Morning Briefing

Australia Latest

O’ Ole out of Blue Diamond

Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) winner O’ Ole (Ole Kirk) has pulled up lame following her third placing in a Randwick trial on Thursday. The Bjorn Baker-trained filly will be sent for a spell, and will miss the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) later this month. A statement released by the stable to social media on Friday reads: “After Magic Millions champion O’ OLE’s “ok” trial yesterday, she was trotted up this morning and found to be slightly lame. She will now head for a spell so unfortunately will not run in next week’s Blue Diamond.”

 

Benedetta in first-up Lightning bid
The Jason Warren-trained Benedetta (Hellbent) will look to add a second Group 1 to her CV on Saturday when the five-year-old mare lines up in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) at Flemington. Benedetta will be firstup for the preparation, having her first race start since finishing midfield in the Stradbroke Handicap (Gr 1, 1400m) in June 2024. “She’s terrific, and I’m really pleased with her,” her trainer said. “She enjoyed the hit-out down the Flemington straight, it was a nice surface for her. She did everything we wanted to see, if not even better.” Warren said Benedetta has settled in well at his new Flemington stables, but that he has given the mare a quiet lead-up week at his home base of Graebar Park ahead of Saturday. “We had done all our lead up work, so we just wanted to have a nice happy week,” Warren said. “She enjoys being at the farm and we also had the chance to take her down to the beach on Monday and Tuesday. We’ve decided to keep her to her normal race day experience as she travels well, so we’ve kept her at the farm for as long as we can.” Benedetta will jump from barrier two with regular rider Daniel Stackhouse on board. 

 

Traffic Warden ‘behaving like a different horse’

James Cummings is looking forward to taking on some of the country’s best sprinters in Saturday’s Black Caviar Lightning Stakes with Traffic Warden (Street Boss), who he has described as a ‘different horse’ heading into his race return. The Street Boss (Street Cry) colt was last seen at Flemington with a disappointing run in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) behind impressive winner Switzerland (Snitzel), who is favourite for the Lightning ahead of fellow three-year-old Growing Empire (Zoustar), who was third that day. “It will be a good test to ensure his mentality is on song,” Cummings told Racing.com. “I like the way he’s gone about his work. He’s behaving like a different horse compared to the later stages of his last preparation. He’s arguably not a pure 1000-metre horse you need to win, but he’s trialled like he’s ready to run a big race.” Cummings said it is likely Traffic Warden will head towards the Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) beyond Saturday. “We feel he’s absolutely flying and it’s a good opportunity to have a better experience up the straight than he had in the Coolmore, three weeks out from the Newmarket,” he said. “He can run very well and we might even learn something about him. He’s entitled to be competitive and finishing off hard.” Traffic Warden will be ridden by Jamie Melham from barrier four.

 

Sutton chasing first stakes victory

Young trainer Dom Sutton is out to secure his first stakes victory on Saturday, just 11 months after having his first starter. Now with a Ballarat base and 18 boxes at Flemington, Sutton saddles up talented Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) runner-up Feroce (Super Seth) in the CS Hayes Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m), and laststart Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) runnerup Sword Of Legacy (Too Darn Hot) in the Talindert Stakes (Listed, 1100m). Feroce is resuming after finishing third in the Carbine Club Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) at Flemington last November, and has the Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) on March 1 as his immediate focus. Feroce is also among nominations for all of the Sydney three-year-old features, along with the All-Star Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) at Flemington on March 8. Sutton had deliberated as to whether to run Feroce in the Autumn Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Caulfield last Saturday or wait for the CS Hayes instead, and opted to give the gelding more Flemington experience. “We get to give him some more experience at Flemington before we go on to the big one [Australian Guineas] after that. He came out of the trial super. He’s ready to go.” Sutton said.

