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From memory ( and without checking the exact facts ) the St.George is a race littered with top class winners over the years. Real WFA horses not just some lucky plodders. Recent Cox Plate winners to have taken the St George include Northerly and Dane Ripper. Quite a few Caulfield Cup winners have won the race as well.
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I have a pic of Beneteau at his stables yesterday but not sure how to paste it here. Looks in fantastic shape too.
I have a picture of a certain son of Lohnro as my desktop background currently.
The St George is a tricky race for me. Heart Of Dreams is a worthy favourite, but at the same time there’s enough who are capable of beating him. Viewed for a place will probably be the way I go. He didn’t run that great in the second division of the Orr Stakes (the select bunch that had no hope after 1 stride), but I feel he’s reliable enough to at least pick off beaten horses, and he has an underestimated burst of acceleration.
Just checking – if they were all at the top of their form, Viewed would win, wouldn’t he?
Speed Gifted scratched from the St George, no reason yet.
Was just thinking about having a bet on him for the BMW in April, so just heard in time.
Did a Gerald Special on the Blue Diamond today. Already had Beneteau and 2 of the 3 Hayes’ horses a couple of weeks ago, so did the other Hayes horse today, so that I can sleep soundly.
Bollox, thought I had that.
Luckily, I get a £100 bonus for working both days of the weekend, on top of the normal overtime pay.
Starspangledbanner narrowly won the Oakleigh Plate, but I missed the commentary as I’d already left for work.
Weights for the Newmarket Handicap (1200m) came out on Monday. Maybe getting a slight gambling problem, as I’d already bet £46 on the race before the weights came out.
Ignore the first part of this press release, as the stewards have ordered Weekend Hussler to get a vet’s certificate before it races again, and the horse has been spelled:-
Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) sprints handicapper Neil Jennings today released the weights for Australia’s premier sprint race with the 2008 Newmarket winner allotted 58.5kg.
Ross McDonald’s seven-time Group 1 winner is not a confirmed starter though after finishing unplaced at his first start in 53 weeks in Saturday’s Sportingbet Oakleigh Plate (1100m).
All Silent, who won the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic over the track and distance last spring, is next with 57kg, while 2007 Cox Plate winner El Segundo has been allotted 56.5kg.
Nicconi and Turffontein, both of whom have tasted Group 1 success during this year’s Melbourne Festival of Racing, have been allocated 56kg and 55.5kg respectively.
Also handed 56kg is the Chris Waller-trained Danleigh who added Saturday’s Apollo Stakes (1400m, Group 2) at Rosehill to a CV that boasts Group 1 wins in Melbourne and Sydney.
Oakleigh Plate winner Starspangledbanner has 53.5kg – the most weight of the 13 three-year-olds who feature among the 34 first acceptors.
Triple Group 1 placegetter Wanted, who was purchased over the weekend by Widden Stud, is the only other three-year-old above the 50kg minimum. He has been given 51.5kg.
USA sprinter Cannonball, who is set to make his debut for new trainer Gai Waterhouse, has been allotted 53kg, whilst untapped Western Australian four-year-old Hay List, a winner at eight of his nine starts, has 52kg.Final declarations for the Newmarket Handicap, $1m Darley Australian Cup (2000m) and $750,000 Crown Australian Guineas (1600m) – which feature on Super Saturday also – will be taken at 9am on Wednesday, 3 March.
Final declarations for the Newmarket Handicap, $1m, Group I, Darley Australian Cup (2000m) and $750,000, Group 1, Crown Australian Guineas (1600m) – which feature on Super Saturday also – will be taken at 9am on Wednesday, 3 March.
