The Rest

To answer the question in the head post, Imo far from it.

A busy time on-farm and a lack of suitable races has prompted Waverley trainer Joanne Moss to send her stable star Doctor Askar (NZ) (Derryn) across the Tasman to join champion trainer Chris Waller. The five-year-old gelding has won seven of his 22 starts, with a further seven placings, with the Gr.2 Thorndon Mile (1600m) victory in January a career highlight to date. Doctor Askar is the sole horse in training for Moss, who along with partner Isaac Lupton, operates a dairy farm in South Taranaki alongside their horse interests. “Isaac broke his leg recently and that kind of triggered a few things,” Moss said. “We were getting busier on the farm and there weren’t really many races left for him here in New Zealand this season. “He’s going over to Chris Waller and we will just see how he goes. If he doesn’t measure up, he’ll just have to come home and if he goes well, then he might get to stay a little bit longer.” Doctor Askar signed off his New Zealand campaign with a sixth placing behind Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) in the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) on Champions Day, having missed a run in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) after a float incident. “Generally he is a good traveller, but there were a lot of roadworks on the way to Hamilton for the Herbie Dyke,” Moss said. “He kind of just skewiffed in the truck a bit and hurt himself, so he had to be scratched. That was the run he needed before going to the Bonecrusher. “I thought he ran really well at Ellerslie despite the gap between runs and that’s why I had to ask the question, what do you do with him now? “He deserves his chance to go to a good trainer over there because he is a nice horse and if it doesn’t work out for him over there, we can always bring him back to New Zealand.” Doctor Askar is extra special not only because Moss bred the son of Derryn but she co-owns him with her 92-year-old mother Jill. The gelding is named after a Doctor who saved the life of Moss’s son James. “It was 14 years ago when our son James was born, and he ended up at Waikato Hospital and Dr Askar was the one who looked after us,” she said. “I always thought I’ll name a horse after Dr Askar one day. Then this horse came along and the rest is history. “I have emailed him a couple of times and he has said he has been watching and getting a good kick out of it.” Doctor Askar is more like a member of the family, but Moss is confident he will suit the bigger stable environment. “It’s a bit like sending a child to boarding school. He’s like the fourth child to us and he’s never really left us,” she said. “Isaac broke him in and it’s only really Isaac and I that have ridden him. He’s got a lot of personality, so I just hope he keeps it. “He actually likes being stabled, so I think going to Chris will suit him. “We sent Herengawe (NZ) (Zed) over to Chris and the whole team was awesome to deal with. Herengawe was probably a horse that enjoyed being paddock-trained and even though he was Group Three placed in Sydney, he didn’t really settle. “Hopefully Doctor Askar will put his best foot forward, but time will tell.” View the full article

A fresh and raring to go Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto), taking on a classy field of sprinters – including a hard-fit Jigsaw (Manhattan Rain) in career-best form – it looks a mouthwatering William Reid Stakes on Saturday. Jimmysstar is a triple G1 victor, a winner of five first-up efforts from seven, and was super behind the world’s best sprinter, Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress), at his last go over 1200m in the Everest. At $1.90, the son of Per Incanto is the market’s clear top pick and another positive for Ben Asgari is the booking of Mark Zahra. Chatting with Ciaron Maher’s Bloodstock Manager Will Bourne and Gareth Hall on Giddy Up, Asgari noted Zahra would have been booked on Observer (Ghyyaith) in the Rosehill Guineas and presumably a Golden Slipper chance, yet has elected to stay south. “It’s a good push that Mark Zahra is happy enough to stay in Melbourne and ride him, and not head to Sydney,” Asgari said. “You imagine he would have had some good options in Sydney too, with five G1s up there… (Observer) was the main one and he’s turned that down to stay and ride Jimmy. “He’s top three jockeys in the country, for sure, and the best thing is, as a punter, you love putting your money on him.” Asgari is also keen to see the noticeably more adaptable racing pattern Jimmysstar showed last campaign, which saw him settle a lot closer to the action. Additionally, the Ciaron Maher team’s public intent, as well as Zahra’s glowing praise after Jimmysstar’s latest jumpout, are big ticks for the returning G1 galloper, even against the red-hot Jigsaw, who will likely be bowling along in front. “He’s not going to be there first-up needing a run, like he normally would, because there’s the plan to run in the TJ Smith second-up,” Asgari said, echoing the stable’s comments earlier this week. “Last preparation, he showed the ability to put himself into a race, and still be as effective, if not even more so… he doesn’t have to be out the back, he just makes him so hard to beat. “The way Jigsaw is going, he’s going to be out in front, you’d imagine performing consistently as he has this preparation. He can’t be below his best, Jimmy, anyway. “But without wanting to be too boring, I think Jimmy is clearly deserving of favouritism.” CMR’s Will Bourne confirmed the Maher camp is positive about this Saturday, to say the least. “He’s low-flying, I’ve never heard them so bullish about the horse. Jack and Ciaron are just thrilled,” Bourne said. “Zahra got off him at Cranbourne the other morning and just said ‘wowee’.” View the full article

