Gai to receive Legend Status
Champion trainer Gai Waterhouse will officially become a legend of Australian racing.
The multiple Group 1-winning conditioner will be elevated to Legend Status at the Australian Racing Hall of Fame ceremony at the end of November, meaning she will join her father, the late Tommy Smith, as a Legend of the Australian racing industry.
Meanwhile, Clarry Conners will be rewarded for an incredible 50 years in the industry with his induction into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. Conners boasts an incredible list of honours, including four Golden Slipper wins, three VRC Oaks victories, and back-to-back Triple Crown triumphs.
Gai Waterhouse | Image courtesy of Inglis
Leviathan owner-breeder Bob Peters will be inducted for his lifetime service to racing in both breeding and racing administration, while star horses Baguette, Emancipation (Bletchingly) and Miss Andretti (Ihtiram {Ire}) will also be included.
“Induction into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame acknowledges equine and human heroes of the turf who have achieved greatness throughout their careers,” Racing Australia Chief Executive Paul Eriksson said.
“We are thrilled to honour the greats both past and present on what will be a very momentous occasion. We look forward to sharing racing’s night of nights with you in Perth”.
Jewel set for east coast debut after Flemington gallop
Star mare Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni {Fr}) had her first look at the Flemington course proper on Tuesday, ahead of her first-up run in Saturday’s G2 Let’s Elope S.
Trainer Simon Miller said the 4-year-old appeared to float through her work, but the clock told a vastly different story.
“It looked like she was in reverse up the straight and she floated around the corner,” Miller said.
“She had a look at the stand, quickened up but then in the last 200 (metres) she went in reverse mode because she dropped off her partner.
“Initially I thought she had not done enough, but then you look at the sectionals, she could not have worked any better.
“It was very deceiving. She works quick and makes it look slow and then recovers twice as quick.
“She came in with a low heart rate, so she’s ready enough for her first assignment at 1400 metres.”
Gator on song for Makybe tilt
Hall of Fame trainer Gai Waterhouse couldn’t be happier with Alligator Blood (All Too Hard) ahead of Saturday’s G1 Makybe Diva S. at Flemington.
The 6-year-old will be second-up, having run fourth, beaten just 0.8l, in the G1 Memsie S. at Caulfield on September 2.
“Alligator Blood's just thriving,” Waterhouse told Racing.com.
“Not everything gets better with age, cheeses do and wines. He is a bit like a wonderful cheddar, he really is, he's great.”
Waller: Group 1 win the perfect tonic for Fangirl
Champion trainer Chris Waller hopes his talented mare Fangirl (Sebring) has taken confidence from her overdue win in top company in last month’s G1 Winx S.
The 5-year-old will return to the track in the inaugural $1 million 7 S. at Randwick on Saturday.
Fangirl | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“She’s run so many good seconds to Anamoe and other horses and to get a Group 1 herself again I think it’s important,’’ Waller told Racing NSW.
“It looks a perfect race for her.”
Waller admitted he has “chosen that race over the (G1) Makybe Diva (S.)” for Fangirl.
Mouthwatering Bobbie Lewis clash on the cards
Jason Warren is leaning towards keeping his star mare Benedetta (Hellbent) in Melbourne this spring. That decision means Benedetta will again clash down the Flemington straight with the unbeaten What You Need (Supido), who ended her winning streak earlier this year. The two will run in Saturday’s G2 Bobbie Lewis Quality at Flemington.
“I am looking forward to meeting him again,” Warren told Racing.com.
“Last time all the odds were in his favour, we drew the wrong part of the track at the end of our prep and she was on the way to the paddock.
“We are ready now and I’d say the odds will be in our favour come Saturday.”
Heathcote happy with Startantes
Queensland trainer Robert Heathcote believes his Group 1-winning mare Startantes (Star Turn) has overcome a mystery leg infection which temporarily stopped her in her tracks.
“After the Archer, we got her back home, and her leg started to niggle and got a little bit of heat in it,” Heathcote told Racenet.
“We didn't know what it was and neither did the vets.
“When we did scans, we found a blade of grass, a piece of track debris, had pushed into her leg.
Startantes | Image courtesy of Michael McInally
“It had pushed under her skin and the skin had healed up but the foreign debris stayed there and that’s how she got an infection.
“She then had a minor procedure to scrape the infection out.”
