THE PETLEY REPORT: TRAINERS HAVE THEIR THINKING CAPS ON AS THEY LOOK TO PLOT FUTURE SUCCESS

By Jack Petley | Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Murray Baker has his thinking cap on after that dashing win by The Chosen One at Flemington. The race he wants to target is the Caulfield Cup but at present The Chosen One sits at 49 in order of entry. "The Underwood is an option but not sure if he is a pure weight for age horse. Maybe the JRA Cup," he said, also noting that the Savabeel stayer came through his win in fine order.

The other Cups hope for the stable Quick Thinker ran near last. "He probably needs a shower of rain and that didn't happen," said Baker. "He is qualified for both Cups so we will press on."

Robert Heathcote reports that his star three-year-old Rothfire came through his brilliant Run to the Rose win in excellent order. For the Golden Rose, Rothfire is now at $3.60 then $6 Farnan, North Pacific, $11 Peltzer, $13 Ole Kick, Doubtland, $15 Mamaragan, Mo'Unga, $17 Kings Legacy, Prague.

Nature Strip holds firm in the early market for the Everest at $3.50 ahead of $6 Gytrash and then the firmer Rothfire at $7 and with Farnan, after his defeat on the weekend after setting a torrid pace early, out to $15 on the same line as the brilliant Kiwi Catalyst.

Catalyst’s rival in Oz last campaign, Alligator Blood made ground well late for his third at Doomben on the weekend and he looks well heading towards the $7.5m Golden Eagle.

Fierce Impact, winner over Russian Camelot in the Makybe Diva now heads towards the Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate said trainer Matthew Smith.

That win by Haut Brion Her in the Sheraco for Chris Waller was excellent and now sits at $21 in the Everest. While on the subject of Chris Waller I see that the star NZ bred mare and still part owned in NZ Verry Elleegant has opened hot favourite for the George Main this weekend at $2.80, then $6 Avilius, $8 Con de Partiro, $11 Imaging, $Star of the Seas, $15 Kolding.

That was an impressive win by the filly Instant Celebrity at Morphetville on the weekend and she has moved to top of the table for the $1m Caulfield Thousand Guineas. It was a stunning win coming from a good way back to win in the last few strides. She will head to Melbourne and run first in the Thousand Guineas Prelude.

Former Kiwi Lord Vladivstock was also impressive with trainer Robert Hickmott saying the son of Tavistock is a "serious stayer."
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Smart Godolphin sprinter Bivouac is on his way to maybe a run in the $15 Everest and he runs this weekend in the Shorts and has opened up just over $4 equal favourite with Classique Legend, already an Everest named runner. This again should be another good sprint race as horses vie for Everest spots and it includes the star Kiwi galloper Catalyst and Eduardo, who I see has already had a big bet placed on him to win the Everest … an over $300,000 collect … even though yet to gain a slot in the big sprint … and he has the right recent form for Joe Pride, the July Sprint and the Gr2 Missile Stakes.

Catalyst is also in the running for an Everest slot, but he will run in the $7.5m Golden Eagle. Trainer Clayton Chipperfield reports his star has thrived since being in Sydney and a win this weekend would surely have slot holders looking at the smart galloper. Otherwise he will tackle the Silver Eagle and the Golden Eagle. He is rated at $15 for the Everest at present and sits at $11 for the Golden Eagle. I gather Glen Boss was out to ride him in work. Keen to hear the views of Boss as he is a very, very good judge.

I note a story in the media here that the connections of Russian Camelot are keen on an overseas foray next year, maybe Royal Ascot and the Arc. This year the young stayer had been entered for the English Derby, but of course Covid 19 put paid to those plans … and, in hindsight, perhaps luckily as he will furnish into a stronger stayer as he matures. Remember he is still not four.
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Bad luck for the O'Sullivan-Scott yard. Promising galloper Dragon Leap has gained a slight injury but enough for the stable to pull the pin on his campaign. "It is a minor injury," Lance O"Sullian told the NZ Racing Desk. It is a case of six weeks rest and he will be as good as gold." Earlier it had been thought that the young galloper would eventually head to HK with the Derby there on the agenda. O'Sullivan said that trip may now not eventuate. The horse will rest in Sydney and then return to NZ. "He has had only six starts so all is before him," said the Matamata trainer. The stable evidently have another smart galloper in their yard owned by Heritage, a recent trials winner, Rocket Spade.

Danielle Johnson won the Foxbridge Plate recently on the smart Te Akau galloper Avantage and she has gained the mount again this weekend for the Tarzino at Hastings with Opie Bosson unable to make the book weight of 56.5kgs. In the latest markets Avantage is hot favourite at $3.50 followed by $5 Jennifer Eccles.

The spring campaign has ended in NZ for the good mare Travelling Light. Trainer Ben Foote has worked "sub par" since her ordinary run in the Foxbridge Plate. She will be vetted and then given a break.

Top jumps jockey Shaun Phelan broke his wrist back in June but he says he may be back riding before the end of the jumps season. "I have just had an x-ray and it has healed," he said. "I am riding work and are hopeful of making it back for the Pakuranga Hunt and the Great Northern." Phelan also said that his tough stayer Big Mike is on his way to Australia to join Kiwi Brett Scott. "He goes there on the 23rd and we are hopeful that he can run at Mornington on the 27th. He is going just as good as when we sent him over there last time and he won the Pakenham, Cup," he said. ____________________________________________________________________

Betting firms around the world were looking for their pencils to cut the odds for the star Aidan O'Brien stayer Anthony Van Dyke when he defeated the outstanding Stradivarius in the Prix Foy in France. Immediately after the great win O'Brien told the media that the Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate were two races on the likely agenda for his top stayer. Stradivarius, on the other hand, lost few admirers with his effort and he heads to the Arc and his clash with Love and Enable with Stradivarius thus moving out slightly in the market to 14-1 from 12-1.

And while on Aidan O'Brien I see that his smart three-year-old Tiger Moth (by Galileo), a big winner last weekend, has been given a 2.5kgs penalty for the Melbourne Cup, just 1kg below that star Danny O'Brien UK bred galloper Russian Camelot, who has 53.5kgs … but Anthony Van Dyke, who beat the great stayer Stradivarius in France on the weekend has not been given a penalty for the Cups having already a big weight, 58.5kgs.

That $21 offered in betting for the top UK galloper Aspetar, trained by Roger Charlton, all of a sudden looks good... the reason, Charlton has managed to gain a flight into Australia for the member of the stable staff and thus, with that organised, the horse, says a report out of Britain, will now go into quarantine. Charlton said that he had "struggled" to find a flight, but the staff member flew out of the UK on Monday. Aspetar is a Group 1 winner in Germany and at his last run took the Gr2 York Stakes. And more pleasing for the connections of the top stayer is that ace Australian jockey Damian Lane, winner of the Cox Plate last year on the Japanese runner Lys Gracieux, has been booked to ride. This stayer may not be the only international for the Cox Plate. Aidan O'Brien and son Joseph have entries and they will have to show their hands this week when horses need to quarantine for the trip Down Under.

The great Irish trainer Dermot Weld won the Irish St Leger with Search for a Song and this was Weld's 8th victory in the historic race … two with Vintage Crop, four with Vinnie Roe, Voleuse De Coloers and now with Search for a Song.

Mauritian Karis Teetan landed a treble at Sha Tin and the win on Will Power in Race 7 saw him gain his 400th winner in Hong Kong. An impressive winner at the meeting, Sky Field, a Deep Field four-year-old. David Hall gained two winners and he has three on the board for the season.

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