THE PETLEY REPORT: TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS ARE STILL UP IN THE AIR FOR OVERSEAS HORSES, TRAINERS & STAFF

By Jack Petley | Friday, July 31, 2020

Who will be training the star Kiwi sprinter The Bostonian when he settles in Sydney for his first planned run, the Winx Stakes on August 22, and maybe, just maybe, a place in the $15m Everest field. Trainer Tony Pike told the NZ racing Desk earlier this week that he, and other Kiwi trainers, are uncertain of what lies ahead with Australia being battered by Covid 19. Pike has The Bostonian booked for Sydney on August 17 … he would trial beforehand in New Zealand … and Pike is hopeful a staff member can be sent to Australia earlier to quarantine. Pike is not the only Kiwi trainer concerned. Others are and he said many are working through different scenarios and he said there are upwards of 15 to 20 horses involved.
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Pike has been in talks with an Australian immigration expert but, at this time, has been unable to have clarified as to whether staff members can gain exemptions to enter Australia. "Time is of the essence," said Pike. "We are getting closer to the spring and it is the million-dollar question as to what will happen. It is getting very tight." If staff cannot make it across the Tasman many trainers will need to look at Sydney trainers for their spring hopes. Murray Baker, for one, would have no concerns about that as his son Bjorn is at Warwick Farm.
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Meantime I note in a story in the UK press that trainers there will miss out on runs for their top stayers in the Caulfield Cup. Only one shipment, the story noted, would be coming out from the UK with the earlier one of last year, where horses were able to arrive two weeks before the Cup so they would be out of quarantine in time, now being cancelled.
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The one and only shipment will leave after the Irish Champions Weekend or the St Leger meeting before heading Down Under. That shipment will carry 32 horses but, like the Kiwis trainers, there is uncertainty about staff travelling because of Covid, especially as it is at present raging in Melbourne and also not under control in the UK. Many horses will head to local trainers. Others will stay in the care of their overseas trainers, but that is still not clear. The Caulfield Cup has been a good run into the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup so it will be greatly missed by the raiders … and also missed in the schedule is the Herbert Power. Nine international horses featured as a drawcard on Caulfield Guineas day last year so their presence will be missed.
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With the likelihood of only one flight into Australia this spring, not two, trainer Charlie Fellowes is accepting the fact that he won't get a run in the Caulfield Cup with much travelled Prince of Arran. Horses won't travel Down Under until after the Irish Champions weekend and that will mean missing a run in the Herbert Power. "I would say he will run first-up in the Geelong Cup," said the UK trainer of his stayer who has been third and second in the last two Melbourne Cups.
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Star Tasmanian mare Mystic Journey is building to her spring campaign. She won a barrier trial at Devonport earlier this week … and won so impressively too. I am told and she is likely to kick off in Melbourne in the Lawrence Stakes as she heads towards the Cox Plate.
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While Hugh Bowman sits out the next six weeks with that suspension over the Andrew Adkins fall last week, other top riders, James McDonald, Glen Boss and Kerrin McEvoy make their returns.
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Bowman produced some 20 still photos at the inquiry into the Adkins fall, but nonetheless he was outed for six weeks. He did express regret for the fall and he told stewards he was "remorseful for the incident which happened," but he did say that the incident was not a rushed spur of the moment decision. Not only was Adkins badly injured but his mount Hot ‘N’ Hazy was put down and another runner, the promising Sunborn has to undergo surgery on a broken bone in a near foreleg.
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McDonald, the Premiership winner of the 2019/20 season, has three excellent mounts to kick off the new season at Royal Randwick … Word for Word, Kiss the Bridge and Savigne … with those three having the Kiwi connection with Kiss the Bridge trained by Bjorn Baker and the other two by NZ born Chris Waller. McEvoy comes back after not having ridden since July 4 and Glen Boss, July 11.
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McDonald, by the way, wound up with 103 1/2 winners in Sydney for the season and he finished with six Gr 1 wins … and he has much to look forward to this season with Chris Waller starting to tune up his spring team which will include the brilliant Nature Strip, already a slot holder in the $15m Everest and the outstanding NZ bred mare and still part owned there, Verry Elleegant. They will trial early next week.
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Waller is, yet again, the winner of another Premiership, his 10th and with the stake won by his runners, $44.5m, beating his previous best of $43.76 which he set last season.
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Today will see some top class gallopers out to show off their worth at Randwick trials including Kolding, Kings Will Dream, the high-class four-year-old mare for Jamie Richards, Proabeel and her stablemate Melody Belle. Con Te Partiro will also be out and about for the powerful Bott-Waterhouse yard and the Gr1 winning mare may well be seen in the US later this year at the Breeders Cup meet, but that would, I say, depend on the progress made in the US with Covid 19 with that country well and truly under the pump. Also, out will be Splintex for Mark Newnham with the young Warwick Farm trainer having enjoyed a very successful season and included in his spring team are Greysful Glamour and Quackerjack.
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News out of the Mike Moroney Melbourne camp is that the stakes winner Santa Catarina has entered his yard for owner Lib Petagna. The mare was formerly with Stephen Marsh at Cambridge and she kicks off tomorrow at Moonee Valley with her NZ record being five wins from 17 starts. Plans are open for the future of the well-bred mare with Moroney saying that the mare could head to stud this spring and a mating with Alabama Express. The wide draw tomorrow is a worry said the NZ born trainer. "She seems good and her work has been good, but the draw is a worry."
