Daily News Wrap

Raceday experience vital for Romantic Warrior

David Hayes has told Racing.com that Saturday’s raceday experience at Flemington, ahead of the G1 Turnbull S., was one of the biggest threats to a winning debut by the Hong Kong star Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) in Australia.

“He’s a world-class horse, but he’s never gone to the races in a float and stood in tie-ups all day,” Hayes said. “It will be a big change in experience for him. Australian horses travel and English horses are used to going on the float and standing at the races and going home. This has never done that. He walks to work, so that would be my caution.”

Romantic Warrior is one of the poster boys for the Cox Plate on October 28. He has won 10 of his 13 starts in Hong Kong for his trainer, Danny Shum, but the stable is treating the Turnbull as a vital preparation race ahead of the weight-for-age feature this month.

“I think the experience of the Turnbull could be crucial,” Hayes commented. “If I was a punter, I’d wait until the Cox Plate.”

Danny Shum claims his stable star will derive great benefit from Saturday’s Turnbull S. run.

“He’s not 100 per cent, I can guarantee you,” Shum said. “He’s 85 to 90 per cent (fit), but he will be improved. After the Turnbull Stakes, he’ll be spot on for the Cox Plate.”

Skew Wiff on trial for Golden Eagle

Group 1-winning Kiwi mare Skew Wiff (NZ) (Savabeel) can punch her ticket to the $10 million Golden Eagle on Saturday. Trainer Mark Walker believes the 4-year-old, who will contest the G2 Rose Of Kingston S. at Flemington, will be ideally suited to the Golden Eagle (1500 metres) in Sydney next month.

“She was placed in a couple of Group 1 races as a 3-year-old but probably 1400 metres is her pet trip and if she went well enough (on Saturday) we would consider going up to Sydney for the Golden Eagle,” Walker told Racing.com.

Skew Wiff heads to Flemington on the back of an impressive victory in the G1 Tarzino Trophy at Hastings on September 9. She will carry 58.5kg and jump from gate 12 under Opie Bosson.

“She carries the Group 1 winners’ penalty, but she has earnt it, she is a Group 1 winner and we think that she is a nice mare.

“She did have all favours in the Tarzino, she had a nice draw. She has a very short sprint and Opie (Bosson) tactically rode a brilliant race to hold her up as long as he could.”

King’s Gambit remains in Coolmore mix

Peter Snowden hasn’t given up on sending talented colt King’s Gambit (I Am Invincible) to the G1 Coolmore Stud S. at Flemington on November 4.

The 3-year-old will contest Saturday’s G2 Roman Consul S., having resumed with a third placing in the Listed Poseidon S. at Flemington last month.

“All the way through that (the Coolmore Stud S.) was our target race, but when he did as many things wrong as he did the other day, we’re a bit loath to go back there,” Snowden told Racing And Sports. “If he happened to run well on Saturday we’d probably revisit it and think about it.”

Snowden is confident King’s Gambit will run well on Saturday, if he is on his best behaviour.

“It just went pear-shaped (last start) there but he’s back home now and he’ll be better for that run under his belt,” Snowden explained. “He just gets a bit hot at times but if he’s good in the yard he’ll run a really good race.”

Portelli confident he has pulled right rein

Trainer Gary Portelli reckons he has made the right call by opting to run his Group 3-winning gelding Encap (Capitalist) in Saturday’s $500,000 Tapp-Craig at Rosehill. After missing a slot in The Everest, Portelli considered starting Encap in the inaugural running of the G1 King Charles III S. on Saturday week, before opting against that idea.

“The Everest slot fell through and after looking at the King Charles III and then seeing the nominations for this week too, worth $280,000 to win, we decided to head this way,” Portelli told Racenet.

“I had him down on Tuesday morning to do three-quarter pace with an eye for the King Charles but when I saw the field I thought realistically, the King Charles is going to be a race where we are going to be 20-1 and this race we will be favourite.

“We changed the trackwork to Tuesday to a gallop instead and head towards Saturday.”

Injury ends Floating Artist’s career

Melbourne Cup aspirant Floating Artist (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) has been retired due to a minor tendon injury.

Raced by Seymour Bloodstock and partners, the 8-year-old - a winner of six races and just shy of $1 million in prizemoney, was being aimed at this year’s G1 Melbourne Cup - a race he ran fourth in in 2021.

