Motor Sport

What do you mean by an escape clause?

Totally agree Freda. Unfortunately it's easier to brand the riders as incompetent. Racing officialdom continues to shoot itself in the foot. 

Ciaron Maher might be away on holidays but his team at home are keen and ready for Finals Day at Flemington where the stable says they have a strong team taking on the wintertime features with lessons learnt along the way. Detonator Jack (NZ) (Jakkalberry) and She’s An Artist (Trapeze Artist) headline their team with the former out to break a long run of outs. Despite having not won since taking out The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange in November 2023, the now six-year-old Detonator Jack faces one of his more winnable tasks second-up. While the Listed VRC-CRV Winter Championship Final (1600m) is not insignificant, there is a gap between it and the million-dollar 7+ Sport Stakes (1600m) last September at Randwick where he finished fourth behind Fangirl (Sebring), and the Gr.1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) in which he ran sixth behind Celestial Legend (Dundeel) during The Championships in 2024. “Detonator Jack ran really well first-up but he got a long way back,” stable representative Leigh Allen said. “We thought he was a bit under what he normally is on returning but we can forgive him being a that far off them.” “He’s been consistently running against black-type and group company, so he will know the difference here.” Detonator Jack is rated a $16 chance at Flemington with firming favourite Oh Too Good (All Too Hard) at $2.70. Of Maher’s other runners, She’s An Artist is looking to continue her perfect record in the Listed Creswick Stakes (1200m) to follow-up on her impressive win down the Flemington straight over 1100-metres on June 21. That experience for the horse and their own learning from the past is key to the preparation for this event. “We gave her that look down the straight and she seemed to tick every box there,” Allen said. “We were surprised with how well she won, not that she won, and it seems me to be a similar field but we are confident with how well she came through and she should be winning. “We were going to straight into the Creswick after her Bendigo win but we did that with Pharari last year after winning at Ballarat and she folded in the Creswick because she didn’t handle the straight. “We learned from that, and she has improved again.” Allen is also happy with Shockletz (NZ) (Shocking) in the Mahogany Challenge Final (2500m) with weight relief and the distance suiting the three-year-old daughter of Melbourne Cup (3200m) winner Shocking. View the full article

Allan Sharrock has won two of the last four editions of the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m), and the New Plymouth trainer believes Saturday’s Group One Turf Bar Sprint (1200m) at Te Rapa could put Lazio (NZ) (Per Incanto) on target to add to that record. Sharrock saddled Justaskme (NZ) (No Excuse Needed) to win the midwinter feature on his home track in 2021 and again in 2023. The 2021 edition produced a Sharrock quinella, with the runner-up position filled by London Express (NZ) (Shamexpress) – the dam of last week’s $190,000 sale-topper at the National Weanling Sale at Karaka. This year’s Sinclair Electrical and Refrigeration Opunake Cup will be run on July 19 for an increased stake of $120,000, and Sharrock has his eyes firmly on that prize with Lazio. The lightly raced five-year-old has recorded four wins and three placings from a career spanning only eight starts. He made a big impression earlier in the season with back-to-back open handicap victories at Te Rapa on September 15 and Trentham on October 27. Spelled after finishing fifth in the Levin Stakes (1200m) in late November, Lazio has returned to action this winter with a first-up third placing at Wanganui on May 31 and a subsequent trial win at Foxton on June 24. Notably, he is unbeaten second-up. “The Opunake Cup is the race I’m looking at with him, provided he performs up to expectations this weekend,” Sharrock said. “Based on the way he’s worked leading into it, I can’t see any reason why he wouldn’t do that. “He went super first-up at Wanganui and I was thrilled with him. He’s gone the right way through the few weeks since that race. He trialled nicely the other day for Kelly Myers, who made the trip down to ride him. “Te Rapa is a track that he seems to like, which is not the case for all horses, so that’s a factor in his favour this weekend. He’s going into it in good order.” Lazio will be ridden by apprentice jockey Ashlee Strawbridge, whose four-kilogram claim will reduce his impost to just 51.5kg. Lazio is raced by Luigi Muollo’s Explosive Breeding Ltd, who bred the Per Incanto gelding alongside Sharrock and Paul Dombroski. Lazio is a half-brother to the four-time Group One-winning Hong Kong sprinting star Lucky Sweynesse. Their dam Madonna Mia (NZ) (Red Clubs) won nine races for Sharrock including the Listed Wanganui Cup (2040m). Sharrock heads into this weekend with 48 wins to his name this season, sitting in sixth place on the national trainers’ premiership. He will also be represented at Te Rapa on Saturday by last-start placegetter Indian Gold in the Mark Sanders Memorial (1400m), while his five-horse contingent at Otaki could also be worth following. “There’s a maiden runner at Otaki that I’ve got a bit of time for, Ena Sharples,” Sharrock said. “She’s a nice filly who ran a good race for second on debut a few weeks ago. She worked particularly well this week. “Confetti is another one that’s been working very nicely. We were originally pointing her towards Te Rapa, but we ended up changing tack to run her at Otaki instead. It looks a nice race for her.” View the full article

