THE PETLEY REPORT (AUGUST 19 TO AUGUST 21)

By Jack Petley | Friday, August 21, 2020

There will certainly be high interest in racing at Royal Randwick tomorrow especially the Winx Stakes, the Show County and the Silver Shadow.
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With Funstar, the early favourite, out of the Winx, and now running in the Show County along with the Kiwi mare Probabeel, another NZ bred runner Verry Elleegant has firmed in betting and now sits equal favourite with the star Team Hawkes galloper Master of Wine at $6.50, just ahead of Dreamforce,$7. The smart Kiwi sprinter The Bostonian is at $7.50, then $8.50 Con Te Patiro, $10 Melody Belle, (and firming), $15 Flit, $16 Fierce Impact. Verry Elleegant has won twice at the distance and she doesn't mind a cut in the track which she is likely to get for the race.
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The Winx market changed when Chris Waller confirmed that Funstar would run in the Show County. Early punters were left lamenting when they backed her from $10 to favouritism before Waller announced she would not run.
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Kiwi trainer Tony Pike is more than happy with the inside gate gained for his top sprinter The Bostonian as the star returns to Sydney racing in the Winx Stakes. The Bostonian, the mount of Jay Ford, has drawn gate 1 with Pike saying that draw for his sprinter will be a "distinct advantage." "He is a horse who loves to follow the running rail as he showed in the Canterbury Stakes. Some of the better horses have drawn wide and he should get a lovely trip." And while some trainers will worry about the rain affected track, not Pike. "Winter tracks are no worry.”
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Te Akau's Melody Belle has drawn gate 6 with Kerrin McEvoy to ride. Jamie Richards told the NZ Racing Desk earlier this week that one had to "put a line" through her first up run in Sydney in this campaign when sixth in the Missile Stakes. "Turn the page and get on with it," he said. Richards added that he has been pleased with the work from the mare this week. "Everyone is happy with her," he said. "It looks as though she will be close to the mark for Saturday."
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Richards also has the four-year-old mare Probabeel in the Show County. She has had two trials to get her fit for her return, but Richards feels she may just need the run." But, he added. "I think she is in a good spot to be competitive."
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Richards has just added four more to his Sydney team which is quartered with John Thompson, Vernazza, Pazienza, Get Hitched and Leaderboard. And of the Cambridge Stud owned Vernazza he had this to say to the NZ Racing Desk: "I would say she is an exciting filly that has all in front of her. Her record suggests she is well above average." She will follow the same path as Probabeel did last spring, the Furious, Tea Rose and then the Flight.
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Two NZ breds, Kinane (Race 8) and Brandenburg (Winx) will also attract attention. Both showed excellent form in the three-year-old campaigns, are lightly raced and looking ever so much above average. And both were the medium of massive offers from Hong Kong owners to have them race there, but both sets of owners turned down the offers wishing to keep their respective stars in Australia.
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Brandenburg is at $21 in the Winx but Kiwi John Sargent, who has been in Sydney for some eight years, has stated he feels the now four-year-old is over his odds. And Sargent said this season he will extend the galloper over more ground. "I think he will get 2000 metres eventually. The Epsom and Cox Plate are on the agenda for the galloper, he said.
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Kinane, by the Westbury Stud stallion Reliable Man, runs in the TAB Handicap and he has opened up favourite at $5, ahead of Mint at $5.50, with James McDonald to do the riding for Chris Waller. Whatever both horses do in this race they will improve with the runs. They certainly look young gallopers well able to hold their own with Brandenburg having already done just that with his third in the Gr1 Doncaster.
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See You Soon has held favouritism for the Silver Shadow at $3.40 ahead of Dame Giselle ($3.90) for Team Snowden with Tommy Berry to ride. Berry has been in stunning form this new season with 16 winners to his credit in 20 days, including a win for Chris Waller on the Savabeel galloper Savacool in the $150,000 Hawkesbury Cup. The Kiwi bred beat Girl Tuesday narrowly there with Bjorn Baker's Spencer, third.
