It was a bright, even Mr Brightside start to Group 1 racing in 2024 when the now five-time G1 winner won the Orr Stakes at Caulfield. You can’t beat class. I thought he might have been too far out of his ground on the turn, but he is a very good horse who refuses to lie down.
I did notice the effort of the three-year-old Veight, who was only beaten a length in the race – follow him.
Earlier in the day Bodyguard looked the goods when he won the Blue Diamond Prelude. When they circle the field and win under hand and heels riding, they are very smart. Good luck to the Snowdens – top racing people.
Meanwhile in Sydney, the Waterhouse Bott two-year-old train continued when Fully Lit won the $2m Inglis Millennium at Randwick.
I spotted the Bevan Johnson-trained Fabs Cowboy lining up in Saturday’s Murilla Cup at Miles. It’s the 12-year-old’s 148th start. He is the winner of 50 races and $410k in prizemoney. What a tough old horse. Queensland’s rules of racing required him to be retired from racing at the end of this season.
Unfortunately the old fella failed to finish the race.
Fair dinkum, after spending $8m on the new Gold Coast track and all of three meetings on the surface (the last a month ago on Magic Millions day), last Saturday’s meeting was held on the Poly Track.
It was just not good enough. How much protection do these tracks need? The likes of Doomben, Ipswich and the Sunshine Coast copped a doing-over with extra meetings while the Gold Coast track was being developed over the last year. Finally, the Poly Track meetings are shockers, with very
ordinary horses.
Apprentice Tahlia Fenlon now apprenticed to Chris Munce is making her way in the big smoke, riding plenty of city winners. I first commented on her potential a few years ago when she rode four winners at a country meeting. Originally with Fred Smith in Rockhampton, she had her indentures
transferred to the Munce stable in the middle of 2023.
She has gone from strength to strength since then, and under Munce’s tutelage will become a serious threat on anything she rides.
It’s just plain silly when a leading owner bans his trainer or jockeys from talking to Racing.com. Tony Ottobre, the owner of Pride of Jenni, has declared the media outlet to be in the sin bin. The blue is apparently over the management of a large amount of money in the Go Fund Me established after the death of jockey Dean Holland last year. Let’s hope the standoff is sorted, soon.
Here is a turn up for the books: Racing NSW suing Tabcorp. It’s allegedly over lack of promotion of NSW’s major races. Tabcorp is of course the sponsor of the Everest. Got to wonder if it’s just legal manoeuvring, or will it end up going to trial? Not good for our sport.
Crikey: a world record $60m offer for the Waterhouse Bott colt Storm Boy as a stallion prospect.
Coolmore, which paid $28 m to buy into the colt after he won the Magic Millions two-year-old race in January, has tabled this extraordinary offer to the other remaining owners. The connections will only get the full $60m if the colt wins the Slipper, Sires Produce and Champagne Stakes group one
trifecta. Unbelievable.
Paddy and Mick were looking through the catalogue. “Mick look at those gorgeous women. The prices are very reasonable too!” “Yer Paddy. Gees, I am gonna order me one right now!”
Three weeks later Paddy was sitting in the pub when in came Mick. “Has you woman turned up yet?” “No,” said Mick, “but it shouldn’t be too long now as her clothes arrived yesterday!”
