Grafton Cup ideal for King Pedro
Trainer Tom Charlton believes the 2350 metres of Thursday’s Listed Grafton Cup will be ideal for King Pedro (NZ) (Eminent {Ire}). “He's had an excellent campaign. He was a bit unfortunate in a couple of his runs prior to the Stayers Cup, but he got the job done in impressive style last time,” Charlton told Loveracing.nz.
“He is versatile in terms of trip. He might stay further than a mile and a half, which is excellent, but I think the Grafton Cup will be a good trip for him.”
New winner for Profiteer
First season sire Profiteer celebrated winner number five when Paul Shailer-trained 2-year-old gelding Profit In Paradise won at Eagle Farm on Wednesday at start number four. Peter Kwan purchased him for $35,000 from Bowness Stud’s Magic Millions National Yearling Sale draft.
He is the second foal and first winner for winning mare Gobelin (Dawn Approach {Ire}) from the family of Group 2 winner Folding Gear (NZ) (Johar {USA}) and Group 3 winner Royal Success (NZ) (Savabeel).
Hard Kick resumes at Flemington
Lindsay Park’s 2-year-old gelding Hard Kick (All Too Hard) will resume at Flemington on Saturday as he begins his 3-year-old campaign. “He's naturally strengthened and developed and he's ready for his 3-year-old year,” Will Hayes told racingandsports.com.au.
Hard Kick | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“We weren't 100 per cent happy to do the back-up with a 2-year-old and as a result he has come up a terrific product, and that's all that mattered. We're going to have a run under our belt, which was our intention, as he did have a nice, long break. The Vain, the McNeil, will all be races considered going forward, but we think he's come up super and his trial form has been franked by Cruiserweight coming out and winning dominantly.”
Seeiaye set for Saturday
Seeiaye (Russian Revolution) hasn’t won since his debut in the Max Lees Classic in November, but the 2-year-old gelding was second last start and is on song for Saturday at Randwick. “It's better because if he blows the start drawn inside, they get across him and it's no good,” trainer Peter Snowden told racingandsports.com.au..
“The wider the better. If he makes a mistake, he gets a second chance. He stepped better the other day and he raced better, so it's imperative that he begins well and puts himself there.”
Lake Vostok aiming to win same race
Winner of the apprentice jockey’s race over a mile at Flemington last year for jockey Rose Hammond, Lake Vostok (Russian Revolution) heads there again this year, this time with jockey Bailey Kinninmont. “It looks like she’s looking for the mile,” Kinninmont told racing.com.
“A month between runs, she ran great first up, down in the weights with the 3kg off, she should be running well.” It will be Kinninmont’s first day riding at Flemington.
Jockey weights under discussion
During the winter the same topics get raised, and this week, it’s jockey weights with Glen Boss calling for weights to be raised across the board. But several surveys have shown the topic to be filled with debate on both sides. “Any conversation around that would probably have to be at a national level,” Victorian Jockeys' Association chief executive Matt Hyland told racenet.com.au.
Matthew Hyland | Image courtesy of Victorian Jockeys Association
“It would need to involve the Australian Jockeys' Association and each state association to get a true reflection of what the jockeys want and whether it should or shouldn't be done. It's not the loudest voice that wins, it's based on a proper survey where every member gets a say. There's 200 jockeys in Victoria and they should have an equal view on it.
“In my period of time, 10 years, it's come up twice I think and we've surveyed the members and there's never been an overwhelming advantage either way. It gets complicated. If it was an overwhelming majority that wanted it, it would be something we'd pursue. It's always been closer to 50-50. It would be a much easier decision if there was an overwhelming majority.”
Callow submits application to ride in SA
Racing SA has confirmed that jockey Noel Callow has applied for a jockey’s licence in the state. He’s returning from a ten-month ban over racist remarks while riding in Darwin. He was required to take a course on Indigenous culture as part of his suspension. Callow has been given a trackwork licence by Racing SA and told racenet.com.au, he’s “looking forward to the opportunity.”
Eagle Farm double for Spirit Of Boom
Spirit Of Boom enjoyed a double at Eagle Farm on Wednesday with Moulin Miss taking her record to five wins from 14 starts for trainer Tony Gollan.
Stablemate 2-year-old filly Bonnie Boom won on debut. She was purchased by Gollan Racing and John Foote Bloodstock (FBAA) for $210,000 from Eureka Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft. She is the first winner for Hussterical (Beneteau), a four-time winning full sister to Listed winner Lady Jivago.
Gollan made it a treble for the meeting with Fragile Love (No Nay Never {USA}) who took her record to six wins.
Juvenile winner for Brave Smash
At Bunbury on Wednesday, Brave Smash (Jpn) added a new juvenile winner when Grant and Alana Williams-trained 2-year-old filly Quedjinup won on debut. Raced by Mt Hallowell Stud and partners, Quedjinup is the second foal of To Your Health (So You Think {NZ}) who won three times, including twice in Sydney.
