THE PETLEY REPORT (JUNE 24-JUNE 30) THE WEEK'S NEWS FROM NSW, VIC, QLD, NZ, HK, JAPAN, IRE & THE UK

By Jack Petley | Tuesday, June 30, 2020

The Chris Waller stranglehold on staying races in both Sydney and Brisbane this winter came to a halt at Rosehill on Saturday after he had earlier taken out the stayers’ race in Brisbane with Another Dollar but failed to take a trick at Rosehill. The stable wound up with a treble at Doomben but only one at Rosehill, Orcein in the May We Play Handicap. The Doomben winners were Starla, Another Dollar and the filly Sure Knee, carrying those famous colours of the Ingham family.
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Kiwis more than held their own at Rosehill with James McDonald booting home a treble thus edging past 100 wins for the season while the in-form Jason Collett gained a double on Steel Diamond and the WJ McKell Cup winner, the Kris Lees-trained Frankely Awesome. Kris Lees admitted after that win by Frankely Awesome that he wondered when her next win would arrive. She had been setback with an injury after tackling the Oaks but now that, with that win on the scoreboard, Lees said that the mare would now likely head to Grafton for the Cup.
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The Ablaze bubble burst when well and truly beaten in the Stayers Cup after being under pressure before the home bend and ending up nine lengths behind the winner, the German bred Sweet Thomas, and costing punters a small fortune. The win was a first in Australia for the Matthew Smith trained stayer, in the hands of Kerrin McEvoy. Sweet Thomas won the German St Leger two years back. The win was a first-rate effort under 60kgs in the heavy ground.
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Ablaze is the NZ bred who has been a wonder horse over jumps for Cairon Maher and David Eustace with his most important win being the Grand Annual Steeplechase. The son of the White Robe stallion Raise the Flag also has the Jericho Cup to his credit and before his sale to Aussie interests won six for his breeders, the Andertons. The Jericho Cup is over 4600 metres, on the flat, and the Chase, a mere 5500 metres. Sydney stable foreman Annabelle Neesham did say before the Stayers Cup that, "It may be a little short for him,” but was still hopeful of a good run.
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Matthew Dunn put the blinkers on Rothenburg and, aided by a rails hugging ride by James McDonald, he gained a strong win in the Highway Handicap.
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Perhaps the most well received win at Rosehill was that of Steel Diamond for Rick Worthington. Worthington has not been in the best of health but this win would have lifted his stocks as the galloper does look above average and she is, of course, a full sister to Graf so she will much value eventually as a broodmare.
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This is interesting. Sweet Thomas, Orcein and another winner, Trumbull are part owned by Francis and Christine Cook and I see they also feature as part owners of Another Dollar, who won in Brisbane, and they had a further two winners at Newcastle, Saigon and Sam Spade, a remarkable feat indeed. What a day for the pair ______________________________________________________________________

For McDonald it hasn't been the best of weeks with that ban over his Threeood.
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James McDonald has lodged his appeal against that three-week ban for his ride on Threeood. The hearing is scheduled for Friday and McDonald has been set to commence his ban after riding at Randwick this weekend. He has a good book of rides for the day and a win or two will give him an even handier lead over Nash Rawiller in the Sydney Premiership.
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In Newcastle, Alakahan was an impressive winner for the red-hot combo of Team Freedman, Anthony and Richard. The four-year-old gelded son of Motivator may not have beaten a strong field but there was much to like by the manner he strode away from his rivals off the home bend. Suggests to me that bigger plums are ahead for the four-year-old.
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Kiwi jumpers had their fair share of luck at the Casterton meeting with Woodsman winning the Solutions Hurdle and two races later Shamal outstaying his rivals in the Two Rivers Steeplechase.
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Not much has changed in the $15m Everest betting with Chris Waller's Nature Strip, the only horse having gained a slot so far, favourite at $4 ahead of $8 Alligator Blood, $9 Bivouac and Classique Legend, $11 Farnan and $15 Gytrash, Loving Gaby, Master Crusader, Pinatubo, Rothfire, Santa Anna Lane, Tofane and Trekking. I see that the UK star Battaash is at $26, the same line at the Kiwi rising four-year-old Catalyst.
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Farnan currently sits favourite at $6 for the Golden Eagle ahead of $7 Rothfire with Doubtland, Kings Legacy, Peltzer all on $15.
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The stake levels will be restored by Racing NSW with Sydney Saturday meetings back to $125,000, midweeks back to $50,000 and the provincials back to $35,000 with showcase races in the country back to $30,000. Wonderful news!
