Chief Stipe

Melbourne Cup favourite Incentivise is back at his Pakenham home after a couple of days at the beach, fully recovered from his Caulfield Cup win and with trainer Peter Moody declaring him a certain starter for the biggest race of his career. Moody said on Sunday morning the horse ‘certainly knew he’d had a run’ and would see how he recovered before confirming his place in the Melbourne Cup. He has since ticked all boxes. “Sunday morning was quite daunting because, for the first time ever, I saw him ever so slightly jaded, but then Monday morning he was ‘tickety boo’ and licked the feed bin our from Sunday night and he was bouncing and ready to get his work over and done with yet again,” Moody said on his podcast, Moody On The Mic. Incentivise had his compulsory scans ahead of the Melbourne Cup on Monday morning with Moody taking the no news, as good news. “I’m presuming you only hear something if there’s an issue and we haven’t heard anything at this point in time and it’s full steam ahead,” Moody said. “It was very simple; an hour and a half float ride from Pakenham to Werribee, the horse was there for about an hour and a half and an hour and a half later he was grazing in a paddock at the beach property that we send him to. “He’s enjoyed his little beach holiday for two and a half days, back at Pakenham and what are we 12 or 13 days into the Cup.” The 59-time Group 1-winning trainer, who is yet to win a Melbourne Cup, said Incentivise will have relatively light work heading into the race given his residual fitness and remarkable recovery powers. “I don’t think he’ll need a lot of work at all on the training tracks because he’s a very fit horse (and) he pulled up and recovered very quickly post the Caulfield Cup,” he said. Incentivise is a $2.50 favourite to win the Melbourne Cup despite the horse having never extended beyond 2500m, nonetheless Moody believes distance won’t be an issue for the son of Shamus Award. “There’s always that question mark until you’re out there and proven, but the strongest part of all his races seems to be through the line,” Moody said. “It was interesting there in the Caulfield Cup, Brett Prebble went right up to the 1200m mark, he went another 800 or 900 metres post the Caulfield Cup finish and actually had to steer him toward a fence to inevitably stop him before he brough him back to the enclosure. “He seems to have an unbelievable capacity to build and keep running, this horse” Sportsbet has already paid on Incentivise to win the race for all bets placed before October 19, a figure the company says was in excess of $5.5 million.

ColumnistCox Plate Neasham column: The truth behind Zaaki’s ‘bandages’ James McDonald will reunite with Cox Plate favourite Zaaki on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images By Annabel Neasham 02:24am • 21 October 2021 Comments Zaaki and Mo’unga are ready to rumble for their Cox Plate grand final. There has been a lot of chat about Zaaki’s unexpected defeat at Caulfield, but after his two gallops at The Valley, I am feeling confident he will bounce back. One thing that surprised me was people querying the “bandages” he was wearing. Perhaps they haven’t noticed that he wore them in his Group 1 Doomben Cup win, and has worn them in every race since! They are bumper wraps, with the purpose of them to protect their bumpers, which is the back of the fetlock. When they extend at full flight, they can occasionally brush their bumpers on the ground, grazing the skin a little, so the wraps prevent that from happening. A lot of my horses wear them, including Mo’unga. Talking of Mo’unga, I think he is the forgotten horse in the Cox Plate. His form has been outstanding, beating the good mare Verry Elleegant in the Winx Stakes, and only going down by a head to Incentivise just two starts ago. He will run a big race on Saturday. Zaaki (left) with stablemate Mo’unga at Altona Beach on Wednesday. Picture: Getty Images LUCKY DRAW It could be a lucky omen that I put James McDonald and Hugh Bowman to work at the Cox Plate (virtual) barrier draw. We got almost exactly what we wanted for both Zaaki and Mo’unga. Mo’unga has often been a victim of wide gates and Hugh told me he wanted barrier four. When Mo’unga’s name came up first, barrier four was what Hugh picked and so his wish came true. James said he wanted either barrier five or six for Zaaki and he got barrier six. MACCA’S MISSION I slept very easily the night that we finally got the green tick for James to go to Melbourne to ride Zaaki in the Cox Plate. James absolutely loves this horse and you can see that love is very genuine. He was absolutely desperate to get down there – and even after Zaaki got defeated he was just as keen. James has got a great affinity with Zaaki and to be honest I don’t really even need to talk to him too much about a Cox Plate game plan. It’s just a matter of having him happy and settling where he is comfortable in the run. With James, you don’t need a plan or a set speed map as he just rides on feel and instinct. A good example of that was in the Doomben Cup when I was petrified at the 800m that James was rolling along too quick on Zaaki. But he knew what he had underneath him, he had gears left, he knew what he was sitting on. Hopefully, James and Zaaki are a partnership that will last quite a while and they will keep winning together. Zaaki (left) and Mo’unga gallop at The Valley ahead of the Cox Plate. Picture: Michael Klein TRAVEL PLANS With the ever-changing Covid-19 landscape, it now looks like I may be able to get to Melbourne for Cox Plate day. After some recent developments, it appears as though I may be able to be trackside at The Valley to watch my two horses in the big race. If I can get trackside, it will still be a shame there will be no crowds and probably not much atmosphere. But it would be great for me to be able to put a saddle on my two horses before the Cox Plate. It won’t change anything really in terms of the Cox Plate itself – but I haven’t seen Zaaki for quite a while and it would just be nice to see him in the flesh again. The Cox Plate is one of the great days of racing, I was trackside for three of Winx’s four Cox Plate wins and they were moments I will never forget.

