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    Jay Bee Gee Wins Winter Cup

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    • The big thing is precedent. Makes it very hard to scrap a race with four entrants anywhere else now. I also think it makes it hard to justify refusing to split a race in the south when you get 22 noms at a track that starts 14. The usual approach is to tell the 8 unlucky ones to piss off and wait another couple of weeks. Not a single horse balloted or eliminated at Ellerslie or Trentham. It will be interesting to see what happens at the next few southern meetings when they get over 20 odd noms for a race.
    • Gold Coast track gets tick for Millions day: ‘We could have raced today' https://www.racenet.com.au/news/gold-coast-track-gets-green-light-for-magic-millions-day-20250108 Watch the crucial track gallop that gave the course the tick of approval.   By Trenton Akers 06:17pm • 09 January 2025 One of the most respected stewards in the world says the repair job at the controversial Gold Coast track worked so well, they could have raced the Magic Millions on Thursday if it was required. After almost a week of mixed messaging and uncertainty, it took less than half an hour for Kim Kelly to give $14.5m meeting the green light on Thursday morning after senior jockeys Vlad Duric, Chad Schofield, Jimmy Orman, Michael Cahill, Andrew Mallyon and Martin Harley tested the new turf. "We looked at it yesterday (Wednesday) and I was confident that if, at a pinch, the races were on today (Thursday), we could have done it," Kelly, the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission's deputy commissioner said. "The time between Wednesday and Saturday is just a bonus." While officials have managed to dodge a bullet with the track, they are facing a new potential issue, with up to 30mm of rain forecast to fall at the Gold Coast on Saturday's race day. The meeting was famously washed out in 2023 with just 14mm of rain overnight, however the new sand-based Gold Coast track is much more resilient to downpours, should they arrive. With grass guru's Evergreen Turf replacing the entire affected patch of killed off grass earlier in the week, racing officials are confident the new slab will race consistently with the rest of the course proper. "The contractors, Racing Queensland and the club have done a great job in getting the affected area back to where it is now," Kelly said. "It was all very positive. "The rain on Wednesday night could have only helped it, natural irrigation is better than any other irrigation. "I am very confident, the feedback from the riders was positive, as I expected it would be after looking at the track. "We are very happy with the outcome so far, there are no issues with the meeting on Saturday at this stage at all." The six jockeys who rode on the track on Thursday were not permitted to make public comments about their gallops earlier in the day. Additional track staff will be on hand to inspect the area at the 500m mark on Saturday after each race
    • From what I've read the Flemington Track Manager is one they should be following. Flemington seems to be the most consistent track in OZ.
    • Puntura (NZ) (Vespa) will get his chance to defend his crown in Saturday’s Gr.1 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham, something he wasn’t assured of just a month ago.  The son of Vespa had been out of form since his breakthrough elite-level victory last year, and retirement was looming for the seven-year-old, but he was given one last chance to prove himself in last month’s Gr.1 Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham, and he duly delivered.  He pleased when finished fourth in the feature mile, and he continued his form revival when he returned to the Upper Hutt venue a fortnight later to finish sixth in the Gr.2 Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m).  “He was out of form for three or four starts, and it was good to see him back,” trainer Robbie Patterson said.  “When we went to the Mufhasa, that was nearly D-Day if he didn’t do something, and he went a blinder, so he got a reprieve.  “He is still looking for gaps in his last race. He has only got to bring that form on Saturday to be competitive.”  Puntura will be ridden by Craig Grylls, who partnered with him in last year’s running, which kicked off a memorable day for Patterson.  “It was a big thrill (to win the Thorndon Mile), and we won the Wellington Cup (Gr.3, 3200m) three-quarters of an hour later, so it was a pretty fantastic day,” he said.  Patterson is pleased with Puntura heading into the weekend, where he will be ridden cold from barrier five.  “The horse is very well, he has done well since his last run, so fingers-crossed,” he said.  “It has taken us seven years to work him out, but you have just got to ride him cold and he will be finishing it off.”  Puntura will be joined in the race by his Group One-winning stablemate One Bold Cat (NZ) (The Bold One), who will be ridden from gate three by Joe Doyle.  Victorious in the Gr.1 Arrowfield Plate (1600m) at Matamata in October, the son of The Bold One was given a freshen-up following his subpar showing in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Te Rapa 10 days later and returned to finish eighth in the Mufhasa Classic last month.  Patterson said the extra travel in spring as a result of Hastings’ abandonment took its toll on the gelding, and he has finally got him back to his old self ahead of Saturday’s target.  “He won the Arrowfield and then he sort of dropped away,” Patterson said.   “He lost 10-15 kilos and could never really regain it. I think the travelling with the muck up at Hawke’s Bay just knocked him around a little bit and he jumped out of his skin that day (at Matamata) and I think it took the edge off him.  “I have freshened him up a little bit and he has put the weight back on. He would probably prefer a bit more sting out of the track than we will probably get, but he is a happy horse.”  Further Group One targets await One Bold Cat following the weekend, but plans are still up in the air for Puntura.  “The Herbie Dyke (Gr.1, 2000m) is the obvious one for One Bold Cat,” Patterson said. “Puntura, a mile is his go, so it gets a bit sticky where we go with him after that.”  Meanwhile, Patterson will also be looking for another back-to-back crown on Saturday, but this time at Kumara where Regal Dice will be seeking consecutive victories in the Vernon & Vazey 0800 Truck Parts Kumara Gold Nuggets (1810m).  “She is there to defend her title,” Patterson said. “She had a blowout last Sunday. She was a tad disappointing and got ridden a tad handier than we would have liked. She is going to be ridden cold on Saturday and hopefully she can replicate her win from last year.  “It is a unique day, and that meeting should be on the bucket list for everyone. I would have loved to have made it this year, but I have got bigger targets to fry.” View the full article
    • A series of outstanding performances at Ellerslie last summer underpinned an award-winning three-year-old season for Orchestral (NZ) (Savabeel), and trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood hope Sunday’s Auckland Co-Op Taxis (1400m) will set her up for more of the same in 2025. The top-class daughter of Savabeel scored a stunning Ellerslie treble in last year’s $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m). She powered home from the back half of the field to win each of those features with ease, racking up a combined winning margin of more than 11 lengths. Orchestral carried on to Sydney and added the Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m), which James and Wellwood had also won the previous year with Prowess. Orchestral’s exceptional three-year-old season came to an end with a third placing in the Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m). James and Wellwood went into Orchestral’s four-year-old spring with high hopes, but she was unplaced in all of her three appearances. She resumed with an eighth over 1400m at Ellerslie in September, followed by a strong-finishing sixth in the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) and a very disappointing 12th in the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m). “For whatever reason, she didn’t show her best form in that spring campaign,” James said. “She had a hard run first-up, and then to be fair to her, she was very unlucky in that second run. But her performance in that last race was a bit of a head-scratcher. “We gave her a break after that and I’m super happy with her in the lead-up to Ellerslie this weekend. She’s looking great. “The 1400m will absolutely be short of her best distance this weekend and there’s a fair bit of improvement left in her. We don’t need her to be peaking for this race.” James is looking forward to taking Orchestral back to Ellerslie’s Karaka Millions meeting again on January 25 in search of another million-dollar prize. “She’ll go to the Aotearoa Classic (1600m) next,” he said. “After that, she’ll probably continue to race in New Zealand through until the autumn. We can race for such incredibly good money on home soil now, with the stakes and bonuses, that there’s no need to look further afield.” The TAB rates Orchestral a $3 favourite for the Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic. She is also prominent in the market for the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on February 8, where she sits on the second line of favouritism at $6 behind dominant $1.70 favourite Snazzytavi. Orchestral is at the same $6 quote for the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m), which is one of four Group One races run on Champions Day at Ellerslie on March 8. The Aotearoa Classic, Herbie Dyke Stakes and Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes are all qualifying races for the Rich Hill Champion Middle Distance Series, which will award bonuses of $300,000, $150,000 and $50,000 for the three highest point-scorers at the conclusion of the 12-race series. Orchestral’s return headlines an exciting weekend for Kingsclere Stables, who will also be represented by last-start Stella Artois 1500 Championship Final (1500m) winner Hasstobeawinner in the NZB Karaka 2025 (1500m) at Ellerslie on Sunday. The form out of that Stella Artois 1500 victory on Boxing Day has already received a notable boost, with runner-up Bourbon Empress going on to win the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) on New Year’s Day. “He won that race very well and the form has stacked up,” James said. “That looks to me to be the most competitive race of the day on Sunday, there’s a lot of form in that line-up. It’s not a given that he can win again, but we have been very happy with the horse in between times.” On Friday at Tauranga, James and Wellwood will be represented by resuming runners Arabian Songbird in the MJ @ Ray White Greerton (1400m) and December in the Social Club Greerton (1200m). “I think Arabian Songbird’s last race at Pukekohe in November was a real ‘forget’ run,” James said. “She won both of her starts before than in very good style. She’s had a little freshen up and has pleased us with her work. She can run a bold race on Friday. “December is a pretty fair sprinter and is coming up really well. He’s still on the way up, so he’ll take some good improvement out of whatever he does on Friday.” View the full article
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