Vale Syd Brown
New Zealand Hall of Fame trainer Syd Brown died in Sydney aged 99 on Sunday. “Syd was a good friend and mentor, a great storyteller and a wonderful horseman,” trainer Ron Leemon told racenet.com.au.
“I was up early for trackwork on Sunday morning when I got a text from Errol to let me know that his father had passed. It's a sad day.” Inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall Of Fame in 2014, Brown-trained Redcraze (NZ) (Red Mars {GB}) to win the G1 Turnbull Stakes. The horse was moved to TJ Smith where he added three more Group 1 races. Among Brown’s other stars were G1 Cox Plate winner Daryl’s Joy (NZ) (Stunning {GB}), dual Derby winner Classic Mission (NZ) (Persian Garden {GB}) and G1 Galaxy winner Kista (NZ) (Pakistan II {GB}). Triton (NZ) (Pakistan II {GB}) made history when beating Gunsynd (Sunset Hue) in the 1972 G1 Epsom Handicap. Brown’s best season was when he was third in the Sydney Premiership behind TJ Smith and Jack Denham.
Syd Brown
“I remember one time when I was training I had about 50 horses in work and they kept running fourth and fifth, and I was thinking what am I doing wrong,” trainer Rod Craig said.
“Syd came over and gave me some advice that I have never forgotten. He said it doesn't matter if you have 10 or 100 horses in work, every trainer goes through a lean period so just keep working hard and it will turn. He was right, of course. He was a great horseman and a real good bloke.”
Ascoli Piceno wins G1 Victoria Mile
Japan’s G1 Victoria Mile for fillies and mares on Sunday was won by 4-year-old mare Ascoli Piceno (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), who was coming off a last start win the G2 Al-Janadriah Turf Sprint. The start prior to that was in Sydney’s Golden Eagle and she has won six of her nine starts.
“The break wasn’t too sharp and it took some effort to get her into the speed—I did have a little concern to how the filly would perform as race favourite starting from an outside stall—but she did have plenty of energy left when needed and, while it did take her some time to reach her top speed, I was thrilled by how she showed her mental strength and potential in fighting to the very end,” jockey Christophe Lemaire told japanracing.jp.
Queen’s Walk (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) was second and Shirankedo (Jpn) (Satono Diamond {Jpn}) was third with the top three finishers all earning automatic starting positions in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, and the Japan Racing Association reported that the race also joined the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series in 2020, enabling its winner to earn an automatic starting position in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf in November.
Basilinna to spell ahead of Cup
Co-trainer Emma-Lee Brown informed fans that Basilinna (NZ) (Staphanos {Jpn}) would spell now following her Listed Andrew Ramsden victory on Saturday which gave her a ballot exemption for the G1 Melbourne Cup. “I think it’s everything we all dreamed about, so it’s a massive result for the team,” Browne told racing.com on Sunday.
“We’ll just enjoy it for a week, and she can go out to the paddock and enjoy a well-deserved spell. I think we’ll do a bit of research into it, speak to a few people that have obviously done it well and make a bit of a plan from there. But we’re just kind of enjoying it at the moment.”
Rothfire connections thrilled with second
Rothfire (Rothesay)’s return from a second leg injury has been incredible and on Saturday he ran a close second in the G1 Doomben 10,000. “It's quite bizarre really. For a horse that ran second, it really felt like a win, everyone was so happy,” trainer Rob Heathcote told racenet.com.au on Sunday.
“It is an unusual feeling because you rue missing out on the status and dollars of a $1.5 million Group 1 but yet I'm absolutely enormously proud of the effort of the horse. I think the fact that James McDonald made as much reference to Rothfire's courageous run than he did his own horse is testament to the quality of Rothfire's run.
Rothfire ran second at G1 Doomben 10,000 | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“I was so confident going into that race, not of winning but of making people eat their words. I was confident he would run huge because he doesn't know how to not run huge. It's just ingrained in his character.
“About nine months ago there was a bit of a push on social media that I should retire this horse but I pushed back and said ‘I'll know when the time is right'. I don't need people to tell me. Clearly the time is not right.”
Flying Basil wins Casterton Cup
Sunday’s Casterton Cup was won by 7-year-old gelding Flying Basil (Magnus) for trainer Shane Jackson. “He’s a beautiful horse, you’d love to have a stable full of him, he wears his heart on his sleeve,” Jackson said.
“Will (Price) gave him a beautiful ride. I thought he’d probably roll to the front, but they were all pretty determined to get to that spot, the way the track his playing. One-out one-back, held onto him and when he produced him around the bend, he looked like he’d only just joined in.
“This horse is going places. It wasn’t long ago I was ringing the handicapper to get his rating dropped to 58 so I could sneak him into a 0-58. And here we are winning a Casterton Cup after a couple of other Cups along the way. Great result and great for the connections as well.”
Flying Basil has won 13 of his 47 starts and over $260,000. He was purchased by Jackson Pallot Racing from Blue Gum Farm’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale draft in 2019 for $10,000.
Injured rider update
Racing NSW stewards reported that apprentice Jake Barrett was transported to hospital with neck pain after a fall at the Sapphire Coast on Sunday. “Apprentice jockey Jake Barrett was dislodged when his mount blundered following the running of Race 2 at Sapphire Coast on Sunday. Jake was conscious and experiencing pain to his neck and will be transported to hospital for further examination.”
There was no official report on his mount, Southern Deel (Dundeel {NZ}), who finished fourth in the race.
