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Luciani Racing News

Lou Luciani is one of the most experienced horse trainers in WA. He offers owners a complete package, from selecting and buying a horse through to agistment, training and racing. He takes care of everything – from organizing horse floats to taking care of paperwork – so that owners can have as much or as little hands-on as they want.

Monday 28 March 2011

AND REPEAT HE DID.



Jason Whiting urges SAXON COAST to victory at Ascot on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)


On Saturday before I headed out to the races, I posted an article about smart 2yo SAXON COAST looking to make it a repeat performance later that afternoon. SAXON COAST had won impressively at his previous outing when winning a Bunbury maiden in fairly hollow2 style.

On Saturday afternoon, Jason Whiting took full advantage of the horses gate speed, to cross to the fence at barrier rise and never be headed from there on. SAXON COAST is another Saturday winner for first season stallion Saxon who is showing the way as far as freshman sires are concerned. I have been very impressed by what I have seen so far by his progeney and I feel there is still more to come.

Meanwhile SAXON COAST is likely to have an easy time of it while we decide which way to head with him. He is not a big horse however he will develop further and grow a bit more with a good winter break.

Saturday 26 March 2011

SAXON COAST TO TRY FOR REPEAT


SAXON COAST gives Jason Whiting an armchair ride to win at Bunbury recently. We are all hoping for a similar result today.

(Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)

Lightly raced young galloper SAXON COAST will try to repeat his brilliant last start win at Bunbury when he steps out at Ascot this afternoon. The way he won at Bunbury suggests that he has a bright future ahead however dropping back to the 1000m of today's race may be a bit against him with a couple of smart speedy 2yo's engaged. What ever the result today, I recommend following the horse when he steps up in distance next campaign.

SMOKIN DRAGON HEADS TO PADDOCK.



Who's a clever boy then? Part owner John Yovich appears pretty pleased with the effort of SMOKIN DRAGON at Ascot last weekend.



Another classic no frills, no panic ride from the "Fish" aboard SMOKIN DRAGON to land the prize for the fourth time this campaign. (Photo's courtesy Hollands Photographics)

TERADA PROVES TO BE A BARGAIN



Proud owner Luke Bartlett leads his tough little galloper TERADA back to scale after his recent Ascot win.



Jason Whiting poses for the photo after a very clever ride on underrated little horse TERADA. (Photo's courtesy Hollands Photographics)

You don't have to be big to become a city winner and you don't have to cost and arm and a leg to beat the opposition. TERADA may not be any of those things but he is a consistent galloper who is giving his owner a heap of fun and thrills.

Monday 21 March 2011

A LESSON IN MANAGEMENT!!!

I did receive the following email a few years ago from my darling daughter however it has been recycled, this time by my good mate Paddy. Seeing as though it is one of the few which Paddy sends me which actually pass the censorship laws, I thought I had better post it. I still get a good laugh out of it. Thanks mate.

Lesson 1:
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.

The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.

When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbour.

Before she says a word, Bob says, 'I'll give you $800 to drop that towel...'

After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob, after a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves..

The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.

When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, 'Who was that?'

'It was Bob the next door neighbour,' she replies.

'Great,' the husband says, 'did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?'
Moral of the story:
If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Lesson 2:
A priest offered a Nun a lift.

She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.

The priest nearly had an accident.

After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.

The nun said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'

The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.
The nun once again said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'

The priest apologized 'Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.'

Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.

On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, 'Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.'
Moral of the story:
If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Lesson 3:
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.

They rub it and a Genie comes out.
The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.'
'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.'
Puff! She's gone.

'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.'
Puff! He's gone.

'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager.
The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch.'
Moral of the story:
Always let your boss have the first say.
Lesson 4
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing.
A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, 'Can I also sit like you and do nothing?'
The eagle answered: 'Sure, why not.'
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
Moral of the story:
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.
Lesson 5
A turkey was chatting with a bull.

'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree' sighed the turkey, 'but I haven't got the energy.'
'Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients.'

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.

Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.

He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.
Moral of the story:
Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there..

Lesson 6
A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field.

While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.

As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.

The dung was actually thawing him out!

