THE PETLEY REPORT (AUGUST 22 to AUGUST 25)

By Jack Petley | Tuesday, August 25, 2020

The outstanding Kiwi bred and still part owned Verry Elleegant, by Zed, took her earnings to past the $3.5m when she climbed off the canvass to beat another NZ bred Star of the Seas (Ocean Park) by a mere whisker in the $500,000 Winx Stakes at Randwick. And she did it the hard way, wide throughout, in front off the home bend, headed by her stablemate and then rising to the occasion for James McDonald.
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"Horses just don't do that. They don't sit four wide without cover for the last 700 metres, get headed and win," so said Kiwi trainer Nick Bishara, who had Verry Elleegant before she was sold to Australia. He and breeder Don Goodwin still have a share still in the mare and so to do fellow Kiwis John and Mark Carter of Jomara Bloodstock. "It is an unreal ride for me," said Bishara."I have had to mortgage my house twice just to stay in the game through the dark times," he told the NZ Racing Desk. His boutique training operation has been in fine form over the past two years or so.
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What now for the outstanding mare? Maybe the Melbourne Cup. Maybe the Cox Plate. Weight given will probably determine that but meantime, said trainer Chris Waller, she will contest the George Main Stakes. McDonald rated the win "remarkable" and commented that she had improved so much from her last campaign. "Absolute star," he said.
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Saddling the quinella in the Winx Stakes was a great result for Chris Waller, trainer of the champion Winx, but it could have been even more memorable. Stablemate Imaging was beaten narrowly into third place by Jason Collett on Fierce Impact, who, by the way looks headed for a big spring for Matthew Smith.
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Tony Pike said he was happy with the run of The Bostonian in the Winx … he finished seventh … and said the star sprinter would improve a great deal with the outing. He will discuss further Sydney racing with owner David Archer, but has in mind looking at either the Chelmsford Stakes and then the George Main.
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Pike said that he will soon have Catalyst and River Run join The Bostonian in Sydney and with travelling foreman Chris McNab due out of quarantine next Friday the horses will all link up and head to the Rosehill the base has set up at Rosehill. “River Run is nicely rated in Sydney that is why the decision was made to send him over," said Pike, who will take care of Catalyst with his trainer Clayton Chipperfield unable to head to Oz.
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Team Hawkes were well pleased with that run in the Winx Stakes by the Savabeel galloper Zebrowski, still part owned by Windsor Park Stud, where he was bred. "He ran super," said Wayne Hawkes." Now we can start making inroads towards the Caulfield Cup," he said of the stayer who ran second in the Australian Derby last campaign.
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Other outstanding performances on the weekend in Australia including those by It's Me, Roheryn and Talilleur who made her rivals looks second rate at Moonee Valley and took her form to four wins and a second from as many starts. She is very, very good.
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But there was one winner who really captured my imagination, NZ bred Mo'unga, named after Kiwi rugby star Richie. In typical Waller style the three-year-old dropped back early to get into rhythm. On the home turn he was not much closer. Off the bend, no closer … but then Kiwi Magorrian asked him to lengthen stride and boy did he do just that. He gathered in his rivals so, so easily and rushed away. It may have only been a Newcastle Bench 64, but it was some win.
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Mo’unga is by Savabeel. He is from the O'Reilly mare Chandelier and this Savabeel-O'Reilly cross has produced 14 stakes winners to date. Aquis went to $325,000 to take the colt out of the Waikato Stud draft at Karaka and they look to have yet another very serious racehorse on their books. "He will stay all day," said Magorrian, with the three-year-old now favourite for the Spring Champion Stakes.
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Savabeel certainly has been a major success for Waikato Stud. When Savacool won the Hawkesbury Cup for the Waller yard that was the stallion's 100th individual stakes winner. The progeny of the former outstanding racehorse have been a major drawcard for overseas buyers at Karaka.
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And further success for New Zealanders, Bjorn Baker won two at Randwick, with Kiss the Bride and the grey Frosty Socks (from end to end) and both wins gave Josh Parr a boost having just resumed riding after suffering a shoulder injury back in early May.
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Super win by Dame Giselle in the Silver Shadow, made easier, maybe, with the withdrawal of favourite See You Soon at the start … and a top ride by McDonald on John Thomson's mare Sweet Deal in the Toy Show under her 59kgs.
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While one star galloper, Melody Belle, returns to New Zealand after two unplaced efforts in Sydney, two more crackerjack gallopers, The Chosen One and Quick Thinker, head the other way, to Melbourne.
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The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman pair, The Chosen One and Quick Thinker, will clash in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on September 13 and they will be kept to weight for age racing as both, said Forsman, have qualified for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.
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At first, Baker and Forsman had given thoughts to their Cup hopefuls Quick Thinker and The Chosen One heading into Sydney. They even had travelling foreperson Aleisha Legg in Sydney in quarantine after gaining a travel exemption but those plans changes. Andrew Forsman said Legg would be out of quarantine about the time the horses arrive in Melbourne and she will head south as soon as possible.