 

Maher’s two-pronged Desirable attack

The Ciaron Maher stable will saddle up two runners in the Desirable Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Flemington on Saturday, including last year’s Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Another Prophet (Brazen Beau). Another Prophet resumed at Sandown on January 25, where she finished a close fourth in the Manfred Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) and Jack Turnbull, assistant trainer for Maher, said he is looking forward to seeing the three-year-old filly back against her own sex on Saturday, despite the hefty top weight of 59.5 kilograms. “She is the Thousand Guineas winner that returned against the boys in the Manfred Stakes and was very good at Sandown,” Turnbull said. “She had a small amount of room on the fence and dashed up pretty well. We’re looking forward to seeing her out there again.” Maher’s second representative in the race is Qatars Choice (I Am Invincible), who will be having her first race start in Melbourne. Qatars Choice has raced in Sydney exclusively prior to Saturday, winning a maiden at Canterbury first-up on New Year’s Day and then running second in Benchmark 72 (1400m) grade at Randwick on January 25. “She is a lighter-framed horse but can gallop, and she had no luck last time,” Turnbull said. “Hopefully they can both run well and continue through Stakes races, but we’re hoping to get Another Prophet to the Australian Guineas.” 

 

Captured By Love set for Desirable Stakes

Te Akau Racing will have a strong hand at their home meeting at Matamata on Saturday, but their attention will also be on Flemington, where their Group 1-winning filly Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) is set to make her Australian debut in the Desirable Stakes. The winner of five of her 11 starts in New Zealand, including the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), Captured By Love’s only unplaced run came last month when she was seventh in the Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) under heavy rain at Ellerslie on Karaka Millions night, which co-trainer Mark Walker said thwarted her chances. Walker is looking forward to testing the three-year-old, who’s settled in at Te Akau’s Cranbourne base, in Australia for the first time. “She travelled over and settled in well,” Walker, who trains in partnership with Sam Bergerson, said. “It’s a pretty strong field, the Thousand Guineas winner [Another Prophet] is in it and the number three horse [Too Darn Discreet] is pretty good as well. It’s never a walk in the park over there, that’s for sure, but she is in good form and we’re hopeful.” A Flemington mile target awaits Captured By Love, but what that will be will be dictated by Saturday’s performance. “We will just play it by ear after Saturday, but one option could be the Australian Guineas and another is the Kewney Stakes, a Group 2 three-year-old fillies race,” Walker said.

 

Givemethebeatboys to make Australian debut

Irish import Givemethebeatboys (Bungle Inthejungle) is set to make his Australian debut on Saturday for the Michael Freedman stable, when he lines up in the Expressway Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick. A Group 3 winner and Group 1 placegetter over six furlongs in Ireland, Freedman admits he isn’t quite sure what to expect from his new recruit come Saturday. “To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. I am still learning my way with him,” the trainer said. “It’s a bit of a rarity we have European horses coming out here with sprinting form. It’s usually the middle distance, staying types of horses. But he has done really well since he came out of quarantine. He has been very straightforward and he’s got a beautiful, relaxed temperament for a four-year-old stallion.” Tim Clark is booked to ride the four-year-old entire, after partnering him to finish third in a recent Rosehill trial. “While it’s a small field, it’s a pretty good quality field so we’ll get a better guide on where he sits,” Freedman said. “I think every one of his starts in the UK and Ireland has been up the straight course. He’s had the two trials around the bend here, but he has never actually been to the races around a bend so that’s something new for him too.”


Dance To The Boom aiming to keep unbeaten streak

Bjorn Baker’s undefeated filly Dance To The Boom (Exceedance) is bidding to remain unbeaten when she steps up to Group-level for the first time in the Light Fingers Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick. A winner of the Gosford Guineas (Listed, 1200m) last start, the three-year-old filly is having her the first run for her Autumn campaign, and Baker hopes the race can be a launch pad to later targets this preparation, much like stable star Stefi Magnetica (All Too Hard), who finished fourth in last year’s edition of the race before her second placing in the Surround Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m). “We’d love to get her up to 1400 metres for the Surround. If she can run a decent race on Saturday, we will go to the Surround with a touch of confidence,” Baker said. “Stefi Magnetica ran a close second in the Surround last year so I’d love to take Dance To The Boom there. I think she’s a very good filly and perhaps still a little bit under-rated. She has got to overcome an awkward gate in 15 of 15, so we’ll leave it up to Kerrin McEvoy. He rode her in her trial and got a bit of a feel for her. He was impressed with her that day.”