He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.
Morals of the story:
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.

(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your
friend.

(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep
your mouth shut!


THUS ENDS THE FIVE MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

GREAT FEW WEEKS ON THE TRACK

Following a very very slow start to the 2010-2011 season, the stable has hit a bit of form of late and the form continued on the weekend when we won a double in the first four races.

After being disappointed to run a close second in this years Perth Cup, things have certainly taken a turn for the better since then. The following week after the Cup we won with MAKE ME BLUSH and that win has been followed up by wins from SMOKIN DRAGON four times, VALLEY GIRL, TERADA, WILD CHARGER and LACIE. All of these have been in town whilst SAXON COAST won well at Bunbury recently and GUYNO won twice whilst on the road.

All in all it has been a fairly busy and fruitful few months and I am confident that we can maintain a far more consistent average over the coming months. There is no doubt in my mind that the improved performance on the track of late is partly to do with the better stock coming through at the moment however none of it would be possible without the assistance of my son Dion and his partner Sarah. Between them they keep the staff and the horses organised and there is nothing like a new and younger approach to all things which revolve around the training of the horses.

We are in the middle of developing a fairly new and young team of horses and this will be further complimented by a nice crop of yearlings which we have purchased over the past few months. By the time they get through their first full season of racing we should have a fairly good team to work with going into the next few seasons. Now that I think of it, maybe I might have to sneak in a holiday soon or the young bloke might put me back into full work before I get a chance to "let down"!!!

Thursday 17 March 2011

GUYNO READY FOR LONG HOLIDAY

GUYNO ran a fading 8th in Mondays 3200M Adelaide Cup and that will be his final start for this preparation. The performance suggests that the horse struggled to run out the 3200m of the Cup and although this is probably true, there were a few other factors to be taken into consideration before blaming the distance alone.

I have no doubt that the horse probably peaked when winning the Mornington Cup and may have been past his best when winning the Lord Reims at his first Adelaide start. The horse pulled up with heat stress after the Adelaide Cup and took a while to recover after the race. He actually became quite "wobbly" after the race and required veterinary treatment and assistance before leaving the course. That being said, I do feel the horse has well and truly reached the end of the road for this preparation.

Just to give you an idea of how tough this little horse is, it is interesting to note exactly what the horse achieved during his last preparation and how long he was in work. GUYNO raced first up in the Coolgardie Cup over 1600m in late August last year. This was after having been in work since late May in preparation for the Kalgoorlie race. The horse then raced second up in the 2300m Kalgoorlie Cup where he finished third being a good thing beaten. GUYNO was given a couple of easy weeks before running in the Northam Cup, the Tattersalls Cup, the Towton Cup, the Cox Stakes followed by the Perth Cup. The horse ran top class races throughout but was unable to win usually because he was unable to carry the weights he was being asked to carry.

After the Perth Cup, GUYNO was sent back to the Amelia Park for week in the paddock before starting some swimming and walking. He then returned to my stables where he had his work stepped up in preparation for his trip away. The horse ran three times whilst on the road winning the Mornington Cup and the Lord Reims before running unplaced in the Adelaide Cup. During the preparation from start to finish the horse earned $370,525.00. PRETTY HARD TO EARN WITH A PICK AND SHOVEL!!!!

GUYNO will be home at my stables later this week before I take him down to Amelia Park for a good rest.I will keep a good eye on him over the next few months and all going well I see no reason why we wouldn't head across to Melbourne in the spring for a couple of races like the Geelong Cup or the Saab Quality or the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. All of these races are run over his pet distance and all are second tier races with good stakemoney levels. Who knows, he may make it to $2m before we retire him. He is still sound and happy and I will let him tell me what he is capable of doing in the future and when he has had enough!

Friday 11 March 2011

BUSY DAYS AHEAD

While I have been "swanning it" over here in S.A. the rest of the team have been flat out back home ensuring that it is business as usual. Dion and Sarah, along with the rest of the crew have had their time cut out keeping up with the usual workload as well as attending race meetings while I have been away.

