelli confidence in Fireburn
Trainer Gary Portelli is confident that an awful draw (barrier 16) won’t stop his Golden Slipper-winning filly Fireburn (Rebel Dane) from a victory in the G1 Queensland Oaks. Fireburn will have to contest her outside gate with jockey Jason Collett, while fellow fancy Affaire A Suivre (NZ) (Astern) won't fare much better in barrier 13.
Fireburn | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“It put a dampener on my day when she drew 16, but we rode her back when she won The Roses last time, so she’ll just need to do that again,” Portelli said. “I still think she can win the Oaks and the best horses will be there at the 200 metres. If she wins the Oaks, she’ll be the best horse I’ve ever trained.”
Long-time Oaks ambition for Sakura Girl
Upper Bloodstock’s Ross Lao said his 3-year-old filly Sakura Girl (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}), who will take her place this Saturday in the G1 Queensland Oaks, was bought with an Oaks-winning intention right from the outset. Upper Bloodstock, which is operated by Lao in partnership with Andy Lau, bought Sakura Girl for NZ$260,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale two years ago.
“The day I bought this filly, I told the trainer (Cambridge-based Ben Foote) to please go out and win an Oaks for me,” Lao said. “She is that type of pedigree and, on look, she can run that trip. For a filly, it is good to win an Oaks, if you could. It would be unbelievable to win this race.”
Sakura Girl was a Group 3 winner in New Zealand in March, and she was third to Fireburn in the G2 The Roses on May 20. She will carry Opie Bosson in the Oaks on Saturday from barrier 21, with an eye to reversing the form with Fireburn.
Unlikely Stradbroke berth for Opal Ridge
Racenet is reporting that a berth in the G1 Stradbroke H. is looking unlikely for the 3-year-old filly Opal Ridge (Rubick), who is trained by Luke Pepper at Scone. After first acceptances for the Stradbroke on Wednesday, Opal Ridge was sitting 24th in the ballot order.
Opal Ridge | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The filly was a last-start winner of the Listed Luskin Star S. at Scone’s carnival, and before that she was a winner of the Listed Darby Munro ahead of unplaced Group runs during the autumn. Pepper has confirmed that in place of the Stradbroke, she may tackle the G1 Tattersall’s Tiara instead.
Alongside Opal Ridge, the talented Queenslander Yellow Brick (The Mission) is also looking unlikely, sitting 27th in the ballot.
Far Too Easy’s last-ditch Stradbroke start
Murwillumbah trainer David McColm will line up his star sprinter Far Too Easy (All Too Hard) in this Saturday’s G2 Moreton Cup at Eagle Farm in a last-ditch attempt to gain a seat in the G1 Stradbroke H., with the race's winner gaining an automatic entry into the Stradbroke. Last weekend, Far Too Easy missed out by one when failing to make the field for the BRC Sprint, the winner of which also got a start in the Stradbroke. McColm told Racenet it wasn’t ideal.
“It’s not ideal missing the BRC Sprint, it has thrown us out a bit,” he said. “We are racing over 1200 (metres) on Saturday, which is also not ideal. I do think though, because we have kept him on the fresher side, he will sprint well. But there is also the Eagle Farm factor. He probably hasn’t ever performed to his best at Eagle Farm.”
Far Too Easy has had two winless runs at Eagle Farm in the past, with both Doomben and the Gold Coast more to his liking. However, McColm will certainly start the 4-year-old gelding at Eagle Farm for the Stradbroke, should he qualify.
Kiwi apprentice breaks Australian maiden
New Zealand apprentice Wiremu Pinn made his seventh Australian ride a winner on Wednesday when urging home the 4-year-old mare Mystery Moment (Animal Kingdom {USA}) in a BM70 at Mornington. The pair posted a 0.3l win for trainer John Leek Jnr, bringing the mare’s record to four wins from 11 starts.
“I’m very happy to be here,” Pinn told Racing.com after the win. “I love it here. I’ve only been here four or five days, but things are going really well. I’m grateful for all the support I’m getting.”
Pinn is apprenticed to Cranbourne trainer Michael Kent and he’s been race-riding since 2018. The 24-year-old has outridden his claim in New Zealand but is still eligible in Australian for a 3kg claim in metropolitan races.
