2005 October | Australia Melbourne Cup and Racing News

VRC Derby winner Plastered will now be trained by Lee Freedman. The champion trainer formed a syndicate to buy out the existing 60 per cent share held by outspoken owner Janelle Harvey.

Speaking on Sydney radio, Part-owner Elio Galante who increased his 40 percent share to 55 said, “The horse is at Weribee at the moment being vetted and subject to him passing he will go to Lee’s later today,”

“At this stage I’m not aware of who’s involved in the syndicate Lee has put together as it has not been finalised,”

Galante added the decision on a Melbourne Cup start for Plastered would be up to Freedman once he had assessed the horse.

“We’ll definitely nominate him for the MacKinnon on Saturday and Lee will decide later in the week whether he starts the horse on Saturday or he goes straight to the paddock.”

“The foot abscess according to Lindsay Smith is healing very well, better than expected and the horse is almost free of that problem.”

While Makybe Diva was making a one-act affair of Saturday’s WS Cox Plate, a former two time winner in Sunline was giving birth to a Zabeel colt.

The 1999 and 2000 winner of the Cox Plate foaled a Zabeel colt at Coolmore Stud in the Hunter Valley, NSW. This is the Sunline`s second foal having already produced a filly by Rock Of Gibraltar.

Epsom Derby winner Motivator has been retired to stud after going amiss. Owned by the Royal Ascot Club, Motivator was to head to the Breeders Cup Turf race but will now be sent to Her Majesty The Queen’s Royal Stud at Sandringham earlier than expected.

The son of Montjeu had just two more runs after his Derby success, finishing second in the Coral-Eclipse and Irish Champion Stakes and fifth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Equine immortality is achieved by so very few. Yesterday, at Moonee Valley where legends are made, the reigning Australian Horse of the Year Makybe Diva wrote another chapter in the annuls of Australian racing with a performance that left trainer Lee Freedman declaring, “She is the best I’ve ever trained, the best we have seen since Kingston Town,”

“I don’t think the country has seen a better horse in the past 30 or 40 years. No horse will ever repeat what she has done; two Melbourne Cups, the BMW, an Australian Cup and a Sydney Cup.

“This is as big as it gets for me. This was supposed to happen for so long, and the time has ticked away very slowly, but she is such a great racehorse,” he said after seven-year-old mare Makybe Diva took out the $3 million WS Cox Plate.

Seven and eight deep the last 800, they just don’t win doing that. The great mare toyed with the best Australasia had to offer to score from the Gai Waterhouse trained Lotteria and the David Hayes trained eight year old Fields Of Omagh.

The expected early speed burn never eventuated with the leaders grabbing a hold. The Diva looked in trouble at the 1000 back in the ruck. Boss edged out to begin a move that would see the field take off as one. Nine abreast at the 700, it looked like the charge of the light brigade.

As the field turned for home, Fields of Omagh was tackling Lotteria who had shot through on the inside with jockey Glen Boss sitting quietly on the great mare five wide. The rest is now folklore and we are privileged to have witnessed it.

The continuing saga surrounding Melbourne Cup hope Plastered took another twist yesterday with reports emanating from the west that part-owner Elio Galante had offered to buy out the 60 per cent share held by Janelle Harvey.

Trainer Lindsey Smith said at Moonee Valley yesterday, “No sale has taken place. I know there has been a lot of talk, but Janelle Harvey and Elio Galante are still the owners,”

Chills sweeps the Valley

Two-year-old filly I Got Chills gave her rivals windburn with an emphatic seven length victory in the opening race on the card yesterday. Jockey Craig Williams gave nothing else a chance as he jumped the General Nediym filly straight to the front before releasing the breaks as they turned for home.

Trainer David Hayes who celebrated his 43rd birthday said the filly would now head to the Maribyrnong Plate in a fortnight before heading to the spelling paddock.

VRC Derby winner Plastered is likely to head home and be aimed at the Perth Cup after the four-year-old was found to have a hoof abscess. Trainer Lindsay Smith said Plastered was not lame but tender after shedding the frog, the soft part of the foot.