That's 18 x $15k maiden races!

Cox Plate Relive five of the most memorable Cox Plate moments Jockey Hugh Bowman returns to scale after winning the 2018 Chipping Norton Stakes on Winx. By Clinton Payne 12:47pm • 20 October 2021 1 Comments * Vision courtesy of Sky Channel Some of Australia’s greatest racing memories come from the Cox Plate so the theme this week will be less is more – the videos do the talking. Winx – 2018 Arguably the most historic day on an Australian racecourse. Australia’s best horse became the first, and probably the last, horse to win the weight-for-age championship for the fourth time. It was the great mare’s 29th straight victory when she defeated international raider Benbatl. “We weren’t there in 1930 when Phar Lap won four races at Flemington,” veteran sports commentator and race caller Bruce McAvaney said. “This is as close as we’ve ever been to anything that might have resembled that. “I have been following racing for 60 years. I have never known a day like this, a build up like this. It’s remarkable.” Winx – 2015 This was the day Winx confirmed she was more than just a Group 1 winner. Her first of four Cox Plate wins, the four-year-old mare was sent out a $4.60 chance and she dismantled her opponents, breaking the track record in her 4-3/4 length romp. “We’ve got a lot of good horses but you don’t even dare dream about Cox Plates,” trainer Chris Waller said after the race. “She had a lovely run and she just put the foot down turning for home. “It was shades of Sunline. “She’s just a superior athlete. She’s amazing.” Super Impose – 1992 The 1992 Cox Plate showcased one of the best fields ever assembled on an Australian track. It was a time when there were many heroes on the turf and they all seemed to be at Moonee Valley on October 24. Super Impose, Better Loosen Up, Let’s Elope, Rough Habit, Kinjite, Slight Chance, Mannerism, Burst, Sydeston, Naturalism just to name a few. For drama, the 1992 Cox Plate was arguably unrivalled. To this day it remains one of the most talked about races in the first 100 years of the Cox Plate. Falls, protests and a champ winning – 1992 had it all. Bonecrusher – 1986 This one was nicknamed ‘the race of the century’. Two Kiwi stars, Bonecrusher and Our Waverley Star, started to surge around the field at the 800m and they proceeded to go head-and-head all the way to the winning post. “Here come the New Zealanders, Our Waverley Star and Bonecrusher, they’ve raced to the lead 600 out, have they gone too early?” legendary race caller Bill Collins declared. He then added to the theatre that day declaring “Bonecrusher races into equine immortality” as he hit the post first – his voice sounding like he’d just run a marathon. Kingston Town – 1982 “Kingston Town can’t win” never has an Australian racing commentator’s inaccuracy been so celebrated. Known as ‘the accurate one’, the legendary Bill Collins made the declaration as the field reached the home turn before things changed in a flash. The great horse got his second wind, circling the leaders to become the first horse to win three Cox Plates. “He was under the whip and doing nothing – that has to be one of the greatest wins ever,” winning jockey Peter Cook said after the race. That historic day encompassed everything that’s made the Cox Plate stand alone. Things happen at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day that don’t happen any other day of the year on any Australian racecourses and that is why the Cox Plate is no ordinary race.