Versatile performer Pacifico (NZ) (Ardrossan) has hit a rich vein of form and another top showing on Saturday will earn him a crack at a richer winter prize. The son of Ardrossan will shoot for his fourth win on the bounce in the UBP Te Awamutu Cup (1600m) at Te Rapa with a return in the mix later this month for The Callinan Family Taumarunui Cup (2200m). Trainer Andrew Forsman can’t fault the four-year-old and will also be chasing success across the Tasman with Prochester (NZ) (Proisir) in the Mahogany Challenge Final (2600m) at Flemington. Pacifico posted consecutive victories over 1600m at Te Aroha and Tauranga before he again made all the running to win last Saturday’s Whangarei Gold Cup (2100m). “A lot is down to maturity and he’s going great now, when he’s in form and we can find races for him most weeks there’s no reason not to go again,” Forsman said. “He hasn’t raced at Te Rapa for nearly a year, that was when he was a Rating 65 horse and he’s a different proposition now and that’s why we want to start him in this race. “There’s the possibility of running him in the Taumarunui Cup, so we just want to see how he goes on the course.” To be ridden by two-kilogram claimer Rihaan Goyaram, who has won on the gelding before, Pacifico has enjoyed a quiet lead-up. “It’s on our doorstep and we haven’t had to do much with him, he’s a fit horse and lines up another solid chance,” Forsman said. Prochester showed his staying quality when third in the Gr.3 Manawatu Classic (2100m) before he relocated to Flemington. “The first run he had over there in the St Leger (Listed, 2800m) was a bit further and he didn’t quite run it out, but he’s going better now than he was going into that race,” Forsman said. “The distance should be fine on Saturday and there’s a bit of a tail to the race and that helps. “The track should be fine for him, he gets through a little bit of cut in the ground so it should be ideal.” The son of Proisir finished runner-up to race rival Shockletz last month before an unplaced effort. “The key to him is getting out into the clear and two starts back at Flemington he did that, and he was able to have a crack at them,” Forsman said. “He never really let down that well last time among horses, he got left a bit flat-footed early in the sprint home and he’s far happier out in the clear. “He needs momentum to build into it so hopefully Matt (Cartwright) can get a soft run early and then get him off the rail and rolling to make his run a bit sooner than most.” Forsman’s other runner at the weekend is Milanese in the Quick Count Maiden (2100m) at Tauranga on Sunday. Like Pacifico, she is raced by breeder Jomara Bloodstock with the Zed four-year-old coming off a fourth placing at Matamata over a mile. “She’s improving and she’s had a couple of fitness runs and should hopefully finish in the top three or four to justify pressing on with,” Forsman said. View the full article