Call to be made on Jimmy
Ciaron Maher and connections are set to make a call if Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) pushes on towards The All-Star Mile.
“He felt the run last start and we’ve decided to take it easy with him,” co-owner Ozzie Kheir told Racing.com.
Ozzie Kheir | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“So, he’s had a nice quiet week with some swimming and the like and look, he’s absolutely fine. But we’ll make the call over the next 48 hours as to where he’s going. There’s the option of getting him up to Sydney for a run that could take him into a G1 Doncaster H.”
Lightning still on track
Despite finishing third in Saturday’s G1 Okati-Maori S. the Peter and Dawn Williams-trained Desert Lightning (NZ) (Pride Of Dubai) is still on track for The All-Star Mile on March 16.
“The track was not ideal (rain affected) the other day (Saturday) and he still ran a good race,” co-trainer Peter Williams told Racing.com.
“The track was too soft and that made it awkward as he hates it like that. He’s a Good-track horse. He’s still on track for The All-Star Mile but he won’t fly over to Melbourne until March 10 as I don’t want to get there too early.”
A dozen nominations for G1 Verry Elleegant
Glamour mare Fangirl (Sebring) heads the nomination list for Saturday’s Verry Elleegant S. at Royal Randwick.
The race was formerly known as the Chipping Norton S., but it was re-named in honour of Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}), who won the race on two occasions.
The ATC has planned a special day to commemorate the feats of Verry Elleegant, who tragically passed away while foaling in Europe last week.
Fangirl was one of 12 nominations received yesterday, with eight individual Group 1 winners among them.
Despite the quality of the opposition, Fangirl is a long odds-on favourite in all-in markets off the strength of her scintillating G2 Apollo S. win earlier this month.
Monster entries for G1 Surround
The G1 Surround S. will seemingly have a capacity field, with 56 fillies nominated for the 1400-metre contest this year.
They include the VRC Oaks winner Zardozi (Kingman {GB}), the Flight S. winner Tropical Squall (Prized Icon), first-up winner Kimochi (Brave Smash {Jpn}) and Learning To Fly (Justify {USA}), who returned in good style off an 11-month break this month.
The Annabel Neasham-trained Learning To Fly is the early favourite for the race off the back of that eye-catching return.
Learning To Fly | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The Randwick program also includes the key Golden Slipper lead-ups of the Sweet Embrace and Skyline S. – both at Group 2 level, the G2 Guy Walter S. and G3 Liverpool City Cup.
The latter race attracted 19 entries, including the G1 Queensland Derby winner Kovalica (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}).
Golden Slipper favourite Storm Boy (Justify {USA}) heads the 13 entries for the Skyline, while the Sweet Embrace has six last start or debut winners among its 17 nominations.
Multiple Group 1 winning mare Duais (Shamus Award) is nominated for both the Verry Elleegant and Guy Walter S. which had nominations extended until Tuesday after receiving just the nine entries on Monday.
Riff Rocket heads Australian Guineas market
Explosive first-up winner Riff Rocket (American Pharoah {USA}) heads the market Saturday’s G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington, which attracted 21 entries.
The Chris Waller-trained Riff Rocket is attempting to join King’s High (Full On Aces), Mahogany (Last Tycoon {Ire}) and Hitotsu as the only horses to complete the Victoria Derby-Australian Guineas double.
He will be the 15th horse to attempt the feat. Prized Icon and Tarzino (NZ) both ran second in the Guineas, with the other nine to attempt the feat all being unplaced.
Group 1 winners Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) and King Colorado (Kingman {GB}) are also among the nominations.
The Flemington program also includes the G2 Blamey S. and the $1 million Inglis Sprint for 3-year-olds.
G1 Champions S. winner Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel {NZ}) is a dual nomination for the Blamey and Verry Elleegant S. in Sydney.
Lass to push on
The Symon Wilde-trained Wishlor Lass (Mshawish {USA}) will push on this autumn after she finished sixth in the G3 Frances Tressady S. last Saturday. It was noted in the Racing Victoria stewards’ report from Flemington Wishlor Lass had a post-race veterinary examination which showed the mare to be lame in the right hind-leg and that she had also sustained a minor laceration to her right heel.