Not A Single Doubt colt off the mark
The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Acierto (Not A Single Doubt) is a maiden no longer after the colt scored an emphatic victory in a three-horse field in Race 1 at Mornington on Wednesday.
Acierto was offered by his breeder - Arrowfield Stud - at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and was knocked down to First Light Racing/Busuttin Racing for $260,000.
The colt is a half-brother to the R. Listed victor Azazel (Snitzel).
Acierto is the seventh foal of the unraced Linamix (USA) mare Allariza (Ire), who is a sister to the Listed winner Alnamara (Fr) - the dam of the Group 3 scorer Alnadana (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).
I Am Caviar nominated this weekend
Racing SA has reported that I Am Caviar, the 3-year-old son of Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) and I Am Invincible, is a possible for its Morphettville Parks meeting this Saturday. However, the Peter Moody-trained gelding is also nominated for a BM64 at Geelong on Sunday.
I Am Caviar has started five times for his connections, which includes Werrett Bloodstock, breaking his maiden on May 1 in a narrow victory at Bairnsdale in the Vale Dean Holland Maiden Plate. He is the sixth foal from Champion sprinter Black Caviar, her second by I Am Invincible.
Black-type debut for Kieran Regan
Young Western Australian trainer Kieran Regan will send out his first black-type runner this Saturday when Tin Chooks (Hvasstan) lines up in the Listed Raconteur S. at Belmont. The 3-year-old gelding has won a race and been third in three starts for his Oakford trainer, his win coming last time out on May 24.
“I’ve never had anything in a Listed or Group race,” Regan told The Races WA. “I’ve only been doing it (training) coming up to three years. We’ve only got a small team, only ever two or three in work at one time, and I’m absolutely thrilled, and more so that my brother is the main owner in this horse.”
Tin Chooks (on the rail) breaking his maiden at Belmont | Image courtesy of Racing and Wagering Western Australia
Regan is a hobby trainer with a full-time job in sheet metal Monday to Friday. He said Tin Chooks, a homebred for the family, had put a pep in his step every morning.
Zahra heading back to Singapore
Melbourne jockey Mark Zahra will return to Singapore next weekend to pilot the Star Turn gelding Golden Monkey in the G3 Silver Bowl. Zahra rode the horse previously for trainer Tim Fitzsimmons, steering him home for third in the G1 Lion City Cup behind local sensation Lim’s Kosciuszko (Kermadec {NZ}).
Zahra last rode in Singapore on May 20 in the Kranji Mile meeting, where he posted a win for Kiwi trainer Donna Logan. He will jet into Singapore after riding at Eagle Farm on the Saturday.
Stakes target for Carbonados
New Plymouth trainer Allan Sharrock will line up his rising star Carbonados (NZ) (Belardo {Ire}) this Saturday in the Listed Castletown S. at Wanganui. The 2-year-old has had only a single start, which provided a win on May 13 over a rain-soaked Heavy 10 track.
“He’s just a genuine racehorse and I couldn’t be any happier with him,” Sharrock told NZ Racing Desk. “I’ve made no secret that he’s been working with open handicappers, and he’s gone as good, if not better, than them.”
Carbonados (NZ) winning on debut | Image courtesy of Race Images PN
Carbonados is likely to have the Listed Colin Meads Trophy and G2 Hawke’s Guineas as spring targets down the line.
Passenger joins Derby fray
The 3-year-old colt Passenger (USA) (Ulysses {Ire}) has been added to Saturday’s G1 Epsom Derby as a supplementary, with the Niarchos family opting into the £85,000 (AU$162,000) late fee. Passenger, trained by Michael Stoute, has raced only twice to date, presenting a winner on debut at Newmarket in April before running third to The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) in the G2 Dante S.
Stoute will be aiming for back-to-back victories in the Derby, having won the race last year with Desert Crown (GB), a son of Nathaniel (Ire), and his seventh overall victory in the Classic.
Death confirmed of Gold Cup winner Rite Of Passage
The Irish National Stud has confirmed the death of its 2010 Ascot Gold Cup hero Rite Of Passage (GB) (Giant's Causeway {USA}). He was 19.
