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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.

Wednesday 29 June 2011

SAME COLOURS. SAME RESULT. DIFFERENT DAY



Both horse and rider are at full stretch above as they hit the line in the opening race of the day at Belmont yesterday. Jockey Willie Pike on board ALOHA SPIRIT calls on all his strength as he urges her to the line. (Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)


Although my mates from Queensland have raced a few horses with me over the years and have enjoyed moderate success, it took until today at Belmont for them to win two in a row in town. I refer of course to my three mates in Ken Whittaker, Colin Crossley and Colin Hounsell. Ken and I go back a long way in fact all the way back to the early 90's when he raced horses such as Pushka Pushka and National Pleasure with me. Over the years we have enjoyed some nice wins with a number of different horses with CAMPOBELLO being a winner for the crew earlier this year.

When FRIDAYS GIRL won at Belmont on the weekend, she became the first leg of a winning double for the boys with ALOHA SPIRIT making up the second leg with her win at Belmont earlier today. ALOHA SPIRIT was bred by Colin Crossley from his good mare AIRLIE BIRD which won a number of races for him on Sydney tracks a few years ago.

ALOHA SPIRIT is a magnificent type of filly by Stravinsky and she has always shown above average ability in her trials and training. So much so that we all had a fairly good wager on the filly when she stepped out a couple of weeks ago, only to leave the money with the bookies after the filly missed the kick badly. The filly reared just as the gates opened throwing away any chance she had. With the benefit of some extra barrier practice and some great handling from her strapper Owen Miller at the races today, the filly seemed to have a completely different attitude as she headed to the gates.

Jockey Willie Pike was able to keep the filly out of the barriers until late and after jumping well she soon took up a position outside the leader. In a driving finish, it was ALOHA SPIRIT who stuck her head down on the line for a very courageous win, justifying our confidence in her first up but left wondering why we didn't follow up our confidence. I guess at the end of the day I wanted to see the filly do things right at the barriers before we took the plunge again. The way she won suggests that there could be more wins in store for her.

Tuesday 28 June 2011

FRIDAYS GIRL A GIRL FOR ALL SEASONS



FRIDAYS GIRL with Jason Whiting on board, races away to an easy win at Belmont last Saturday. (Photo courtesy Hollands Photographics)


Classy three year old filly FRIDAYS GIRL, showed by her emphatic win on Saturday that she could be a filly to go straight to the top. The filly was having only her fourth start in a race, having won a maiden at Pinjarra at her first start before an unlucky close up performance from a bad barrier in the Karrakatta Plate last year.

The filly resumed after a long spell with a very unlucky second. The filly then had a three week break before her next run on Saturday when she again came from well back in the field to win in impressive style. The filly has had a history of unsoundness however at the moment we have her as trouble free as possible.

She has come through the run in good style and we will decide over the next few days exactly when her next run will be. I have no doubt that she is capable of winning up to 1600m however while she is performing so well at the short course races so well there is no reason to take her out of her comfort zone just yet.

Wednesday 22 June 2011

CHARCOAL ROSE IN FULL BLOOM

Winter may not be the time we traditionally relate to roses being in full bloom however at Belmont on Saturday there was one special rose who stood out amongst the rest. Two year old filly CHARCOAL ROSE had put the writing on the board at her past two runs and all indications were that she would be ready to bloom on Saturday. Having been placed at her first start at 1400m,we were never really concerned about the distance however she would probably be better suited if she could have an easy time of it for the first half of the race.

Jason Whiting was again given a free rein to decide how best to ride the filly depending on how the race was run. True to his professional style, Jason summed the pace up quickly and decided to take a sit with the filly. I was happy for most of the way in running however when she became bottled up just before the corner I must admit that I thought the bird had flown. Being patient is one of Jason's strong points and he waited till very late into the straight to gain a run through the field. Once the filly saw room she was able to out sprint her rivals and get to the line with about 3/4 of a length to spare.

I am not quite sure just how far the filly is likely to get however providing she pulls up well we may give her a try at 1600m at her next start. The filly will then be given a good spell during the winter while we look to see where she is best placed as a three year old.

Sunday 12 June 2011

A NICE DAY AT THE OFFICE!!

Jason Whiting sits up for the photo as AMELIAS DANCER hits the line an easy winner at Belmont on Saturday.




A very happy group of first time winning owners can't hide their delight after the win of CHARCOAL ROSE on Saturday.



