Shinn wins four at Caulfield
Jockey Blake Shinn won four of the eight race card at Caulfield Heath on Wednesday. He won on 3-year-old filly Street Lark (Castelvecchio), 2-year-old filly Frostnip (Frosted {USA}), 4-year-old mare Just Glamorous (Justify {USA}) and then in the last made it four on 4-year-old gelding Grand Larceny (Zoustar), a half-brother to Yes Yes Yes, made it three wins in succession.
“The way the track played today, we had barrier one which was a big advantage for the horse. He executed really well, and I was lucky to get the ride. He’s a very classy horse, so thanks to the Hawkes team. he had a great day out today and he’s bred in the purple,” Shinn said about Grand Larceny.
When congratulated about the four wins, he simply said, “thanks.”
Quokka placed Generosity ready for Goodwood
Generosity (Divine Prophet)’s run for third in The Quokka convinced trainer Simon Miller to travel her to Adelaide for this Saturday’s G1 Goodwood Handicap. “She’s a beauty. Not many horses enjoy high pressure and can then absorb it and quicken. That’s her greatest asset, but unfortunately most of the races she’s been over here (Perth) have been sort of sit and sprints,” Miller told racingwa.com.au.
“You saw the best version of her in the Quokka and if they run along at a nice clip on Saturday, she’ll be there as well."
Outsider primed for Goodwood
Trainer David Jolly knows his horse Volcanic Express (Hualalai) has to defy the odds to win the G1 Goodwood Handicap, but he’s coming off an impressive win two starts ago in the Listed Oakbank Stakes and was second in Group 3 company last start. “We were pretty happy with (the second). We drew a wide gate, so we went back. I didn't want him having two tough runs in a week, we took the blinkers off, rode him quiet and chose to ride through them a bit. That worked quite well, he was able to have a softish run after the seven-day backup, hit the line well. Obviously the winner is a good horse,” Jolly told racenet.com.au.
Volcanic Express | Image courtesy of Racing SA
“Going off that run, you are happy to take your place (in The Goodwood) knowing that you're not running where you shouldn't. He's flown through that run, he had a gallop Monday at Strath, he's rock-hard fit now, we've done all we can, it's in the lap of the gods now.”
Watchme Win ready for Goodwood
Trainer Andrew Gluyas has Watchme Win (Harry Angel {Ire}) ready for Saturday’s G1 Goodwood Handicap. “He's come through his John Hawkes win quite well and it's a good opportunity for an emerging sprinter, I guess, he's lightly raced, just to see where he's at,” Gluyas told racing.com.
Andrew Gluyas | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He missed a bit of time. That maybe has seasoned him. Once we got him going, it took a little bit of time to work him out, really, his record's quite good. This preparation's been excellent, a Stakes win and we're looking forward beyond even Saturday, but excited for a Group 1 opportunity.”
Archibald chasing historic fifth Hollindale
Trainer Annabel Archibald has won the last four G2 Hollindale Stakes, with Numerian (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) last year, then the three previous with Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}). With co-trainer Rob Archibald, she has four runners, Bois D'argent (GB) (Toronado {Ire}), Fawkner Park (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), Naval College (GB) (Dartmouth {GB}) and Port Lockroy (Better Than Ready). “Fawkner Park got too far back in the Queen Elizabeth and never got into the race,” Brisbane stable foreman Todd Pollard told racingqueensland.com.au.
Numerian (Ire) winning the G2 Hollindale Stakes | Image courtesy of Trackside Photograpy
“He’s been flying all preparation and is an exciting horse. He’s coming up here for this race, the Doomben Cup and the Q22 and should be very competitive in all three. We thought he was very unlucky in last year’s Doomben Cup when he finished third and the team is keen to win a Group 1 with him.”
Kheir to end Archibald’s reign
Ozzie Kheir hopes his horse Buckaroo (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) can win the G2 Hollindale Stakes and end the four-year streak by trainer Annabel Archibald. “I think it's someone else's turn to win the Hollindale, for sure. We've got to stop that or else they'll call it the Archibald Cup soon. If you win it four times in a row, surely there has to be a discussion to name the race after you,” Kheir told racenet.com.au.
Ozzie Kheir | Image courtesy to Racing Photos
“I thought his runs in both races were creditable, even though the form doesn't look good on paper. He sort of blew out a little bit in the Queen Elizabeth. He loomed up very well and probably punctured the last 200 metres. All the reports are that he's going well at home and I think he'll run a good race (on Saturday). Although he's won on good ground, tracks with a bit of give are ideal for him. If we can get a Soft 5 or 6, that'll be to his liking.”