Cathal Beale, CEO of the Irish National Stud, said; “Coming on the back of the recent loss of Kicking King, it is a sad day to report the passing of Rite Of Passage. He was a lovely, gentle horse who lived out his days receiving the greatest of care from all the team here. He will be deeply missed by all of us.”
Anmaat out of Royal Ascot
Monday’s winner of the G1 Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp, the 5-year-old gelding Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}), is reportedly not contesting the G1 Prince Of Wales’s S. at the upcoming Royal Ascot meeting.
Trained at Lambourn by Owen Burrows, the horse is raced by Shadwell and he won the French race by a short neck from the smart Light Infantry (Fr) (Fast Company {Ire}). Angus Gold told English racing media that Royal Ascot was coming up too soon for the gelding, given the Prix d’Ispahan effort was a tough one.
“He would have to bounce back within a few weeks, and we thought that was asking a bit much,” Gold told the Racing Post. “He’s a horse who gives everything in his races. We’ve seen he can go on soft ground, so we want to have him later in the year as well as now. He’s just not a horse to press on with in the summer. The Eclipse could come into the thinking.”
Oxted out of King’s Stand
Australian filly Coolangatta (Written Tycoon) won’t have to contend with the 7-year-old sprinter Oxted (GB) (Mayson {GB}) should she make it to Royal Ascot next month. Oxted has been ruled out of the G1 King’s Stand S., a race he won in 2021.
Lambourn trainer Roger Teal has said the Royal meeting was coming up too quickly for the gelding, who hasn’t raced since the July Cup of 2021 owing to injury. Oxted could re-emerge later in the season or be kept until next year, according to Teal.
Record number of races in new Saudi season
The new racing season kicks off in Saudi Arabia on June 1, and a significantly expanded program has drawn a record number of races, with an extra 54 scheduled to the close of racing on October 7. From a record total of 486 races, 187 will be for local and imported horses (up from 147), 193 for locally bred horses (up from 188), and 108 for Arabian horses (up from 49).
Ta'if Racecourse in Saudi Arabia | Image courtesy of JCSA
The Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Cup and Listed King Faisal Cup will take place on Septmber 2, with the Ta’if Derby 20 days later. Prizemoney for each of the Thursday meetings has been increased by 25 per cent.
Dutrow licensed to train in Kentucky
Embattled American trainer Rick Dutrow, whose 10-year suspension from racing by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) ended on January 17, has gained his licence to train in Kentucky. The 63-year-old was granted a training licence by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) on Tuesday, a few months after Dutrow had gained similar in New York in February.
Dutrow’s long list of infractions began during the 2000s decade, relating to an array of equine pharmaceuticals. Between 2000 and 2008, he was cited for 18 drug infractions, ranging from phenylbutazone and Lasix violations to more serious charges of using mepivacaine.
Dutrow has since paid a US$50,000 (AU$77,000) NYSGC fine and he is now licensed in New York and Kentucky. He told the KHRC on Tuesday that he intended to bring horses to Kentucky often, with a total of 23 actively in his care and “a bunch of them on farms that I would consider under my care”.
‘No need to shut down racing at Churchill Downs’
In the US, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has called a veterinary summit to get to the bottom of the latest spate of equine fatalities at Churchill Downs. Since April 27, 12 horses have died, but HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus is hopeful that racing won’t need to stop at the Kentucky track yet.
“Given that nothing was flagged or clearly a concern from the surface standpoint, that was not an action we thought was necessary or appropriate at this time,” she said. “We have been talking extensively to jockeys and to trainers to try to determine if they believe anything is different with the track. What has been so challenging is that I have not had a single jockey or trainer tell me they believe the track is a factor in these fatalities.”
Churchill Downs racetrack | Image courtesy of Churchill Downs
Of the 12 horses that have died, seven were the result of musculoskeletal issues while racing on the main track. Another occurred on the turf course. Lazarus said that Dennis Moore, a track consultant and long-time track superintendent at Santa Anita, had been brought in to look at the surfaces as a “second set of expert eyes”.
On Tuesday, distinguised American owner and breeder Earle Mack penned an Op-Ed to TDN America, claiming the sport needed to 'step up and meet the moment or step down. This can be achieved by ending dirt racing in America and transitioning to synthetic surfaces'.
