ROYALE HARVEST GETTING MORE PATS

ROYALE HARVEST brought up the treble for our stable on Saturday, all three being ridden by Jason Whiting. She is seen here being led back to scale by Amelia Park Club syndicate members Jean and David Law. (Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)

ROYALE HARVEST GETS A SPECIAL PAT FROM THE JOCK

There is no doubt that ROYALE HARVEST has become a real favourite amongst all connected with her including her big group of owners, the trainer, the stable staff especially her handler Sarah Brown but probably most of all her jockey Jason "THE FISH" Whiting. This is one horse that gives her all and leaves nothing in the tank. (Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)

THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A WINNER TO MAKE YOU SMILE

A very happy part owner Helen Court leads GUYNO with Jason Whiting up, back to scale after his exciting win in the Listed York Handicap at Ascot on Saturday.(Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)

GUYNO IS ALL GUTS

GUYNO works up on the outside of Mr Sandgroper to win in great style at Ascot on Saturday. The win brought up a race to race double for "THE FISH" and YOURS TRULY. (Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)

AMELIA'S REASON IN CRUISE MODE

AMELIA'S REASON cruises to the line after demolishing a smart field of two year olds on debut at Ascot on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)

A FEW PEARLERS FROM MY DARLING DAUGHTER

I have had to strongly censor the email that my daughter sent me with a heap of funnies on it but here are a few that I am able to share.


SOMETHING TO OFFEND EVERYONE


What is a Yankee?
The same as a quickie, but a guy can do it alone.

Why is divorce so expensive?
Because it's worth it.

What do you call a smart blonde?
A golden retriever.

What do lawyers use for birth control?
Their personalities.

What's the difference between a girlfriend and wife?
20 kgs.

What's the difference between a boyfriend and husband?
45 minutes.

What's the fastest way to a man's heart?
Through his chest with a sharp knife.

Why do men want to marry virgins?
They can't stand criticism.

Why is it so hard for women to find men that are sensitive, caring, and good-looking?
Because those men already have boyfriends.

What's the difference between a new husband and a new dog?
After a year, the dog is still excited to see you.

What makes men chase women they have no intention of marrying?
The same urge that makes dogs chase cars they have no intention of driving.


What did the blonde say when she found out she was pregnant?
"Are you sure it's mine?"

Why do men find it difficult to make eye contact?
Breasts don't have eyes.

What would you call it when an Italian has one arm shorter than the other?
A speech impediment.

What's the difference between a northern USA fairytale and a southern USA fairytale?
A Northern fairytale begins "Once upon a time..."
A southern fairytale begins "Y'all ain't gonna believe this shit..."

As I keep telling you; Charming girl my daughter!!!

TOP DAY AT ASCOT ON SATURDAY.

I do look forward to racing getting back to my favourite track and Saturday was no exception. We didn't win a race at the opening meeting the previous Saturday, however I was wrapped in the way both my horses performed. Going into Saturdays meeting I had my biggest representation for some time with four runners fronting up for the first time in the two year old race along with three other runners on the day.

My first runners were the two year olds and I was very very happy with how they all performed. We managed to quinella the race with AMELIA'S REASON and MOCCASIN BEND whilst COALFACE GIRL and MARRY UNFAITHFUL finished towards the rear yet still put up good efforts. All four babies will go for a spell now that they have completed their education and I look forward to their return for the better autumn races. I am very confident that they will all develop into handy horses for the stable over the next twelve months.

After producing AMELIA'S REASON for a brilliant first up win, my next runner GUYNO was every bit as exciting a win even though he was favourite and expected to win. He has come back better than ever and I am looking forward to the summer with him. He has got staying power written all over him.

We went into race six with one of my favourite horses and after already having two winners on the board, the day was looking very bright indeed. ROYALE HARVEST, who I had expected would win me my third Hannans Handicap earlier this year before suffering severe interference, came back to racing in great shape and with a real desire to perform. Her effort in coming from off the pace in a race run to suit her was very pleasing for the connections and myself but also for the staff who love the mare so much. There is something about this "old girl" which makes her very easy to like.

