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By Chief Stipe · Posted
Eh? 10 days vs 4 and a half months? I look forward to your seeing analysis. -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Victorian-based jockey Jason Maskiell celebrates with the trophy after guiding the Phil Cole-trained Smuggling to back to back wins in the $100,000 Pioneer Sprint (1200m) on Alice Springs Cup Day at Pioneer Park last May. Picture: Nikki Westover Photography) Racing Victoria (RV) Stewards have concluded their investigation into jockey Jason Maskiell’s ride aboard My Schieller Wood in the Insuremyfleet Maiden Plate over 1600m at Seymour on Friday, November 15, 2024. The $10 PlayUp hope finished 12th out of 13 starters, trailing the winner by 25.55 lengths. Following a thorough inquiry, the Stewards issued Maskiell with two charges, one under AR 129(1) and an alternative charge under AR 129(2). Both charges pertain to the horse’s handling during the race. Jason Mskiell’s Summary of Charges Charge 1 – AR 129(1): Failure to Ride on Merits The Stewards allege Maskiell did not ride My Schieller Wood to its full potential, citing the following incidents: 300m to 250m: Maskiell restrained the horse and failed to improve its position between Just Riff Raff and Vidocq, despite the opportunity to do so. 250m to 150m: He continued to restrain the horse, neglecting another opportunity to improve. Post-150m: After Frontline Action shifted out, Maskiell allegedly persisted in restraining the horse for the remainder of the race, failing to capitalise on available opportunities. These actions are alleged to have resulted in the horse not being ridden on its merits. Charge 2 – AR 129(2) (Alternative): Failure to Ensure Best Possible Outcome During the Race, Mr Maskiell failed to take all reasonable and permissible measures to ensure that My Schieller Wood was given full opportunity to win or obtain the best possible place in the field, in that: a) From approaching the 300m until approximately the 250m, he restrained My Schieller Wood and failed to improve his mount’s position between Just Riff Raff and Vidocq where there was an opportunity, and it was reasonable and permissible to do so; and/or b) From approximately the 250m until approaching the 150m, he restrained My Schieller Wood and failed to improve his mount’s position where there was an opportunity, and it was reasonable and permissible to do so; and/or c) After Frontline Action shifted out in advance of his mount at approximately the 150m, he continued to restrain My Schieller Wood for the remainder of the race and failed to improve his mount’s position when there was an opportunity, and it was reasonable and permissible to do so. Mr Maskiell’s actions resulted in My Schieller Wood not being given the full opportunity to win or to obtain the best possible place in the field. The charges, classified as serious offences under the Rules of Racing, will be heard by the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT). A hearing date is yet to be determined. Under Section 50O of the Racing Act 1958, serious offences such as those under AR 129(1) and AR 129(2) must be adjudicated by the VRT. The Stewards cannot impose penalties in these cases. If found guilty, Maskiell could face sanctions under the Rules of Racing. No mandatory minimum penalty applies to these charges, leaving the tribunal with discretion in determining any potential penalty. The tribunal’s decision will set a precedent in the ongoing effort to uphold integrity in Victorian racing. Horse racing news View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Sharon Robertson had a taste of the Group One action at Ellerslie nearly 16 years ago, and on Boxing Day she will return to the northern headquarters with Matscot taking on the Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic (2050m). Back in 2008, the Canterbury horsewoman took her stable star Delbrae to Ellerslie to contest the Gr.1 New Zealand Stakes (2000m), where he finished just out of the placings behind Sir Slick. The race was Delbrae’s final start in a highly successful career, where he won just shy of $500,000 in stakes, with victories in the Listed Marton Cup (2200m), Listed Spring Classic (2000m), Gr.3 Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) and Gr.2 Coupland’s Mile (1600m). “We travelled up from Canterbury then and Vinnie (Colgan) rode him, I think he got fourth,” Robertson said. “He’s about 24 now, still happy and he’s got a lovely home.” Matscot, a horse co-bred by Robertson and her partner Alan Reeves, had big shoes to fill and has come close to matching the feats of Delbrae so far in his career, winning the Listed Spring Classic (2000m) and $350,000 Southern Alps Challenge (1600m) last term. As a seven-year-old, his upward trajectory only continued, placing in the Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) and Gr.3 