“It’s disappointing as he was going really well. The good thing is that it’s not a major injury,” Seymour Bloodstock’s Mark Pilkington told Racing.com. “He’s a lovely horse and all the staff who have handled him over the years love him. He will see out his days at Seymour Park. He’s got a wide ownership group and we will arrange a day where they can come up here and have a barbeque and give him a pat.”

Turnbull test for El Patroness

How Group 1 heroine El Patroness (Shamus Award) performs in Saturday’s G1 Turnbull S. at Flemington will determine her spring path, according to her trainer.

“If you run well in the Turnbull, you aim up, and if you’re not competitive in the Turnbull you’ve got to aim down,” trainer Danny O'Brien told Racing.com. “It's a sink-or-swim race for where you are heading.”

Last year’s G1 Australian Oaks victress was excellent first-up, finishing third, just 1.5l behind Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni {Fr}), in the G2 Let’s Elope S. at Flemington last month.

“She was good first-up. She’s suited up in distance and she’s suited by the weight scale in the Turnbull as she doesn’t get a penalty,” O’Brien added. “The Turnbull will tell us where we’re going; it’s always the race which lets you know where you stand and we'll make up our mind after Saturday.”

The 4-year-old has drawn barrier three and will be ridden by Jye McNeil.

Dee booked for JJ Atkins hero

In-form jockey Michael Dee will ride the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained King Colorado (Kingman {GB}) in the G1 Caulfield Guineas on Saturday week. The Kiwi rider replaces Jason Collett, who partnered the colt when he won the G1 JJ Atkins in June and rode him last start in the G1 Golden Rose.

Connections of King Colorado are eyeing a tilt at the G1 Cox Plate, following his Guineas assignment.

“Micky Dee has been booked for the Guineas to give him the opportunity to get to know the horse … we’ve got one eye on the Cox Plate by throwing him on at Caulfield,” part-owner Christian Jantzen told Racenet.

“Dee is a Group 1 specialist in Melbourne so we know he’ll do the job. He knows what it takes to win these big races. We’re very keen to have him (King Colorado) line up in the Cox Plate.

“Ciaron Maher believes it would be an ideal race for him with the light weight that he’d receive. Jason (Collett) has done an outstanding job on him every time he’s been aboard, but he wouldn't be able to make the light weight in the Cox Plate.”

Magic Millions breeze-up session at Newcastle

The second of the Magic Millions breeze-up sessions ahead of the 2YOs In Training Sale occurred on Wednesday at the Newcastle Jockey Club. It followed the Victorian session at Seymour on September 28.

The remaining two sessions will occur at the Gold Coast Turf Club starting on Thursday, October 5, and will conclude on October 20 ahead of the one-day sale on Tuesday, October 24.

The quickest gallop posted at Newcastle on Wednesday was the 10.76s clocked by Lot 138, a Baramul-consigned filly by Star Turn. The quickest overall time to date is the 10.15s posted at Seymour by Lot 116, an American Pharoah (USA) colt consigned by Nolen Racing.

La Crique running from the weather

The smart Kiwi mare La Crique (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}), whose four Group wins to date include last year’s G1 Arrowfield Stud Plate at Matamata, could be in for a seasonal New Zealand swansong this Saturday in the Listed Matamata Cup. According to her trainers, Katrina and Simon Alexander, the adverse weather has, for the second year in a row, affected her preparation.

“We may not have a spring preparation here at all,” Katrina Alexander told loveracing.nz. “It is becoming quite difficult to get a good track horse ready for that Hawke’s Bay Carnival. After a meeting with the owners, we have picked out a path. At this stage, she is going to go to Sydney. The end target is the Five Diamonds over 1800 metres, which we think will suit her nicely. Heading into that is the Craven Plate.”

La Crique was unplaced on September 9 in the G1 Tarzino Trophy, won by Skew Wiff (NZ) (Savabeel).

New winner for Encryption

Eureka Stud resident Encryption logged his fourth winner of the season, with the Lee Freedman-trained Encoder breaking the ice at the fifth time of asking. The 3-year-old scored in a 1680-metre maiden at Ipswich.

Encryption, who is the sire of the Group 2 winner Cifrado, stands at Eureka Stud at a fee of $13,200 (inc GST).

