By Josh Smith – Harness News Desk Last start Group One winner Wainui Creek will take her next step towards another elite-level target when she lines-up in the Jacobsen Headstones Mobile Pace (2200m) at Alexandra Park on Friday night. The four-year-old daughter of Bettor’s Delight was victorious in the Gr.1 NZ Standardbred Breeders’ Stakes (2600m) at Addington last month and trainer Barry Purdon has been pleased with her work since then. “It was a great win last start by Wainui Creek,” he said. “She got a great run, tried hard,…
Month: March 2020
Stackhouse gets Golden Slipper chance
Daniel Stackhouse will ride Minhaaj in the Slipper with the filly getting a start as 2nd emergency. Two scratchings from the Golden Slipper have paved the way for jockey Daniel Stackhouse to get a career-changing opportunity in the $3.5 million race on Minhaaj. The second emergency’s place in Saturday’s race was confirmed when Cellsabeel was withdrawn on Thursday morning, a day after the Chris Waller-trained Global Quest was scratched. It means 29-year-old Victorian-based Stackhouse has the chance to ride in his first Golden Slipper, chasing his first Group One win…
Noonan chasing another Mornington feature
Local trainer Tony Noonan is looking to win his first Hareeba Stakes at Mornington. Mornington Cup day is special for local trainer Tony Noonan who is hoping to rekindle some good memories when Manolo Blahniq runs in the feature sprint. Noonan won three successive Cups with Gunnamatta but is yet to win the day’s feature short-course race, the Listed Hareeba Stakes. Manolo Blahniq lines up in the 1200m race on Saturday with Noonan taking a different path this year with the sprinter. Last year Manolo Blahniq finished seventh in the…
Avilius chasing second Ranvet Stakes win
Avilius will have to contend with well-performed visitor Addeybb if he is to defend the Ranvet. James Cummings believes Avilius is on target for his defence of the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill but the Godolphin trainer is wary of a well-performed international visitor. Avilius returned to Sydney after running fifth in the Group One Australian Cup on March 7 and the six-year-old will be chasing back-to-back wins in the Group One Ranvet (2000m) on Saturday at Rosehill. The gelding won last year’s edition at the fourth start of his campaign…
Carpooling hoops happy to go extra mile
Hugh Bowman and fellow jockey Tommy Berry have taken a road trip to Melbourne to ride. A 10-hour, one-way road trip with a rival jockey is not the Golden Slipper preparation either Hugh Bowman or Tommy Berry would choose. But Bowman figures there are worse people to spend a long-haul journey with than the affable Berry. “If you can’t get on with Tommy Berry then you’ve got personality issues,” Bowman said. The high-profile hoops carpooled from Sydney to Melbourne on Thursday to ensure their compliance with biosecurity measures introduced by…
Tofane gets another Group 1 chance in Galaxy
The Mike Moroney-trained Tofane gets another Group One chance in The Galaxy at Rosehill. Trainer Mike Moroney reckons jockey Michael Dee will be out to make amends in the Group One Galaxy on Tofane after a luckless unplaced run in the Newmarket Handicap. Tofane finished seventh in the recent Group One Newmarket (1200m) but Moroney believes the mare should have finished closer after striking traffic issues and being shuffled back before regrouping to finish the race off well. “She’s coming off a pretty luckless run in the Newmarket. She should…
Asharani joins Lees stablemates in Final
The Kris Lees-trained Asharani has booked her place in the Provincial Championship Final. Kris Lees has secured a third runner for the Provincial Championship Final with Asharani winning a qualifying heat at her home track of Newcastle. The 1200-metre race was scheduled to be held at Gosford last Saturday but was washed out and added to Thursday’s Newcastle program. Starting the $3.60 favourite, Asharani settled back in the field for Brenton Avdulla and relished a solid tempo, powering down the outside to victory. “She was chasing a long way out…
Victorian jockey plan to keep racing going
Giles Thompson, Racing Victoria chief executive, has announced new jockey protocols over covid-19. A group of 25 jockeys has agreed to enhanced biosecurity measures to ensure the continuation of racing in Victoria. The 25 will abstain from trackwork, jump-outs and barrier trials and only ride on race days in a bid to minimise the chances of a jockey contracting covid-19 and to keep a pool of riders. After consultation with the Victorian Jockeys’ Association, Racing Victoria says the new measures will begin after racing on Saturday. The riders are to…
Minister Winston Peters says he’s staying true to his word
At Karaka 2020: the industry’s ex-jockeys now trainers who would love to see a rise in NZ prizemoney: From top left Stephen McKee (one trial ride), Graham Richardson (one race win), Lance O’Sullivan (Champion Jockey), Bob Vance (Outstanding Jockey) and at right Grant Cooksley (outstanding Jockey) by Brian de Lore Published 31 January 2020 When Racing Minister Winston Peters made his speech to open the Karaka Yearling Sales last Sunday at 10.50 AM, it was a typically hot and humid Auckland summer’s morning in rising temperatures. But within seconds of…
Coronavirus puts Dubai World Cup in doubt
This month’s Dubai World Cup is facing cancellation after the UAE suspended all sporting events. The United Arab Emirates has suspended all sporting events to prevent the spread of coronavirus, raising doubts about whether the Dubai World Cup will go ahead this month. Many professional and amateur sporting events across the country have already been cancelled because of the deadly virus. Dubai World Cup organisers had said the race would go ahead on March 28, only without paid spectators. However, all sporting events, including tournaments and competitions across all ages,…