NEW STABLE ADDITION WINS AT KALGOORLIE

Recent stable addition Shane Gilchrist did not take long to get back into winning form when successful on Bold Conquerer at Kalgoorlie today. Shane has shown good form in the saddle over the past few seasons, however a stint in Melbourne recently had to be cut short by illness and injury. Shane returned home last week and he was keen to spend some time at a city stable before ending his apprenticeship later this year. He is currently on loan to me and we will reassess thing in about six weeks.

Shane was lucky to pick up a nice book of rides today replacing Chloe Chatfield who was unable to fulfill her rides. I am sure Shane will take a lot of pleasure from the win. We have had plenty of top class apprentices come through our stables over the years and it will now be up to Shane to put his head down and work hard at becoming the next one. If he works hard at it the results will come his way as he is a talented rider who still has a 3.0kg claim. In this caper you only get out of it what you put into it!!!

AMELIA'S REASON PLEASES AT CAULFIELD

AMELIA'S REASON showed by his very good effort at Caulfield on Saturday that it should not take him long to find the winning post first if we can find the right race for him. The horse was having his first race in Melbourne after travelling over the previous week. The horse has settled in well and it was great to see him settle back in the field before making good ground late in the race. The horse peaked on his run about 100m out but had already done enough to suggest that he will pay his way.

The race we ran in was not the most suitable for him as the set weights and penalties structure of the race meant that he was forced to carry top weight against a very smart field. We had not planned to run in that race however when it became obvious that the horse was still a bit "big" and a bit "soft," I decided that he needed another run to bring him to his top. His jockey Craig Newitt was very impressed with his effort and we expect the horse to improve considerably with the run.

At this stage the horse may have his next start at Flemington on Saturday September 6th over 1200m up the straight. GUYNO will make his Victorian debut on the same day and I am looking forward to the next few months with him. Although he will not be suited by the weight for age conditions of next weekends race I expect the race to bring him forward plenty which should see him run a mighty race the next time out.

ESTIARTE CONTINUES GOOD FORM

ESTIARTE (inside) with Takahide Ikenushi on board wins the last at Belmont on Wednesday. ( Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)

ESTIARTE ran the race of his life at Belmont on Wednesday when winning his second race in town. ESTIARTE had won previously at Northam and at Ascot however he had not managed to salute the judge this preparation. His form of late had been first class and the writing was on the board for another win soon.

Aided by a clever ride by Takahide Ikenushi, ESTIARTE raced outside the leader and favourite for the entire trip before fighting on strongly in the straight when asked for the supreme effort. It was a good ride by Takahide who was rewarded with the ride for helping out at track work lately when we have been a bit busy. With Dion away in Melbourne, it has been a bit busier than usual at track work trying to get the team worked. The rules have never changed at my stables. If you are prepared to jump on and help out at track work, you will be rewarded some where along the way.

ESTIARTE should be capable of going on with it from here and a Saturday win is certainly not beyond him.

THREE FOR BELMONT TODAY

I was expecting to have four runners at Belmont today however the one which I considered to be my best chance LA COUREUSE has had to be scratched. This is very disappointing as I felt it was the ideal race for the mare to regain some form and confidence. As they say in the classics.... that's racing!!!

We will still head out with three genuine chances in OUTSIDE INFLUENCE, ST PIERRE and ESTIARTE. All three are capable of earning money today in races where they have drawn fairly well and look ideally placed. OUTSIDE INFLUENCE has drawn a smart field and I was going to take her to Northam tomorrow however it is hard to scratch from a race where the horse has drawn the pole position. ST PIERRE has also drawn ideally for him which should help him to get a smother and then finish the race off. Estiarte is stepping up to 1200m today, a distance he has been looking for the way he has been finishing off his races lately.

If the horses run up to their best form and have an ounce of luck, I am sure they can figure in the placings today.

STRIKEN AT LAST!!!!

Part owner Shirley Piper is as proud as punch to be leading her consistent galloper STRIKEN back to scale after his win at Belmont on Saturday. The win broke a frustrating run of minor placings by the 5yo galloper.


STRIKEN fights back bravely to give Lex and Shirley Piper the race quinella.
(Photo's courtesy Hollands Photographics)

STRIKEN STRIKES BACK

After being maligned for so long due to his frustrating habit of running second, STRIKEN had the last laugh on all his knockers, with a very good win over 1600m at Belmont yesterday.

The horse has become the subject of a a lot of unfair criticism in recent weeks for his failure to deliver with many wins after showing so much promise throughout his career. Whilst accepting that he has become frustrating for punters and trainer alike, to label him as a non trier or some of the other less flattering terms used to describe the horse in certain sections of the media of late, is way off the mark.

I would love to know how many of the knockers would knock back the chance to own a horse like STRIKEN, who consistently goes out and earns a cheque for his connections. Only three times in a twenty three start career has the horse failed to earn a cheque for his connections and along the way he has amassed over $140,000.00. That's over $6000.00 every time he goes around on average. I'd like a stable full of as many "non triers!"