Bosustow to honour footy legend
Rosemont Stud’s Anthony Mithen will ask Racing Queensland stewards if jockey Josh Parr can wear a black arm band in the G3 Gold Coast Guineas on Saturday aboard Bosustow (Blue Point {Ire}) to honour footy legend Peter Bosustow who died last week. “I got a phone call when the horse had trialled, it was random number but I answered it, and the voice on the other end said, ‘This is the greatest Carlton footballer to ever pull on the number four jersey in the history of the game',” Mithen told racenet.com.au.
Bosustow winning Listed 3-year-old Guineas | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“I knew straight away who it was, but being a smart arse I said to him, ‘Well your voice isn't deep enough to be Stephen Kernahan.’ It was one of my quicker good lines that I've come up with in recent years. Peter roared with laughter and then called me an arsehole.
“We had been phone pals ever since, although unfortunately we never met face-to-face. He would ring me once a month to chat about the horse and we would swap texts. He said to me the horse had helped him through a tough time in his life, he had been going through health issues. He got a real kick out of it.”
Deltason targets Sires'
WA juvenile Deltason (I’m All The Talk) has missed runs in the last two Perth stakes races for 2-year-olds but is on song for this weekend’s G3 WA Sires’ Produce Stakes. “We were really looking forward to the 1400 metres. Like everyone else we knew he would get the trip and it was good to get him across the line to be honest. We were just praying there were no more barrier disasters with the horse,” trainer Meryl Hayley told racingwa.com.au.
“He’s been to the races a couple of times and not managed to get around. Every time he goes in the gates and comes out of them, we’re happy. Obviously we earmarked the Karrakatta and Sires with him but we just dipped out not having that run in the Perth Stakes. We’ll never know and it upwards and onwards, we just had to change tack through the prep and take a different route, and we still made it.”
Sword Of State half-sister wins
A half-sister to Group 1 winner and young sire Sword Of State, Paravane (Merchant Navy) won on Wednesday at Ellerslie by a comfortable 2.5l for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson. “Paravane has taken a bit of time to mature, but the owners have been very patient. Mark and Sam did the right thing in giving her a bit of time after her first start and I think the owners will be rewarded now,” Te Akau’s racing manager Reece Trumper told Loveracing.nz.
Paravane winning the TAB Racing Club Maiden | Image courtesy of Race Images
“It was a great ride by Vinnie (Colgan) to have her travelling beautifully in front and it looked like she would be hard to beat turning for home. She had trialled very well at Ellerslie, a month ago, when ridden on speed, and she’s certainly a filly we think a lot of. As she matures and gets stronger, she should develop into a lovely 4-year-old mare. She obviously has a lot of residual value, being a half-sister to Sword Of State, and it’s always great to have Sir Owen Glenn in the ownership group.”
Cheap filly wins at Caulfield
Trainers Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) were pleased with the effort of 2-year-old filly Frostnip (Frosted {USA}) at Caulfield on Wednesday. “$28,000 at Adelaide - I think a guy called John Sunderland might have been over there and bought it, a stock and station agent who buys cows,” Price told racing.com.
“He might want to change his profession - he's not a bad judge, the bloke! I said to Blake, 'She's very fast, drawn nine out of nine - what do you want to do'?. He said, in his usual fashion, as he shrugs his shoulders, 'If it jumps quick, I'll go with it. If I have to ride a race, I'll ride a race'. He went with his horse and he was right. She'd had enough on the line, but for a horse who doesn't know much, she had to do plenty. She is specifically a sprinting filly, and that's what we'll do.”
On debut, Frostnip is out of Winter (Commands) who has produced one other winner, and is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Unencumbered (Testa Rossa) and Maharba (Pride Of Dubai).
Around the nation: Wednesday’s highlights
There were five meetings across Australia on Wednesday. Snitzel and Wootton Bassett (GB) both sired doubles at Warwick Farm, while Pierro sired a double at Eagle Farm.
