Keiren Fallon; Rain Affair; Villa Verde; Mick Price; Bounding; Dwayne Dunn; Amaratee
FALLON SEEKING RIDES
It will be interesting to watch how local trainers react to the news that champion UK jockey Kieran Fallon is coming to Australia for a three weeks stint in Sydney.
Fallon arrives this week and will be available for rides from Saturday until March 26 after deciding to enjoy a working holiday in Australia.
Fallon will head to Dubai after his Sydney stint for the World Cup meeting at Meydan on March 29 but may return if he can secure worthy rides in the big Championship races at Randwick on April 12 and 19. His presence would attract added international attention to The Championships.
Fallon is now 49 and while he does not command the rides he once enjoyed when he was number one jockey for the Aiden O’Brien stable he remains one of the world’s great riders with more than 2200 wins to his credit.
He has won more than 60 G1 races around the world in the last 10 years on some of racing’s greatest modern day champions although his best result in Australia has only been a G2 win in the Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley on the Lee Freedman-trained California Dane .
Fallon has not ridden in Australia since 2006 when he finished seventh on O’Brien’s grand stayer Yeats in the Melbourne Cup.
KEEPING THE FAITH
While many punters may have lost faith trainer Joe Pride remains confident his speedster Rain Affair has not become just a barrier trial star and can still perform at his optimum under the pressure of race conditions
Following his abject first-up failure in the Expressway Stakes at Randwick Rain Affair went back to the trials at Warwick farm last week and showed all his old brilliance to win his heat over 804m by 11 lengths.
Buoyed by that effort Pride is counting on the home track factor to help Rain Affair turn his race form around in Saturday’s Liverpool City Cup at Warwick Farm.
The question for punters is can you trust his trial form?
VILLA VERDE UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
Former Melbourne filly Villa Verde is set to make her debut for her new trainer Anthony Cummings in the G2 Challenge Stakes over 1000m at Randwick on Saturday week.
Cummings is bullish about the classy grey’s Sydney prospects after her impressive barrier trial at Randwick last week when she coasted to the line to finish third in her heat behind Northern Glory.
The classy mare Satin Shoes , a good winner at the Warwick farm trials last week, is also set to return in the Challenge Stakes.
PRICE YOUNGSTERS SYDNEY BOUND
More Radiant , the boom Melbourne filly who wasn’t disgraced with her close third on debut at Flemington last Saturday, is heading to Sydney in a bid to qualify for the Golden Slipper Stakes.
The Mick Price-trained filly will attempt to land a Slipper berth in the Reisling Stakes at Rosehill on March 22 where she will clash with the unbeaten Blue Diamond winnerEarthquake – not that it should worry Price as his filly more than held her own against Peter Snowden’s star when they met in a Cranbourne barrier trial last month.
The Blue Diamond form will be on show on March 22 as Jabali and Cornrow , the Price-trained colts who filled the minor placings behind Earthquake at Caulfield, are set to have their final Slipper trials in the Todman Stakes.
The Slipper focus this week is on Saturday’s Lonhro Plate at Warwick Farm where Chris Waller’s impressive debut winner Brazen Beau will press his claims to be a late entry for the Slipper when he comes up against Gai Waterhouse’s flying youngster Wandjina .
Peter Snowden’s impressive pair Memorial and Ghibellines are also nominated but he is expected to split them and send one to Canberra on Sunday for the Black Opal Stakes.
BOUNDING SET FOR SYDNEY
The New Zealand contingent for the Sydney carnival seems to be growing stronger by the day.
The horse to watch this weekend will be the top class filly Bounding , who is down to run in a 1200m race at Ellerslie that will determine if she joins the Kiwi team heading to Sydney.
BIG TEST FOR DWAYNE DUNN
Injured jockey Dwayne Dunn faces a critical fitness test of his back this week that will determine if he requires an operation.
Dwayne Dunn Photo by Racing and Sports
Dunn, injured in December, will test his back by riding trackwork in the hope that it will show he can aim for a return to race riding.
Adelaide’s popular Clare Lindop is also back in the saddle after recovering from a shoulder injury and will be riding in races this weekend with the hope of securing a mount in Monday’s Adelaide Cup.
LONG WAIT FOR EMARATEE
Emaratee, the two-year-old colt who cost $4 million at last year’s Easter yearling sale in Sydney, will not race this season.
Emirates Park Stud purchased the Fastnet Rock colt and placed him in training with the Hawkes stable.
He has been in and out of work and is now spelling after the decision was taken to wait until he is three before starting his racing career.
Emaratee is the second most expensive yearling sold at auction in Australia, being purchased at the same sale where BC3 Thoroughbreds bid $5 million for the ill-fated colt who died late last year without racing.