STRIKEN has come through his run in great style and we will keep him ticking along whilst he shows such good form. Jason Whiting who once again rode the horse in superb style yesterday feels that the horse will get over a bit more ground now that he is a bit older and we may look at stepping him up over the next few weeks.

Meanwhile I am sure that if the punters keep following the horse on an "each way basis," they are sure to continue to get a run for their money!!!!

JUST A WALK IN THE PARK

(Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)

MOCCASIN BEND seems to be enjoying the outing as she cruises down the straight at Belmont on Wednesday with jockey Paul Harvey also enjoying the outing. The filly had been very unlucky at her previous start and the way she won confirms our opinion of her.

MOCCASIN BEND TRAINS ON WELL

Classy looking filly MOCCASIN BEND, maintained her excellent form with a very comfortable win at Belmont yesterday. The filly had only been to the races twice prior to yesterday's race and on both occasions she was the runner up. On both occasions she had been unlucky however yesterday the filly made her own luck aided by a very confident ride by jockey Paul Harvey.

The filly settled back in the field and when Paul asked her to extend coming to the corner it was obvious a long way out that she had the rest of the field covered. The filly was eased down on the line and I have no doubt that she could have added another couple of lengths to the margin had she been pushed out.

The filly was not going to run until this weekend however the strong nominations for Saturdays 3yo event along with a good barrier draw for yesterdays winnable race made me have last minute thoughts on where she would be best placed. After discussing with her usual race rider Jason Whiting, we both agreed that yesterday was the more suitable option. Unfortunately Jason had already taken a ride in the race after I told him the filly would not be an acceptor for the event however Jason will be back on board from here on in. He has done a wonderful job of settling the filly over the past few months after being quite a handful when she returned from the spelling paddock.

MOCCASIN BEND has plenty of ability and we will let her tell us where she is best placed over the next few months.

GUYNO AND AMELIA'S REASON SET TO RESUME

Two of the stables star performers from last season are set to resume racing at Belmont on Saturday. Both Guyno and AMELIA'S REASON will make their return to the race track in what will hopefully end up being very successful campaigns for both horses.

GUYNO has been earmarked for an Eastern States campaign for quite a while and I am confident that when he gets there, he will acquit himself every bit as good as some of the other more publicised Western Australian horses heading east this year. Guyno will race this weekend, then he may run again in the Farnley Stakes or we may head straight across with him. While being in good order for his return on Saturday, there is no doubt that his performances will continue to improve as he steps up in distance throughout this preparation. Guyno has matured and developed considerably since he last raced in the Pinjarra Cup and it would not surprise if this proves to be his best season of racing.

AMELIA'S REASON was brought back into work a bit sooner than we first expected to, mainly to get him in and out of the harsh winter weather. Unless a 3yo is a genuine Guineas contender, there is not a lot on offer for them until December and then into the new year. I am not convinced that he is a genuine 1600m horse and so for that reason we will aim at winning some stake money for his huge syndicate of owners in the early season shorter races as we assess just how well the horse has come back.

As we all know, a lot of horses struggle to make the transition from 2yo to 3yo and likewise 3yo to 4yo. It all depends on there mental attitude and how they have matured mentally and physically. I do know that if I can get him back to where he was before he injured himself in the barriers leading into the Karrakatta Plate last season, it will take a very smart horse to beat him.At this stage we will let him tell us exactly where he is at.

MOCCASIN BEND RUNS BOLD RACE FIRST UP .

Lightly raced 2yo filly MOCCASIN BEND resumed racing at Belmont on Saturday and nearly pulled off a great first up victory. The filly had not raced since she made her race debut at Ascot last November when running second to stablemate AMELIA'S REASON.

The filly has taken a bit of time to mature and has had a couple of setbacks with shin soreness. She pulled up well from Saturday's race and all going well she will have her next run in similar company in a fornight. The filly has developed into a very attractive animal and I hope her race performances can match her looks. If she lives up to what she has shown she could develop into a more than useful filly.

There are plenty of races available for her over the next few months and it will be interesting to see how she measures up to the better company especially as the distances of her races gets a bit longer.

WHERE TO NEXT??????

Have we reached the end of the road yet or is there still some light at the end of the tunnel? If there is light I would dearly love to know from where it shines?

Yesterday we went to Belmont for a midweek meeting and raced on a surface rated as good. Compared to the surfaces we have raced on over the past few weeks it was certainly a pleasure to get back on top of the ground. Not only were the horses on top of the ground, they were almost on top of the outside fence and into the grandstand. Now don't get me wrong. I think Perth Racing have done a marvelous job to keep Belmont in working order over the past few years when its "use by date" was probably well and truly up some time ago. Yesterday we raced on a pad 21m from the inside position and as far out as I have ever seen it in my life time in racing. I think it was as wide as they can possibly go. Full credit to those in charge of the track for ensuring that the show went ahead.

