DECLAN Bates landed the $63,000 Terang Cup on Sunday in Western Victoria with Too Close The Sun, trained by Lindsay Smith, the West Australian trainer who now manages a base out of Warrnambool.
Eased down on the line, the Carlton House gelding won by four lengths setting him up as an early favourite for the $250,000 Warrnambool Cup, the feature flat race of the traditional three-day jumps festival which has now been truncated to two days as a result of Covid-19.
Day one, Tuesday, 5th May will be an all-jumps affair featuring the Grand Annual Steeplechase (5,500 metres), Brierly Steeplechase (3,450m) and Galleywood Hurdle (3,200m), while Wednesday will feature a flat card headlined by the Listed Warrnambool Cup. No crowds will be present.
A notable absentee this year will be Johnny Allen who along with three other jockeys have entered a 14-day quarantine period to ride the upcoming Adelaide carnival.
“The Adelaide carnivals have been pretty good to me over the years so I thought I’d come over and try and win another Group 1,” said Allen.
THREE race fillies and a broodmare have been killed when the commercial horse truck that was transporting them to Yarraman Park in the Hunter Valley crashed shortly after leaving Lindsay Park near Euroa in North-East Victoria on Monday night.
The three fillies were owned by Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Stud: Hafaawa (Redoute’s Choice), Maktabba (Per Incanto) and Aladaala (Redoute’s Choice).
“I can’t recall in my lifetime, with the amount of horses we transport, of there ever being an accident to that extent,” said Team Hayes co-trainer Tom Dabernig.
“The truck was heading towards the highway entrance overpass. Luckily there were no other vehicles around.” The driver escaped with minor injuries.
NEW ZEALAND behemoth Te Akau Racing has applied for 12 boxes at Flemington Racecourse. “We have had a lot of success with satellite stables in both Singapore and Christchurch and want to give ourselves an option in Australia,” said Ellis from Te Akau’s primary base at Matamata, a town in north New Zealand.
“And that isn’t just in Victoria. You look at New South Wales and see what maidens can race for there in provincial areas, and they are worth investigating too.”
Te Akau’s three leading stable stars – Group 1 winners Melody Belle, Te Akau Shark and Probabeel – will remain in Australia to spell before tackling the bigger spring races there.
THE catalogue for the Inglis Broodmare Sale on 10th May is now available and features 343 lots. The sale will be virtual, conducted on the Inglis online platform, with bidding opening on 8th May.
“It is the best catalogue of mares for the Australian Broodmare Sale for many years and a sale that any discerning commercial breeder in Australasia needs to be paying very close attention to,” said Inglis NSW Bloodstock Manager Chris Russell.