THE PETLEY REPORT (MAY 30 to JUNE 5)

By Jack Petley | Friday, June 5, 2020

Many people involved in racing will know of the name Jack Petley. Jack has gathered a wealth of racing experience in many roles over several decades and in recent times he has produced a very informative daily racing news feed on Facebook. Jack will continue to post on facebook, where he has built up a healthy support base, but his commentary, across a broad section of racing precincts, will now also have a regular place on the HRO website. This is THE PETLEY REPORT!

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Dawn Passage galloped his way into favouritism for the Stradbroke when he beat Exhilarates and Subpoenaed in the Fred Best at Doomben last Saturday. Brad Stewart was the winning rider but James Innes Jnr, who was still in isolation at the time to enable him to be free to ride this week, takes the lightweight mount on Stradbroke Day. Co-trainer Adrian Bott has confirmed that Dawn Passage came through the Fred Best in fine order and is ready to back up for his big test against the older horses. Gai Waterhouse has yet to win a Stradbroke and this may end on Saturday.
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Godolphin will saddle up four for the Stradbroke (Trekking, Kementari, Exhilarates and Ranier) and it is interesting to see that Exhilarates will be ridden Taylor Marshall, son of the former champion John Marshall. The late John Marshall won the Stradbroke for James Cummings’ famous late grand-dad Bart on Campaign King some 30 odds years back and they also won the race not long after with Robian's Steel. For his part, Trekking, of course, is looking to land back-to-back victories in this Group 1 feature.
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Five jockeys … James Orman, Sean Cormack, Jag Guthmann-Chester, Justin Huxtable and Jake Bayliss were given permission a full four days before the Stradbroke to ride overweight in the big race.
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Trainer Michael Costa is keen to see his young NZ bred stayer Supergiant add to his record in the Rough Habit at Eagle Farm. The young stayer won the Gunsynd and the time before was place in the Daybreak. Costa purchased Supergiant out of the Mapperley Stud draft in NZ at Karaka. Supergiant is the son of Giant and his sire’s 11th Stakes winner. At one time Giant was the holder of the fastest 2000 metres in the world.
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Queensland TAB’s open again … just in time for the Stradbroke race-day.
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Smart sprinter Classique Legend is back with veteran Randwick trainer Les Bridge and, of course, the $15m Everest is the logical aim for the top sprinter. It is anticipated he will make a return to action at Randwick on Saturday which will be Classique Legend's first appearance since a proposed move to Hong Kong in March was aborted. He is set to carry 60kg in race 7.
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Racing Victoria have stated that they will revise stake levels later this month. This was after Racing NSW had already announced a return to normal prize-money levels effective July 1, as well confirming their feature race dates for the Spring Carnival, something Racing Victoria has yet to do.

Chairman of Racing NSW, Russell Balding, noted that turnovers since the virus lockdown have not been as bad as expected. "It was not as adversely affected as initially feared," he commented in a press release." And this, he said, “plus excellent protocols at the tracks, has allowed NSW Racing to restore the levels of stake-money earlier than expected.” Great news all around for the industry, I say.
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What can't Chris Waller do? Already his stable has amassed more than $41 million in stakes this season, and what a raid he made on last Saturday’s race meetings in Sydney and Adelaide. Waller produced Wu Gok and True Detective to win at Rosehill and in Wu Gok's win he also produced second (Yulong Prince) and third (The Lord Mayor) … but that was not a highlight!

Waller had a big string at Doomben where he saddled no less than the first six place getters in the Chairman’s Handicap (Le Juge, Savacool, Another Dollar, Alward, Black on Gold and Shraaoh). Waller has a big team of older stayers and he placed this team perfectly. Oh yes, and he also won the two-year-old fillies race with September Run. What a day for the Rosehill master!
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Again, at Doomben, that was a big win by Vanna Girl and La Pulga was also eye catching. And good to see Larry Cassidy in form on Hi Fiver.
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At Rosehill, James McDonald took a firm grip on the Premiership with a treble (Anders, True Detective and Mo's Crown). Anders was impressive for the powerful Maher-Eustace yard and he gave that stable their 30th juvenile win of the season. What a season it has been for the pair! That treble on the weekend took James McDonald's winners for the season to 88.5 … keeping him well clear on the Sydney Premiership ladder.
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Another kiwi also in the headlines was Bjorn Baker with Soldier of Love. In the hands of Rachael King, the galloper came off the pace on the home bend and came away most impressively for his second win for the campaign for Bjorn who is enjoyed a wonderful season from his Warwick Farm yard.
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Esperance was impressive for Hugh Bowman and James Cummings in the Trapeze Artist Handicap … and what a time to win as he is being sold by Godolphin on the Inglis on-line site. I see Godolphin will in fact offer an unreserved draft of 18 horses on the William Inglis June On-line auction. Apart from Esperance, this group includes The Driller, Golwen, and Secretively.
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Bound to Win, by Sebring, was stylish when she won for Team Snowden and Tommy Berry while, at Caulfield, Kementari's half-brother Valaquenta was successful for Brad Rawiller.
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Also, well-deserving of a mention is young Kiwi born apprentice Lewis German who was successful on the Price-Kent trained Heptagon at Caulfield on the weekend which brought his total of metropolitan winners in the past month to four. The youngster first started work in the O'Sullivan-Scott stable at Matamata then, when his family moved north, he went to Stevie McKee … but he moved to Victoria when his Dad Paul took up a position with Team Lindsay Park at Euroa. "He used to come out and work at the stable. I think he was only 12 or 13 but he always came here at holiday time. Nothing has made us more proud here to see what he is doing now,” Andrew Scott said.
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Kiwi trainers have received some good news. Racing will kick off in the north at the Counties Club at Pukekohe on June 20. And the Canterbury Jockey Club meeting which was mooted as the first meeting has been shifted to June 27 from the proposed return date of July 3. The NZTR chief executive Bernard Saundry said, “Our first meeting will be held with owners being able to attend and, with the expectations that the country will soon return to level 1, it might be that full crowds will be able to be on track from the outset. We have worked closely with RITA (the Racing Industry Transition Agency) to make this happen earlier."