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That driving win on the Mike Moroney trained She's a Thief at Caulfield on the weekend gave Kiwi Daniel Stackhouse his 124th winner for the season and he now sits at the top one ahead of suspended Jye McNeill and making every post a winning post to take out the Victorian Jockey Premiership, a remarkable accomplishment for a rider who, at one time, concentrating on jumps riding because of his weight, in NZ.
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Craig Williams holds a handy lead over Damian Oliver on the Melbourne Premiership ladder with 62 winners after having ridden a double on the weekend. That puts Williams seven ahead of his arch rival. Williams and Oliver, between them, have collected 18 Premierships.
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Can Melbourne officials tempt that outstanding Japanese filly Chrono Genesis to the Valley for the $3m WS Cox Plate? She won the Takarazuka Kinen hands down at Hanshin on the weekend the same race that Lys Gracieux won last year and who then dropped into Melbourne and raced away with the Cox Plate and a cheque of $4m with there being a bonus if the winner of the Takarazuka runs and wins at the Valley.
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Chrono Genesis never looked in danger of defeat once rider Yuichi Kitamura allowed her to stride to the front. This race is often used as a stepping stone for the Arc, but I see that this year, when early entries were taken, her name was missing and in fact only one Japanese galloper Deidre is amongst the entries. The Breeders Cup could well be on the agenda for the filly. Several runners at that meeting last year went on to race for buckets of money in Saudi Arabia, in January. So, it will be interesting to see which way the connections go. One thing she has been firmed for the Cox Plate and now sits at $11, in from $15 to be on the same line as that wonderful Japanese mare Almonde Eye.
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One local galloper likely to head to the Cox Plate is Fierce Impact, who was in fine form for Matthew Smith. Last campaign Fierce Impact won the Toorak and the Cantala, both Gr1s. I note that studs have been seeking him for this season but Smith has said he will race on with his likely first up run being The Winx Stakes at Randwick late in August.
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English trainers are ever so hopeful of having runners in Melbourne this spring but many plans are on hold because of the virus which has taken hold again in Victoria. The O'Briens have some handy stayers earmarked for the trip Down Under including Buckhurst and Twilight Payment for Joseph, but the Team Williams owned pair may have to be kept in Europe for the year. Twilight Payment ran 11th in the Melbourne Cup last year. He won the Vintage Crop the other day for the young trainer and has dropped to $40 in the Cup betting.
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The current CEO of the Victoria Racing Club, Neil Wilson, will become chairman later in the year replacing Amanda Elliot while the new directors have been named, popular Godolphin managing director Vin Cox, Dave Barham and Michael Saadie.
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The big news out of Queensland, several trainers charged by stewards for allegedly procuring substances in preparations. Those charged have been advised and trainers will submit written submissions to go in front of an inquiry at a date not known at present.
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I note that the smart galloper Graf won a trial at Deagon for Kris Lees and the Ramornie Handicap at Grafton is on the agenda for the sprinter.
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Baylee Nothdurft has lodged winner number 100 for the season.
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That wonderful galloper Pierata is attracting great interest at his new home at Aquis in the Hunter Valley and I see that stud will also stand another son of Pierro, Bellevue Hill, who will stand there at a fee of $11,000 plus GST.
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"For too long our domestic racing industry has been left to fade into obscurity at the expense of jobs and the passionate people and communities that support it," so stated Winston Peters when welcoming the third reading of the Racing Industry Bill in the NZ Parliament creating the legislative framework for revitalising the racing industry while limiting the future of Government intervention.
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With the passing of the bill, RITA will be dissolved and NZ TAB will be established as the commercial betting operator while administrations functions will be devoted to the three codes. The Racing Industry Bill comes into force on August 1.
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New Zealand Bloodstock announced that they have extended their entry cut-off date for the 2020 Ready to Run sale of two-year-olds until August 7. In the last six years the sale has produced an unrivalled 20 Group 1 winners and 132 stakes winners with graduates having won seven Derbys and 14 Guineas in that same period.
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I see that No Limits, who cost David Ellis $1.4m out of the Karaka Book 1 sale last year, looked very smart when he won a trial at Te Rapa … thus the son of Savabeel has posted two wins and a placing in his three trials so far. "He wasn't there to exert himself but just a day of teaching him of the job ahead. I am happy with him and Opie (Bosson) said he has got a good attitude." said Te Akau's trainer Jamie Richards.
