THE PETLEY REPORT (JULY 22 TO JULY 24): THE ALLIGATOR BLOOD CASE COULD BE HEADING TO COURT

By Jack Petley | Friday, July 24, 2020

Alligator Blood has lost the $1.16m Magic Millions Guineas purse after it was found he was presented to race with a prohibited substance with traces of altrenogest found in a post-race sample … but, I gather, this won’t be the end of the saga. In fact, it is likely to be the start of many legal battles as there is talk already of a challenge heading towards the Supreme Court. David Vandyke, the trainer of the speedster, was fined $20,000.
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The Alligator Blood decision means that another $800,000 (the difference between first and second place) should jump into the kitty for connections of the runner up in the event, the Greg Hickman trained Eleven Eleven.
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Warwick Farm trainer Greg Hickman will line up the promising galloper Travest at Rosehill this weekend and he believes the son of Tavistock will only improve with time. "There is not a lot of him and it will be good when he goes to the paddock and grows into himself," he said of the galloper who ran a handy third at Randwick last time out.
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She hasn't been on the Kosciuszko radar so far but trainer Edward O'Rourke is hoping that all is changed when Tardis heads to Rosehill on the weekend. The Murwillumbah trainer has three down for Rosehill, but his focus is very much on the five-year-old announcing herself as a contender for the $1.3m country feature in October.
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Alysha Collett is now settled in Sydney. I think she will slot in well in the NSW scene. She is, like her brother, a very talented rider.
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Francis Finnigan is confident that NZ bred galloper Lord Bouzeron will be ever so competitive tomorrow in the Mark Needham Handicap. The former Kiwi trained galloper was impressive when he won at his debut for the trainer a fortnight ago and Finnigan says the horse is fit and well and "incredibly tough." Lord Bouzeron currently sits at $5.50 in the market behind the Maher-Eustace galloper Persan ($3) and Danny O'Brien's NZ bred Grinzinger Allee ($3.60) and that galloper, said Finnigan is the one that he most fears.
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It has been a good month for the Finnigan and Bambry family. Finnigan's sister in law, Chrissy Bambry, who is still in the ownership of Lord Bouzeron, has been in fine form in NZ with 11 winners for the season and 13 placings from less than 60 runners.
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The association between Kiwi Chris Faulkner and the Randwick trainers, Jim and Greg Lee goes back many years, to the time when the Lee’s purchased Tierra Rist from Faulkner and went onto win majors including the Tatts Cup and the Underwood Cup, back in the 80s. This week Faulkner had two runners from the yard, Notabadidea and Notabadharada with the first named winning at Canterbury Park in the hands of Glyn Scholfield and the other stablemate finishing third.
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Notabadidea was taken out of the Ready to Run sale in NZ from the Riversley Stud draft for $100,000 and his breeze up partner was none other than this year's Hong Kong Derby winner, Golden Sixty. And remember this, the Lees are very keen on another Faulkner horse, Notabadbet. Greg Lee described Notabadbet as being " another cracker."
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Streets of Avalon, winner of the Group 1 Futurity Stakes last campaign, kicks off this weekend in the Bletchingly Stakes and then will head into tackling Group 1 events in the spring in Victoria. The sprinter heads to Caulfield this weekend as the winner of 9 of his 44 starts. Races in mind looking ahead include the Lawrence Stakes and the Memsie. Other top sprinters headed for this weekend include the tough galloper Jungle Edge and Viridine.
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That close second to the star Kiwi jumper Tallyho Twinkletoe by the NZ bred Bee Tee Junior has his new trainer, Rachael Cunningham, hoping to reverse the placings in the Grand National Hurdle next month. Cunningham said yesterday that she had taken a lot of confidence out of last Sunday's run when Bee Tee Junior finished hard late and all but grabbed Tallyho Twinkletoe on the line. "He is a magnificent animal. He has a cool personality. He is a real character and he thinks he is the best one out there." Cunningham said many told her before the Sunday event that she was being too ambitious, "But, I knew he had the class to be hard to beat." pointing out the son of Nom Du Jeu had won eight on the flat and one hurdle before transferring to her Pakenham stable. Bee Tee Junior is still part owned by former trainer, Shaune Ritchie.
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NZ bred Mystery Shot is going for his fifth win on end this weekend at Caulfield … and this is likely to be his last run before a well-earned rest. He was bred by Inglewood Stud and had trialled on four occasions in NZ before syndicator Brad Spicer an agent Gary Carvell liked what they saw and made a private purchase. "He has been pretty impressive in the last part of the winter," said Spicer of the son of Shooting to Win. Already in his mind is the All Star Mile in the autumn.
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The Blandford Lodge (Matamata) bred Blandford Lad gained his second win on end when successful for Peter Gelagotis at Sandown with the trainer commenting that the galloper, with Blandford Lodge principals, Graham and Helen-Gaye Bax, still in the ownership, "is starting to live up to his ticket I put on him early doors." The galloper is a full brother to big winner Lucia Valentina. Now the trainer is eyeing off better races in the spring.