Weights for the Newmarket Handicap as follows:
No Allowances for apprentices. Field Limit: 24
No Horse Trainer Ballot Weight Penalty Handicapper Rating1 WEEKEND HUSSLER Ross McDonald 4 58.5 120
2 ALL SILENT Grahame Begg 5 57 117
3 EL SEGUNDO (NZ) Colin Little 6 56.5 116
4 NICCONI David Hayes 2 56 115
5 DANLEIGH Chris Waller 7 56 115
6 TURFFONTEIN Anthony Cummings 3 55.5 114
7 LIGHT FANTASTIC Mick Price 8 54 109
8 STARSPANGLEDBANNER Leon Corstens 1 53.5 115
9 DUPORTH Peter G Moody 11 53 107
10 CANNONBALL (USA) Gai Waterhouse 12 53 107
11 ROYAL IDA Luke Oliver 13 52.5 105
12 EAGLE FALLS David Hayes 14 52.5 105
13 ARINOS David Jolly 15 52.5 105
14 TARZI Neville Parnham 16 52 104
15 SWIFT ALLIANCE Gai Waterhouse 18 52 104
16 GRAN SASSO Mick Price 21 52 102
17 GRAND DUELS Byron Cozamanis 24 52 98
18 DREAMSCAPE Gai Waterhouse 27 52 94
19 HAY LIST Jim P Taylor 29 52 93
20 GOLD IN DUBAI Mark Riley 32 52 86
21 CAPTAIN COLTISH Peter G Moody 33 52 86
22 FIVE CAR STUD Anthony Cummings 34 52 78
23 WANTED Peter G Moody 9 51.5 109
24 HEADWAY Peter G Moody 10 50 107
25 IRISH LIGHTS David Hayes 17 50 104
26 SHELLSCRAPE Chris Waller 19 50 103
27 TRUSTING John P Thompson 20 50 103
28 TICKETS Peter G Moody 22 50 99
29 AVENUE Peter G Moody 23 50 99
30 DEMERIT Peter Snowden 25 50 95
31 KING PULSE Michael Moroney 26 50 95
32 TOLLESPRIT Shane Fliedner 28 50 94
33 COMMON INTEREST Lee Freedman 30 50 91
34 SISTER MADLY Anthony Cummings 31 50 89I’ll try having a look at the form in a couple of days’ time, as I’m still recovering from doing 12 hour shifts at the weekend.
Rather disappointed that Manhattan Rain has been retired to stud.
Rather backs up what I think Jose wrote about him, and the bewildering pricetag that I brought attention to, that went from $20m to $50m to $60m without him winning a race in the meantime.
I was willing to give the horse a go at longer distances, despite pedigree doubts, but now I think the correct thing to do is write off the Cox Plate 2nd as a fluke.
Monday, 1 March 2010
Group One winning colt Manhattan Rain has been retired from racing to stand alongside his famous half brother Redoute’s Choice at Arrowfield Stud.
Manhattan Rain has been disappointing in two Sydney starts this autumn and his owner Muzaffar Yaseen has decided to end his career.
In making the announcement, Arrowfield Stud proprietor John Messara said he was delighted his farm had been chosen for Manhattan Rain.
"Manhattan Rain is a lightly raced Group One winner by a champion stallion out of a champion broodmare," Messara said.
"His half brother Redoute’s Choice is an outstanding success at stud and we are delighted that Mr Yaseen has seen fit to place this colt’s stud career in Arrowfield’s care."
By Encosta De Lago out of Shantha’s Choice and trained by Gai Waterhouse, Manhattan Rain had 11 starts for two wins with the highlight his victory in the 2009 AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes.
His seven placings include a second to fellow three-year-old So You Think in the Cox Plate.
Manhattan Rain’s only unplaced runs have been this autumn with his barrier manners attracting the attention of stewards.
On the N’ket H’cap front, I have to confess that I had a bet on Trusting a few weeks ago, based on little more than him being part of the Golden Generation of 3yos. Biggest win is Eagle Falls, and modest wins are Trusting, Starspangledbanner, Nicconi and Cannonball. Don’t really see any point in having any more bets, unless I come across a horse at 40+ I’m interested, in which case I’ll chuck a couple of quid at it.