Were they over hurdles?

A Browne Quinella.

I see @Freda you like your horses on the mature side!

Races called off after jockeys fatigue concerns The field in race three rounds the first corner at Toowoomba Turf Club Clifford Park racecourse, Saturday, March 13, 2021. Picture: Kevin Farmer By Trenton Akers 06:55pm • 18 October 2021 3 Comments Races at Toowoomba on Saturday night were sensationally called off after a group of jockeys raised concerns about fatigue due to the races going too late into the night. The concerns were raised following a lengthy delay after a number of lights at the track malfunctioned, causing stewards to postpone the races until they were fixed. However, once the lights were repaired, a group of jockeys raised fatigue concerns with the remaining races to run later than had been originally scheduled. With another group of jockeys keen to race on despite the delay, News Corp understands heated scenes took place with a number of trainers having already transported their horses to the track. With two races having already run, race three was rescheduled to run at around 7:30pm but the group of jockeys concerned about riding late into the night opted to pull their services instead. Horses parade at Clifford Park. Picture: Kevin Farmer. “Stewards heard concerns from the majority of the riding delegation as they were of the opinion that the remaining events would proceed too late into the evening, and as a result, expressed concern for their safety and fatigue,” the stewards report read. “After offering solutions to ensure a timely completion of the meeting, the delegation of riders opted to withdraw their services, therefore leaving stewards without any option but to postpone the remaining events.” It’s understood a range of options were offered to the fractured riding group which could ensure their safety. Jockey Skye Bogenhuber was fined $1000 on the night, $500 of which was suspended for directing obscene and offensive language towards a steward. Racing Queensland has since announced the remaining five races will be run on Tuesday with the fields to stay the same.

Bossy’s tribute to Sir Dragonet Edward Sadler@edward_sadler 18 October, 2021 Glen Boss wins his fourth Cox Plate on Sir Dragonet (Image: Racing Photos) Glen Boss has paid tribute to Sir Dragonet and lamented his loss to the Australian racing and breeding industries after his shock death on Saturday. The Cox Plate champion, trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, sadly broke while galloping at The Valley and was subsequently euthanised. “Obviously, that was bad news for everyone involved, such a sad thing to happen to such a beautiful colt,” Boss said. “He was a magnificent colt. “People don’t understand that horse had a pedigree that we hadn’t seen in Australia ever, he had an amazing pedigree, so that’s a real loss for Australian racing, in the barn to be honest.” Boss partnered the son of Camelot in seven of his 10 starts in Australia, including wins in last year’s Cox Plate and the Tancred Stakes earlier this year, and described him as being “an absolute gentleman”. “He had a few quirks, they were all positive things, not negative, he was up and about, a busy type of colt,” he said. “He was a really good racehorse, that Cox Plate was his (10th) career start, I think. “Then he had a bit of an up and down start to his autumn campaign, but he got himself together and won a Tancred, which is one of our major mile and a half races in Australia.” Boss had been booked to ride Sir Dragonet in an attempt to defend his Cox Plate title before he suffered his fatal injury on Saturday. WATCH: A Racing.com feature on Sir Dragonet’s 2020 Cox Plate victory