Wishlor Lass | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“The vets went over her and she’s got a couple of little niggles but nothing major. We will be pressing on with the campaign,” Wilde told Racing.com.
“We are trying to peak third-up as her main goal is the G2 Sunline S. We are staying on course.”
Just F Y I, Dornoch to launch season on Fountain of Youth Saturday
Undefeated Champion Juvenile filly Just F Y I (USA) (Justify {USA}) and the stakes winner Dornoch (USA) (Good Magic {USA}) are both slated to make their seasonal debuts in Florida March 2 the former in the G2 Davona Dale S. and the latter in the G2 Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park.
Conditioner Bill Mott hopes to use South Florida as his springboard to the G1 Kentucky Oaks May 3, saying, “I've gone back and forth just deciding should I have two races or one for Just F YI. If I put two races in here, they're going to have to be a month apart. The clock starts ticking and before you know it, these races are right on top of you.”
Trainer Danny Gargan also sees the upcoming Florida race as a starting point for bigger things in May, “I just don't want Dornoch to go too forward. Hopefully he doesn't have to run a crazy, big, fast number or anything like that too soon. We just want to keep him maintained in what he's doing and hopefully he can be sound and be there on the first Saturday in May. Don't get me wrong, we'd like to win the Fountain of Youth but it's really not the goal.”
Timberlake pulls up well
WinStar Farm's Timberlake (USA) (Into Mischief {USA}) exited his win in Saturday's G2 Rebel S. in fine shape, according to Jorgito Abrego, Oaklawn Park assistant to trainer Brad Cox.
“He looks good,” Abrego said. “Looks very happy.”
Timberlake, winner of last year's G1 Champagne S. and fourth in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, collected 50 qualifying points for the victory and has 66 overall to rank number one on the Kentucky Derby leader board released Saturday by Churchill Downs. The Rebel was his first victory around two turns.
“I'm very happy,” said Abrego, who saddled Timberlake with Cox in Saudi Arabia for Saturday's G1 Saudi Cup. “First time running as a 3-year-old. It's a good start for getting him to the Kentucky Derby.”
Timberlake is expected to ship back to Cox's Fair Grounds base Monday and his next start is still to be determined.
Slider chasing Gotham
Hall Racing, Pearl Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds' Slider (USA) (Jimmy Creed {USA}) will ship east in search of additional qualifying Kentucky Derby points in Saturday's G3 Gotham S. at Aqueduct. Winner of the Speakeasy S. over the turf at Santa Anita last October, Slider was ninth in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. He returned to the main track to be third in the January 6 G2 San Vicente S. last time out.
Slider (USA) | Image courtesy of Benoit
“He worked very well,” trainer John Sadler said on Sunday. “He ended up catching a couple horses that broke off in front of him, but for me, it was more about how he galloped out since this will be the furthest he's ever run. If he looks good tomorrow, he gets on a plane early Tuesday to be there Tuesday afternoon to run Saturday.”
Nashwa Dubai bound
Top-class older filly Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is being readied to make her seasonal return in the Dubai Turf at Meydan next month.
Winner of the French Oaks and the Nassau S. as a 3-year-old in 2022, the John and Thady Gosden-trained mare notched a third Group 1 win in last season's Falmouth S. at Newmarket, as well as being placed in the Nassau, the Juddmonte International and the Irish Champion S.
She was well-beaten on her final start of the year in the Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot, but owner Imad Al Sagar has sportingly brought her back for another campaign.
“The plan at the moment is to head for the Dubai Turf,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Al Sagar. “There doesn't seem to be an ideal race for her beforehand, so she'll probably have a racecourse gallop, just to make sure she's in good shape.”
He added, “She's won Group 1s at a mile and a-mile-and-a-quarter, so in between (nine furlongs) should be ideal. She's wintered well and is really just beginning her preparation. She's a lovely, scopey filly and very important to Imad and his Blue Diamond Stud–and it's exciting to have her back in full work.
“She ran some really top-class races last year, she had quite a hard end to the season but she seems to have got over it well and we're looking forward to this season.”