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Kiwi John Sargent, one of the good guys of racing, always has a good horse or two, or more, in his Randwick yard and I feel this coming season he could well have a star in the rising four-year-old Brandenburg, a son of the ill-fated Burgundy. The three-year-old won the Hobartville in February and has placings in the Randwick Guineas and the Doncaster. Sargent says the young galloper has come back matured. "I thought he was a little weak last campaign but he still ran third in a Doncaster." said Sargent … and I also note that big money has been turned down for the rising four-year-old. "We waived off some big offers over the last few months," Sargent told the NZ Racing Desk.
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Think this is a good yarn … over the years Rudy Liefting has tried his hand at many aspects in the racing industry. "I have done everything, trained, owned, had trotters, played polo, shod horses, been a saddler.” Rudy told NZ Racing Desk. So, he thought it would be great to breed a winner, and he did just that the other day when Fast Mover was successful at Pukekohe.
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The winner is a product of Liefting's homebred stallion, Move Faster standing at his Kakapo Lodge. "We had this guy help with the stallion as I hadn't done that side of things and the horse served a couple of mares and Fast Mover is one result. I must say a real feel good yarn!
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Haunui Stud shuttle stallion Belardo is certainly making a cracking start to his career in Europe when he had his fifth first crop winner, Elysium, at Navan in Ireland earlier this week. Dual group winner Belardo is the only son of Lope De Vega at stud in the southern hemisphere and his fee at the Chitty family farm, Haunui, is a handy $10,000 plus GST.
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That was a grand win by NZ bred Dances with Dragon at Sha Tin. He did his early racing out of the Te Akau stables. He cost David Ellis some $230,000 and the son of Savabeel gained some strong wins in NZ before being sold overseas, including the Levin Classic and the Listed Zacinto Stakes. He is one of 99 stakes winners by Savabeel and earlier in the card another Savabeel, Regency Master, was successful.
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I see Joao Moreira gained a double at Sha Tin on the weekend but he is running out of time to head off Aussie Zac Purton who has a lead of six with five meetings to go.
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The race for the Trainers Premiership in Honk Kong is running hot. Francis Lui has won six races in the past week and he is now only one behind the leader on the ladder, Ricky Yui.
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John Moore, soon to move to Sydney and train out of Rosehill, had a double at Shat Tin and he has now won 53 races this season.
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In Ireland the Aidan O'Brien stable reigned supreme in the Irish Derby producing the first four home in the Classic headed by the superbly bred Santiago. "He is a lovely staying horse," said the champion trainer of the winner. "I have no doubt he will be a Cups horse next campaign." The three-year-old was handled with great confidence by Seamie Heffernan and that gave him his fourth Irish Derby victory.
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The 1000 Guineas winner Love heads the entries for the Epsom Oaks and, if the Galileo filly wins the Oaks, she will be the first to complete the double since Minding.
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That grand mare Magical ran out an easy winner of the Pretty Polly Stakes for Aidan O'Brien. The mare has now been placed at 3-1 for the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and I see that the O'Brien star Japan will run in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes. "The King George is the obvious next race," said O'Brien of Magical and I also note that winning rider Seamie Heffernan commented she was " as good a horse as he had ever sat on." And he has ridden some beauties including Galileo, Yeats, High Chaparral and Dylan Thomas.
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It is also interesting that Magical was to have been covered by No Nay Never but returned to the racetrack instead when O'Brien said she had developed even further and was ready for another campaign.
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Trainer Charlie Appleby says he has his star galloper Ghaiyyath ready for a big run against that crackerjack mare Enable in the Eclipse. He has won seven of his 10 races, including 2 Group l’s and he has opened at 5-2 for the Eclipse with Enable, who I am told has been working the house down this past week or so, a hot favourite at 10-11. Appleby says that in the past few months his stayer has matured and improved." We are dealing with a much better horse," he said from Longchamp where the Appleby yard provided first and second in the Prix de la Porte Maillot with Space Blues and D'Bai.
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Tom Marquand lost the ride on English King in the Epsom Derby to in-form Frankie Dettori but he has gained a top ride since then, Khalifa Sat, who sits at 16-1 for the big Classic at Epson. Marquand won the recent Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood recently on the colt and he is delighted to renew his association with the son of Free Eagle, trained by Andrew Balding. Latest Epsom Derby betting: 5-2 English King, 7-2 Kameko,7 Russian Emperor, 9 Vatican City, 10 Mogul and upward others.
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Ben Curtis has been booked for Highland Chief in the Derby and this will be his first ride in the Epsom Classic.
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Liam Treadwell, who won the 2009 Aintree on 100-1 shot Mon Mone, passed away at the age of 34.
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Owners in the UK will be allowed back on track from July 4.
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Pat Hyland retires after a celebrated career as jockey and trainer.
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I also note the retirement in Queensland of handicapper Lester Grimmett after 50 years employment.

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