CHARCOAL ROSE looks to be in full bloom as she hits the line on Saturday with Jason Whiting on board.



Photo's courtesy Hollands Photographics.

DOUBLE FOR TEAM LUCIANI.

Yesterday I went to the races with three runners. Two babies in the 2yo race and AMELIAS DANCER in the last. Whilst I was fairly confident about AMELIAS DANCER, I actually thought the effort of CHARCOAL ROSE at her previous start had been a bit underestimated and with any luck she would also be hard to beat. I left the course a very happy man with two winners and pretty proud of all my runners.

In the second race of the day I had two runners, CHARCOAL ROSE and BABY GLAM. Whilst I was very happy with the finishing effort of BABY GLAM, there is no doubt that the win of CHARCOAL ROSE was very sweet indeed. Not only because I part own the filly but because the relatively new bunch of owners in the filly are either first or second time owners and are a great bunch of knock about blokes. Most were involved with another horse I trained which won a maiden and ran a number of city placings however I am sure that nothing will replace the feeling of sharing ownership of a Saturday winner. The good odds which most of the boys were able to get early in the week certainly made the win even sweeter for them.

The win of AMELIAS DANCER in the final event, whilst certainly being more expected, was equally as satisfying. He is a big horse with a heap of ability but somewhat of a problem child. Not as far as soundness is concerned but as far as maturity both physical and mental. He is a real worry wort and can lose the plot quickly if allowed to get himself worked up. In a race he is a perfect gentleman however in training and at the stables, he has a long way to go to become the perfect race horse. Yesterdays race was run to suit and I am very excited about what the future holds for this horse. He may not get to his best this preparation but when he does he will be a serious race horse in anything up to 2200m or maybe even further.

Over the past few months the media have re-named my stables "TEAM LUCIANI" and I guess it is a fairly accurate description of where we are at and where we are heading. It is no secret that a few years ago I was more than happy to reduce my numbers,slow the work rate down a touch and take the opportunity to come up for air. Then along comes my son DION who decided that he would like to take up where the old man was about to leave off. It is a great feeling to have your family involved in the business and especially when it comes to the business of training horses.It is also no secret that the current wave of success that my stable is enjoying is in no small way, a direct reflection of Dion's efforts.

The media over the years have been quick to place tags on some racing families and although they have been far bigger operations than mine, it would be nice if some day TEAM LUCIANI can achieve some of the successes of TEAM HAWKES in Sydney and the FBI (Freedman family) in Melbourne. Strangely enough it will actually become TEAM LUCIANI as from the beginning of the new season as Dion and I will be taking out a joint licence and operating as a training partnership. I believe that Dion deserves to be recognised for the work and effort he puts in and together, I am confident that we can again raise the stable profile by the performances of our horses on the racetrack.

Friday 10 June 2011

THESE TWO JUST MADE IT PAST THE CENSORS. JUST!

Now you would think that these two short stories are from my good mate Paddy however I must confess that they were sent to me by my daughter. What is the world coming to? Maybe she just wants me to make sure her horse runs a good race tomorrow? I guess with a wedding coming up soon, it is in my best financial interest more than hers for the horse to perform well.

Here they are, simple and cute.


The only way to pull off a Sunday afternoon 'quick bout of love making'
with their 8-year old son in the apartment was to send him out on the
balcony with a Mars Bar and tell him to report on all the Street
activities.

He began his commentary as his parents put their plan into operation:

'There's a car being towed from the parking lot,' he shouted.

'An ambulance just drove by!'

'Looks like the Anderson 's have company,' he called out

'Matt's riding a new bike!'

'Looks like the Sanders are moving!'

'Jason is on his skate board!

After a few moments he announced, 'The Coopers are having a root!!'

Startled, his mum and dad shot up in bed!

Dad cautiously called out, 'How do you know that?'

'Jimmy Cooper is standing on his balcony with a Mars Bar'!!!

Followed by: (I am not racist honest!)
***********************************************************************
The Greek Priest is Leaving


At the regular Sunday morning service, father George announced
that he was planning to leave for a larger church that would
pay him more.

There is a hush within the congregation. No one wants him to
leave, because he is so popular.

Costa, who owns several car dealerships stands up and proclaims
"If father George stays, I will provide him with a new Mercedes
every year and his wife with a Honda CRV to transport their
children!"