Although we didn't finish in the money in the last race I could not help but be impressed with the performance of KING OF THE STALLS in the last race. For some reason this horse just will not perform at Belmont however if Saturday's run was anything to go by, he will not take long to win his next race.

All in all a great day for the stables and it was especially nice to catch up for a drink with some old mates from Collie on the day. Even though their horse did not win, they still managed to have a good day on the punt and we all enjoyed a cold drink or three at the bar in between my runners. I can only hope that they all pulled up better than I did on Sunday morning as it has taken me at least twenty four hours to recover from the quiet drink or two I enjoyed with connections on Saturday night. I guess old age can do that to you!!!!

BUSY DAY ON SATURDAY

This weekend will prove to be one of the busiest for my stables for a long time. Apart from my three older runners in ROYALE HARVEST, GUYNO and KING OF THE STALLS, we also start off the day in race three with the stable supplying four of the ten two year olds.

As I have said many times, I like to get my babies educated and assessed early which makes it easier to plan for the future with them. We will start four unraced two year olds on Saturday and at this stage I would expect them all to be starting. The four babies include trial winners AMELIA'S REASON and COALFACE GIRL, along with second place getter in Monday's trial MOCCASIN BEND while don't underestimate the flighty filly, MARRY UNFAITHFUL.( I do love the name. Still stuck in the 60's with my singers and music. I am sure you get it?)

No matter how they all go on Saturday, win lose or draw, all four will head to the paddock next week to take advantage of some great spring weather and some top class spring feed.

BIG STATEMENT

Now I know that you all know me as someone who is inclined to open his mouth from time to time but this time it is not a knock.

I guess due to the spring carnival happening over east and the major stories over the weekend all revolving around the Caulfield Cup, the local scribes may be under stating something that happened out at Ascot on Saturday. That is the successful return to the racetrack of NEW SPICE.

I know it is early days but fair dinkum, if I had the money I would be trying to get a bet on right now about that horse winning the Railway Stakes and Kingston Town Stakes double. Last season, New Spice was the horse which gave me the most concern as I headed towards the Derby with GUYNO. Under 2000m I don't think my horse would get near him. Over 2000m and I think we come into our own a lot more. The performance of New Spice on Saturday was phenomenal, especially considering that he had trialled on Monday and still looked about 25kg overweight. Then again I think any of the Old Spice stock who are any good all tended to race a bit round looking through the barrel.

About three weeks ago after track work one morning, a few of us were standing around discussing the better horses racing in W.A. I recall saying to the boys that the horse I considered the best was New Spice and that if I was training him I would give the owners a written guarantee about him winning the big double. Well I have to say that his current trainer Mrs Elva Van Merwyk, is doing every bit as good if not better job than I or anyone else could do with this horse and I wish her all the best with him. Through an agent I tried very very hard to buy the horse earlier this year without any joy. It is not hard to see why he is not for sale.

I know this may sound like I am talking out my rear end but in my opinion, this horse at his top would beat anything currently racing in W.A. including the outstanding galloper Marasco up to 1800m. I would go further to say that should he ever head east, he will do this state proud.

TRY THIS TO KEEP YOU ENTERTAINED OVER THE WEEK END.

Click here to download the Japanese IQ Test >>

Click on the blue circle to start.

Rules:

1. Maximum of 2 persons on the boat.

2. The father cannot be with a daughter without the mother present.

3. The mother cannot be with a son without the father present.

4. The prisoner cannot be alone with any member of the family.

5. Only the Policeman and the parents can drive the boat.

The aim is to get all persons to the other side of the river


This test was used to interview Japanese IT specialists

Average time taken to complete was 15 minutes

Japanese IQ Test

BUSY DAY AT LARK HILL TRIALS

Earlier this week we took a float load of young horses down to Lark Hill for their first official barrier trial. I was forced to take all the horses to Lark Hill to trial due to a severe lack of communication between those in charge of programming trials at RWWA and those in charge of shifting the equipment from Belmont back to Ascot. Maybe one day those concerned will get their act together and finally do something to justify their over inflated opinions of themselves and start to look after the industry stakeholders. ( We live in hope!!!) All that aside, I was very happy with the way my babies behaved and I was even more pleased with the way a few of them performed.