Is Verry Elleegant flying under the radar? Tim Yeatman@TimYeatman 9:15am Verry Elleegant gallops with Damian Lane at Breakfast with the Best. Picture: Racing Photos With nine Group 1 wins, it’s unusual for a horse like Verry Elleegant to be flying under the radar leading into the Cox Plate. But with so much attention focused on Zaaki and Anamoe, the star mare has somewhat avoided the headlines. After impressing in a track gallop at Breakfast with the Best at The Valley on Tuesday morning, rider Damian Lane is confident Verry Elleegant will bounce back from a disappointing run in the Turnbull Stakes. “She’ll be right, she’s a champion, and she won’t stay down for too long,” Lane said. “She seems to have come through her Turnbull run in good order, happy with where she’s at ahead of Saturday.” Verry Elleegant at times appeared a tad keen during a piece of work with stablemate Djukon on Saturday, but after this morning’s solo gallop Lane is happy with where the horse is at. “She was very good Saturday, she worked with a mate, she got very keen,” he said. “Today was more of a maintenance gallop, but I thought she was in even better order today. “Certainly a thumbs up from this morning.” A win in Saturday’s Cox Plate would be Lane’s second, after saluting aboard Lys Gracieux in 2019. “That was a special day, I think I said at trackwork before that Saturday, the Cox Plate has a funny way of finding the best horse to win the race, hopefully that happens again this time around,” Lane said. Verry Elleegant is currently a $7 chance with Sportsbet for Lane & trainer Chris Waller in Saturday’s Cox Plate.

Zaaki perfectly suited by The Valley Andrew Eddy@fastisheddy 8:23am Zaaki and Mo'unga work at The Valley The Valley course can be the undoing of some visitors but it appears to be the opposite for Cox Plate favourite Zaaki after he unleashed another impressive piece of work at the Breakfast With The Best gallops on Tuesday morning. Todd Pollard, who was representing trainer Annabel Neasham, said compared to the Caulfield track, where Zaaki was surprisingly beaten at his last start, The Valley’s make-up suits the powerful galloper. “He seems to handle this track a lot better than Caulfield and many people say that too when you come from Sydney,” Pollard said. “Quite often they don’t handle Caulfield but when they come to Moonee Valley they handle it a lot better. In his two pierces of work he seems to get around the Valley perfectly.” Zaaki worked with stablemate Mo’unga on Tuesday as he did last Saturday morning at their first look at the track and Pollard said the gallops proven Zaaki is sharper than he was when he raced flat in the Might And Power Stakes. “He seems to be going a lot better than what was going into the last start in terms of his final piece of work on the Tuesday,” Pollard said. “Raphael, who rides him in his trackwork, he just gets on so well with him. He did exactly what we wanted this morning to keep Zaaki focused and on the job and probably kept Mo’unga up to the mark as well. “He’s (Zaaki) been perfect. He had a few easy days after the run. We just took him to the beach and he seems to be bouncing now, “He knows when it is race day. He’s pretty quite at home but it comes to days like this and he prances around and he’s on his toes and he seems right where we want him to be.” Pollard said the stable also rated Mo’unga chances on Saturday. “He’s going super for what he does. Zaaki usually has his measure as we saw today but look, the way Mo’unga worked, it was probably one of the better pieces of work you’d see from him. “He can be very casual, but the blinkers go on race day and they make a big difference. “It was a bit of pressure off our backs to see them both work well.”

Who starred at Breakfast with the Best? Warren Huntly@WarrenHuntly 11:46am Craig Williams rides at Breakfast with the Best on Tuesday morning. It was a privilege to be trackside for Breakfast with the Best at The Valley to see some elite horseflesh gear up for Cox Plate weekend. Here are some of the horses that caught my heading towards the Carnival. ZAAKI worked stylishly alongside his stablemate MO'UNGA and shaded him over the concluding stages. ZAAKI ran his last 400m in 24.45 and appears to have adapted to The Valley well after also working there last Saturday. MO'UNGA was not wearing his raceday blinkers and also appeared to work well. WATCH: Zaaki and Mo'unga work at The Valley ANAMOE stretched his legs at The Valley last Saturday and paired up with stablemate Best Of Days for a hit out at Breakfast with the Best. His final 400m of 26.15 was far from the morning's quickest, however he looked bright and strong and cruised around The Valley circuit comfortably. VERRY ELLEEGANT can get a touch keen in her races and her work but she finished off her solo gallop at Breakfast with the Best in impressive style to run her closing 400m in 24.99. She also ventured to The Valley last Saturday for a similarly sharp piece of work. WATCH: Verry Elleegant hit the track for her final Cox Plate hit out The leading Cox Plate contenders would have pleased their connections leading into Saturday, in trying to glean something from their final pieces of work I'm leaning towards ANAMOE ahead of VERRY ELLEEGANT and ZAAKI. Outside the Cox Plate, CERBERUS worked impressively over 1400m to run his last 400m in 25.11 and looked in outstanding order leading into Saturday's Vase, while STARRY LEGEND, MARINE ONE and FAKE LOVE worked sharply leading into the weekend recording some of the morning's fastest last 400m sectionals. Interestingly, BROOKLYN HUSTLE was not a final acceptor for Friday night's Manikato but her work late in the session with stablemate DIESEL 'N' DUST was one of the morning's most impressive gallops, running her final 400m in 24.18 and I'll be most interested to see where she appears next.

