DARIANA DODGES DAY TO SEE THE LIGHT 18 February 2010

A change in race conditions at Canterbury’s Thursday evening program has resulted in a change of plans for Dariana, originally scheduled to go to Newcastle Saturday. She will now start under lights at Canterbury on Thursday night. Glyn Schofield has been booked to ride her in a 1550m maiden for fillies and mares and she will be our sole representative at the fixture.   On Saturday Roman Emperor will contest the 1400m Gr.2 weight-for-age Apollo Stakes at Rosehill, after an exhibition gallop on the course proper at Randwick last Saturday and Mondays Randwick trials were called off. He could have used the track and kept well out from the rail but the stewards considered the going was “too slow” to allow him to work on it. Tim Clark has been engaged for Roman Emperor and will also be the rider of the highly promising Rock Classic for whom we have expectations during his autumn campaign. Rock Classic runs in a 1500m three-year-old Benchmark 71 while Sir James (Glyn Schofield) runs in the 2000m Parramatta Cup.   At the Newcastle meeting Suyama, who missed the Kembla meeting last week because of the very heavy track, will now go to Broadmeadow and run in a Class 1 over 1850m. The 58kg is a tester but, in a benchmark handicap, the opposition would have been considerably stronger. Dale Spriggs will be the jockey. In And Away, who was also scratched from the Kembla meeting and missed a run when Hawkesbury was called off, will now saddle up in the 1500m maiden at Newcastle and Robert Thompson will have the mount.   Three of the stable’s big autumn hopes in Melbourne will take on Saturday’s weight-for-age St George Stakes Gr. 2 over 1800m at Caulfield. It carries $200,000 in prize money and $1000 worth of trophies. Our three stayers to fly the flag will be the Melbourne-Caulfield Cup winner Viewed, Sirmione, who has an Australian Cup and Mackinnon Stakes to his credit and an excellent first up third to Typhoon Tracey in the Orr Stakes at Caulfield and Moatize. Steven Arnold will ride Viewed, Luke Nolen Sirmione and Kerrin McEvoy Moatize.   Wyong on Sunday will be the next stop for Comet Watch, who will run in a 2100m Benchmark 60, with Josh Adams the rider. Comet Watch is another of the team to miss a run at the washed out Hawkesbury meeting.   We’ll also have a couple of runners at Bendigo on Sunday. Mark Zahra will ride both Tamanu Park in a 1300m maiden and Cash Melody, also in a maiden, but over 1600m.   We’ll have a busy morning at the re-scheduled Randwick barrier trials on Monday next. The most prominent of the team, which will probably consist of about 18, will be the Toorak Handicap winner Allez Wonder, Halleys and Riva San, previously trained by Peter Moody in Melbourne.

BREEZE UP HOPES FOR A WIN 11th February 2010

Tim Clark has been booked to ride Breeze Up in the 1250m three-year-old for non metropolitan winners at Friday’s Canterbury meeting, at which Redoutebelle will be also a runner. Hugh Bowman has been engaged for the ride, in the 1900m maiden for four-year-olds and over.   Our two runners at the Randwick meeting on Saturday will be Kroner and Occurrence and Glyn Schofield will be the rider for each. Kroner’s mission will be the 1200m Southern Cross Stakes, Gr.3 worth $125,000 and run under quality handicap conditions. The Gr.2 Breeders Classic, the race in which Occurrence will resume carries $150,000 in prize money and $1800 in trophies. It’s a race for mares, also run over 1200m, with penalty conditions.   Suyama, scratched from an 1800m 64 benchmark at Wednesdays Randwick meeting will tackle a 2000m 60 benchmark at Kembla on Saturday. Suyama has a consistent record in his only seven starts, with a solid effort run in metropolitan company and a win over 1850m at Newcastle two starts back. In the same race Suyama will clash with stablemate Maillot Vert, who will be handled by Grant Buckley. Dale Spriggs will also ride our other runner at the Kembla meeting, Formermissuniverse, who will start in the 1600m maiden plate. At Monday’s Randwick barrier trials we expect to have 14 triallers including the Toorak handicap winner Allez Wonder and a recent to the stable, Riva San, formerly trained in Melbourne by Peter Moody.   The following day, at Hawkesbury meeting our runners will be Comet Watch, who showed plenty of fight when he won at Newcastle last start. He’ll start in the benchmark 75 over 2000m with Tim Clark his rider. In And Away will run in a 1500m maiden after drawing badly at Kembla Grange on Saturday.   Warwick Farm on Wednesday will see Sibling and Think Up, who will be making his debut, both line up in the 1300m maiden three-year-old for colts and geldings.   We’ll also have a runner at the Kilmore meeting on Sunday with Steven Arnold booked for Tamarn Park in the 1200m three-year-old Maiden Plate.