All races will carry a stake of $15,000, not a great purse, but at least a re start. Racing in the Central Districts will get underway as planned on July 4 at Awapuni and Te Rapa will follow a few days later.
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Also, in New Zealand, Winston Peters has announced that the terms for the Directors of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) has been extended to June 2021. This has been done, he said, to ensure that the Racing Industry Bill can complete its progress through the House at a time when the current focus on Covid 19 response is reduced. "The racing industry is seriously underestimated for its important contribution to our regions and to the economy," said Peters in a press release," and getting the reforms right is pivotal to the economic recovery of all of New Zealand. In the long term we will get all the steps correct so there are is no reason that racing in this country cannot be a viable world-class industry.” Fingers crossed I say!
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Star rising Kiwi four-year-old Catalyst is due to return to work for Clayton Chipperfield and the youthful trainer says Catalyst has "beefed up" during his spell at The Oaks Stud where he was bred.

"We really noticed how far behind he was from the Australian three-year-old when we were over there," said Chipperfield. "He looks the part now, though. We have re-tested everything and he is 100 per cent." Chipperfield said he already has his sights set on Australia in the spring and he is eyeing off the rich $R7.5m Golden Eagle at Rosehill.
While he says Australia doesn't beckon for him full-time, Chipperfield said he would look at campaigning horses across the Tasman if owners wished. Just now I am happy to bound back and forth with good ones and that will happen a lot more amongst Kiwi trainers." Chipperfield said.
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Cambridge trainer Frank Ritchie says he is looking forward to the return of racing in NZ and told the NZ Racing Desk that he has some 12 horses in work and around 24 on his books including Dawn Patrol and the smart Fiscal Fantasy. Meanwhile Cambridge trainer John Bell is delighted with the condition of his star sprinter Julius who has summer sprints firmly in his sights. "He has thrived in the past few months," Bell said of Julius who has won of nine of his seventeen starts.

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In spite of a recent extension to the lockdown of racing in Singapore Kiwi trainer Donna Logan told the NZ racing Desk she can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Horses, she said, have been able to work during the lockdown and galloping was due to commence later in the week. “Hopefully that means we will be able to trial soon and that will bring us closer to racing," she said. "
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Hong Kong is to bring back forecast betting which has not been at the tracks there since the 1970s. Betting figures have dropped there but co-mingling has helped.
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That was a big win by Contrail in the Japanese Derby and agencies have quickly taken the colt to 10-1 for the Arc. The success continued sire Deep Impact's dominant record in the Classic having sired the last five winners. Contrail has now is 5 from 5 and is an outstanding young galloper.
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Victor Ludorum ruled supreme in the French 2000 Guineas and made up for that ordinary 3rd when resuming. The son of Shamardal was always travelling smoothly and he won with a great deal in hand. A tilt at the French Derby now seems certain.
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Arrogate, the retired star of the Dubai World Cup, collapsed and died from an as yet undetermined cause. He was just seven-years-old.
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Racing is now underway in England and jockeys had their first taste of racing behind closed doors. Some found riding with masks on hard to take but were only too glad to be back in the saddle. I see that betting shops may open again in the UK on Jun 15.
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This will be some race in the UK, the Coronation Cup which has so many quality stayers in the field including Stradivarius, Anthony Van Dyke, and the likely favourite, the Charlie Appleby trained Ghaiyyath.
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Aidan O'Brien has announced that Frankie Dettori has been booked to ride one of his colts in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket this weekend. There are 15 entries for the Classic and O'Brien has four entries including Arizona, who is at 6-1, and Pinatubo, who already has a win over Arizona in the Dewhurst Stakes to his credit. ."I will be riding for Ballydoyle,"said Frankie on the weekend." Ryan Moore obviously has first choice and has the hot favourite but I am excited about it."
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Frankie Dettori resumed riding at Kempton in the UK where he gained a winner, Galsworthy in a maiden race. Classic racing resumes on the weekend and Dettori said that he will ride Shimmering in the 1000 Guineas … and he will also be back on that great stayer Stradivarius.
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That was an impressive win in Hong Kong on the weekend of the Frankie Lor trained Winning Dreamer, a Karaka purchase out of a Haunui Stud draft and a winner at two trials in NZ for Alex Oliveira before heading to HK. Winning Dreamer is the fourth winner from the broodmare Markisa who is from that great Eight Carat family and related to Shower of Roses and Marquise.

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