Smith 'upset' over Cox Plate exclusion Andrew Eddy@fastisheddy 9:53am Trainer Matthew Smith. Picture: Bradley Photographers An upset trainer Matthew Smith said he does not understand why his Japanese horse Keiai Nautique was eliminated from the Cox Plate field on Tuesday morning. The Warwick Farm trainer heard the news of his horse’s elimination just 30 minutes after the horse had trialed at Randwick and he said he was left stunning by the decision of the Moonee Valley Racing Club to have just 10 runners in their feature event. “I am upset because I don’t understand it,” Smith said on Tuesday morning. “It’s not even a full field. What’s the damage of him going around? He’s a good horse and he’s going well and he trialed super this morning (fourth) so I don’t see what the damage would be. “If it was a full field and we got tossed out, I would understand it. “I wouldn’t even consider putting in a horse in a race like that unless I thought he’d run well. You don’t want a horse in the race that runs out the back. “He’s going as well as Fierce Impact and he ran sixth (last year) and this horse would do at least something similar.” Smith said the horse’s exclusion meant he was unlikely to send the horse to The Valley this week to contest the group 2 Crystal Mile. “I don’t feel like running him there (The Valley) but we’ll definitely go to the Mackinnon and we’ll see how he runs there.” MVRC chairman Don Casboult announced the committee’s decision to exclude Keiai Nautique just after 9am and he explained to Racing.com: “We felt that his form was not good enough to participate in the field,” Casboult said. “He has not won for three years. He won a group 1 race as a three-year-old and I think he’s had 20 starts (since) and over those 20 starts, he’s been placed on one occasion.” Keiai Nautique (JPN) Trainer M.C.Smith Age 7YO Sex Horse Colour Bay Prize Money $2,634,283 Last 5 15-474 Career 27-3-2-2 POS Jockey Track Date DIST Race WGT MRG Odds 4 – 7 G.Boss RAND 2 OCT 2021 2000m HILL STKS 59kg 2.1L $6.50 7 – 12 C.Newitt FLEM 11 SEP 2021 1600m MAKYBE DIVA 59kg 4.1L $12 4 – 14 G.Boss RAND 21 AUG 2021 1400m WINX STKS 59kg 0.4L $41 15 – 16 Y..Fujioka CHUK 5 JAN 2021 1600m KYOTO KIMPAI 57kg 7.5L $18 13 – 17 A.Tsumura HSN. 22 NOV 2020 1600m MILE CHAMPIONSH 57kg 7L $158

Cox Plate Field. Ladbrokes Cox Plate Time TBC2040mGroup 1COX PLATE RACE DETAILS HORSE GEAR WGT RTG LAST 5 TOTE FIXED 1. Zaaki (GB) (6) T: A.S.Neasham J: J.B.McDonald 1# 59kg N/A 1-113 – – 2. Dalasan (3) T: L.Macdonald & A.Gluyas J: D.Moor 1# 59kg N/A 3-083 – – 3. Gold Trip (FR) (2) T: C.Maher & D.Eustace J: D.Oliver 59kg N/A 52-3- – – 4. Callsign Mav (NZ) (5) T: J.Bary J: L.Nolen 2# 59kg N/A 23-11 – – 5. Mo'unga (NZ) (4) T: A.S.Neasham J: H.Bowman 2# 57.5kg N/A 7-125 – – 6. Verry Elleegant (NZ) (9) T: C.J.Waller J: D.M.Lane 1$ 57kg N/A 2-214 – – 7. Probabeel (NZ) (7) T: J.Richards J: B.Prebble 3# 57kg N/A -1521 – – 8. State Of Rest (IRE) (8) T: J.P.O'Brien J: J.Allen 3# 56.5kg N/A -3-1- – – 9. Anamoe (10) T: J.A.Cummings J: C.Williams 1# 49.5kg N/A 1-121 – – 10. Captivant (1) T: P. & P.Snowden J: D.Yendall 1# 49.5kg N/A -3672 – – 9 McCafe Moonee Valley Gold Cup

You've never been banned!