FINN CLASS READY TO SAIL(At Randwick Next Wednesday)04/05/2010

At Friday’s meeting in the Kensington track the exciting Griffon is in a 1150m benchmark 70 but he is also in a benchmark 85 at Rosehill the following day. He blitzed his rivals at only his second race start and his first after a very long spell and hasn’t put a foot wrong since. We’re expecting him to go on to much better things. Glyn Schofield will be the rider in the race selected for him and he has also been engaged for the mounts on Breccia in the 1800m race for fillies and mares and Breeze Up, who is to clash with Sibling (Corey Brown) in the 1300m maiden plate.   As well as Griffon- if he runs at Rosehill- Schofield will handle Sir James, who deserves another win after a couple of unlucky runs, in the 2000m benchmark 80 and Dreamcoat in the two-year-old over 1100m. Tim Clark has been booked for Rock Classic, to contest the 1400m benchmark 75 for three-year-olds.   We’ll open fire with some of our hopefuls at the Caulfield meeting on Saturday. Caulfield Cup winner Viewed will step out in the 1400m Gr. 1 Standard Weight for Age Orr Stakes which has seen several of the major spring cup winners come up trumps in it. Leilani (Caulfield Cup winner and second to Think Big in the Melbourne Cup) won the Orr in 1975 while Hyperno, Let’s Elope and Saintly all showed their versatility by winning both races. The 2008 Australian Cup and 2007 MacKinnon Stakes winner Sirmione will also run in the Orr while Moatize and Precedence are to start in the 1400m open handicap. Steve Arnold is to handle Viewed and Moatize, Dwayne Dunn Sirmione and Luke Nolen Precedence. All these horses did well during their spells, particularly Precedence, who will be racing as a gelding for the first time.   On the Kensington track on Wednesday Suyama and Finn Class will be runners in an 1800m three-year-old Non Metropolitan Winners for three-year-old fillies. The same day, at Sandown, Cash Melody will be a runner in a benchmark 68, a 1400m race for three-year-olds.   Assertive and Roman Emperor will head  to Warwick Farm to trial on Monday

TWO KINGS SEEK TO ACE 29th January, 2010

King’s Pride and King’s First are set to match strides at Randwick on Saturday when each attempt to prove top of the pack in the 1600m Benchmark 80. Glyn Schofield has been booked for King’s Pride while King’s First will be handled by Blake Shinn. King’s First was to have a run at Randwick’s Australia Day meeting on Tuesday but came up with the horror barrier drawn of 19 in the 20 horse field and, although there were eight scratchings, six would also have been posted “out to Siberia” at the start, which wouldn’t have been any help to our bloke. Our only other runner on Saturday was to be at Kembla Grange with Dariana in a three-year-old maiden plate over 1300m. However she has drawn barrier 15 and will now be kept for a 1400m maiden at Newcastle on Saturday 6th February.    The programming schedule makes it hard to keep some stablemates apart and, at Canterbury on Wednesday, Comet Watch and Vilayet are to clash in the 1900m event for horses who have not won more than one metropolitan race.

