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Handicapping: Salvator Mile, Mint Julep in Focus
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Hong Kong Horse of the Year Exultant Retired
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This Side Up: When the Going Gets Tough…
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Gerard Melancon Wins 5,000th Race
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Serpentine Supplemented To Gold Cup
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Quinn Doubly Represented In King’s Stand
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Lone Star Park Raises Overnight Purses 20%
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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
The first horse Jonathan Riddell rode at the races was a winner and nearly two decades later he recorded his 1,000th victory in the saddle in New Zealand. Riddell had been closing in on the milestone through last season and sat on 999 on the morning of Waverley’s Sunday meeting, with his first ride Perfect Pete proving to be the only one he needed to tick that elusive box. It was a mix of joy and relief for Riddell, also known as ‘Scrapper’, when he crossed the line, having battled with weight issues right through his career. “It was a bit of a relief really, I never thought I would get to the 1,000 and then when it was getting close, it was getting a bit frustrating to say the least,” he said. “It’s good to have that box ticked. “She’s been a bit of a grind along the way and it’s been a milestone I’ve been quite passionate to get. For a rider of my weight to do this, I do give myself a little bit of a pat on the back. “I don’t check my weight before I go to the races, which sounds a bit unprofessional, but you know your body and know where you’re at when you’ve done it for so long. It’s always touch and go, I live on the knife edge of making weight or not. “It’s a job so the money (is motivation), but when you get a bit of success you keep wanting more – I’m pretty stubborn too. “It’s a good game, but it’s a tough game.” Having done it tough for so long, retirement had crept into Riddell’s mind just over a year ago when heading on holiday with his partner and Group One-winning trainer Lisa Latta. “Lisa and I went on a holiday to the UK last year and I was unsure if I’d come back from that because I knew I’d get fat over there enjoying myself,” he said. “I got back and had a few mates that were pushing me along to get the 1,000, so I just pinned my ears back. We didn’t go on holiday this winter, I said to her that being only 10 (wins) away, it would’ve been too tough to come back. “We stuck it out in the Manawatu winter so it’s great to get there.” Getting to 1,000 was no easy task, but Riddell got off to best possible start when winning his first ride as an apprentice at Tauherenikau in 1996. He couldn’t recall too much about the ride, but credited the win almost entirely to his employer, hall of fame trainer Murray Baker. “I was apprenticed to Murray and to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing,” he said. “I think he must’ve had a good dollar on it and pretty much set it up for me. I can remember the car ride there, he was pretty confident. “It was a great training effort.” Riddell had good success riding as an apprentice, but after finishing his time with Baker, he found himself riding over jumps in the early 2000’s. He rose swiftly to become one of the best in the land and further afield, winning three Great Northern Hurdles, two Grand National Hurdles and three editions of the Grand National Steeplechase. A number of those victories came aboard Paul Nelson’s horses, winning seven races apiece on No Hero and Just Not Cricket, as well as the Crisp Steeplechase at Flemington with Chibuli. “It (jumps riding) came about after I left Murray’s,” Riddell said. “Cheryl Douglas (now McGlade) grabbed me to help out and she steered me in the direction of riding jumpers, so I got good grounding from her. “That was basically my life for a few years. Paul came along, and we know how he can train a horse, and I was lucky enough to sit on some of his good ones. “It was a good time of my life, I got to see the world riding jumpers. I couldn’t put it down to one horse, I got to ride quite a few good ones and riding them in the big races is a real thrill.” Riddell had continued to ride on the flat and won his first Group One in the 2009 aboard Eileen Dubh in the Levin Classic (1600m). During that same year, a very special galloper came on his radar, which was a key factor in giving up the jumps. “I was doing both at the same time for a while, but it was just getting too tough trying to lose weight then being strong enough to ride the jumpers,” he said. “I did have a bad crash which didn’t rock me exactly, but possibly put a couple of doubts in my mind about it. “At that stage, Jimmy had come around, so it was too much of a risk riding jumpers to lose the ride on a horse like him.” That horse was Jimmy Choux, a once-in-a-lifetime talent that won 10 stakes races with Riddell on board, including the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m), Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m), Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) and Gr.1 New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Spring Classic (2040m). The pair finished second to Pinker Pinker in the 2011 Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) and competed in Hong Kong, memories that remain dear to Riddell. “He was such a nice horse, uncomplicated, everything about him was just easy,” he said. “He had a great big heart, a will to win and would be one of the quietest horses I’ve ridden. “I had an association with John (Bary, trainer) right from when he started training, I was actually at the jump-outs at Waipuk and he was in the same heat and I remembered how he went, so I must’ve chased him up and was lucky enough to get the spin on him. “Riding him in a race was easy, I could be where I wanted to be, there was no drama and he didn’t pull. The only times I didn’t ride him was when I was suspended, his first win when Lofty (Paul Taylor) rode him, then Michael Walker rode him in the Sires’ Produce. “It was a good field that that day in the Rosehill Guineas and he just smashed them. It was pretty