 

Ad Astra out to break maiden status

Poor barriers have conspired against Ad Astra (Tassort) in her brief career, but trainer Michael Hickmott is hopeful of a change of fortune on Saturday despite another bad draw in the 1000-metre maiden on the Morphettville Parks track. Hickmott believes with better barrier luck the three-year-old could have been a stakes-winning juvenile, hitting second on debut in the Cinderella Stakes (Listed, 1050m). The daughter of Tassort (Brazen Beau) then ran second in the Magic Millions SA 2YO Classic (1100m). “She just hasn’t had any luck with barriers,” Hickmott said. “She was unlucky not to have won at her first start and then possibly in the Magic Millions as well. Once again, she’s drawn nine of nine on Saturday and she’ll need luck early, but I think she can bounce back.” After her two starts as a two-year-old, Ad Astra was put away and made her return in a 1200-metre maiden at The Valley in December, where she finished third from another wide draw. Post-race she was diagnosed with exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), but has since been cleared to race and pleased her trainer with a Strathalbyn trial win on January 28. “We had to treat her but she’s been back and has been good,” Hickmott said. “Her trial was fantastic, and she had a soft jump-out last week, so I’m looking forward to seeing her bouncing back.” 

 

Autumn Melbourne trip unlikely for Ceolwulf

Ceolwulf (Tavistock) is scheduled to kick off a campaign which trainer Joe Pride is hopeful culminates in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) when he heads to the Apollo Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Randwick on Saturday. Pride resisted the temptation to press on to the Melbourne Spring Carnival with the four-year-old gelding after he stormed to Group 1 success in Sydney in both the Epsom Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) and King Charles III Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), and will also likely forego a Melbourne trip again this autumn, however a Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) tilt later in the year remains a possibility. “He’s unlikely to go to Melbourne [in the autumn], his preparation more than likely ends in the Queen Elizabeth,” Pride told Racing.com. “I’ve got to see him run a really good race in the Queen Elizabeth over 2000 metres to convince me he’s just as good at 2000 metres as a mile. If he does, he will be aimed at the Cox Plate.” Ceolwulf will come up against reigning Cox Plate winner Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock) on Saturday, and Pride is looking forward to the challenge with rain-affected ground likely. “I can’t wait,” he said. “He’s been beaten four times first-up and has only run one placing. So he builds into a preparation, but he’s going well. I couldn’t have asked for more in the lead-up. I just want everything to go smoothly and you’ll see him run well.”

 

Blitzburg out of autumn

Last-start runaway Canonbury Stakes winner Blitzburg (Snitzel) is out for the autumn after suffering a bone chip. The Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained two-year-old colt was revealed to have a small bone chip in his near fore fetlock and will be spelled immediately. 

 

New owners’ bonus confirmed by RV

Racing Victoria (RV) has announced a new bonus scheme in partnership with Ladbrokes which rewards owners with extra prize-money when their horse breaks its maiden in select races. The Ladbrokes Owners Bonus will see winning connections receive an additional $5,000 if their horse salutes in a nominated maiden event at one of six Ladbrokes-sponsored Victorian racetracks – Moonee Valley, Cranbourne, Geelong, Moe, Sale, and Stony Creek. The scheme kicks off with Race 3 at The Valley on Friday night, with one designated maiden race at each eligible meeting offering the bonus. In the event of a dead-heat, the additional prize-money will be split between winning connections. “We are delighted to provide owners with another opportunity to earn greater rewards when their horse wins its first race, which is always an exciting moment,” RV head of racing Paul Bloodworth told Racing.com. “Maximising maiden prize-money has been a focus for RV, and we’ve sought to complement that with additional rewards. We thank Ladbrokes for their support of our owners, who invest so much into the care and training of their horses.”

 

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