ATTEMPTING TO STAR 21st January 2010

Comet Watch will be one of two stable runners we’ll send to Gosford for Thursday’s meeting, with the 2100m class 2 the mission and Tim Clark the rider. The other rep to saddle up there will be Finn Class, who will start in a 1600m maiden for three-year-olds and Glyn Schofield is to have the mount.   Glyn Scholfield will also ride two of our runners at Rosehill on Saturday. He has been engaged for Sir James in the 2000m benchmark 85 and Breeze Up, whose race will be the benchmark 80 for three-year-olds over 1200m. Brenton Avdulla will be the jockey when Indirect saddles up in the 1300m benchmark 85, a race for mares.   Newcastle will be the venue for two contenders on Saturday and Robert Thompson has been booked for the pair. In the 1850m benchmark 60 Domargo will carry the flag while Gold World will start in the 900m maiden plate for three-year-olds.   King’s First will run at Randwick’s Australia Day meeting on Tuesday next, at which we have five likely starters. He will start in the benchmark 70 over 1600m with successful country based apprentice Timothy Bell his rider. Tim Clark has been engaged for Formermissuniverse in the 1300m benchmark 70 for three-year-old fillies and Glyn Schofield for Suyama in the 1800m 75 benchmark for three-year-olds.   Breccia, who was quite impressive in a last start win at Kembla on Saturday last will start in the 2000m benchmark 75 with Glyn Schofield her rider. Schofield will also ride Dreamcoat, the first progeny of God’s Own to represent the stable, in the 1000m two-year-old maiden plate.   Maillot Vert will be our only runner at the Wyong meeting on Wednesday, running in a benchmark 60 over 1600m.

ROCK IS READY TO ROLL AGAIN 14th January 2010

Rock Classic is to make his reappearance after an important “personality change” at the Canterbury meeting on Thursday evening.  Tim Clark is to ride Rock Classic when he starts in the 1200m non metropolitan winners three-year-old handicap for colts and geldings, in which he will resume after being gelded.   Vilayet, who is racing very consistently, will have an eight day back up in the 1900m event for non-metropolitan winners and Glyn Schofield will be the rider.   The very well bred Dariana, a daughter of Redoute’s Choice, will make her race debut at the Canterbury meeting, when she contests the 1200m sprint for non metropolitan winning three-year-old fillies and Tim Clark will also have the mount on her.   We’ll have a large contingent of trialers at the Randwick heats on Friday with the best known being Occurrence and Kroner.  The majority of the team are young ones lacking race experience.   At Saturday’s Rosehill meeting Glyn Schofield will be mixing with royalty when he is legged up onto King’s Pride in the benchmark 85 and King’s First, who is to run in the benchmark 75, over 1800m. In this race he’ll clash with Comet Watch, who is another of the team to be handled by Tim Clark. Ancestor (Elusive Quality x Cousins) will have his seasonal race start in the 1100m two-year-old colts and geldings Handicap with Glyn Schofield to ride.   We’ll have three runners at the Kembla Grange meeting on Saturday.  Dale Spriggs will be on two -  Breccia in the 2000m maiden plate and Sobers – while Grant Buckley has been booked for Maillot Vert.   At Tuesday’s Wyong meeting Briolette is in a fillies and mares class 1 over 1350m and In and Away a 1300m maiden for three-year-old fillies, Glyn Schofield will be the rider on both.   On Wednesday next we’ll have Michelle Payne handle Il Cardinale in a 1400m maiden plate at Geelong and, on the Kensington track at Randwick, Griffon is to tackle an 1100m benchmark 70 for four-year-olds and upwards and Redoutebelle a 1550m non metropolitan winners race for mares.

STRAIGHT INTO BATTLE AGAIN 7th January 2010

Indirect, who has been racing quite honestly and wasn’t disgraced at Rosehill last week, will back up at the Randwick meeting on Saturday. The highly talented apprentice, Timothy Bell will be the rider when she saddles up in the benchmark 85 over 1200m for fillies and mares. Another of our most promising apprentices, Brenton Avdulla has been engaged for Jewelled Crown, an impressive last start winner, in the three-year-old 1600m benchmark 67. Avdulla will also be the rider of Sir James when he contests the 2000m benchmark 85.   We’ll have only one other runner at Randwick- Sibling (Robert Thompson) in the three-year-old benchmark 70 but Suyama is to make the trip to Newcastle for an 1850m three-year-old maiden, with Dale Spriggs the jockey. But the performance of Latin News in the Magic Millions three-year-old trophy will carry plenty of our attention with the colt, who is to be ridden by Glyn Schofield, drawn “out in Siberia” (barrier 20) but expected to make a very bold showing.