cool. He’s one of those ones that only comes along every now and then.” Riddell said he had a real soft spot for another Bary-trained gelding in Callsign Mav, who he guided to three Group One victories during the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival. Always hungry for the next big success, Riddell was thrilled to add another to his record last month in the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) at Te Rapa on Magic Carpet. “That gave me a real good kick, I’ve known Stephen (Marsh, trainer) since I started riding and it was a bit of a surprise to me because I’ve never ridden the horse, maybe not so much for them,” he said. “I hadn’t been featuring in big races for a while, so it was really good.” That victory took his black-type total to 67, with 14 Group Ones, 10 Group Twos, 19 Group Threes and 24 at Listed level. Of his overall total of 1,013 wins, 10 of his came on Australian soil, alongside two in Japan. Loyalty has been an integral part of Riddell’s success and something he is proud of, having ridden from the early days for many of the same trainers as he rides for in the present time. “The numbers speak for themselves, I’ve had a great association with John, Paul, Allan Sharrock, and Lisa, she has been a supporter of mine forever as well as her owners,” he said. “It’s nice to have that loyalty and the good thing about it is I’m still riding for those people now.” A new chapter started for the 47-year-old when his daughter Amber joined him in the professional ranks last term, admitting it was an adjustment riding alongside her initially. “To start with I was hopeless, I was literally watching her in the races as any father would,” he said. “Now, I think it’s one of those things that you do often enough that it becomes natural. “I don’t worry about her out there now, she’s just another competitor and she’s going better than me so it’s good to knock one over her.” Also based in the Central Districts, Amber rode 53 winners in her first season and Riddell couldn’t have been prouder. “That would be an understatement,” he said. “She’s going so well, she’s determined and she works really hard. I’m so proud of her. “It’s a special thing to do, to compete and fight against your daughter in the sport we do. She’s got it all ahead of her.” View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Sharp ‘N’ Smart will be lining up on Melbourne Cup Day, it just won’t be at Flemington. The former New Zealand Horse of the Year was guaranteed a start in next month’s Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), being 23rd in order of entry, but his connections have decided to bypass the $10 million feature despite his pleasing third place finish in last Saturday’s Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Ellerslie. After a meeting with his owners on Monday, trainers Graeme and Debbie Rogerson have decided to keep the multiple Group One winner at home and target the Gr.3 Elsdon Park Balmerino Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on the first Tuesday in November instead. “Two miles might be just too soon,” Graeme Rogerson said. “After talking with all the owners today, he is running at Ellerslie on Melbourne Cup Day and then we are going to make up our minds on what we do with him then. “Hopefully he has a good summer campaign, and we will be looking at Sydney at some stage.” While Rogerson has decided against heading to Melbourne, he was buoyed by the way his gelding performed on Saturday where he showed glimpses of his former Group One-winning self. “He is on the way back,” Rogerson said. “He is a little bit like his old self. He got a little bit out of his ground when that horse (El Vencedor) took off, but he certainly made up a lot of ground. “The track was beautiful. He is not hopeless in the wet, but he is a better dry track horse.” Rogerson now has his eye on some autumn targets with his six-year-old gelding, particularly on Champions Day at Ellerslie on March 7, with the Hamilton horseman considering both the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) and Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m). “He doesn’t have to improve a lot for the Bonecrusher,” he said. “I don’t know what weight he would get in the Auckland Cup, but we will just wait and see.” Sharp ‘N’ Smart’s withdrawal leaves only two remaining New Zealand-trained contenders for the Melbourne Cup, with the Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained Mark Twain and Raymond Connors-trained Trav still in the hunt to gain a place in the 24-horse field. Meanwhile, Rogerson was happy enough with stablemate Solidify’s seventh placing in the Livamol on Saturday. “He looked good,” Rogerson said. “He will either run at Tauranga or Tauherenikau.” View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Andrew Forsman joined an exclusive club at Matamata last Friday when Berry Brown recorded his 1,000th New Zealand training success when victorious in the GCM Feeds 1600. The Cambridge horseman was proud to reach the milestone and said it was fitting it was achieved with a horse carrying the familiar green silks of long-time stable supporters Jomara Bloodstock. “It is a nice milestone to reach,” he said. “It’s a number, but a very special one to get to and I am happy to have got there. “That (bringing up the milestone with a Jomara horse) was very rewarding. They have obviously been very solid supporters of mine right the way through, so it was very fitting.” Many of those 1,000 wins were recorded when training in partnership with his mentor Murray Baker, and Forsman said he owes much of his success to the legendary horseman. “I wouldn’t be anywhere near 1,000 without him,” he said. “A lot of it is his hard work and what he had built toward. Of all the people to end up training in partnership with, I was very thankful it was him.” Initially intent on a career in broadcasting, Forsman didn’t begin working with horses until he started assisting in Baker’s barn 20 years ago to supplement his income as a camera operator for Trackside. His love for the horse began to grow and following seven years with the stable he was rewarded when taken into a training partnership by Baker. “I graduated film and television school and my first job was a camera operator for Trackside,” Forsman said. “I needed more money and extra hours, so