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Brad Widdup told the NZ Racing Desk that he is more than happy with the progress of NZ bred Icebath, by Sacred Falls, as she heads to the Imaging Sprint at Randwick. She showed handy form last campaign and looked well when fourth in a recent Gosford trial. "It was a nice trial and she had a gallop at Newcastle between races last Thursday and she has been ticking over nicely," said Widdup of the four-year-old mare. Icebath sits at $5 in the market with Glen Boss to ride with the favourite Valdostana, at $4.90, from the Team Hawkes yard.
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It looks as though there will be international horses in Victoria this spring. I see a report that says that Racing Australia has revealed that travel exemptions for some international staff have already been approved. It has looked as though internationals may be missing but this report says otherwise with a likely 32 horse capacity plane to leave the UK after the Irish St Leger weekend. Staff will have to be in Australia and quarantine before the star gallopers arrive.
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Adam Hyeronimus will now sit on the sidelines for three years after being found guilty of some 30 betting charges with stable-hand Blake Paine also outed for slightly less time. Racing NSW stewards said that the top Sydney jockey had made bets through the Sportsbet account of his cousin, Paine. The stewards said at the inquiry that many text messages and money transfers were ever so crucial in the case against the jockey and his cousin. I gather that he will appeal.
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Chris Waller sent Nature Strip around in a trial over 900 metres at Rosehill and in the hands of Kiwi James McDonald he won easing down by just over five lengths in the cracking time of 54.69s. Waller now will give the $15m Everest favourite a gallop between races at Rosehill on Saturday week and then send him out in the Challenge Stakes. Both Waller and McDonald were over the moon with the workout.
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Waller also had the former Oaks winner in NZ Sentimental Miss at the trials and she won her heat narrowly under the guidance of Hugh Bowman. "Hugh was happy," said Waller of the mare who kicks off her Sydney campaign with a record of three wins from 19 starts for Lisa Latta.
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This is interesting. I see that Melbourne businessman Ozzie Kheir has purchased the top Irish stayer Sir Dragonet from Coolmore and Aidan O'Brien and the horse will now head Down Under to join with the Maher-Eustace stable. With this news, Sir Dragonet has very much firmed in the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup betting. At one stage the stayer was at $50 odd in the Cox Plate and now sits at around $12 with Russian Camelot the favourite.
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That was a good win by the More Joyous colt Best Ever for Peter Moody at Pakenham.
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Tabcorp has been facing a tough battle with the closing off and on of pubs, clubs and betting agencies throughout this wretched virus and I see the group had an annual loss of $870m compared to a $360 m profit last year.
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Ben Currie wins his appeal against that two-and-a-half -year years disqualification.
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UK news: It is Nunthorpe Stakes day at York later today and Charlie Hills is hoping that his brilliant sprinter Battaash can beat the York hoodoo having disappointed there in 2017 and 2018. "He is a very straightforward horse now," said Hills with the sprinter heading into the Nunthorpe on the strength of brilliant wins in the Kings Stand at Ascot and the King George Stakes at Goodwood. Hills says the opposition is strong and he says the three-year-old Art Power will relish the soft track and has strong form.
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The brilliant galloper Ghaiyyath was just too good for his rivals in the Juddmonte International at York for Charlie Appleby and William Buick. He turned on a great display of front running and gained victory by three lengths over Magical and Lord North, giving the stayer his third major for this campaign, following on the wins in the Coronation Cup and the Coral-Eclipse. Appleby is still not certain about a run in the Arc. "There is the Irish Champion, the Arc, Breeders Cup and Japan," he said." So, there are many options.
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The Aidan O'Brien filly Love now sits at 6-4 with one agency and 5-2 with another for the Arc after her great win in the Yorkshire Oaks for Aidan O'Brien. He rated her the best and most exciting filly he has ever trained … some build up. And her wins have been ever so easy this campaign, 4.25 lengths at Newmarket, 9 lengths at Ascot and this time 5 lengths in a canter. Said O'Brien: "I don’t think we have ever had a more exciting filly. I cannot name one. We all saw what she did in the Guineas and the Oaks and we could not be happier with her today."
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Enable now sits at 3-1 for the Arc and that Juddmonte International winner, Ghaiyyath is at 6-1.