This weekend will be no different with runners at Ascot on Saturday, Bunbury on Sunday and GUYNO in the Adelaide Cup on Monday.I am very lucky to have such top class people I running the place in my absence which makes my job so much easier. I am able to leave at any time and know that Dion and Sarah will keep the place flowing smoothly.

Over the weekend we have a number of runners starting with TERADA, AYTOZED and SMOKIN DRAGON at Ascot then SAXON COAST, TWISTS OF FATE, GROZNY and AMELIA'S DELIGHT at Bunbury on Sunday before we line up GUYNO in the Adelaide Cup on Monday.

That should ensure that we all sleep well for the rest of the week!

COUNTDOWN TO MONDAY

Here we are with three days to go until the 2011 Adelaide Cup and fingers are crossed that we can get through the next few days unscathed. It is exactly one month today that I put my mate GUYNO on the plane at Perth airport for his flight to Melbourne then held my breath that he would arrive safe and sound.The flight was fairly uneventful however the trip itself has been full of excitement.

GUYNO had his first run 5 days later at Mornington where he had a tough run to win the 2400m Mornington Cup in a photo.That win was both special and very satisfying, however I would be lying if I said it was expected. The next night the horse headed across to Adelaide and he has been here ever since. GUYNO had his first look at Morphetville last Saturday when he enjoyed a good run throughout to win the Lord Reims Quality over 2600m thereby signaling himself as a genuine Cup contender on Monday.

All of the travel and all of the planning has been done and we are now biding our time as we count down to Mondays big event. GUYNO is currently second favourite for the Cup behind the very impressive last start Flemington winner King Diamond. There are quite a few inform horses lining up for the event with over half of the field having won or been placed at their last start.I am not sure of the quality of the field but there certainly appears to be plenty of chances on form alone.

GUYNO has drawn a nice barrier in gate 7 which should enable Jason to position the horse to advantage from the get go. As with any race over a distance, it is important that both horse and rider can settle into a position early, relax in running and save something for the business end. Although there are a number of horses which like to race fairly handy in the run, I would be surprised if the Cup was run at break neck speed. There would have to be doubts on most runners getting a genuine 3200m and GUYNO is no different. All we can hope for is a safe passage throughout and I am sure the horse will give it his best shot.

With all the hard work now having been done, all that is left is for GUYNO to do some strong pace work on the course proper tomorrow morning then have a leisurely walk on Sunday before we head to the races on Monday. Last Saturday morning I took the horse for a light jog out in the middle of Morphettville and he came off the track like a fighting cock. I hope he gives me the same feel on Monday morning!

Thursday 10 March 2011

WILD CHARGER FIRST UP



PHOTO COURTESY HOLLANDS PHOTOGRAPHICS.

Lightly raced 3yo WILD CHARGER showed by his impressive first up win at Ascot yesterday that our high opinion of him is well founded. WILD CHARGER won at his last start over 1400m at Northam in mid September, before going for a spell to allow him to mature. Yesterday was his first run since then and the way he hit the line suggests that there are more wins in store for him.

WILD CHARGER has only had four starts and is yet to miss the placings. The lightly raced son of Trade Fair, looks capable of winning in better company and we will lift the bar slightly with him from here on in. Yesterday, the horse jumped well from his inside barrier and rider Jason Whiting was quick to ease the horse in behind the leader, giving him the easiest of runs, before peeling off the leaders heels on straightening and winning in impressive style.

The ride was a carbon copy of the ride Jason gave GUYNO at Morphettville on Saturday however both Jason and GUYNO had to dig a lot deeper before also going on to win. Lets hope the fish can "three-peat" the effort when he rides GUYNO in the Adelaide Cup on Monday!

Monday 7 March 2011

GUYNO AT MORPHETTVILLE



PHOTO COURTESY OF ATKINS PHOTOGRAPHY. Much apreciated guys.


He may not be big and he may not be the best but you have to love his will to win. GUYNO, on the inside, was clearly headed at the 150m mark but fought back with all he had to regain the lead right on the line. I've yet to come across one tougher.

Sunday 6 March 2011

THE STATS SAY IT ALL.