Who's getting the kickbacks? Not many went around. None One from @Pitman

Are you here to contribute anything of interest? I gather not.

EVIDENCE: Following the running of Race 8 an Information was presented by Stipendiary Steward Mr S Renault alleging a breach of the Careless Driving Rule 869(3)(b). The Information stated, “N Rasmussen drove carelessly in the run home by allowing her horse to shift outwards causing interference to SELF ASSURED.” Mr Renault showed the home straight video and identified Ms Rasmussen leading the race at the 250-metre mark. He pointed to Ms Rasmussen activate the earplugs at which time the horse had shifted out approximately 1 1/2 cart widths. He said the Stewards’ concern was after this had happened Ms Rasmussen has failed to straighten her horse in the run to the line interfering with SELF ASSURED. Ms Rasmussen stated it was obvious that her horse has shifted wider as she crossed her reins to activate the earplugs. She said her horse is a difficult drive and has plenty of gear on to try and help it. She said once she had regathered her rein there was minimal movement. REASON FOR DECISION: The Adjudicator carefully considered all the evidence and replayed the video many times. It was agreed by all parties that as Ms Rasmussen crossed her reins to activate gear her horse has ducked out significantly, interfering with SELF ASSURED. This interference was enough to reverse the placings in the subsequent protest. Once Ms Rasmussen regained her rein the video shows SOUTH COAST ARDEN drifted up the track slightly but not to an extent that would have caused Mr Purdon(SELF ASSURED) any major interference in normal circumstances. Although this minor movement may have compounded Mr Purdon’s problem of navigating around Ms Rasmussen the damage had already taken place. This Adjudicator considers Ms Rasmussen was not to blame for SOUTH COAST ARDEN ducking out at the 250 metres and any movement after that fact was within a reasonable margin and not worthy of sanction under the Careless Driving Rule. CONCLUSIONS: The charge was dismissed.

EVIDENCE: Following the running of Race 8, Stipendiary Steward Mr S Renault presented an Information Instigating a Protest. The Informant Mr Mark Purdon (SELF ASSURED) was alleging interference by SOUTH COAST ARDEN in the home straight. The Judge’s official margin was a nose. Mr Renault played the home straight videos of the incident and identified both horses. The video showed at the top of the straight SOUTH COAST ARDEN leading the race and, as Ms Rasmussen activated gear, run up the track which allegedly interfered with SELF ASSURED. SUBMISSIONS: Mr Purdon said he felt when he had asked his horse to run and if he was able to run in a straight line, he would have won the race. He said because he had to check his horse at least twice to clear Ms Rasmussen’s wheel it stopped his momentum. Ms Rasmussen said if her horse had run straight she would have won this race easily. Ms Rasmussen admitted her horse had drifted up the track but alluded to her horse being awkward and that SELF ASSURED wears a blind on its near side. This she said would have restricted its vision and made it more difficult for Mr Purdon and made the incident look a lot worse. Mr Renault submitted the Stewards’ assessment was the shift by SOUTH COAST ARDEN has forced Mr Purdon to check at least two times. He said together with the small margin at the finish the Protest had strong merit. REASON FOR DECISION: The Adjudicator in assessing a Protest must be satisfied two criteria have been met. The first, was there interference? All parties agree there was. The second, did the interference have a bearing on the finishing order of the race? This Adjudicator asked Respondent Ms Rasmussen, with the advantage of viewing the films from all angles and speeds, if she had been driving SELF ASSURED, would the interference had been enough to warrant a change of placings. After a slight pause, she said it would. This honest and professional assessment by Ms Rasmussen endorsed the opinion of the incident by the Stewards, Mr Purdon and Adjudicator. Accordingly, the first two placings were reversed. CONCLUSIONS: The amended result of Race 8 is: 1st – 6 – SELF ASSURED 2nd – 3 – SOUTH COAST ARDEN 3rd – 5 – CLASSIE BRIGADE 4th – 4 – HENRY HUBERT 5th – 2 – U MAY COLLECT. Stakes and Dividends were ordered to be paid in accordance with the amended result.