Sending Warwoven (Sword Of State) into the Golden Slipper on a seven-day back-up has never been Plan A, but the forecast for rain in Sydney has trainer Bjorn Baker warming to the challenge. Two horses have won the race on a quick turnaround in recent years, Kiamichi (Sidestep) in 2019 and Shinzo (Snitzel) three years ago, and should Rosehill be wet on Saturday, Warwoven’s race fitness could become an advantage. The colt, who has barrier 14, was a $7 chance on Wednesday, while stablemate and pre-draw equal favourite Paradoxium (Extreme Choice) had eased to $8 after coming up with gate 18. Baker believes both are still on an upward spiral and says their respective ability to bounce back from different setbacks suffered during halted Magic Millions campaigns in Queensland underscores their toughness. “Both colts have got a great constitution and very good attitudes, so that gives you a bit of encouragement,” Baker said. “They’ve both been on the way up, so if anything, the back-up could work to our advantage, especially if there is a little bit of rain around and the track does get demanding. Maybe that would tip me towards Warwoven.” Rachel King partners Warwoven and if successful, will become the first female jockey to win the world’s richest juvenile race. The youngster will have the addition of blinkers for the first time to help his cause, Baker hoping they can offer a winning edge. “He has worked in them previously and has gone very well so we thought, Saturday is the day to do it,” he said. “It’s a bit of a risky move, but he’s drawn out a touch. “We’ve got the option to go forward or take a sit. Rachel knows him very well, so we’ll figure that out.” An outside draw has made Paradoxium’s task harder, but Baker says that just means they have to get their race plan right. “No doubt, the gate, he is going to have to overcome that,” he said. “He’s just going to need a little bit of luck from out wide and make sure we get our tactics spot-on. “But the main thing is we are here, and he is in good shape and healthy.” Seven of the past 15 Golden Slipper winners have drawn barrier eight or wider, six of them jumping from double-figure alleys. Along with Warwoven, two other runners have significant gear changes on Saturday with Chris Waller also electing to put blinkers on Fireball (Snitzel) for the first time, while he has taken them off stablemate Hidrix (Extreme Choice) after the colt failed to respond to them as hoped in the Todman Stakes (1200m). View the full article

Promising filly Summer Schemer (Dirty Work) will have the opportunity at Pukekohe to press her claims for a crack at an upcoming elite-level prize. She will step out in Friday’s trackside.co.nz (1200m) off the back of an impressive debut victory with trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray keen to then raise the bar with the youngster. “If she runs well, she’ll go on to the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr.1, 1400m), but she would obviously need to win or be unlucky not to win and come through the race well to justify her spot,” Ritchie said. Summer Schemer showed her class and tenacity last month to win at the first time of asking at Ellerslie under Craig Grylls, who will partner the daughter of Dirty Work again at Pukekohe. “The form behind her is outstanding, the second horse (State Of Valour (NZ) (Sword Of State)) ran third in the Sistema (Gr.1, 1200m) and the third horse (Seize The Day (I Am Invincible)) has come out and won a maiden well,” Ritchie said. “We presented her in very big order for her first start and she has tightened right up. She looks like a real racehorse now.” While Summer Schemer is just making her way, the curtain has come down on the career of well-performed stayer Mahrajaan (Kitten’s Joy). “He’s been retired and has obviously been a very good horse to us winning a New Zealand Cup (Gr.3, 3200m) and an Auckland Cup (Gr.2, 3200m),” Ritchie said. “It’s rare to do it in the same season, because you have to peak them twice at two miles. It takes a pretty special horse to achieve it, and he was a bit unlucky not to have been the New Zealand Stayer of the Year. “The criteria is to do with Group Ones and the fact that our Cup races aren’t at that level wasn’t his fault, but he was the first to win both in a season in 60 years. “He’s going to a lovely home in Taranaki and will be on the ex-thoroughbred show course, which will be great.” The call to retire Mahrajaan was made in the wake of his midfield finish earlier this month his second Auckland Cup tilt. “We thought we had him right at his very best, but it was a slowly run race at the end of the day, he didn’t perform up to his best,” Ritchie said. The American-bred son of Kitten’s Joy was sourced out of a Tattersalls Horse in Training Sale for 75,000gns in 2022, as was Davideo (Galileo) two years later for 130,000gns and hopes are for him to follow a similar path. “He’s had a couple of minor issues, not career threatening but just niggly ones so he’s in the paddock and we’ll get him ready for the spring and try and do what Mahrajaan did in the Cups,” Ritchie said. Meanwhile, the stable also has the Waikato Stud-bred and raced Nereus (NZ) (Savabeel) paid up for Friday’s Myracehorse Handicap (2100m) but a call on his involvement has yet to be made. “I’ve got to talk to Mark (Chittick), but we galloped him this (Wednesday) morning and think he’s ready to go into the race. We have yet to make that final decision, we’ll see how he does in the next 48 hours,” Ritchie said. Nereus has won six races, including the 2024 Gr.2 Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m) and the Trentham race may again feature on his program. “He’s got a good record at Wellington, it’s set weights and penalties, which suits him and it’s 2100m and that’s about where he sits best, distance wise,” Ritchie said. View the full article