Sitting around having a cold drink at the stables yesterday afternoon, celebrating the win of GUYNO earlier in the day, I was asked all sorts of questions about his future and his past. Naturally enough the discussion also turned to his regular jockey Jason Whiting, how much stake money the horse has won, what his best distance is etc etc. After taking GUYNO for a long walk this morning I had some spare time and decided to check out some statistics in relation to GUYNO.

For the record, yesterday was GUYNO'S 50th race start. The horse is likely to only have one more start before a good spell meaning he will resume as an 8yo having had 51 starts. Considering the horse has raced every year since he had 3 starts as a late 2yo, I would figure that he hasn't exactly been over-raced.

As it stands so far, GUYNO has amassed $1.3m in stake-money, earning an average of $26,000 per start. Of his 50 starts to date, Jason Whiting has ridden the horse on 40 occasions for 8 wins, 8 second placings and 8 third placings. That's a win every 5 rides on the old boy and a top three placing of nearly 60% when ridden by the fish! Fingers crossed, that record could improve further after the Adelaide Cup next Monday. No wonder I love the horse so much but I have to say that money aside, this little guy has the sort of attitude which would make him a favourite no matter what his stake earnings or performance record was. It is hard not to love a horse who gives his all every start and just wants to be involved.

GUYNO......SO FAR SO GOOD.

What more can I say about my tough little mate GUYNO that hasn't been said before? He's tough. He's honest. He gives his all. He's a real charachter and he aint done with yet! In yesterday's gutsy win over 2600m at Morphetville, he once again displayed all of those qualities.

The win yesterday was the first time that GUYNO has won two on the trot and it makes it two out of two on the road this time around. Although the feild was reduced to only six runners, it still proved to be a very competetive race. GUYNO has been forced to race out of his comfort zone at his past two starts, due to a combination of a lack of pace and the barrier draw in each race.

Going in to yesterdays race there appeared to be a genuine lack of pace and we were always destined to end up in behind the leader in the run. What this meant was that we were always likely to hit the front way to early for his liking and that proved to be the case yesterday. This left him vulnerable to be run down by the swoopers and that looked the case with 100m left to run. To his credit, as soon as he saw the opposition come to him, he dug deep and turned what looked like certain defeat into another sensational win.

GUYNO has come through the race in tip top order and was bright and clean in his action when he went for a long walk this morning. The horse will have an easy week this week with a combination of trot and canter work and beach work. We will be accepting for the horse in the Cup next Monday and it will be an interesting week leading into the Cup.

Yesterday's win was a penalty free race and it will be interesting to see what the final make up of the feild is. Guyno is currently weighted on 55.5kg however this is likeley to go up depending on which of the horses above us in the weights decide to accept for the race. Naturally it will be a bit harder to win the Cup with 57.0kg than it will be with 55.5kg but the reality is that it is something which is out of my hands so there is no point worrying about it. I am confident that given a good barrier draw, we will once again prove hard to beat.

Wednesday 2 March 2011

THEY JUST DON'T GET IT DO THEY?

Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm the one who is out of touch with where things are at in the industry. Maybe old age has crept up quicker than I expected and I am now loosing the plot. Maybe! Or maybe its just more of the same repeating itself.

I refer of course to the announcement today posted on the Perth Racing web site under the headline SUPER SATURDAY PLANNED FOR ASCOT. The story goes on to tell everyone how there will be a Super Saturday of racing in November when the programme will include the Railway Stakes, The Winterbottom Stakes, The W.A. Guineas etc etc. It sounds terrific. Could be the best thing to happen to W.A. racing. Could be but I don't know because apart from what I read, I don't know anything else about it.

What really upsets me is when further on in the story I read where Chairman Ted van Heemst commented "Following consultation with the industry we believe the new programme will attract stronger race fields and deliver an exciting racing proposition for the Western Australian community". There was overwhelming support for the introduction of the Super Saturday". He earlier stated that "The programme offers east coast trainers a range of options and given the time slot will ensure that they have an enhanced opportunity of participating in the Festival of Perth Racing".