FALLON SEEKING RIDES
It will be interesting to watch how local trainers react to the news that champion UK jockey Kieran Fallon is coming to Australia for a three weeks stint in Sydney.
Fallon arrives this week and will be available for rides from Saturday until March 26 after deciding to enjoy a working holiday in Australia.
Fallon will head to Dubai after his Sydney stint for the World Cup meeting at Meydan on March 29 but may return if he can secure worthy rides in the big Championship races at Randwick on April 12 and 19. His presence would attract added international attention to The Championships.
Fallon is now 49 and while he does not command the rides he once enjoyed when he was number one jockey for the Aiden O’Brien stable he remains one of the world’s great riders with more than 2200 wins to his credit.
He has won more than 60 G1 races around the world in the last 10 years on some of racing’s greatest modern day champions although his best result in Australia has only been a G2 win in the Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley on the Lee Freedman-trained California Dane .
Fallon has not ridden in Australia since 2006 when he finished seventh on O’Brien’s grand stayer Yeats in the Melbourne Cup.
KEEPING THE FAITH
While many punters may have lost faith trainer Joe Pride remains confident his speedster Rain Affair has not become just a barrier trial star and can still perform at his optimum under the pressure of race conditions
Following his abject first-up failure in the Expressway Stakes at Randwick Rain Affair went back to the trials at Warwick farm last week and showed all his old brilliance to win his heat over 804m by 11 lengths.
Buoyed by that effort Pride is counting on the home track factor to help Rain Affair turn his race form around in Saturday’s Liverpool City Cup at Warwick Farm.
The question for punters is can you trust his trial form?
VILLA VERDE UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
Former Melbourne filly Villa Verde is set to make her debut for her new trainer Anthony Cummings in the G2 Challenge Stakes over 1000m at Randwick on Saturday week.
Cummings is bullish about the classy grey’s Sydney prospects after her impressive barrier trial at Randwick last week when she coasted to the line to finish third in her heat behind Northern Glory.
The classy mare Satin Shoes , a good winner at the Warwick farm trials last week, is also set to return in the Challenge Stakes.
PRICE YOUNGSTERS SYDNEY BOUND
More Radiant , the boom Melbourne filly who wasn’t disgraced with her close third on debut at Flemington last Saturday, is heading to Sydney in a bid to qualify for the Golden Slipper Stakes.
The Mick Price-trained filly will attempt to land a Slipper berth in the Reisling Stakes at Rosehill on March 22 where she will clash with the unbeaten Blue Diamond winnerEarthquake – not that it should worry Price as his filly more than held her own against Peter Snowden’s star when they met in a Cranbourne barrier trial last month.
The Blue Diamond form will be on show on March 22 as Jabali and Cornrow , the Price-trained colts who filled the minor placings behind Earthquake at Caulfield, are set to have their final Slipper trials in the Todman Stakes.
The Slipper focus this week is on Saturday’s Lonhro Plate at Warwick Farm where Chris Waller’s impressive debut winner Brazen Beau will press his claims to be a late entry for the Slipper when he comes up against Gai Waterhouse’s flying youngster Wandjina .
Peter Snowden’s impressive pair Memorial and Ghibellines are also nominated but he is expected to split them and send one to Canberra on Sunday for the Black Opal Stakes.
BOUNDING SET FOR SYDNEY
The New Zealand contingent for the Sydney carnival seems to be growing stronger by the day.
The horse to watch this weekend will be the top class filly Bounding , who is down to run in a 1200m race at Ellerslie that will determine if she joins the Kiwi team heading to Sydney.
BIG TEST FOR DWAYNE DUNN
Injured jockey Dwayne Dunn faces a critical fitness test of his back this week that will determine if he requires an operation.
Dwayne Dunn Photo by Racing and Sports
Dunn, injured in December, will test his back by riding trackwork in the hope that it will show he can aim for a return to race riding.
Adelaide’s popular Clare Lindop is also back in the saddle after recovering from a shoulder injury and will be riding in races this weekend with the hope of securing a mount in Monday’s Adelaide Cup.
LONG WAIT FOR EMARATEE
Emaratee, the two-year-old colt who cost $4 million at last year’s Easter yearling sale in Sydney, will not race this season.
Emirates Park Stud purchased the Fastnet Rock colt and placed him in training with the Hawkes stable.
He has been in and out of work and is now spelling after the decision was taken to wait until he is three before starting his racing career.
Emaratee is the second most expensive yearling sold at auction in Australia, being purchased at the same sale where BC3 Thoroughbreds bid $5 million for the ill-fated colt who died late last year without racing.