The congregation sighs in appreciation and applauds.

Dimitri, a successful businessman and lawyer, stands and says,
"If father George will stay on here, I'll personally double his
salary, and establish a foundation to guarantee a free
university education for his children!" More sighs and loud
applause.

Maria, age 68, stands and announces with a smile, "If father
George stays, I will give him sex!" There is total silence.

Father George, blushing, asks her: "Maria, you're a wonderful
and holy lady. Whatever possessed you to say that?"

Maria’s 70-year old husband, Vasillis, is now trying to hide,
holding his forehead with the palm of his hand, and shaking his
head from side to side, while his wife replied,

I just asked my husband how we could help, and he said: "Fuck
him."


BUT THIS ONE IS FROM PADDY.
Its an olie but still gets a laugh and its clean? ENJOY!


> A young man called Chris from London wanted to buy a Christmas present
> for his new girlfriend.
>
> They hadn't been seeing each other for very long and she lived in
> Scotland ..
>
> Chris consulted with his sister and decided, after careful
> consideration, that a pair of good quality gloves would strike the
> right note... not too romantic and not too personal.
>
> Off he went with his sister to Harrod's and they selected a dainty pair
> of fur lined quality leather gloves. His sister bought a pair of sexy
> knickers for herself at the same time.
>
> Harrod's had a free gift wrap offer but the assistant mixed up the two
> items, the sister got the gloves and Chris unknowingly got the
> knickers...
>
> Good old Chris sent off his gift wrapped present in a parcel with the
> following letter.
>
>
> Dear Maggie,
>
> I chose these because I've noticed that you are not wearing any when we
> go out in the evenings. If it had not been for my sister I would have
> chosen the long ones with buttons, but she wears shorter ones (which
> are easier to remove).
>
> These are a very delicate shade, but the lady I bought them from showed
> me the pair she had been wearing for the past three weeks and I hardly
> noticed any marks.
>
> I had her try yours on for me and she looked really smart in them even
> though they were a little bit tight on her. She also said that they rub
> against her ring which helps keep it clean. In fact she hasn't needed
> to wash it since she began wearing them.
>
> I wish I was there to put them on for you the first time, as no doubt
> many other hands will touch them before I have a chance to see you
> again.
>
> When you take them off remember to blow into them a little bit because
> they will be naturally a little damp from wearing.
>
> Just imagine how many times my lips will kiss them during the coming
> year.
>
> I hope you will wear them for me on our next date.
>
> All my love,
>
> Chris
>
> P.S. My mum tells me that the latest style is to wear them folded down
> with a little bit of fur showing.
>

Monday 6 June 2011

STACKS OF ABILITY IN STACKS ON

Lightly raced SAXON filly STACKS ON, showed by her win on Saturday, just why she started an odds on favourite when being beaten at her first start in a race back in December. The filly was probably racing on a bit of nervous energy back then and certainly lacked a bit of maturity however some time in the paddock and a long slow preparation have worked wonders for her.

The filly went to the races on Saturday without the benefit of a trial however she raced like a very experienced race horse when beating a handy field of mostly raced two year olds. Jason whiting settled the filly outside the leader and showed great patience before asking the filly for an effort in the straight. The filly was still inclined to stargaze getting to the line however she had enough in reserve to hold on for an impressive victory.

The filly brought up the fifth individual two year old winner for her first season sire Saxon, making him the leading first season sire in W.A and the third leading first season sire in Australia on individual winners. I reckon we may have enough in the team to help get him over the line on a national basis.

Jason whiting looks fairly comfortable below as he pushes out STACKS ON hands and heels in the opening race on Saturday.




Cherie Reid, wife of stud manager Nigel Reid is pretty happy with the effort of both STACKS ON and Jason Whiting as she leads them both back to scale after an impressive victory.



Photo's courtesy Hollands Photographics.

Friday 3 June 2011

A VERY HAPPY BEAR!!!!!

Don't blame me for this one. My dear old mate Paddy insisted that I post this email. Makes me wonder just how much actual work he is doing up in Asia.



The Picture That Will Stay With Her The Rest Of Her Life

And I love Kylie!


Be sure to scroll all the way down

Make-up and Hair style.............$500.00


New Dress for the show............$70000
Giant Stuffed Bear......................$300.00





Not knowing how to hold the bear with a microphone in your hand..........Priceless!