Just in case people are reading this, and wondering why I bother with Australian racing, here is an example of the information available. Course gallops will commence in an hour’s time, though I suppose only bad news can emerge from them. Changingoftheguard is running to maintain his wedding tackle intact, having recently been described as a handful.
Victoria Racing Club
Flemington track work and jumpouts on Tuesday morning will see many of the potential stars for Super Saturday gain valuable work in their final preparations.
The Victoria Racing Club advises that trackwork on the course proper will commence at 6.30am,
The trackwork and jump outs are as follows:
Flemington Trackwork
Tuesday 2 March
6.30am – 7.30am
Course properOur Aqaleem Darley Australian Cup D A Hayes
Zagreb Darley Australian Cup D A Hayes
Changingoftheguard Darley Australian Cup D A Hayes
Ebony Rock VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes D A Hayes
In Faith VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes D A Hayes
Irish Lights Tabcorp Kewney Stakes D A Hayes
Sirmione Darley Australian Cup J B Cummings
Moatize Darley Australian Cup J B Cummings
Rock Classic Crown Guineas J B Cummings
Faint Perfume Tabcorp Kewney Stakes J B Cummings
Littorio Darley Australian Cup N Blackiston
Gigas Tabcorp Kewney Stakes G Waterhouse
Denman Crown Guineas P Snowden
Backgammon VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes P Snowden
Trim VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes P Snowden
Thegreatandthegood VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes P Snowden
Linky Dink Tabcorp Kewney Stakes P Snowden
No Evidence Needed Tabcorp Kewney Stakes P Snowden
So Anyway Tabcorp Kewney Stakes P Snowden
Master O’Reilly Darley Australian Cup D O’Brien
Rostova Tabcorp Kewney Stakes S Richards7.45am –
StraightJump Out #1 7.45am
Light Fantastic Newmarket Handicap M Price
Turffontein Newmarket Handicap A Cummings
Trusting Newmarket Handicap J Thompson
All Silent Newmarket Handicap G BeggJump Out # 2 8.00am
Shellscrape Newmarket Handicap C Waller
Five Car Stud Newmarket Handicap A Cummings
Sister Madly Newmarket Handicap A Cummings
Gran Sasso Newmarket Handicap M PriceNo Barriers
Eagle Falls Newmarket Handicap D A Hayes
Rather follows on from the previous post:-
Trackwork adds to turf’s great uncertainty
ANDREW EDDY
March 3, 2010IF YOU took trackwork at Flemington yesterday morning at face value, Saturday’s triple group 1 meeting is one bookmakers dream about.
You’d think Newmarket Handicap favourite All Silent would struggle to beat a runner home and that bolter Changingoftheguard was a certainly to win the Australian Cup. But what you see in practice is not always what you get on game day.
Instead of struggling out the back of the field, as was the case in a jump-out down the Flemington straight yesterday, All Silent may well repeat his amazing Patinack Farm Classic win over the same 1200-metre course last spring. Yesterday, the warm favourite for Saturday’s $1 million race galloped without blinkers and therefore without inspiration.
And, instead of winning the Australian Cup, the former Irish horse Changingoftheguard is more likely to be at home preparing to be gelded and then spelled until the spring despite his effort yesterday when he finished over the top of fellow Australian Cup-bound stablemates Our Aqaleem and Zagreb.
Trainer David Hayes explained that Changingoftheguard pulled up with a cough after his gallop and was unlikely to be paid up for this morning as he expected a scope of his lungs would show the onset of a virus. He said the horse was acting ”very colty” and might needed to be gelded if his ultimate aim – a win in the 150th Melbourne Cup – is to be achieved.
All Silent was dismal as he finished a distant fourth of four runners but he trialled in a similar fashion five days out from the Patinack Farm Classic. That day he broke 33 seconds for his final 600 metres when he came from last to score. He clearly is a different horse when he has blinkers applied.