We had nine two year olds start in two trials and listed below is a quick comment on them all.


COALFACE GIRL. Nice speedy type who appears to be suited to early season races. Well schooled and a natural runner. Should be ready for the first Ascot two year old race.

LORD AIRLIE: Big raw boned colt who ran a great trial. Not really an early season type and will develop into a handy young racehorse with a bit more time.

REGAL RUSSIAN: Bred to get over a bit of ground and is a nice loose limbed big colt who has done everything asked of him. A late season two year old.

MARRY UNFAITHFUL: Neat filly who is not big but is very willing. Didn't do a lot in her trial but I would be surprised if she doesn't improve quickly with the experience.

CANNY TOUCH: Has shown in his work that he wants to be a race horse but is not really ready to do much more at this stage. He will benefit from a good spring break.

AMELIA'S REASON: Shows plenty in his work and ran on well at the end of his short trial. Bred to be an early type and is ready to step out.

CASTLE BLITZ: Real nice horse who shows plenty and will develop into a nice winner for the Amelia Park Club. Will improve out of sight with a bit more time and maturity.

CEEDEX: Little half brother to Royale Harvest. Has a lot of character and wants to be a race horse. Not big but is an early runner.

MOCCASIN BEND: Nice type of filly who did not do a lot in her trial however she has shown that she knows what she is here for. Will improve lengths with the hit out.


I have always liked to get my babies educated and trialed early so that we can assess them and give those that need more time to develop the chance to do so during the spring whilst the ones that show that they are early types can have a run or two before we tip them out. This season is no different and I expect to have some nice babies ready for the first few races.

OUTSIDE EDGE IN GRINDING WIN.

OUTSIDE EDGE shows real grit to get up in the last few strides at Northam yesterday. (Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)

Underrated gallopper OUTSIDE EDGE showed by his grinding win yesterday that there will be a few more wins in store for this lightly raced horse. OUTSIDE EDGE has been a hard horse to place as he is bred to stay and has been a bit of a late developer both physically and mentally.

After winning at Ascot over 1800m earlier this year, the horse had a few more runs before having a good winter spell. The horse had only had three runs this preparation before stepping up to the 2200m of yesterdays race. A solid pace all the way ensured it was going to be a real staying test and I was over the moon with how this horse just kept on coming in the straight.

I know it is a long way off yet, but providing he can remain sound, this horse has the ability to develop into a handy "Cups" type over the next few years.

LARK HILL TRIALS OFF.

The trials scheduled for Lark Hill this morning were cancelled due to the bad weather meaning the three two year olds that I had scheduled to trial will not be able to race this weekend. On top of that we will have to head to Lark Hill again next week to get the horses trialled as there are no trials scheduled for Belmont as I mentioned in an earlier posting last week.

Having the trials called off has certainly thrown a spanner into the works as far as planning to have two year olds ready to race for this weekend and even the second lot of two year old races however as if that was not bad enough, I think its time for me to have a whinge again. No I will change that. I am about to have a whinge again!

I would like to "congratulate" the person in charge of calling off the trials this morning for the timing of his decision. With trials set to begin at 9.00 am and knowing that it takes a good hour in heavy traffic to get to Lark Hill, we set off from Ascot at 7.30am this morning to give ourselves plenty of time as you do when dealing young horse. As I approached the traffic lights near Lark Hill I heard an announcement on Racing Radio followed by a call from my jockey to tell me that the trials were cancelled due to the heavy track. Now I don't have a problem with the trials being called off as it had been raining heavily. What I have a problem with is the total disrespect those in charge of the decision making process, have for the participants in the industry by cancelling at such late notice. Surely someone knew at around six o'clock that the track was going to be to heavy and could have let the industry know in plenty of time. Then again, I was one of the lucky ones. Ross price had made it to Mandurah from Capel only to have to turn around and go home.