Off Track racehorse gets nod for World Championship
Sophia Hill Equestrian and Humble Glory, who raced as Camon Houdini (Bernardini {USA}), has been named in the Australian team for the upcoming FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany. The 14-year-old gelding was unplaced in three starts.
Maltese Cross wins Grand Prix De Paris
Brave when second in compromising conditions in the Derby, William Haggas-trained Maltese Cross (Sea The Stars) showed a different kind of courage on Tuesday evening to land ParisLongchamp's feature G1 Cygames Grand Prix de Paris.
Further back than expected in the early stages, George Waud's pride and joy had to fight his way through the pack up the home straight but gave his all for Tom Marquand to thrust late and deny compatriot Ancient Egypt (Frankel) by a head. There was a neck back to the best of the French, Al Shaqab's Alam (Zelzal).
George Waud said, “Time and time again, he delivers because he has all the ability but also such a good brain. He knew what was going on and he made the space for Tom. Second in the Derby was one of the best days of my life, but winning a Group 1 is comparable.”
Maureen Haggas said, “I thought he did unbelievably well to win from a difficult position. He does like something to aim at and he's tough and has a strong will-to-win, which is one of his greatest attributes. Tom said it was messy, but he can squirm through those gaps. It's the first time he's travelled and he's taken the whole experience in his stride and was very cool tonight even though it was hot. We always felt he'd be a very nice 4-year-old and that the best was yet to come, so there are a lot of positive things to take out of this.”
Maltese Cross is the third foal out of Nabatea (Camelot), whose first was the Listed-placed Namouria (Adlerflug). She is a half-sister to the Deutsches Derby-winning sire Nutan (Duke Of Marmalade) and the Grosser Preis von Berlin heroine Nymphea (Dylan Thomas), as well as the Group 3-winning Prix Jean Romanet third Navaro Girl (Holy Roman Emperor). One of her other two half-siblings with black-type is the Listed scorer Nazbanou (High Chaparral), whose two Stakes winners include the Grosser Preis von Berlin runner-up Nerik (Ruler Of The World).
Goffs release Premier Yearling Sale catalogue
A Blue Point colt out of the multiple Group 3 winner Happy Romance (Dandy Man) and a Siyouni colt out of the G2 Flying Childers Stakes heroine Trillium (No Nay Never) feature among 445 lots catalogued to sell at next month's Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, all of whom will be eligible for the new Harry's 750 Series.
“This year we launch Harry's 750 Series which continues the ongoing evolution of the Premier Sale,” said Goffs UK managing director Tim Kent. “Not content with doubling the prize-money for our famous and iconic sales race to £500,000, we are adding another significant incentive for Premier buyers this year with the introduction of the £250,000 Harry's Quarter Million Bonus Series, so delivering a prize fund that towers above Premier's competitors' sales incentives.”
Eleven nominations for Irish Oaks
William Haggas is excited to give Royal Ascot heroine Earth Shot (Time Test) a shot at Classic glory in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh on Saturday.
The G2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner is one of 11 fillies in contention for the Group 1 contest following Tuesday's confirmation stage. While Haggas would have preferred to see more rain in the build-up, he is confident that the Wathnan Racing-owned runner deserves her place in the field.
“Everything seems in order with her. She seems very well and I'm looking forward to her,” said Haggas. “She is just improving with every run, which is nice, and I've always felt she would be even better with a bit more cut in the ground. It doesn't look like it is going to rain in Ireland, which is a shame, but she'll enjoy the track.”
Greg Maffei headlines Jockey Club Round Table
The Jockey Club's annual Round Table Conference, which will be held at the Saratoga Springs City Center on Thursday, Aug. 6, will feature new racing league chief Greg Maffei, according to a press release from the organization on Tuesday.
Maffei is a veteran sports executive who helped transform F1 into a global entertainment powerhouse during his tenure as president and CEO of Liberty Media. He currently serves as executive chair of QVC Group, chair of SiriusXM and MediaKind, and a director of Zillow.
Among the other speakers is Tom Hashimoto of the Japanese Racing Association (JRA). He will discuss efforts to attract younger generations to the sport and sustain racing's popularity in Japan.
Hawthorne reportedly sold, not for racing purposes
Hawthorne Race Course is facing closure after a reported sale appears to be going through to a Delaware-incorporated shell company that last month submitted a US$90 million (AU$128 million) “stalking horse” offer that had set the minimum price for a July 14 bankruptcy auction of the 135-year-old track.
According to a story published Tuesday evening by Chelsea Hackbarth of the Paulick Report, when no other entities stepped forward to submit a bid that would have kept racing alive at the last remaining track on Chicago's Thoroughbred circuit, a recently formed corporate entity named Allimac 2023, LLC became the winning bidder by default.