Bart Cummings was a little puzzled with the gallops of Australian Cup hopes Sirmione and Moatize. Sirmione’s credentials are much stronger than his stablemate’s but Moatize had his measure yesterday.
”What does that mean?” 13-time Australian Cup winner Cummings asked himself. ”We’ll only know on Saturday.”
Just in case people are reading this, and wondering why I bother with Australian racing, here is an example of the information available. Course gallops will commence in an hour’s time, though I suppose only bad news can emerge from them. Changingoftheguard is running to maintain his wedding tackle intact, having recently been described as a handful.
I’d never question you. It’s the most logical decision I ever made during the NH season and winter in Britain around 18 months ago. It’s ridiculous that you can have more information for horse races run thousands of miles away than you have 30 miles from your own home.
As for Manhattan Rain briefly, I suspect he had a lot of ability – he quite simply was no world beater, but was excessively hyped by his at times irritating trainer who overdoes hype better than Aidan O’Brien. His Group 1 win hardly worked out great, and he probably run better in defeat. Tickets, Onemorenomore and Rostova have all proven to be disappointing in some way. The Cox Plate is not a race I’m trusting form wise. If the result was thanks to a speed bias, (It’s hard not to think that way with Moonee Valley at times) then Manhattan Rain had a much better chance of beating So You Think than anything else had.
The weekend looks good though. Hopefully Denman and Linton will go head to head in the Australian Guineas, although I’d rather have Rodd on Linton.
Eagle Falls second.
Nicconi went out to 18.5 on betfair. What was that all about?
Rather kicking myself that I hadn’t had a few quid on Wanted, but I’d given up betting more on the race. 3yo, who was placed in every decent sprint race going.
A bit of moisture about at the moment.
Hail on the track. I suppose that’s the end of the meeting – unless the rain melts it . . .
Meeting over, yes.
Still, the best wfa Group 1 race in Australia scheduled for today, the Chipping Norton, is to come at Warwick Farm.
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Gai Waterhouse is indeed the global champion of ‘Hype’. Manhattan Rain was always going to be a hype animal though simply because of his maternal line. His dam had already produced top quality performer and super stallion Redoute’s Choice along with Gr1 winner Platinum Scissors. The owner has bred and raced numerous horses from his mare Shantha’s Choice and is a very lucky man indeed.
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On that note an old article from the Racing Post. Three Gr1 winners and a further three with black type from the mare –
Redoute’s Choice sibling lands Group 1
A NEW chapter was added to the remarkable success story of Shantha’s Choice when her two-year-old colt, Manhattan Rain, landed the Group 1 AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
The son of Encosta de Lago is the third Group 1 winner out of the Canny Lad mare following Redoute’s Choice, currently the most expensive stallion standing in Australia, and Platinum Scissors.
Manhattan Rain, who was third last time out to Phelan Ready in the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes, runs as a homebred for Muzaffar Yaseen’s Teeley Assets.
Ironically,his success denied Redoute’s Choice a 15th Group 1 winner as the son of Danehill was represented by the second horse home, Tickets.
High hopes were held for Shantha’s Choice when she was knocked down for a sale-topping A$220,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale in 1994 following the Group 1 exploits of her half-brother Hurricane Sky.
However, although she only won once in minor company as a two-year-old, she was soon made to look a bargain after her first foal, Redoute’s Choice, won four Group 1 races.
His brother Platinum Scissors later added to the family’s lustre when taking the Group 1 AJC Spring Champion Stakes. Unfortunately, his stud career has been marred by fertility problems.
As well as that celebrated trio, Shantha’s Choice is also the dam of Group 3 winner Sliding Cube (Rock Of Gibraltar) and the stakes-placed Danehill pair Monsoon Wedding and Superior Sateen.
Shantha’s Choice has a yearlingbrother to Manhattan Rain, a filly foal by Rock Of Gibraltar and is in foal to Hussonet.
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