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New strict rules for the use of the whip in Victoria. Minimum suspension will be handed out for a jockey who is two over the permitted five strikes before the 1000 metre mark and if the number of uses of the whip is 16 or more.
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Face masks are now compulsory for residents of Victoria and masks will be worn by all those who attend race meetings including jockeys, but masks will not be compulsory in a race itself.
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The COVID-19 virus is running rampant in Victoria and it won't be long, I would say with the way the figures are climbing, that masks will be compulsory in NSW.
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Michael Coleman, one of the finest jockeys in the history of NZ racing, has decided to call it a day on his career which gained him 2131 winners and which saw him become the seventh jockey in the Land of the Long White Cloud to have ridden 2000 winners or more. Coleman suffered a broken femur and serious pelvic injuries when injured when a horse he was riding to the barrier reared and fell backwards. That was at the Rotorua trials on June 10. He was rushed to hospital, had surgery on an injured leg and not long after a pelvic operation. That, and facing a fair period of rehabilitation, prompted his decision.
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This was an interesting winner at Avondale, All Black Bourbon, trained by Stephen Marsh and raced by American investor Dennis Foster, who heads the Bourbon Lane partnership. Foster is a former pilot and corporate executive and has owned thoroughbred farms in Florida and Kentucky and has been involved with horses since 1973.
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All Black Bourbon (by Highly Recommended), who was winning on his debut, was taken out of the Karaka sale ring for $110,000 and he had been placed in his three trials before his win. He is one of six horses of the US partnership in training with Marsh at Cambridge … four two-year-olds and two yearlings. "He is a horse with a bright future," said Marsh after the youngster had been successful in the hands of Danielle Johnson.
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Good day for trainer Stephen Autridge at Avondale gaining a win with the Savabeel three-year-old Prosperous, by five lengths, and a second with well bred colt Kurt behind debut winner All Black Bourbon.
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The talented jumper Justa Charlie has been retired due to unsoundness after that game second at Te Rapa the other day. He had earlier suffered tendon problems and he was sore again after the last run. "It is not a major at this stage but it would be unfair to carry on," said trainer Harvey Wilson. "He has been a wonderful horse for us and the people who raced him."
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UK trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam is talking up a likely trip to the Melbourne Spring Carnival with Deja. The stayer won the Old Newton Cup at Haydock recently and now the trainer has his sights set on the Ebor on August 22. A big run there and Deja, said the trainer will be entered for both the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup.
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From the UK, John Gosden reports that his great mare Enable is ready to repel the small but solid challenge from the Aidan O'Brien yard in this weekend's King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. And if she wins Enable will be the first to take the race three times, with Dahlia and Swain having been successful twice.
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Aidan O'Brien has named his runners to take on the great mare, Japan, Anthony Van Dyke and Sovereign with stablemates Magical, Magic Wand and Sir Dragonet to tackle the Tattersals’ Cup at the Curragh on Sunday. Enable is at 4-7 in the betting to gain her third win in the prestigious event and Gosden says that she will "strip in wonderful order" after her first up defeat. "She is ever so well," said the top trainer.
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Interesting the No1 rider for the O'Brien yard has been given the mount on Japan in the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Oisin Murphy rides Anthony Van Dyck and William Buick will be on Sovereign.
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Latrobe will run for Joseph O'Brien in the Silver Stakes at Leopardstown and he will also saddle up Raise You and Bolleville for the event and he is quoted as saying that Latrobe is "dangerous to underestimate."
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Further news from the UK is that the great stayer Stradivarius will run next Tuesday in the Goodwood Cup and he will be going for his fourth success in the race. A big danger to the star stayer is Santiago.
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While the Japanese stallion Satono Alladin (by Deep Impact) is unable to make it this spring to Rich Hill Stud at Walton there has been good news for the stud with the Japanese bred yearlings selling for big money at the Japan Select Sale. He has four lots catalogued and the first through the ring, a filly out of Esentepe (Oratorio) made 40 million yen (NZ$564,000), and that was then bettered for a colt from the Monsun mare Mystique, $60m yen ($NZ846,000), then followed 34 million yen ($NZ478,000) for the filly from C Karma and finally 21million yen ($NZ296,000) for a filly from the Sadler's Wells mare Semelle de Vent. The young sire has been unable to return to shuttle to Rich Hill this spring because of transport issues because of the virus. "We look forward to his return in 2021,"said Rich Hill boss, John Thompson.

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