Democracy Manifest Inglis Digital Horse of the Month

The 5-year-old gelding Democracy Manifest, a son of Flying Artie, is Inglis Digital’s September Horse of the Month after selling on the platform in its 2020 February (Late) Online Sale as a yearling, bought for just $11,000 by Botty’s Bloodstock. He was later resold for $70,000 at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale.

Democracy Manifest is trained by Chris Waller at Rosehill and last month he was a winner of the G3 Cameron H. ahead of a fifth-place finish in the G1 Epsom H. The gelding has won just shy of $620,000 in prizemoney. Last month alone he collected $177,000.

The 2023/24 Inglis Digital Horse of the Year will be announced at the end of the current racing season, with the purchaser of the winner winning a $25,000 Inglis Digital credit.

Vale Nigel Tolhurst

Wellington Race Club on Wednesday advised of the death of its track maintenance assistance Nigel Tolhurst, who died after a short battle with cancer. Tolhurst, 60, had been a clerk of the scales at Wellington and other central-west tracks for the last 33 years.

“He will be sorely missed by race club official, jockeys, trainers and Racing NSW,” it was declared in a statement on Wednesday. A funeral service for Tolhurst will occur at Wellington Racecourse on Monday, October 9, at 11.30am (AEDT).

Funeral for regional trainer Greg Hook

Rylstone trainer Greg Hook died on September 19, and Racing NSW has confirmed that the funeral will occur on Thursday, October 5, at 11am in the Kandos community, at St Laurence Anglican Church. At the conclusion of the service, the cortege will proceed to Rylstone Cemetery.

Hook, 63, died after a trackwork incident at his property last month. His last winner was the Denmarket gelding Blue Collar Boy, a winner of six races.

Big Evs for Breeders’ Cup

Multiple Group-winning English sprinter Big Evs (Ire), a son of Blue Point (Ire), has been confirmed for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita on November 3, according to his trainer Mick Appleby. The winner of three of his five starts to date, including the G2 Flying Childers S. and G3 Molecomb S., Big Evs is in good form for his trip across the Atlantic.

“He flies out on October 26,” Appleby said. “He’s got to have 48 hours in quarantine then he’ll be able to go out on track two or three times before the race. We’re going to take him for a racecourse gallop so we can run him around a bend. Obviously he’s never raced around a bend but I don’t think it’ll be an issue. He’s got to do a bit of stalls work with a bell, but I think we’re going to do that when he’s out there so he can get used to the stalls there.”

Keeneland catalogues released

Keeneland has catalogued 3569 horses for its 80th November Breeding Stock Sale, which will begin on Wednesday, November 8, and run through nine sessions until November 16. The November Horses of Racing Age will occur the following day.

The auction will open with a single-day Book 1, showcasing broodmares, broodmare prospects and weanlings. Among them is the dam of Kentucky Derby winner Mage (USA) (Good Magic {USA}), carrying a full sibling to the track star. Breeders’ Cup winner Caravel (USA) (Mizzen Mast {USA}) is also in the catalogue, as is Group 1 winner Dalika (Ger) (Pastorius {Ger}), in foal to freshman sire Flightline (USA).

The November Breeding Stock Sale will also feature 11 horses from the estate of Michael Baum, a dispersal being handled by Mt Brilliant Farm. Print catalogues will be distributed in around a week’s time.

“The quality of our November Sale catalogue always draws international attention as owners and breeders look to the future be enhancing their broodmare bands and investing in foals,” said Tony Lacy, vice president of sales at Keeneland. “Keeneland is bullish about the future of thoroughbred racing, thanks to another successful September Yearling Sale and the excitement surrounding the upcoming Fall Meet.”

Laurelita confirmed for Goffs November

The broodmare Laurelita (Ire), a daughter of High Chaparral (Ire) and the dam of the American Grade 1 winner Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}), has been confirmed for the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale. The sale will take place from November 24 over two days.

Laurelita will be offered by Manister House Stud in foal to Starspangledbanner, with the operation’s Luke Barry saying on Tuesday that the mare should be hot property.

“Having retained her daughter, we are looking forward to offering Laurelita, a young, Group 1-producing mare, with a very desirable early covering, to a worldwide audience in Goffs this November.”

The same catalogue will also feature over 40 mares from the Niarchos family operation, including Classic winner Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in foal to Frankel (GB).