This means that Plastered will now definately miss the 2005 Emirates Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday, November 1st.

Smith said, “He’s obviously stood on a rock or something at the beach and it’s been there for a while. I’d say the Caulfield Cup run brought it to a head and at least it’s solved a mystery for me as to why he couldn’t finish off his race.”

Premiership winning jockey Nicholas Ryan was suspended until midnight October 30th, the day after AAMI Victoria Derby Day after his ride on the Brian Mayfield-Smith trained Cool and Composed (NZ) in the Melbourne Racing Club Classic, last Saturday on Caulfield Cup Day.

The stewards found Ryan rider of Cool and Composed guilty of a charge of careless riding in that he permitted his mount to shift out on the home turn when not sufficiently clear of Ashlyn ridden by Greg Childs.

Ryan made an application to begin his suspension immediately. He will miss Saturday’s Cox Plate Day, the Werribee Cup and AAMI Victoria Derby Day meetings.

Ryan has also been replaced by Steven King for prominent owner Lloyd Williams aboard Perlin in Saturday’s Group II, Cathay Pacific Airways Cup and Melbourne Cup.

Having missed a start in last Saturday’s Caulfield Cup with her up and coming galloper Mr Celebrity, Sydney’s leading trainer Gai Waterhouse is now aiming the lightly raced five-year-old at next month’s $5 million Melbourne Cup.

Despite winning six of his nine starts including the Group One George Main Stakes over the Randwick mile, Mr Celebrity has not yet qualified for the Melbourne Cup.

Waterhouse hopes a win today by the Peintre Celebre gelding will induce a penalty from Racing Victoria Chief Handicapper Greg Carpenter that will see Mr Celebrity line up at Flemington on the first Tuesday in November.

Betting on the Geelong Cup today will see a dozen Melbourne Cup hopefuls go a round with the Kiwi raider Envoy the interesting runner ahead of Saturday’s $3 million W.S Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.

The seven-year-old finished fourth to Xcellent in the Group One Kelt Capital Stakes over 2040 metres at Hastings at his last start.

The MVRC has decided on a capacity field of 14 to contest Australia’s premiere weight-for-age championship, the $3 million W.S Cox Plate over 2040m at Moonee Valley on Saturday. Dual Melbourne Cup winner and race favourite Makybe Diva drew ideally in gate 4 while the Bart Cummings trained 3-year-old Gods Own drew the outside gate.

The full field and barrier draw is listed below:

Number Horse Barrier
1 GREYS INN 2
2 LAD OF THE MANOR 7
3 SUPER KID 5
4 CONFECTIONER 12
5 DESERT WAR 1
6 FIELDS OF OMAGH 10
7 TOSEN DANDY 9
8 XCELLENT 13
9 OUTBACK PRINCE 6
10 MAKYBE DIVA 4
11 SKY CUDDLE 3
12 LOTTERIA 8
13 GOD’S OWN 14
14 HOTEL GRAND 11

Leading Victorian rider Greg Childs has picked up the surprise mount aboard Melbourne Cup hope Plastered in Saturday’s Moonee Valley Cup. Regular rider Paul Harvey will be engaged at Belmont on Saturday with connections opting to book Childs for a second opinion regarding the progress of their star four-year-old.

After finishing fifth in Saturday’s Caulfield Cup, trainer Lindsay Smith said the Melbourne Cup fancy had been short of a run.

Smith said, “On the day everyone gets a bit disappointed but he got beaten three lengths and he appeared to need the run.”

Melbourne stewards yesterday, continued their inquiries into interference sustained by the Guy Walter trained Wild Iris in last Saturday’s Caulfield Cup.

Evidence was taken from Paul Harvey (Plastered), Kathy O’Hara, (Wild Iris), and Craig Williams (Leica Falcon).

Stewards adjourned the inquiry to a date to be fixed so that Harvey could submit evidence in person rather than over the phone from Perth. Harvey informed the Stewards he would not be in Melbourne before Melbourne Cup eve.