Today we have an extra meeting programmed for Kalgoorlie to try to alleviate some of the congestion caused by the abandonment of some meetings from Northam and Belmont recently. Once again great work to those concerned for ensuring that the show goes on. This all leads me to the question; Where to next???????

We can't go any wider at Belmont and looking at the inside section of the track yesterday, I have to say that it is in serious trouble albeit, it will improve with some good weather and with the excellent work done by the ground staff there. Next week we are scheduled to make a return to Northam after no racing has been held there for the past three weeks. What happens however if we were to get some heavy rains over the next few weeks? I'm not talking floods but simply some solid heavy winter rains. Can Belmont handle another meeting being conducted on a wet day? Has Northam recovered sufficiently to conduct the next ten meetings it is programmed to conduct if we get another wet week or two?

If any of this happens, is there a fall back or have we exhausted all that is available to us to conduct continuous race meetings. Kalgoorlie wont be keen to over use its track with the "round" just around the corner. York has finally been closed for good. Lark Hill has come up short in the wet weather and would not be good enough to hold a race meeting. Pinjarra is being prepared for the coming summer season with still no guarantees about how it will handle a full season of racing while Bunbury is way to wet to hold races on at this time of the year. I certainly hope that the time we have all waited for Pinjarra to consolidate has been worth the wait and we get through a full season of racing there uninterrupted. Nobody loves winning a race there as much as me.

So as I said.... where do we go and what do we do if the weather gods are not on our side? Do we head up to Carnarvon or Marble Bar next? I have to say that I, like many of my training colleagues are more than a bit concerned. We are also more than a bit pissed off and feel very let down by these provincial clubs and those who are in charge of our industry in relation to those tracks. How can some of these clubs be given sums of money to spend on their tracks and facilities without being asked to show and provide proof that they have the expertise to do the job properly? Not only properly but completely. That means consulting or employing the right people who know about things such as sand, grass, drainage and maintenance.

There are certainly sections of this industry which are going well.There are even sections which are booming. There are also some sections who have learnt nothing from past mistakes and have no real idea on what makes this industry tick. I hope that the later group are not allowed to make any more decisions which effect the livelihoods of so many!!!!

SEASON ENDS ON A QUIET NOTE.

The 2007-2008 season was one which saw the stable have some high points and some low points but as they say in the game....That's racing!!!

The season started out fairly well with GUYNO making a successful return before going on to race consistently throughout the season. The horse only won twice however his second placing in the Gr1 Kingston Town Classic was certainly one of his better runs. I always felt that the horse was in for a difficult season with heavy weights and a distinct lack of maturity telling against him. In fact I thought that his overall performances were very much above what I had expected. The horse also ran placings in the Cox Stakes, Bunbury Cup and Pinjarra Cup along the way and was certainly a bit unlucky on more than one occasion.

Another find for the stable during the year was impressive two year old AMELIA'S REASON.This horse looked like making the two year old races his own early on then disaster struck. At his third start the horse got tangled up in the barriers and came off a distinct second best. His performance at his next start to run fourth in the Karakatta Plate was a run which would win most races however there is no doubt that the horse may have been over the hill at his final run for the season in the Sires Produce Stakes. Flashy three year old filly HIFALUTIN was certainly a great performer for the stable during the season however she has now been transferred to the David Hayes stables to take advantage of the high number of black type races available for mares throughout the season in Victoria.

Both GUYNO and AMELIA'S REASON are back in full work and getting close to a return to the race track. We will see how they come up over the next few weeks before we decide on a set program for them.

There were many winners in the restricted grade races however we certainly felt the effects of a spate of injuries and illnesses to some of my proven performers. KING OF THE STALLS and ALCEDO finally succumbed to feet problems which plagued the both of them throughout their careers while ROYALE HARVEST showed at her last few runs that her fetlocks could take no more and she has been retired to stud. We lost OUTSIDE EDGE to a hock injury and a very smart three year old who was about to take the season by storm had to be put down after lacerating his hind leg at Ascot track work about two weeks prior to racing. Throw in the usual shin soreness and viral complaints and it certainly has been a somewhat up and down season for us. I tend not to let injuries and illnesses to my horses get me down as they are all part and parcel of the system and on the whole we have had a very good run over the years. It just decided to average itself out this season!

I have to say that there are still plenty of horses here which have shown in there short careers either in track-work or in their races that they can make it through the grades. Apart from GUYNO and AMELIA'S REASON, I would be disappointed if horses like MOCCASIN BEND, PRINCESS AMELIA, CASTLE BLITZ, DESTROID, SCENIC SPREE OUTSIDE INFLUENCE and a few other lightly or unraced young horses don't make the grade this season. Throw in some nice two year olds and I am sure we will produce our share of winners again this season.