I approached Murray to do some work for him in the mornings, and it grew from there. “I did both jobs for a fair while, it worked out quite well because they complemented each other. I could get a fair bit of work done in the morning with the horses and then go off during the day to work in the television side. “Having experience in both facets of the industry did help me and that was a good grounding to have. “My passion for the game took over and when Bjorn (Baker) came back from Europe he was training in partnership with Murray and I was foreman, working under them at the time. “Bjorn didn’t hang around too long in New Zealand, he took the opportunity to take the punt and have a go in Sydney. When he left, he pushed my case to Murray to put me into partnership and the rest is history.” The pair enjoyed a lucrative 10 years before Baker retired in 2022, with the partnership having won four New Zealand Trainers’ Premierships, 24 Group One victories, with Dundeel and Mongolian Khan being two of their highest profile representatives. Forsman has enjoyed training in a solo capacity over the last three years, where he has continued to expand his business, including setting up a permanent base at Flemington racecourse in Melbourne. “The first spring when I was training in my own right we had a very good season,” Forsman said. “Mr Maestro strung together a few black-type races in a row and ran a game fourth in the (VRC) Derby (Gr.1, 2500m). “That particular spring we had some good results, and I think that was really good for my profile heading forward and it gives you the confidence that you can compete against the best trainers in Melbourne. “Chloe (Cumming) is the full-time assistant trainer there (Flemington) and she is doing a brilliant job. From a financial point of view, we really need to build the stable to a bigger number to make it worthwhile, which is something we are striving toward at the moment.” Looking back on his 1,000 wins in New Zealand, Forsman said there are several highlights, but one race stands out above the rest. “Of the New Zealand winners, Aegon winning the Karaka Million three-year-old mile was one of the standouts,” Forsman said. “It was a pretty cool night. “He was unbeaten going into it. The horse he was and the way we had to manage him right the way through, he was a very special horse, and it was a great race – him and Amarelinha going head-to-head and it was great to come out on top.” Forsman purchased Aegon for $150,000 out of Waikato Stud’s 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft and raced him with the Zame Partnership, with the now retired gelding going on to win six races, including the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), and he competed in Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand, and earned more than $2 million in prizemoney. Forsman said searching for his next star helps him get up in the morning, and he is hoping they are among his latest batch of youngsters at his Cambridge barn. “You are always looking for that next good horse, they are hard to find and you take it for granted when you have got them,” he said. “We have got a lot of nice young horses in the stable, in New Zealand in particular, and you just never know where they come from. “That is the exciting part of it, waking up in the morning and working toward finding that next good one.” View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Ancient Spirit is on the victory board and White Robe Lodge is expecting his progeny to continue to build winning momentum as the season rolls on. The well-related son of Invincible Spirit has only had a handful of runners and was represented by his first success at Wingatui where when Bobby Mcgee broke her maiden last Friday. From the stallion’s first crop, the Terry Kennedy-trained three-year-old was making her third appearance and had placed on debut last term. “It was really nice to get the monkey off the back, it was a nice win as she sat with no cover most of the way and fought on well,” stud manager Wayne Stewart said. “Ancient Spirit hasn’t had many runners, and they should get over a bit of ground as the season goes on. “The stallion’s out of a Galileo mare and with our mares they should stay, the reports I’ve been getting are positive and they will develop into middle distance horses. “He suits what we breed, so hopefully they can get to a good level.” The German-bred Ancient Spirit is a son of Invincible Spirit and Assisi and won five races, including two at Group Two level. “We got offered him by bloodstock agent Ed Stapleton and we knew he was a good miler, he won two Listed miles at the Curragh and the German Guineas (Gr.2, 1600m),” Stewart said. “He was appealing to us, and his second dam won the German Oaks (Gr.1, 2200m) and he’s a half-brother to a Group One winner (Alson). “Invincible Spirit has done a great job in this part of the world with I Am Invincible.” Ancient Spirit stands at White Robe alongside the proven Ghibellines and newcomer Alflaila. By Shamardal, Ghibellines has been a grand source of success with the Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) winner Smokin’ Romans his flagship performer while Campaldino claimed this year’s Gr.2 Brisbane Cup (3200m). “Ghibellines just keeps consistently leaving winners all over the place,” Stewart said. Alflaila is a son of Dark Angel and stakes performer Oasis Dream mare Adhwaa and was a two-time winner at Group Two and Three level. “Harry Angel, who’s by Dark Angel, is fully booked in Australia and he’s leaving good winners all the time,” Stewart said. “Alflaila has a big book of stakes winners and stakes performed mares, so he’s going to get every opportunity. “I’ve been a bit surprised how many mares are about this season, and he’ll be serving around the 100 mark.” View the full article -
By Chief Stipe · Posted
@All The Aces in 2014, 2020 and 2021 the three races were two weeks apart. In 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2016 the first leg was the last Saturday in August not the first or second Saturday in September. From 2000 to 2016 the Mudgway the first leg was run 14 times out of 17 in August. So much for two weeks apart and tradition. Each race of the triple crown has had at least 3 different names depending on sponsor.
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