Cavalry Girl faces class rise into G1 AJ Moir Stakes
Last start G3 Norman Carlyon Stakes victrix Cavalry Girl (Bivouac) will step up to elite class in Saturday’s G1 AJ Moir Stakes. “While she keeps pulling up well, it might be her time to shine,” trainer Tom Dabernig told racenet.com.au.
“If you can start them off to go their grades to learn the ropes and have them prepared to do it, some find their level very quickly but others keep progressing. If you can do it and you've got the time and races available, it works well.” The 4-year-old mare has won seven of her 17 starts.
Cavalry Girl | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
Chelmsford could be final run for Fangirl
Trainer Chris Waller wants to see more from multiple Group 1 winner Fangirl (Sebring) in Saturday’s G2 Chelmsford Stakes before deciding on her future. “Fangirl, she'll probably race and it'll be a deciding run for her,” Waller told racingandsports.com.au.
“(The Winx) was a strong run race and the backmarkers struggled to get into it. It's a bit of a turning point for her, she owes us nothing, if she wants to race, she'll race on but if she wants to be a mum then she'll go be a mum.”
Fangirl | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Yeomans dilemma for Changing Colours
Trainer Lucy has a dilemma; stay in handicap class and get more wins in succession or step up into black type to give Changing Colours (The Autumn Sun) a potential value increase. “She's been winning Saturday metro races but they probably haven't been all that strong so we're mindful not to jump straight into black type (races),” Yeomans told racenet.com.au.
“We want to find the right race. Obviously, we'd like to keep her winning if we can. On entries, we were very much leaning towards the mile race but the Chautauqua was quite a small field. When we have a look, if we think she can run top three, we might have a look at the Chautauqua.”
Steady Ready set for Sydney challenge
Co-trainer Tony Sears will bring Steady Ready (Better Than Ready) to Sydney for the G3 Concorde Stakes. “You can only run so fast for 1000m and he can run very fast over that distance,” Sears told racenet.com.au.
“He will give them something to catch, that's for sure. When he won that race on the Sunshine Coast, we sat down and had a good think about what to do with him. There wasn't much in Queensland for him. There was only a couple of 1000m races around that would suit him and the one in Sydney on Saturday was one of them.
Steady Ready | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“We were thinking it might not be quite so good a field, coming up to The Everest we thought some horses might go other ways, but it's as strong as anything. I didn't think it would be quite as strong a race as it is. But it is what it is, you can't do much about it. He's a terrific 1000m horse and he's going really well, so why not give him a chance?”
Streisand mid-field in jumpout but trainer is happy
G1 Blue Diamond winner Streisand (Magnus) ran seventh in the jumpout at Cranbourne on Monday, but trainer Clinton McDonald is happy with her progress. “She’s going super. She’s come back in great order. She didn’t need to do a lot – she’s not a filly that needs a lot of work,” McDonald told racing.com.
“I wanted her ridden cold as I don’t always want to be up on speed with her. We intend to ride her quiet at her first-up run. I just wanted her to come out and then have (jockey) Ben (Melham) to snag her, which he did. She was back there and she was smoking in behind them. Ben said, ‘If I had have moved, she was there to trial-up well’.
Streisand | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“She’s in great order, she’s a high-class filly, and her form was franked on the weekend with Guest House winning the San Domenico and the Canberra horse (Music Time) running third.
“She will be carrying top weight and giving the other fillies weight in the Cap D’Antibes (Sept 12). She’s on a Coolmore path. The only reason she wouldn’t go to the Coolmore is if (owner) Yulong said to us, ‘Guys, we’ve got too many colts going there, head to the (G1) Champions Sprint’.”
I’m Ya Huckleberry could head to black type
Co-trainer Adrian Bott was pleased with the maiden win of stakes placed I’m Ya Huckleberry (Home Affairs) on Monday and could set him for the G3 Ming Dynasty. “I'm Ya Huckleberry had a bit of an interrupted preparation but he ran out the 1200m very well,” Bott told racingandsports.com.au on Tuesday.
“We are still working out where he will go next but he could link in to the Run To The Rose or the Ming Dynasty.”
Double for Cosmic Force at Scone
On Tuesday, Cosmic Force sired a double at Scone. Scott Singleton-trained Street Force won by 2.75 lengths to claim her second win in succession having won at Gunnedah the start prior. Owned by Dartbrook Downs Thoroughbreds, she is one of six winners for Street Lass (Street Cry {Ire}).
Lou Mary-trained 3-year-old filly Summer Force won her maiden at her second start, having run second at the same track on debut. A homebred for Mr and Mrs Cowan, Summer Force is the second winner for Lady Limelight (Tycoon Ruler).