Guineas target for Daylight Robbery
Trainer Gavin Sharrock won the juvenile race in New Zealand on Tuesday with Spandeedo (NZ) (Ferrando {NZ}) who he bought for $5,500 on the Gavelhouse platform, who will head to next month’s Listed Castletown Stakes. The trainer also has had another good juvenile this season with Daylight Robbery (NZ) (Super Seth) for $10,500. “Daylight Robbery was a bargain, especially now that the service fee (of Super Seth’s) has gone up to $75,000. He went really well this season,” Sharrock told Loveracing.nz
Spandeedo (NZ) winning the 2-Year-Old Maiden | Image courtesy of Racing Images
“If Daylight Robbery comes up, I will be having a go at the good ones. I think he will be better as a 3-year-old than he was a 2-year-old. I will aim him towards the (New Zealand 2000) Guineas, but everything has to go right.”
Pimlico announce Derby winner to skip Preakness
Godolphin's GI Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty (USA) (Into Mischief {USA}) will bypass the May 17 GI Preakness Stakes, according to a release from Pimlico Race Course Tuesday afternoon.
“We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness,” Mike Rogers, executive vice president of 1/ST which operates Pimlico, said in the statement. “Bill informed us they would point toward the GI Belmont Stakes. We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision. We continue to see the excitement building toward the milestone celebration of the 150th Preakness Stakes, and we look forward to an incredible weekend of world-class racing and entertainment.”
UAE Derby-second to run in Preakness
G2 UAE Derby runner-up Heart of Honor (USA) (Honor A.P. {USA}) is scheduled to ship to the U. S. Thursday to begin preparations for a start in the GI Preakness Stakes May 17 at Pimlico Race Course, British trainer Jamie Osborne reported from his Lambourn stable Tuesday.
“He has to quarantine at Churchill. It's a bit of a pain,” said Osborne, whose stable is located an hour from London. “He's going to van to Pimlico on Monday. He'll be on the track at Pimlico Tuesday morning. Initially, after the UAE Derby, I thought that the horse may well need a break. He'd had five runs in Dubai. But when he got off the plane, he told me he wasn't ready for a break. He's thrived since he's been back. He's a hardy kind of horse.
Jamie Osborne | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
“With that in mind, we thought this was worth a shot. He's only three once. There's nothing in the UK for him. So, the alternative was to give him a break, a long-extended break, and wait for next year's Middle East season when we go back to Dubai.
Osborne continued, “The Kentucky Derby was clearly going to be too soon for him. Logistically, it was going to be nearly impossible to ship from Dubai back here and then to America. The extra couple of weeks will probably be to our benefit, as well. We're going to have a go, and if he runs OK in the Preakness, the aim is to hang on for another three weeks and go to Saratoga.”
Forty-two remain in G1 Epsom Derby, headed by The Lion In Winter
The Lion In Winter (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a stylish winner of the G3 Acomb Stakes in 2024, leads the 42 remaining G1 Derby entries following the latest scratching stage. One of 16 Irish-trained runners, he is trading at 100-30 on Betfred for the June 7 showpiece at Epsom.
Trained by Aidan O'Brien, the bay has a slew of stablemates entered, including Wootton Bassett (GB) Group -winning colts Twain (Ire)–third choice at 7-1 and a winner of the G1 Criterium International, Swagman (Ire), GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Henri Matisse (Ire), and G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere scorer Camille Pissarro (Ire). Another Wootton Bassett colt, Expanded (Ire), was second in the Dewhurst, while fellow Coolmore partner entries are Siyouni (Fr)'s Mount Kilimanjaro (Fr), second in the G1 Criterium International, and Dubawi (Ire)'s Delacroix (Ire) was second at that level, as well. He is fourth choice at 8-1.
Second in the betting is Godolphin's G1 2000 Guineas hero Ruling Court (USA) (Justify {USA}) at 7-2 for Charlie Appleby, while Saeed bin Suroor has entered Toronado Alert (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), fourth on Saturday. Group 1 winners Hotazhell (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Tennessee Stud (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) are 25-1 and 33-1, respectively.
More group success for Godolphin
Godolphin's homebred 3-year-old Cualificar (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) made a stakes breakthrough in last month's G3 Prix La Force and doubled his pattern-race tally with a dominant 1.25l success in Tuesday's G3 Prix de Guiche at Chantilly. “We had already seen him win at this level and he confirmed again that he is quite a nice horse,” commented Godolphin's on-track representative Louise Benard.
“Alexis (Pouchin) positioned him perfectly during the race, the horse quickened well and did it almost under a hand ride. He has a lovely attitude and improves with every run so, hopefully, he can improve more. He will now be back here for the big one (June 1) and tell us if he can go up in class two steps higher.”
Cualificar is the fifth of seven foals and one of three scorers out of G1 Oaks heroine Qualify (Ire) (Fastnet Rock).