It is not a cheap exercise to float three horses to Lark Hill with the appropriate staff only to get there and be told to turn around and go home. Thanks again to everyone involved. Remind me to buy you a drink one day!

Hoofnote: If we couldn't run trials there today, how on earth are we expected to race there next winter when the Belmont Park upgrades take place???

THREE BABIES FOR LARK HILL TRIALS

On Monday we make one of our rare visits to the LARK HILL race track as we head down with three untried two year olds. I usually try to restrict my horses to trialling at Belmont however with the Ready To Run Sale being held there the following week we will have to go to Lark Hill anyway so they may as well get a bit more experience at this lot of trials.

It is annoying that the Ready To Run Sales takes precedence over the training and racing of the horses as from my point of view the sales should be held at a time to fall in line with track availability not the other way around. Considering a major percentage of the horses in the Ready To Run Sales are heading to Asia or are already owned up there and don't end up adding much if anything to our racing numbers, why should trainers of local horses take a back seat. Then again, this is Louie's only whinge for the week so things can't be all bad. (Just don't start me on the current apprentice system!)

The three horses going to trials are MOCCASIN BEND, LORD AIRLIE AND AMELIA'S REASON.

ONLY ONE RUNNER SATURDAY

It looks like being a long quiet day for me at Belmont tomorrow with only one stable representitive for the day, that being the consistent STRIKEN in the last race of the day.

STRIKEN won well last Saturday when he hit the line well over 1200m and the step up to 1400m is not of any real concern. What posses the biggest threat is the awkward barrier (12) and the better company that he meets tomorrow. The horse has performed well in strong company in the past and I am hoping that the penny has dropped with him now and that he has matured enough mentally to overcome those hurdles.

This race should give us a better idea as to just where he is at as far as his mental toughness and if he can win this race he should be able to win his way through to open company this campaign. Otherwise it will be a case of more time and more learning needed from the slow maturing big boy.

GUYNO PUTS IN THE BIG ONES.

A brilliant last to first effort from Guyno suggests that this horse may be in for a very exciting summer. Another brilliant ride from "The Fish" (Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)

A BIT OF BEAUTY AT BELMONT PARK

GUYNO is led back to scale by his number one admirer and long time stable employee Keith "Tubby" Humann whilst the very excited Maggie Elliot, daughter of part owner Helen Court, steps in to lend a helping hand. Sensational!!!! (Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)

STRIKEN STRIKES BACK

Jason Whiting had to use all his skill and ability to get STRIKEN over the line first on the weekend. With a bit of luck it won't be so long before his next win and he can do it all again soon. (Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)

ONE TO LIGHTEN UP THE DAY!!

During the course of any working week there are invariably a number of emails that arrive at my address. Some are funny, some are in poor taste, some are sexist, some are racist and others just straight out disgusting. Every now and then one arrives which really tickles my fancy and is safe to upload onto this page. (I happen to know of an eight year old who reads my news page so strict censorship rules apply here) Anyway here is one of those cute little emails which brought a grin.

HOW TO PROPERLY PLACE NEW EMPLOYEES.

Firstly, put 400 bricks in a closed room.

Now, put your new employees in the room and close the door.
Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours.

Analyse the situation:

a. If they are counting the bricks, put them in the Accounting Department.
b. If they are recounting them, put them in Auditing.
c. If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks, put then in Engineering.
d. If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, put them in Planning.
e. If they are throwing the bricks at each other, put them in Operations.
f. If they are sleeping, put them in Security.
g. If they have broken the bricks into pieces, put them in Information Technology.
h. If they are sitting idle, put them in Human Resources .
i. If they say they have tried different combinations, they are looking for more, yet not a brick has been moved, put them in Sales.
j. If they have already left for the day, put them in Marketing.
k. If they are staring out of the window, put them in Strategic Planning.
l. If they are talking to each other, and not a single brick has been moved, congratulate them and put them in Top Management .

