ROSE OF MAY EARNS WINTER BREAK

Lightly raced 3yo filly ROSE OF MAY pictured above has been sent for a winter break at Amelia Park Farm where she can stay for the next six to eight weeks. The tough daughter of Helenus has been brought along steadily and she was unlucky not to have won two races this preparation. It is rare for a horse to be held up for as long as she was when racing second up over 1400m at Belmont however she showed what she is capable of doing with clear running when winning in great style at her last start over 1600m.

This filly has always shown plenty in training however she has been a bit of a hot head and has needed to be handled with kid gloves to get her to learn to relax. I am confident that the more she settles in the future, the better she will become. She looks like being an ideal 1600m and further type.

DYLANESQUE CAN DO IT AGAIN

Attractive filly DYLANESQUE, shown above winning her 3yo maiden at Northam recently,should be able to continue that form at Belmont on Wednesday. The lightly raced daughter of Lord Dane, won in very impressive style first up before racing a bit flat second up at Belmont two weeks ago. The filly has trained on well since and with the 3.0kg claim for Duncan Miller, she looks hard to beat over 1300m against her own sex.With wet conditions forecast it could be a case of it being a tough 1300m which should suit the filly. Although only a diminutive type she is as tough as teak and is a favourite at the stables.

STABLE UNEARTHS TWO NEW POTENTIAL STARS!!!!

It is not often that a stable has any genuine rising stars in the team however I am lucky to be able to declare that I have two potential top liners in the team at the moment. The two up and coming young "colts" are bred on very different blood lines however both are showing plenty of promise in training and in their early trials to suggest that both have a very bright future ahead of them.

The two youngsters I refer to are my two new apprentice jockey's, Andrew (Roo) Castle and Kevin (Crow) Bohorun. Andrew has spent most weekends and school holidays at my stables for the past two years and has been busting his boiler to get himself signed up. After riding Rod Bynder's hack around at the back-track on weekends for most of 2008, Andrew (15 yrs old) has progressed quickly in his track work and has now graduated to trials. He has had seven trials so far and has filled the placings on most occasions winning his first trial at Lark Hill yesterday.

Kevin is a more mature aged lad and at 23 years of age, is very unlikely to ever have any weight problems. Kevin has been working at Amelia Park Farm for the past 18 months where he has been riding track work regularly. He is originally from Mauritius however he has travelled the world extensively looking to get himself a jockey apprenticeship. If perseverance counts for anything, Kevin is assured of a successful career as he has left no stone unturned to gain permanent residency in this country so that he could fulfill his dream to become an apprentice jockey. Kevin has had three trial rides and has finished in the placings on two occasions.

Both boys are a pleasure to have around the stables and are both regular and keen track riders. They are getting to be well known at the track in recent times as both boys ride plenty of work for trainers at Ascot every morning. Providing they can remain focused on the job at hand, maintain their current happy, cheerful and polite nature and can put up with my old fashioned rules and regulations regarding apprentices, I am confident that they both have bright futures ahead of them.

I know it is very early in their respective careers however I feel you should mark both names down in your black book as two up and coming performers for a few years to come. All the best boys.

MOCCASIN BEND OFF THE SCENE FOR A BIT LONGER

Quality filly MOCCASIN BEND has been sent back to the paddock after scans revealed some soft tissue damage in her off fore leg. The states top 3yo filly this season, has not raced since she won the W.A. GUINEAS back in October and I was looking forward to her making a return to the track in the winter months.

The filly has an imposing record of 4 wins and 4 placings from only 8 lifetime starts. Along the way the filly won the Belgravia Stakes, ran second in the Burgess Queen Stakes then won the W.A.Guinneas. I had planned to run the filly in the Bolton Sprint, the Roma Cup and the Belmont Guineas however we had to drop those plans for the filly when I detected some heat in her off fore fetlock.

We will re-scan the leg in late August to decide whether or not she is a possible Summer Carnival candidate or whether she needs to have longer to recuperate. This filly has shown outstanding potential and it has been a major disappointment not to have her racing over the past month or so. I am confident that given time she will be back bigger and better than ever.

GUYNO PLEASES IN FIRST UP RUN

Saturday saw the return to the race track of THE 2009 Perth Cup winner GUYNO. The horse carried top weight in the 1400m Belmont Sprint and I was very happy with his performance. The horse settled back in the field with only a couple behind him however by the time he straightened for home he was back near last again. The horse was unable to get to the outside until late in the straight and he hit the line full of running.

GUYNO has pulled up a treat and will have his next run in the York Hcp in two weeks time before he has a couple of easy weeks back at the farm. We will then decide which races to use as his lead up to another Eastern States campaign. I have selected some 2400m handicaps for the horse to take his place in from late September through until Melbourne Cup time and I will let his form and performances at the time help us decide which way to go with him come November.

The horse is once again fully qualified for the Melbourne Cup and it will be his weight which determines whether or not he makes the cut. I have no doubt that along the way he will be very competitive in the Geelong Cup and the SAAB Quality. If we don't go for the Cup we will run in the Queen Elizabeth on the following Saturday.

BUSY DAY AT THE OFFICE

Today sees our stable have its busiest day for quite a few years. In fact not since my days back when I was leading trainer have I gone to the races with seven runners. If only the quality of today's runners was similar to the quality of some of those back then.

Not being to unfair to my runners today but some of them would certainly be better off running at the provincials or at mid week meetings instead of in Saturday company. Unfortunately they have to run somewhere to either get them fitter for further engagements or to maintain fitness for when the ideal race comes about.

I have been unable to get a start in maiden company with TOTAL MAROONED in a race over 1600m however he was able to get a start in a much higher rated Saturday race. Although he is out of his depth in today's race he will run a nice race and should keep improving when dropped back to his own class. SHE'LL BE RIGHT also falls into that category. She has disappointed at her past few runs however she has been trialling well and we need to keep her fit if she is going to step up to 2000m of the Belmont Oaks in a couple of weeks. Today's race is likely to be too strong and too short.

SHORTGLASSLOTSAICE is still a bit new however I would like to get a couple of runs into him over 1400m and further before I give him a winter spell. He may make the grade when we step him up in distance next campaign.

My other four runners, ROSE OF MAY, AMELIA'S REASON, STRIKEN and ESTIARTE are all genuine chances at good odds in their respective races however none could be labeled as stand out chances. AMELIA'S REASON may have done too well leading into his last run however we have kept his work up to him since the race and he should step out a lot fitter today. STRIKEN has improved since his first step out at 2000m but unfortunately we are forced to take on company which is a bit higher rated than we are today. ESTIARTE is having his first try at 1400m since failing as a three year old. He appears to be racing better and is also a bit stronger now than he was back then while ROSE OF MAY has derived a lot of benefit from her few runs and could surprise a few in the opening race of the day.

Either way I know it will be a long busy day and I am sure to enjoy a drink and a meal at the end of the day. Good luck and happy punting!!!