What consultation? I haven't been consulted. I am vice president of the W.A. Trainers Association and as a committee we haven't been consulted. I called leading trainer Neville Parnham in Melbourne and he hasn't been consulted. I asked a number of other leading trainers and they haven't been consulted. So who was consulted? Who is the overwhelming support from? Maybe the same ones that usually get consulted when there are major decisions to be made by Perth Racing. Perhaps the same ones that were consulted when the stake money for the 2010 Winterbottom Stakes went from $500,000 to $750,000. But don't worry everyone. I'm sure the Eastern States trainers were probably consulted to see what would suit them!! Don't get me wrong. I am not against the idea. Just the lack of CONSULTATION!

It was only a week or so ago that I posted an article about transparency and keeping people informed. Consultation is supposed to happen before decision making not after press releases. No wonder I am so disappointed once again in the way things have been handled. But hey, what the hell would I know? It would appear that P.R. goes out of its way to get industry participants off side. Or maybe it is only me? Maybe but I doubt it.

GUYNO READY AND SET TO GO ON SATURDAY

My tough little mate GUYNO has done everything asked of him since arriving in Adelaide and I am looking forward to assessing his performance over there on Saturday. GUYNO travelled across to Adelaide the day after his Mornington Cup win and settled in well in his new surroundings. My son who was in Melbourne for the yearling sales, travelled over to Adelaide on Monday evening to give the horse his final fast workout on the inside grass track at Morphetville on Tuesday morning. Dion has done most of the fast work on the horse over the past few seasons and he reported to me that the horse felt good and finished off his work strongly. I am looking forward to catching up with the horse when I get across there for Saturdays race.

At this stage the field looks to be small but with plenty of quality including the last start Melbourne winner King Diamond and the smart mare from Victoria, Maunatrice, which has won her last four starts at Morphetville. GUYNO has drawn the inside barrier and has top wight of 56kg under the set weights with penalties conditions of Saturdays race. I am not convinced that the inside barrier is of any assistance to him however it is better than the outside I guess.

It is never easy to assess just how much work a horse needs between runs when they have been up for as long as what this guy has and when they have covered as many miles getting there. I would have to say that I would be regarded as being fairly easy on my horses as far as how hard we work them is concerned however since arriving in Adelaide, the horse has had a very easy time of it. I am confident that we haven't overdone it with this horse but the truth is we wont know until after the race on Saturday.

If GUYNO can run up to the form he has displayed at any of his last few runs, he would have to be a real chance on Saturday. All going well it will then be on to the Adelaide Cup over 3200m. Go GUYNO!!!

TINY FILLY. HUGE HEART!



VALLEY GIRL wins her first race with Jason Whiting on board. (Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)


The win of pint sized filly VALLEY GIRL at Ascot on Saturday, once again brings to mind the old tried and tested saying about "it not being the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog".
Whoever coined that saying surely must have trained a very smart racehorse at some stage which was also knee high to a grasshopper!

VALLEY GIRL would have to rate as the smallest and possibly one of the lightest racehorses (weight wise) that I have ever taken to the races. Ever! The filly by outstanding first season sire SAXON looks like having a smart future the way she followed up her gutsy first up win with a workmanlike last to first win in the opening race at Ascot on Saturday.

Over the years I have trained plenty of small horses and some smart ones as well. I remember a horse called PARK THE PEEPERS which would have struggled to make 15 hands high wearing high heals but honestly this little filly would be at least 2 inches smaller and about 70-100kg lighter. There really is nothing of her but don't let her size fool you.

Typical of most of the shorter participants of the racing industry, she will never allow her size to cause her to take a backward step. In fact quite the opposite! This little filly is happy to give her handlers a hard time whether it be getting saddled, being led or being ridden. And pity help anyone who wants to argue with her. I have seen some of the biggest horses in my stable take a backward step when the filly, affectionately named "Rebel" by the staff, lays her ears back at them.

VALLEY girl is the daughter of RAVINIA who in turn is the daughter of SUDDEN BURST. I trained SUDDEN BURST to win a string of races in the early nineties and then won more races with her first foal, a horse named Mr TANZANIA. To say that I have had a great run with the family would be an understatement. So much so that I purchased another two yearlings from the recent sales which are closely related to VALLEY GIRL. I hope they end up as tough!