Eight rivals for Mr Brightside in Orr
Saturday’s G1 CF Orr S. at Caulfield has attracted a field of nine runners, headlined by the four-time elite-level winner Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars). He will jump from barrier four under Craig Williams.
Mr Brightside ran fifth, beaten just 0.8l, in last year’s Orr S. when it was held at Sandown-Hillside.
Mr Brightside (NZ) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The Lindsay Park-trained star’s opposition are Pericles (Street Boss {USA}), Munhamek (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Bustler (Playing God), Buffalo River (USA) (Noble Mission {GB}), Ayrton (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}), Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel), Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) and Veight (Grunt {NZ}).
Talented colt Veight will look to become the second 3-year-old to win the race in consecutive years, after Jacquinot was awarded the race 12 months ago on protest. He will break from gate two.
McDonald back for Apollo meeting
Champion Jockey James McDonald has declared he’ll return to race-riding for the Apollo S. meeting on February 17 at Randwick.
McDonald received specialist medical advice which advised him to forfeit his rides this week due to a left foot injury he sustained prior to the running of last Saturday’s G3 Widden S.
“I don’t think going to Hong Kong was a problem, I wasn’t in that much pain when I rode there last Sunday,” McDonald told Punters.
“But since I’ve been back home the bruising and swelling in my foot has become much worse. I need to get the swelling down and it wouldn’t do me any good if I kept riding this week.
“It’s disappointing, it’s another hiccup I didn’t need, but with a few days rest I will be right to ride again. I will definitely be back in the saddle next Saturday for the Apollo S. meeting.”
Alabama Express filly bolts in at Matamata
The Ken and Bev Kelso-trained Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) became the fifth winner and first in New Zealand for Yulong Stud’s freshman sire Alabama Express when she scored by 9.5l at Matamata.
Alabama Lass, who was making her debut, was handled by Sam Spratt.
The 2-year-old filly was bred by Rifa Mustang, before being offered by Shadow Hill Thoroughbreds at last year’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. She was bought by Dean Hawthorne of Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock (BAFNZ) / Ken Kelso for $120,000.
Ken Kelso was rapt with the performance and is eyeing the G2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes later this month.
“She was very impressive. She jumped well and then Sam said she relaxed when she got to the front and did it easily,” he said.
“Hopefully, all going well and she pulls up okay, we will come back here for the Breeders’ in two-and-a-half weeks’ time.”
Alabama Lass is from the winning Commands mare Tabliope and she herself is a half-sister to Northern Glory (Northern Meteor) - a winner of three races and a placegetter in Group 3 company.
The filly is a half-sister to the five-time winner and Group 3 placegetter Bad ‘N’ Bouj (Deep Field), as well as Palladas (I Am Invincible), who won four races in Queensland with Tony Gollan.
Ducasse a maiden no longer
Talented 3-year-old Ducasse (Trapeze Artist) broke through at the seventh time of asking, with the colt shedding his maiden status in a 1200-metre Warwick Farm Super Maiden.
Trained by Michael Freedman, Ducasse placed third in Group 2 level during the spring
Ducasse is from the Listed victress Custard (Lonhro), making him a half-brother to the Group 3 scorer Serene Majesty (Fastnet Rock) and the Listed winner Curdled (All Too Hard).
Michael Freedman Racing / Julian Blaxland Bloodstock (FBAA) paid Segenhoe Thoroughbreds $280,000 for the colt at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. He is raced by Segenhoe Thoroughbreds Australia, along with others including Rifa Mustang, G1G Colts & Breeding and Sledmere Stud.
Widden Stud’s Trapeze Artist has 29 individual winners this season and they have combined for 33 wins, making him the leading second-season sire.
Juvenile quinella for Snowdens
The Team Snowden-trained Waterville (Menari) touched off stablemate Evenflow (Super Seth) in Race 1 at Warwick Farm, providing Peter and Paul Snowden a one-two in the 2-year-old race.
Bred by Codds Flat Bloodstock, Waterville is out of the winning Dissident mare Turncoat, and the filly’s third dam, Ateates (Zeditave), won six races, including four Group 2s.