Barrier rogue wins on debut in NZ
Trainer Kurtis Pertab was nervous about how his 3-year-old filly War Queen (NZ) (Proisir) would go in the barriers on debut at Egmont after she’d had many problems at home, but she won easily. “I was a little bit nervous when she wouldn’t load away, she came to me with a reputation and hasn’t been in the stable for long but she’s shown really good ability at home and at the trials,” Pertab told Loveracing.nz.
“She trialled very well on a heavy track, and we’ve had a fair bit of rain at home, so I knew she would handle the track today. That wasn’t a query, just her barrier manners on race day and she got a little bit warm with the delay.”
War Queen winning the Grangewilliam Stud Maiden | Image courtesy of Peter Rubery (Race Images)
Proisir sired a double on the day with Procul Bay (NZ) also winning. War Queen is out of Group 2 winner Passchendaele (NZ) (Montjeu {Ire}) who has also produced Group 1-placed Masetto (NZ) (Cape Blanco {Ire}).
Around the nation: Sunday’s highlights
Sunday’s fans enjoyed eight meetings across Australia. Apprentice jockey Shannen Llewellyn rode a treble at Parkes including on debutant 3-year-old Amoruso (Santos). Magnus and Fiorente (Ire) both sired doubles at Casterton, while trainer Symon Wilde-trained four winners and Linda Meech rode a treble.
Bourbon Country (Farnan) became the 10th winner for his first season sire when winning on debut at the Sunshine Coast. The 2-year-old colt is trained by Lee Freedman and was a $50,000 purchase from Bhima Thoroughbred’s Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale draft.
At Kalgoorlie, Lucy Fiore won four of the seven race card, while at Devonport, Frosted (USA) sired a double.
Research into Victoria’s lost tracks
Chris Ganly has spent a decade researching all the racetracks across Victoria and has travelled to 80 per cent of them. “We'd been to lunch in Daylesford at the Lake House up there and we were driving home, we were just heading into Ballan and I saw a street sign on the left-hand side that said 'Racecourse Rd',” Ganly told racing.com.
“I remember thinking at the time, 'I don't remember them racing at Ballan'. Well, they did and that's how it all started. From seeing that one sign, starting to do some work, realising that no one had documented all of them, others had tried but they hadn't managed to succeed or get it done. I've been working my way through it, so three books in, there'll be two more to go; about a thousand racecourses in Victoria.
“I've found that's the record at the moment was Boxing Day 1900, 38 race meetings in Victoria. Not all just little meetings, some of them were at pretty well-known courses. Back through that period, you can see there was a lot of racing taking place, you understand why six years, seven years later, they started to crack down on racing because the volume of it was just so prolific that it was beginning to cause some problems.
“Around 1906, they brought in some legislation, trying to reduce racing. They needed to do it for a few reasons; there was over racing, the fields were getting thinner and thinner and it was getting dangerous in some places. There was a lot of gambling, the whole Temperance movement was in play, so there was a lot of anti-racing and a lot of these things came together. The legislation through 1906 into 1907 forced all of these racecourses to get a licence and that's how I've been able to find them because they had to get a licence and that's been fantastic in my research.”
Ganly's research has been used as the cornerstone for the new Racing.com series, They Once Raced Here.
New stakes winner for Authentic
Reagan's Wit (USA) (Authentic {USA}), who like his older half-sister, 2020 G2 Prioress Stakes and G3 Victory Ride Stakes runner-up Reagan's Edge (USA) (Competitive Edge {USA}), races out of the Cherie DeVaux barn, got his first black-type win Saturday in Pimlico's James W. Murphy Stakes.
“Really pleased with him,” said DeVaux. “He's kind of a goofy horse. He showed that in the stretch. Jose (Ortiz) did a really good job keeping him to task and staying on the horse, most importantly… He has always shown a lot of ability. He's taken some time.”
Justify colt wins ahead of Belmont
Triple Crown nominated for trainer Todd Pletcher, Crudo (USA) (Justify {USA) opted for the Sir Barton Stakes on Preakness Day in Baltimore for his two-turn debut and showed much the same talent as his win from a month ago. “We've been looking forward to getting him stretched out around two turns and he handled that really well,” said Pletcher.
“He got a good trip, got to the first turn in good position and got into a good rhythm. That is what he has been showing us in the morning. A talented colt.” Pletcher indicated that the colt may take yet another step up in class for his next start, including a potential start in the GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga.
Crudo is the 44th stakes winner for Coolmore's Triple Crown champion Justify. Blossomed (USA) (Deputy Minister {USA}), though unraced herself, has enjoyed a wildly successful broodmare career with 10 winners from 11 to race including four stakes winners racing worldwide led by Crudo's full-sister Awesome Result (USA) who is a multiple stakes winner in Japan as well as his half-sister in GI Spinaway Stakes winner Sippican Harbor (USA) (Orb {USA}).
Final breeze up for Fasig-Tipton upset by weather
Following severe weather Friday evening in Timonium, Maryland, Fasig-Tipton has adjusted the format of Sunday's final session of its Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training under tack show as all horses will now gallop only and there will be no timed breezes, the auction company said in a press release Saturday.
“The severe thunderstorms that moved through here last night dropped torrential rains in a very short amount of time,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “In light of these conditions, we feel that the responsible course of action is for horses to gallop only in tomorrow's final under tack show session. Today and tomorrow's forecasts call for good weather and we expect favorable conditions under which to conduct the under tack show.” The entire auction will be held on Tuesday, May 20.