The 2022 G1 Tatt’s Tiara heroine is entered for Saturday’s G2 Bobbie Lewis Quality at Flemington.
“I know she has come back well, she is in great order and she won her jump-out last Friday at Flemington,” Heathcote said.
“I’m confident she is going to perform well wherever we go.”
Gollan taking it race-by-race with Millions victress
Queensland’s Champion Trainer Tony Gollan isn’t looking too far ahead with his R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Skirt The Law (Better Than Ready).
“Whether she runs in the top grade or the one just underneath, we don’t need to worry about too much at this point in time,” he told Racenet.
The 3-year-old filly, who was touched off by the impressive Charm Stone (I Am Invincible) in the G3 Quezette S. at Caulfield last month, is entered to run in Saturday’s Listed Cap D’Antibes S. at Flemington and Gollan believes her form card reads well.
“Charm Stone’s win last Saturday (at The Valley) looks good and it’s good for me when you see the form franked like that,” Gollan said.
“It doesn’t change how fast my horse is going to be on Saturday. But the form looks to be panning out nicely if you take a line through Charm Stone.”
Group 2-winning Zoustar mare proving popular
North Star Lass (Zoustar) - last year’s G2 Furious S. heroine - is set to become the latest high-priced mare to be sold via the Inglis Digital platform. As of 6pm AEST Tuesday, the 4-year-old was up to $280,000 in the 2023 September (Early) Online Sale.
North Star Lass | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The Group 1-placed mare has two wins and two placings to her credit, with prizemony totalling north of $335,000.
North Star Lass is being offered unreserved by her trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
European Melbourne Cup-winning trainer set for return?
French trainer Mikel Delzangles could be set for a return to the G1 Melbourne Cup after paying a late nomination fee for his talented Group 2-winning stayer Rue Boissonade (Fr) (Seabhac {USA}). The 3-year-old was one of two late entries for the Melbourne Cup, with Jean-Marie Beguigne’s Lastotchka (Fr) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) the other.
Delzangles lifted the Melbourne Cup in 2011 when his star stayer Dunaden (Fr) was first home.
New winner for Brave Smash
New Yarraman Park Stud resident Brave Smash (Jpn) added another winner to his second-season tally on Tuesday, with the Paul Perry-trained Navare’s Impact breaking his maiden tag at the seventh time of asking in Race 4 at Muswellbrook.
Brave Smash stands at a fee of $33,000 (inc GST).
Super Seth filly impresses at Ruakaka trials
The Ken Rae and Krystal Williams-trained Super Rosa (NZ) (Super Seth) was a comfortable winner of her 750-metre trial at Ruakaka on Tuesday. The filly jumped well, but was trapped wide throughout, before dashing clear over the close stages.
From Super Seth’s first crop, Super Rosa is from the winning Sea The Stars (Ire) mare Rosa Vernans (Ire) and she herself is a three-quarter sister to last year’s G1 Melbourne Cup favourite Deauville Legend (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).
Meanwhile, the second and final 2-year-old heat was taken out by Redemption (NZ) (Charm Spirit {Ire}). The gelding is a stablemate of Super Rosa.
Redemption won by 4l under Fawcett, clocking a very similar time to Super Rosa.
Stakes goals for U S Navy Flag 3-year-old
Trainers Peter and Dawn Williams hope their talented 3-year-old Geldof (NZ) (U S Navy Flag {USA}) is in for a big spring following his pleasing trial win at Ruakaka on Tuesday.
The gelding jumped well and was taken straight to the lead by jockey Jasmine Fawcett and the pair didn’t relinquish their advantage, running out 0.5l winners over the Group 2 scorer winner Aquacade (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}).
“We haven’t pushed him, we gave him a trial at Waipa and he had another day out today (Tuesday), and I was very happy with him,” Peter Williams told loveracing.nz.
“I reckon he has come back really good. His first trial he was up against the open handicappers, Warren (Kennedy, jockey) didn’t knock him around and just went around on him,” Williams said.
“We pushed the button a little bit today (Tuesday) to see where he is at. He has pulled up well, so he will be ready for a race in two or three weeks.”
Geldof will head towards the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas at Riccarton on November 11.
“He is going there if we can get him there,” Williams said. “He will probably only have two or three runs before the Guineas if he does go. He has got plenty of time up his sleeve.”