NSWSaturday Racing Berry confident Entriviere can secure The Invitation Smart New Zealand mare Entriviere is the favourite for the inaugural The Invitation at Randwick. Picture: Trish Dunell By Ray Thomas 08:22pm • 18 October 2021 Comments Star jockey Tommy Berry believes he has landed on the right horses with Entriviere and Hilal to claim a multimillion-dollar feature race double at Royal Randwick on Saturday. The final field of 12 for the inaugural running of the $2 million The Invitation (1400m) for fillies and mares was announced by Racing NSW on Monday with Entriviere coming up a dominant $2.50 TAB Fixed Odds favourite. Hilal is the $4.50 favourite for the $1 million Bondi Stakes (1600m) behind the horse he beat last start in Coastwatch at $3.50. After narrowly missing out on the Kosciuszko/The Everest double, jockey Tommy Berry ha strong chances in The Invitation and Bondi Stakes. Picture: Getty Images Berry, who just missed riding a big-race brace at Randwick last Saturday when he won The Kosciuszko on Art Cadeau then rode Masked Crusader to a close second in The Everest, is the new rider of boom Kiwi mare Entriviere, replacing James McDonald who is in Melbourne to ride Zaaki in the Cox Plate. The Jamie Richards-trained Entriviere has been kept fresh for The Invitation since her unlucky third in the Golden Pendant behind Vangelic at Rosehill Gardens. Entriviere had to make a long, wide run from back in the field and nearly defied the pattern of the day to finish a close third, recording 32.5s for her final 600, the fastest closing sectional of the meeting. “I believe she is the best mare in the race,” said Berry on Sky Thoroughbred Central’s This Week, Next Week on Monday evening. “She was really good two starts back in the Sheraco Stakes at Kembla (Grange) then she had to go back from her wide alley in a moderately run race (at Rosehill). “But she sprinted home really well from the 600m to the 200m but then it was impossible for her to make up that ground and run any quicker, the times suggest that. Tommy Berry rides Hilal in the Bondi Stakes. Picture: Getty Images “I hope she can draw a better barrier and if there is any rain around, that will suit, too.” Racing NSW announced the final field for The Invitation which includes top class mares Icebath, Vangelic, Media Award, Sweet Deal, Madam Legend and Nudge, plus talented Queensland filly Startantes. It’s a measure of the quality of the race when proven top class mares Forbidden Lodge, Madam Rouge, Rocha Clock and Tricky Gal are $21 rank outsiders. The Team Hawkes-trained Hilal was twice Group 1 placed as a two-year-old as his value as a commercial stallion prospect soared when he won the Group 2 Stan Fox Stakes, beating Coastwatch, last start. Berry said the Stan Fox Stakes is the right form race for the Bondi Stakes and he would not swap Hilal for any other three-year-old in the race. “Hilal is going to meeting the same sort of horses in the Bondi Stakes that he beat the other day,” Berry said. “Coastwatch seems to have the perfect run that day and my bloke went a bit keen and did a bit wrong but still won. “I feel Hilal has more improvement to come and will take beating, that is for sure.”

At least I haven't forgotten what my initial assessment was!

I doubt he is staying in the stables or outhouse at Te Akau!!! Hardly a "comeback" this time. If you had read the article you would understand that through an un-explicable quirk of the unfathomable logic behind the drawing of the Covid-19 battle lines his home farm in Pukekawa was included in the Auckland Region! Therefore he was unable to travel a few kilometres down the road to work!

Depends on the competence of the Trainer or Jockey you are listening to. If a horse performs below its ability or rating then there are reasons. So a good Trainer will attempt to find the reason (you call it an excuse).

Be interesting over the breakfast table at Te Akau Stud! Big Dave's bacon, eggs, sausages and OP's lettuce leaf!