TAB Mile (1600m) through the spring. The gelding was awkwardly away from the barriers in the Gr.1 Mufhasa Classic (1600m) earlier this month and finished ninth, but his closing sectionals were only bettered by Ladies Man and La Crique, indicating a step-up over ground was looming. Colgan partnered the son of Haradasun in the Arrowfield and will be back on board this Thursday, having drawn the ace barrier in a high-class field. “He missed away a bit and his sectionals were very good, but he’s looking for 2000m now, which he will get here, and we’ll have Vinnie back on him,” Robertson said. “He will fly out today (Monday). Hopefully everything goes to plan on Thursday. I think he can be right there.” View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
A decade ago, Rory Hutchings had the most successful day of his career at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, and the expat Kiwi hoop will kick off a stint riding in his homeland at the iconic meeting this Thursday. Hutchings was a three-time champion apprentice jockey in New Zealand whilst under the tutelage of Graeme Rogerson, for whom he won his first Group One aboard Soriano in the 2014 edition of the Zabeel Classic (2000m). “That was the greatest day I’ve had on a racecourse for sure, I was apprenticed to Rogey and he trained her,” Hutchings said. “Denise (Howell) owned Soriano and she was like a second mother to me while I was an apprentice, I still keep in touch with her now. That trophy sits pride of place in the trophy cabinet at my house.” Hutchings has spent much of his twenties riding in New South Wales, winning a champion apprentice crown in Sydney while indentured to champion trainer and fellow New Zealander Chris Waller, alongside victories up to Group Two level. Taking notice of the increase in stakes back home this season, Hutchings decided to return to the Waikato temporarily, enjoying his first Christmas at home in a number of years. “It had been playing on my mind, I talked to Aidan Rodley about three months ago and we started to get the ball rolling,” he said. “It’s been a pretty good season so far (in Australia), I’m riding at a pretty high strike rate and had a few metropolitan winners, which is always good. I’ve noticed probably in the last month that the rides have slimmed up a little bit, there are a lot of UK and Irish riders over on their winter break which makes things a bit more competitive. “Obviously with the increase in prizemoney, I saw a good opportunity here and thought I would come back and have a go for a few months. It’s really good, probably in the last 12 months it’s gotten the boost that it really needed. New Zealand is a jurisdiction that’s always had the promise and I think we’re finally going to see that potential come to fruition now. “I’ll just spend Wednesday with my family, I don’t think I’ve been home for Christmas for about seven years, so that will be good. My little sister has just had a baby a couple of weeks ago, so it’ll be nice to spend time with them.” Hutchings has picked up rides in each of the three Group races on Thursday, including course-proven Group One winner El Vencedor in the Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic (2000m). The son of Shocking upset star mare Legarto when claiming the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) in March, a performance he emulated when winning the Gr.3 Balmerino Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on Melbourne Cup Day. At his most recent appearance, El Vencedor finished at the tail of the field in the Gr.1 Mufhasa Classic (1600m), a run Hutchings is happy to look past ahead of the feature. “At his best, he’s going to be very competitive,” he said. “He missed the kick the other day and had to do a lot of work early, so you can probably forgive that run at Wellington.” The 29-year-old will also partner Customized in the Gr.2 Shaw’s Wire Ropes Auckland Guineas (1400m) and Real Class in the Gr.2 Hallmark Stud Eight Carat Classic (1600m). “I’ve got a couple of up-and-coming three-year-olds in tough races for Steven Cole and Jenna Mahoney,” he said. “Jenna’s horse (Real Class) won really nicely at Te Aroha. “I have a couple for Tony Pike too (Poetic Justice and Overdrawn) and his team is going very well.” Hutchings will be based at Matamata, with his former agent in Rodley doing his rides over the coming months. “Aidan did my rides before I left and he was more than happy to help me out while I’m here,” he said. “The plan is to stay for three months at this stage and hopefully be busy and take opportunities.” View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Don Goodwin, the breeder of 11-time Group One winner Verry Elleegant, has passed away, aged 86. Goodwin was a proud student of thoroughbred pedigrees, and it was this passion that led him to acquiring Verry Elleegant’s dam, Opulence, to send to Grangewilliam Stud