THE PETLEY REPORT: SWEET DEAL, RAWILLER AND THOMPSON TRIUMPH IN THE $1 MILLION TAB HUNTER

By Jack Petley | Monday, November 16, 2020

That was a 10 out of 10 ride by Nash Rawiller to get John Thompson's mare Sweet Deal home a handsome winner of the $1 million The TAB Hunter at the ever so successful Newcastle meeting. Rawiller, who has been in wonderful form this season and sits third behind James McDonald and Tommy Berry on the Premiership ladder, had the mare well placed neat the inside and travelling sweetly. Off the home turn he found open air and the daughter of Casino Prince strode away to gain her 10th win from 36 starts.

And while talking about a top ride what about the success this season of Jamie Kah. She rode a treble at Sandown yesterday and she now has 28 wins to her credit ahead of Ben Melham and Damien Oliver on 19, followed by the winner of the Melbourne Premiership last season, Craig Williams. Kah kicked off her winning treble with a fine ride on Shamino in the Listed Doveton Stakes for Phillip Stokes and then produced a gem of a ride to get the Team Snowden stayer Carif home in the Sandown Cup and then having to beat a protest from the runner-up Realm of Flowers. Then she stepped out a race later and brought the Mike Moroney German bred stayer Sound home successfully in the Zipping Classic over Brimham Rocks. Sound had been second in three of his previous four runs but this was his first success in Australia for Big Mike.

And while on Sandown that was an impressive two-year-old winner Anamoe produced by James Cummings in the Merson Cooper in the hands of Damien Oliver. The handsome colt by Street Boss came off the pace for a stout finish and he looks to have a bright future. Not long after that win Cummings took the two-year-old race at the Newcastle meeting with Sliders, also by Street Boss, with Rachael King the winning rider who is combining ever so well with the Godolphin trainer. Sliders is a half to Flit.

Junipal won well at Sandown for the powerful Maher-Eustace yard and I did like the end to end win by Kemalpasa for Craig Williams.

At Newcastle Chris Waller unearthed another very promising young galloper, The Elanora, a decisive winner of the $160,000 NZ Bloodstock Spring Stakes. By Redoute's Choice the colt finished off powerfully for Tommy Berry to gain the second win of his short career. I would say that Chris will now turn the colt out and he will be an exciting prospect in the autumn.

News from the Alligator Blood camp. He will be receiving back surgery and will be off the scene for some months.

Jonker broke that track record at Doomben set by the marvel galloper Takeover Target when winning over 1200 metres in a cracking 1.7.83 for trainer Tony Gollan.

There was some super racing in NZ and that win by Dragon Storm in the NZ Cup at Riccarton was a big boost for trainer Chris Gibbs who just recently has gone out on his own after Michelle Bradley left the partnership last month. The Cup was a fight right to the line with Dragon Storm gaining victory over Lincoln King by a mere nose. The winner is certainly bred to stay 3200 metres being by Shocking from an Auckland Cup winner, Prized Lady. Gibbs has an option to take the stayer to Warrnambool for the $304,000 Jericho Cup, but instead, he said, he will give the tough stayer a break and then looking at the Wellington Cup late in January and then the Auckland Cup. Winning rider Gary Grylls paid tribute to the toughness of Dragon Storm. "He is one tough customer," he said.

Jamie Richards and the Te Akau team had a ball at the Riccarton meeting headed, of course by that great win by the filly Kahma Lass in the hands of Opie Bosson in the Gr1 1000 Guineas. Raced by Cambridge Stud owners, Brendon and Jo Lindsay, the filly cleared the pack inside the last 150 metres and Bosson, yet again, timed his winning run to a nicety. David Ellis purchased the Darci Brahma filly out of the Curraghmore draft at Karaka for $290,000 and this was her fourth start for the Te Akau team. The stable also provided the third placegetter, Cornflower Blue, separated by Miss Tycoon Rose.

Two races earlier Bosson had been successful on the Richards trained Avonallo in the Welcome Stakes. Avonallo turned the tables on his arch rival Follow Your Dreams. The pair had met on two previous occasions and Follow Your Dreams had the edge on the Richards colt but the longer distance this time and the help of champion Bosson turned the stables. Avonallo cost owner Chris Rutten $30,000 out of the Little Avondale draft at a Karaka sale and he is now a qualified runner for the rich Karaka MIllion at Ellerslie. Rutten has already tasted Karaka Million success, co owning the 2014 winner Vespa.

Altogether Richards won five races on the card. That win by Avonallo was a triumph for the Haunui Farm stallion, shuttle sire Belardo, with the colt becoming his first stakes winner and first winner in the Southern Hemisphere. The son of Lope de Vega has enjoyed much success in his first season in the Northern Hemisphere and at last count has had 12 individual winners with four at group level, he looks to have a big future Down Under.

At Tauranga the Roger James-Robert Wellwood yard continued their success with victory with Concert Hall in the Gr2 Tauranga Stakes. During the week they had been successful at Riccarton in the Gr2 Couplands Mile with highly promising Hypnos. James said he is now looking, perhaps at the Captain Cook at Trentham and long term he has a mind for the Auckland Cup.

At Sha Tin, Paul O'Sullivan gained a winner, Casamiro, to back up that double during the week. Australian bred Buddies gained a strong win and trainer Tony Cruz says he may now look at the Longines HK Mile with the smart galloper.