Finally, if they have surrounded themselves with bricks in such a way that they can neither be seen nor heard from, put them in Government

THE BOY HAS BECOME A MAN

Last seasons W.A.Derby winner GUYNO returned to the race track yesterday in what was nothing less than a phenomenal performance. As I said on this site yesterday, I would be happy if I saw the horse powering home and I would be over the moon if he won. Well I have to say that his performance has me floating so high that I am looking down at the moon at the moment and too scared to take a deep breath.

There have been many cases where the previous seasons top two or three year old comes back and fail to deliver. The jury was definitely still out with GUYNO especially as he is such a hard horse to pick with his casual nature. The horse went into yesterdays race fit and well but a long way from his top as anybody who observed him in the mounting yard before the race would agree with. He is still a month away from shedding his winter coat.

The thing which was so good about his effort yesterday was not just the fact that he won but the fact that he showed that he has switched on a lot more mentally suggesting that the young and still immature boy is well and truly on the way to becoming a real man!

FOUR RUNNERS FOR MONDAY MEETING.

Today we head out to Belmont with four runners and I am looking forward to the day. I can't say that I am supremely confident about any of my runners however all have the ability to finish in the money.

PRICELESS SYMBOL starts the day in race one followed by BLACK HABIT in race three, OUTSIDE EDGE in race seven and GUYNO returning to the track in race eight. My first three runners were all a bit unlucky last start and are all capable of performing better than their performances suggest.
Guyno will improve on whatever he does today as he is still looking a bit motley in the coat however he is a quality horse and is capable of troubling this field with the right run.

If we come home with all horses having performed well I will be very happy. If we come home with a winner I will be over the moon as I feel any one of them thoroughly deserve to win!

GUYNO RETURNS TO THE RACETRACK.

Last season's W.A. DERBY winner GUYNO returns to the race track today but we are not expecting miracles from him at this early stage. GUYNO, who likes his races over 1600m and further is going well in training and will improve on what ever he does today. I have to admit to being a bit embarrassed at how the horse will look for his return to the race track as he certainly doesn't look anything like a typical LUCIANI prepared galloper.

Most of my horses have a real glow about them when they go to the races, especially when they are racing first up. This horse is a bit different in that he has not been clipped and he is still in the process of shedding his winter coat. When the horse returned to my stables from the pre-trainers the best way to describe him would be to say that he looked only marginally better than a hairy N.Z. Yak. Unfortunately his coat was starting to come away so we didn't clip him. The problem is that his coat is still coming away and has at least another two or three weeks to go. I spoke with his breeder in N.Z. recently and he reassured me saying that anything with Centaine blood in them are traditionally slow at shedding their coats.

All that aside the horse is doing well and has been training well which makes it all a bit hard to read however as long as I see the horse finish his race off well I will be very happy. If he wins I will be over the moon.

At this stage we are still a bit up in the air as to exactly where we will head with this horse so we will let his first run or two tell us which way to go with him.

STRIKEN IN THE LAST STRIDE

So far so good this campaign for enigmatic galloper STRIKEN. After running a top race first up where he ran the fastest last 600m for the day, Striken once again ran a very quick last 600m to get up and beat the odds on favourite on Saturday. This was only the second career win for this galloper who has promised so much without delivering much so far. As I have said many a time about this horse, if we can get him producing in his races what he promises on the training track, I am confident he can develop into an open class horse.

My only other runner for the day SECRET VAULT proved to be very disappointing when she failed to beat a horse home at her return to racing. I had expected the filly to do a lot more as her work was first class however I am sure that we will not take long to get to work her out and get her back into winning form. Stick with her.