Trainers declare filly ‘vulnerable’
Ben, Will and JD Hayes are under no illusions that their smart filly Bold Bastille (Brazen Beau) is vulnerable when she returns in Saturday’s G2 Blue Diamond Prelude (Fillies) at Caulfield. The daughter of Brazen Beau was an impressive debut winner of the R. Listed Inglis Banner on Cox Plate Day in October last year but has been on the sidelines since.
Bold Bastille | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“We are very happy with her, she’s come in off one trial and she went really nicely; it was exactly what we wanted to see,” JD Hayes told Racing.com.
“She’s going to be a little bit vulnerable on Saturday, having just one trial, but it’ll stand her in good stead to be 100 per cent ready for the Blue Diamond.”
Mertens set for hospital release
Group 1-winning jockey, Beau Mertens, is set to be released from Traralgon Hospital in the next 24 hours, following further CT scans on Wednesday afternoon.
Mertens was involved in a fall on Tuesday at Stony Creek, that saw the David Brideoake and Matt Jenkins-trained Nobiallo (Dundeel {NZ}) humanely euthanised.
Mertens reportedly sustained a cracked rib and internal bruising from the accident.
“He’s feeling much better today (Wednesday) than he was last night and he sounded like the Beau of usual,” Victorian Jockeys’ Association boss Matt Hyland told Racing.com.
“He is a bit sore with a cracked rib, but all in all feeling better and keen to get home.”
Mertens also sustained a concussion and as a result will be stood down from race riding for the mandatory 12-day period. Dr Ben Barresi will assess Mertens before being cleared to return to riding.
Kah hopes for a better year
Jamie Kah spent significant time on the sidelines recovering from a brain injury sustained in March last year, but revealed she is finally feeling like things have returned to normal as she prepares for 2024.
“I’m hoping for a better year. I’m hoping for better things,” Kah told Racing.com’s program After The Last.
“The recovery did take a lot longer than I thought. I was fine to ride, but I wasn’t myself. I’m back to 100 per cent now. It was a big time of my life. It really knocked me about and took a lot longer to get ready. I got very, very tired towards the end of the year. Doctors told me that was a condition of what happened. I was exhausted every day. But now I feel back to normal.
“You literally wake up one day and feel ‘I’m okay’. There’s nothing you can do about it. Brain injuries aren’t fun.”
Dwyer: Asfoora never looked better
Henry Dwyer concedes if Asfoora (Flying Artie) has any chance of winning the G1 Oakleigh Plate, she should be winning the G2 Rubition S. on Saturday, when she steps out for the first time this preparation that could lead to an international preparation.
“I expect her to win, subject to barriers or track conditions but she’s heading to Caulfield in great form,” Dwyer told RSN927.
Asfoora | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I’ve never seen her look better. Nothing is ever concrete, but she’ll go to the Oakleigh Plate second-up, but she would want to be winning on Saturday if we have any chance of securing the Oakleigh Plate.”
Attrition targets Futurity
Mitch Freedman’s G1 Toorak H. winner Attrition (Churchill {Ire}) will bypass Saturday’s G1 CF Orr S. in favour of the G1 Futurity S. on February 24.
“Attrition is very good. We are not going to run in the CF Orr, it was never our plan,” Freedman revealed to RSN927.
“We have decided to wait until the Futurity, and he’ll head to Ararat on Monday for a jump-out. The timing between the end of the spring and the autumn is tight, and Attrition had a little setback at the end of his spring campaign, so we wanted to tread lightly and I’m not into pushing horses early in a preparation.
“I’m very happy with him. I think he’s still improving as a horse, but I think we will probably see the best of him in the spring.”
Melham the man for Otago
Group 1-winnning jockey Ben Melham will replace the injured Beau Mertens aboard promising 3-year-old Otago (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) in Saturday week’s G3 CS Hayes S. at Flemington, according to Racing.com.
Trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, Otago boasts two wins from as many starts.
Connections Roll The Dice Racing said no decision had been made on who would ride the gelding if he takes his place in the G1 Australian Guineas on March 2.
Private purchase heading to Australia
Bloodstock agent Matt Houldsworth of Howson and Houldsworth Bloodstock shared on social media that he has privately purchased the Joseph O’Brien-trained Gran Caballo (USA) (American Pharoah {USA}) for OTI Racing and Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
The 3-year-old gelding was an impressive maiden winner at his third start at Dundalk in Ireland. The son of American Pharoah (USA) is from the Galileo (Ire) mare Shell House (Ire), who was placed in the G3 Give Thanks S.