Ole Kirk 3-year-old wins on debut
John O'Shea and Tom Charlton-trained 3-year-old colt Punxsutawney Phil (Ole Kirk) won on debut at Scone over 1100 metres by 3.2 lengths. Owned by Werrett Bloodstock, Punxsutawney Phil is the first foal of Heroess (Snitzel), a winning daughter of Group 1 winner Srikandi (Dubawi {Ire}).
O’Brien family dominate Cup entries
Irish trainers Aidan O’Brien and his son Joseph have 16 of the 101 entries for the G1 Melbourne Cup which were released on Tuesday. The last two G1 Melbourne Cup winners Half Yours (St Jean {Ire}) and Knight's Choice (Extreme Choice) are both in. Among the local trainers Ciaron Maher has the most entrants at 14 while Chris Waller has 12.
“From the reigning champion Half Yours and some of Australia’s leading trainers, to a strong international contingent and the return of a Japanese-trained horse for the 20th anniversary of Delta Blues’ historic victory in 2006, there are plenty of compelling stories already emerging ahead of the first Tuesday in November,” Victoria Racing Club’s chief racing officer Leigh Jordon told racing.com.
The ‘Win and You’re In’ entrants are Listed Andrew Ramsden winner Zakouma (Crowded House {GB}), the G2 Belmont Gold Cup winner Tawny Port (USA) (Pioneerof The Nile {USA}) and the G2 Prix Kergorlay winner Defiantly (Fr) (Kameko {USA}).
Cummings showing patience ahead of Hong Kong debut
Trainer James Cummings will begin his Hong Kong training career when the season opens on Sunday. He has 42 horses in his stable but won’t have runners early in the season. “I feel like I’ve got a nice team that I’ve imported into Hong Kong, but we’re very new-horse heavy,” Cummings told scmp.com.
“So, my owners realise that for us, it will be more about getting through the first quarter of the season with a low number of transfers and therefore we won’t have a lot of runners early. What seems to me is a relatively unknown fact is the new trainer in Hong Kong cannot hit the track with horses until July 31, so it has only been a month for me to have horses in training.
James Cummings | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“I can do some work with them from June when they come out of quarantine, but it’s no way to train a horse to be rushing to the first meeting if the horse is not ready. I’ve got about a dozen transfers and they would be the horses capable of getting to the track the soonest, but we’re not in a rush.”
Among his stable is G1 Queensland Derby winner Providence (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and G3 Hampton Court Stakes victor Generic (Ire) (Kameko {USA}). “They’re beautiful horses, they’ve settled in without any problems and I believe they’ve got the right profiles to have excellent careers in Hong Kong.”
Vale Ann Bradley
Trainer Ann Bradley, who also trained as Ann Belsham, has died aged 93. She was a key early influence on the riding career of New Zealand’s first licenced female jockey Linda Jones. “Ann was a wonderful horsewoman. She was so tough and even rode in rodeos herself when she was young and could ride anything,” Jones told Loveracing.nz on Monday.
“I remember going to her farm and riding horses when I was 12, up hills flat out with only a sack on their back, no saddle. She had a huge influence on my career and taught me so much and I’m sad to hear of her passing.”
Bradley has lived in Victoria for the last 12 years to be closer to her daughter Sarah Moody, the wife of trainer Peter Moody. “Mum loved her horses and loved being part of Moody Racing, she would ask me for a list of what horses we had racing for every meeting,” Sarah Moody said.
Change of tactics for Constitution River
Aidan O'Brien has put Constitution River's defeat in the Juddmonte International down to the fact the race was a “complete mess” tactically and backed his star colt to show his true colours in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday week.
The legendary trainer was speaking at an Irish Champions Festival open morning at Ballydoyle. As well as Constitution River, O'Brien is likely to throw big guns like Precise, True Love, Sun Goddess, Alpha and Scandinavia at Ireland's flagship Flat festival.
But Constitution River is very much the ace in the pack for the entire weekend and the Wootton Bassett colt will be bidding to join fellow O'Brien-trained stars like Giant's Causeway, High Chaparral and more recently St Mark's Basilica, Auguste Rodin and Delacroix on the Irish Champion Stakes roll of honour.
Constitution Hill gets black type chance
G1 Melbourne Cup nominated Constitution Hill (Blue Bresil) will be ridden by Billy Loughnane for the first time when the one-time outstanding hurdler faces his first major assignment on the Flat in Saturday's G3 William Hill September Stakes at Kempton.
Trained by Nicky Henderson, Constitution Hill is unbeaten in two starts on the level and was last sighted on a racecourse in March when winning a novice event over the same course and distance as the September Stakes.