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Star jumper Tallyho Twinkletoe has been given a massive 73.5kgs to carry in the Grand National Hurdle at Sandown this weekend. If successful the Kiwi star will create a new weight carrying record with the best carried so far to victory being the 72kgs carried by the brilliant Black and Bent back in 2013. Tallyho Twinkletoe won the National last year under 67.5kgs. Gobstopper will have 3kgs less than his arch rival and a further NZ bred star, Ablaze, will carry 69.5kgs.
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Sam Freedman will join his dad Anthony in a training partnership in the new season.
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News from the William Pike camp … fresh from breaking the record for the number of winning rides in a season ... Pike has been booked for the top stayer Schabau, trained by Robert Hickmott, in the Melbourne Cup. Pike will be riding through the spring in Melbourne to partner with several smart gallopers owned by Bob Peters including Windstorm and Regal Power.
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It has been a while but I see that Racing Queensland, at last, have signed a new deal with Sky Racing for the next decade.
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Chris Whiteley, a jockey based in Queensland, has been outed for two months being found guilty of failing to give his mount Silent Explorer ever chance in a race at Cairns on June 25. He has enjoyed a very good season with 68.5 winners. I gather he will appeal.
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Lisa Allpress has just won her fourth Premiership in New Zealand but she told the NZ Racing Desk that she has ruled out a fifth premiership this season. The reason, she will soon to enter hospital for hip replacement surgery. "That will keep me out for say two months but I will be back and hopefully pain free. That pain has been bad and restrictive and I certainly haven't been feeling that great at some meetings." Altogether she has won Premierships in 2011-12, 2015-16 and last season as well as this term. And the highlight of this past season for Allpress was that winning ride at the Saudi meeting in January. "That was something I am definitely proud of. It was an amazing experience and to do it riding alongside some of the best jockeys in the world, something I will never forget."
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The powerful Kiwi partnership of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman have their star gallopers being readied for spring racing in Australia. But what path Quick Thinker, The Chosen One and True Enough will take will, said Murray Baker, be guided by the Covid situation in Australia. He said he is hopeful that staff members will be able to enter Australia before the horses are shipped. "It is just working through the logistics," Murray told the NZ Racing Desk.
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The Chosen One and Quick Thinker were out at the Te Rapa trials yesterday with The Chosen One finishing strongly to win his heat. Quick Thinker, on the other hand, finished at the end of the trials field. Said Baker of The Chosen One: "It was great to see him back. He is still an entire and he is very genuine." And of Quick Thinker, "He is an older entire now and just a few gallops behind where he would normally be at this time of the year. It will take a little longer to get some of the pudding off him."
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That win by Al Haram at Avondale on the weekend gave apprentice Joe Kamaruddin his first winner on a Te Akau trained galloper. He will remember the win on two counts. Not only did he boot home his first winner but the Malaysian born lad was suspended for three days for causing interference in the race. That win took Jamie Richards tally for the season to 101.
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UK news: That great UK stayer Stradivarius continued his wonderful form with a great win in the Goodwood Cup beating off a challenge from Nayef Road and Santiago. Trainer John Gosden said his star would run in the Prix Foy next in France and then be freshened for the Arc and a clash with his great stablemate Enable. "We hope to have them both there," said Gosden," but there are banana skins around the corner." And as for a rider for the pair, Frankie Dettori will decide that said Gosden.
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Frankie Dettori said of Stradivarius’s latest win: "You go from a superstar like Enable to an absolute champion like this horse in three days, stuff of dreams."
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Enable is the hot favourite in early betting for the Arc and Stradivarius now sits at 14-1.
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That win by Mohaather at Goodwood the other day further brought into prominence his sire Showcasing who shuttles from Europe to Haunui Farm every spring. "He is an absolute aeroplane," said winning rider Jim Crowley of the Marcus Tregonning trained colt. "This is a very serious racehorse." Showcasing has been shuttling to Haunui for the past seven years.
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Fancy Blue won at Gr1 1 level for Donnacha O'Brien at Goodwood and the young trainer says the top galloper may head towards the Arc and a clash with Love and Enable. He is also looking at the Breeders Cup but of course that will depend on borders into the US being open. Japan is also on the radar for the daughter of Deep Impact.
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Mogul gained a strong win in the Gordon Stakes / A stone bruise may have been the cause of that below form run by Japan in the King George and Queen Elizabeth and Jim Crowley is looking forward to be re-united with star sprinter Battaash at Goodwood. Battaash takes on six rivals in the King George Qatar Stakes.
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News in the UK press is that New Zealand owner and breeder Sir Owen Glenn has brought a majority share in the very promising stayer Dashing Willoughby through his Go Racing banner. The sale went through earlier in the week and Sir Owen released as the major buyer yesterday. Sir Owen has had some top horses through his hands including Criterion, Monaco Consul and Comin’ Through and this latest purchase will head Down Under for the Melbourne Cup.
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Dashing Willoughby recently won the Henry 11 Stakes for Andrew Balding at Sandown and he will likely have his last run before shipping to Australia in the Lonsdale Cup on August 21. And I see that well-known Kiwi agent Paul Moroney, ever so successful in his field, played a hand in the sourcing of this stayer.

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