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The move to have Melody Belle back in NZ has been made by the group ownership of the 10 times Gr1 winner. The group are keen to see their pride and joy race in the flesh as opposed by watching her on TV in Australia. "I had an amazing response from the syndicate members," said Fortuna Syndications John Galvin. "I have been inundated with positive comments with people saying they can't wait to see her and catch up with all of the crew." That is a 34 strong syndicate.
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Jamie Richards did not have any luck with Melody Belle, but he must have been overjoyed by the brilliant late finish by Probabeel behind the Godolphin winner Roheryn, in the hands of Jason Collett. in the Show County. With luck, Probabeel would have won with a clear passage, but Richards must have been pleased as he said during the week the filly may need the run. Next time she will be much tougher. Richards said he has an option to run the mare in the Tramway Stakes in two weeks time or the Bill Ritchie after that. Probabeel’s arch rival of last campaign, the heavily backed Funstar ran sixth.
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It was a fine ride by Collett on Probabeel and he also showed his class with a decisive win on It's Me, who beat stablemate Pinnacle Prince in the TAB Highway. Collett kept his mount back early, into rhythm and didn't make his bid until the last 150 metres. The finish was whirlwind. The Kiwi is riding in rare form and, in the last six months, his riding looks to have gone to another level.
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Jason Collett rode the brilliant South Australian sprinter Gytrash in a trial at Warwick Farm and he has already been booked to ride the $15m Everest runner when he resumes in the Concorde Stakes. Gytrash was given a solid trial and he went close to beating the smart Joe Pride sprinter Fasika.
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The star Bott-Waterhouse colt Farnan will trial at Randwick this week as will another very smart three-year-old King's Legacy.
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Sydney apprentice Tom Sherry was fined $1000 by NSW Racing stewards when he went home to have a sweat (given permission) between his rides in Race 1 and the last … but he popped into a shopping centre on the way. Sherry was also outed for four weeks for his ride on Al Snip at Wyong on July 31 being found not to have given his mount every chance to win.
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At Ballarat the two NZ bred jumps stars, Bee Tee Junior and Ablaze ran first (Bee Tee Junior) and second in the Grand National Hurdle with jockey Lee Horner also winning on Flying Agent and the Houlahan Hurdle on Instigator.
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Meantime. much drama in Victoria with Moonee Valley abandoned mid-way through the card because of wild weather … and that major Covid 19 scare at the Cranbourne complex. An employee of Richard Lamming tested positive to the virus and then followed the withdrawal of his runners at the Valley and also caused other stables to be placed in lockdown including those held by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, Wendy Kelly, Michael Trotter, and Nathan Dunn … and Michael Walker, Jason Benbow and Alexandra Bryan were stood down from their rides. It shows how easily the racing industry can be thrown into chaos.
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Savatiano has opened up favourite for the Memsie Stakes at $4.50 followed by: 5 Behemoth, 6 Arcadia Queen, 9 Mystic Journey, 11 Cascadian, 13 Regal Power, 15 Glenfidditch, Mr Quickie, Sicconi.
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Meantime, in Sydney, Anders and Peltzer are early favourites for the San Domenico, at $4, then 5 Coubtland, Mamaragan, Prague, 9 Global Quest, 13 Every Rose.
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Great day for the new training partnership of Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray when the combo gained their first winner, Claiborne, over 1600 metres at Matamata on the weekend. He is a son of the Danehill mare Sabino Canyon and hails from the extended family that includes Gr1 Ascot Gold Cup winner, Celeric. The partners have a strong team for the spring headed by the grand Oaks winner of last season Jennifer Eccles, who could well in Australia for the Cox Plate after competing at the Hawkes Bay meetings.
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That was an impressive winner for Kevin Myers at Awapuni on the weekend … Aigne in the Awapuni Hurdle for Shaun Fannin with Myers and the top jumps rider winning four of the jumps events on the card. Aigne was formerly trained by his owner Neil O'Dowd, who passed the jumper this season on to Myers. Last year O'Dowd had the galloper in Australia for the $300,000 Jericho Cup and he finished sixth in the race won by NZ bred Ablaze. O'Dowd said Myers had the Jerricho Cup in mind for this year. "I think he will have one or two more jumping runs before tackling the Jerricho Cup qualifier at New Plymouth," he said.
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Good day for the Westbury Stud sire Redwood at Matamata on the weekend with wins by Timberlake, Claiborne and Cherry Lane.
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In the UK Ghaiyyath has been given a rating of 131 after his recent run of outstanding Gr 1 winning form.
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US trainer Wesley Ward and ace Frankie Dettori combined at Deauville on the weekend to win the Prix Morny with Capanelle and that gave Ward his third win in the event, a notable feat for setting horses for specific targets in Europe. Ward said he may well keep the filly in England for the Chevely Stakes at Newmarket.
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In the US, Maximum Security showed he is right on track for the Breeders’ Cup Classic when successful in the Pacific Classic Stakes on the weekend for Bob Baffert. It was Baffert's sixth win in the event and Maximum Security is now the 4-1 favourite for the Breeders’ Cup.

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