Gran Caballo is a full brother to the Listed winner, Hudson Ridge (USA).
Relief Rally to race on for Haggas and Yulong
Relief Rally (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), last year’s winner of the G2 Lowther S., has returned to William Haggas’ stable after being sold at Tattersalls in December for 800,000gns (AU$1,600,500). She was knocked down in the name of Mrs A Sullivan at the time.
The filly is now registered on the British Horseracing Authority's website as being owned by Mr Yuesheng Zhang of Yulong Investments.
Relief Rally (Ire) | Image courtesy of Racingfotos.com
Relief Rally is rated 107 after a season in which she was defeated only once in her five starts, and then only by a nose when second in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot. Racing last year for the partnership of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, she won her first two races in April and May, and following Royal Ascot she headed to Newbury for victory in the Weatherbys Super Sprint. Relief Rally's final win of the year in the Lowther at York's Ebor meeting was the third success in that race for Haggas, who also won the G2 Gimcrack S. a day later with Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's Lake Forest (GB) (No Nay Never {USA}).
Coolmore secure Zetta Z
Zetta Z (USA) (Bernardini {USA}), who was added to the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale catalogue just Sunday, a day after her son Nysos (USA) (Nyquist {USA}) produced a dominating victory in the G3 Robert B. Lewis S., sold for US$2 million (AU$3 million) to the bid of Coolmore's Adrian Wallace Tuesday in Lexington. The 14-year-old mare, consigned by Grovendale Sales, sold in foal to Cyberknife (USA).
She Can’t Sing to Hill ‘n’ Dale for US$1.1 Million
Graded stakes winner She Can't Sing (USA) (Bernardini {USA}) became the second seven-figure mare of the Lothenbach dispersal at Fasig-Tipton Tuesday when selling for US$1.1 million (AU$1.7 million) to the Sikura family's Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. John Sikura did the bidding on the 7-year-old mare before handing off the ticket to his 22-year-old son, Jes, to sign.
She Can’t Sing won eight races, including the G3 Chilukki S. at Churchill Downs and three Listed races. The daughter of Bernardini (USA) is from the family of the outstanding Music Note (USA) (A.P. Indy {USA}), who won five Group 1 races and is the dam of the G1 Dubai World Cup victor Mystic Guide (USA).
Bell’s The One brings US$1.3 Million at Fasig-Tipton
Group 1-winning Bell's The One (USA) (Majesticperfection {USA}) brought a final bid of US$1.3 million (AU$2 million) from bloodstock agent Catherine Hudson, bidding on behalf of an undisclosed client, Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton. Part of the dispersal of the bloodstock of the late Robert Lothenbach, the 8-year-old mare was consigned by Vinery Sales. She will remain in the US, according to Hudson, who added mating plans are still to be decided. Bell’s The One won 13 races, including the G1 Derby City Distaff and the G2 Raven Run S. She is a half-sister to the G3 Knickerbocker S. winner King Cause (USA) (Creative Cause {USA}).
Bell's The One (USA) | Image courtesy of Fasig Tipton
Champion 2-Year-Old Fierceness leads 346 Triple Crown nominations
Last year's Eclipse champion 2-year-old Fierceness (USA) (City Of Light {USA}) leads a list of 346 nominations to the 2024 Triple Crown according to a Tuesday release by the Kentucky Racing Communications Office. Last weekend's G3 Holy Bull S. third is one of 20 nominees owned by Repole Stables and one of 54 trained by Todd Pletcher to lead their respective categories. A further 18 horses were nominated by Bob Baffert and Brad Cox respectively. While the total number of nominees is down from last year, there are a record 47 potential runners from Japan. Other notable nominees include: Nysos (USA) (Nyquist {USA}), Track Phantom (USA) (Quality Road {USA}), Hades (USA) (Awesome Slew {USA}), Mystik Dan (USA) (Goldencents {USA}) and Catching Freedom (USA) (Constitution {USA}). Four fillies, Candied (USA) (Candy Ride {Arg}), Gun Song (USA) (Gun Runner {USA}), Life Talk (USA) (Gun Runner {USA}) and Kopion (USA) (Omaha Beach {USA}), were also nominated.