stallion Zed, for whom he was a shareholder. It was purchasing Opulence off trainer Nicholas Bishara that set the wheels in motion for the formation of a lucrative partnership and friendship between the pair, which took them on the ride of a lifetime. “I had the mare, Opulence, we won a couple of races and she ended up flipping over in a freak accident in the paddock and hurt her spine, so she couldn’t race on,” Bishara said. “We put her in-foal to Towkay and we didn’t have land at that stage so we decided to sell her. We put her in the sale and Don, who was into his pedigrees, bought her (for $14,000) specifically to go to Zed. “He put the weanling filly foal in the sales, so we snaffled that up (for $2,000) and she turned out to be (three-time winner) Black Lace.” Opulence went on to have a further six live foals, five of those by Zed, including Group Three performer Verry Flash, Grand National Hurdle (4200m) winner Affluential, and most notably Verry Elleegant. Verry Elleegant showed immense talent from day one and won two of her three starts for Bishara before she was partly sold, with the ownership group expanding to include John, Mark and Rachael Carter and a group of their Auckland friends, along with a number of Australians, including Aziz “Ozzie” Kheir and Brae Sokolski. She was subsequently transferred to leading Victorian trainer Darren Weir, for whom she had four starts, including victory in the Gr.3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m) and placed in the Gr.2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m), before she joined leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller’s barn following Weir’s disqualification. Verry Elleegant was a very raw individual with her eccentric and ungainly galloping style, but under Waller she matured into a world-class racehorse and won a further 13 races, 11 of those at elite-level, highlighted by her popular victory in the 2021 edition of the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m). Conquering Europe was on the minds of a few of her owners and the decision was made to head to France with the mare, who had an unsuccessful four-start campaign for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard before she was retired from racing and was subsequently served by Sea The Stars. Her performances on the track earned her a string of accolades, including Australian Horse of the Year (2020-21), Champion Australian Stayer (2020-21 and 2021-22), Champion Australian Middle-Distance Horse in (2020-21), and Joint Head of 2021 WBR Rankings (Ext.). Bishara, who remained in the syndicate of owners of Verry Elleegant with Goodwin prior to selling their shares ahead of her European campaign, said he shared some of his biggest highlights with Goodwin when racing the great mare. “We had a lot of good times together, particularly with Verry Elleegant,” Bishara said. “We had a magical ride. “The only regret we had is that we couldn’t get to Melbourne during COVID to see her win the Melbourne Cup, that was a real disappointment.” While they enjoyed plenty of memorable moments with Verry Elleegant, they also enjoyed plenty of success with her full-brother Verry Flash, who won 14 races, including the Listed Rangitikei Gold Cup (1600m), and placed twice in the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m). “He was a terrific horse in his own right but was overshadowed by Verry Elleegant,” Bishara said. “I think it is an appropriate time to retire him now and he will go to Rowena (Smyth, former jockey) who rode so many wins on him, she will give him a great life.” Through the success of his breeding endeavours through his broodmate gem Opulence, Goodwin was named the inaugural winner of the New Zealand Small Breeder of the Year Award for 2020-21. While racing was Goodwin’s passion later in life, rugby was his first love, and he spent years dedicated to the sport. “He played and coached a lot of rugby, he was very passionate about the sport,” Bishara said. “He was in Suburbs Rugby and he coached the Carter boys (John and Mark of Jomara Bloodstock), and that’s how they got them into the (Verry Elleegant) syndicate.” While Goodwin lost Opulence in 2022 and Zed passed away earlier this year, he was excited about the prospects of their last daughter Verry Stella, who is in training with Chris Waller, who also has her full-brother, So Suave, in work. “Waller has got the cracking full to Verry Elleegant, and they tell me that she is a gorgeous filly,” Bishara said. “It’s a shame he (Goodwin) wasn’t around a little bit longer.” Bishara said Goodwin would be greatly missed, and he will forever remember the great times they shared. “He was a generous man who was into his horses and pedigrees,” Bishara said. “We had a great time racing Verry Elleegant, she was an absolute freak.” View the full article
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