Well-travelled mare stops off in Auckland

By Garrick Knight The most interesting runner at Alexandra Park tonight is without a doubt Millwood Maizie. Anyone watching Trackside last Saturday night might have done a double take when they scanned the fields earlier this week because she raced – and won – at Menangle. “She only flew in to Auckland on Tuesday morning,” said Jamie Gameson, her part owner and new trainer. Gameson is also her old trainer and, while she lines up in his name tonight, he won’t have actually laid a finger on her before the…

Groundswell gets a Caulfield Guineas start

The Holy One has been scratched from the Caulfield Guineas giving the Anthony Freedman-trained Groundswell a start. Groundswell, the second emergency, is a brother to Group One winner Shoals and missed getting into the final 16 for Saturday’s 1600m-Group One race despite his third in the Prelude. Kerrin McEvoy was booked for Eric The Eel but will now switch to Groundswell . The Holy One’s named jockey Brett Prebble is now expected to ride Queensland contender Eric The Eel. Trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, The Holy One, last-start…

Laming charged over cobalt positive

More than a year after Iam Ekstraordinary returned an elevated cobalt reading in a pre-race urine sample, trainer Richard Laming has been charged by Racing Victoria stewards. Iam Ekstraordinary’s sample was taken nbefore he ran fifth in a maiden at Ballarat on May 23 last year. Racing Analytical Services Limited and Racing Science Centre both detected the concentration of cobalt in the sample to be greater than 200 micrograms per litre. The permitted threshold in Australian racing is 100 mcg/L in urine. Laming has been charged with administering a prohibited…

Pokuru’s Gift successful for Farrelly

Pokuru’s Gift winning at Tauherenikau on Thursday Photo: Race Images Four-year-old gelding Pokuru’s Gift resumed with a win in the PGG Wrightson Maiden (1000m) metres at Tauherenikau on Thursday for owner and breeder Ian Farrelly. The son of Rock ‘n’ Pop overcame a wide draw (9) to work forward and lead over the sprint trip, eventually scoring by two and a half lengths under rider Rosie Myers. The victory maintained the winning run of Te Akau trainer Jamie Richards, who after a double on Thursday has shot to a clear…