Here are some happenings you may have missed in the racing world over the past week.
WATCH: Benchmark 50 win delights Victory Post brethren at Big Bush meet
QUIRKY (from overseas)
Two-year-old trial a huge success (New Zealand)
ZELIA: That’s a name we need in the Black Book.
This trial for two-year-old horses who have yet to make their debut attracted a lot of attention, but if you missed it, it’s worth watching here.
The son of Fierce Impact won the 800m race by 12.5L!
“Well, maybe we can get something.”💀
Eight two-year-olds raced in the trial at Riccarton Park, with one mare called Zelia (a daughter of Fierce Impact) making a particularly strong impression. pic.twitter.com/f0lXMGuk6Q
— Trackside NZ (@TracksideNZ) September 13, 2024
What’s noteworthy (if that vision wasn’t enough!) is that Zelia had her trial just 11 days ago and got off to a slow start, finishing 4th out of 5.
What is the difference between artificial turf and grass?
In any case, things were quite different here.
A slightly mysterious bargain (UK)
Purchased for just £1,000, Imperial Cult has proven to be both malevolent and profitable at the same time.
Apparently he’s not cut out for the trackwork gallop, yet he’s won three of his last five races (one of which by 5.5L) before being beaten again by a short distance in that section.
But he also likes to go into the gates without a jockey, so he certainly has his quirks.
A £1,000 race horse that doesn’t gallop at home!
Imperial Cult is a unique horse who has won three races this year under jockeys Rachel Cook and John Bridger.
I can’t wait to see where he goes next… pic.twitter.com/3hXnU4sysb
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 12, 2024
Jock spying playfully (France)
Spectators, it makes me laugh when the jock looks over your shoulder as you ride.
And by the time they have time to peek between their legs, you’re already in line.
That was the case when jockey Alexi Putin took the lead aboard the two-year-old horse Miss Understood at Longchamp Racecourse.
How long ago was he? Well, Putin wanted to see for himself.
The final margin was 4.5L and I think Alexis would have been happy with what he saw when he squeezed.
A cheeky expression peeking through her legs!
Miss Understood was entered in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and achieved her second consecutive win. Paris Longchamp This afternoon… pic.twitter.com/ngsJKohgnY
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) September 12, 2024
Australian jockey reaches a small milestone (Hong Kong)
Given the stars at the forefront of horse racing, it’s no exaggeration to say this is one of the toughest jurisdictions in which to succeed as a jockey.
Ballistic Win ($3.10) started as the favourite in the race at Sha Tin Racecourse on September 8 but finished third by 1.5L.
But riding the favourite in Hong Kong is half the battle won, and Ben Thompson has finally got his chance to ride the Hong Kong market winner.
Last season he rode 266 times, winning seven times, but never on the favourite, which shows how difficult this race is to win, with a jockey like Zac Purton undoubtedly at the top and many others below him.
Of course, the race was won only by jockey Matthew Poon, who has a reputation for guiding rough horses to the finish line, riding the $57 Harmony and Home.
QUIRKY (from Australia)
$1.8 million colt humiliated on debut
The Waterhouse/Bott-trained Chiba began his racing career this week.
He is famously known for being a salesman with a massive sale of $1.8 million.
There was no immediate return in that regard, as the colt led in a maiden 1100m race at Hawkesbury before being beaten by 3.94 seconds to finish third.
The debut of Espiona’s only brother
You’ve probably heard of Espiona – her only brother to a top-class filly made his debut this week.
Transactions, a three-year-old colt trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman, is a half-brother to Espiona and will be the pair’s only foal following the death of their mare Daphle in February 2022.
He was beaten by 0.9L at $1.90 F in a 1240m maiden race at Geelong to stablemate Al Maur ($10).
Only time will tell if Transactions can follow in his half-sister’s footsteps and claim G1 glory, as Espiona’s only G1 win came when he beat Pride of Genie in the 2023 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill.
Armauer finishes strong to win second event in GeelongFriedman Racing @JyeMcNeil pic.twitter.com/PmJpD1HxvH
— Racing.com (@Racing) September 13, 2024
10-year-old’s first victory in three years
Ten-year-old gelding M. Brian ended a long winless streak by winning his second career race at Mindarie Hallidon in South Australia on Sunday.
His first win came in the fifth race at Gawler Racecourse on 29 July 2021 and 1144 days later he won again taking 0-52 over 1800 metres.
He finished third in his last race at Port Augusta, his first place finish since his first win.
Em Brian then won the main prize on Sunday, and as expected (judging by the stats above) the prize money was $51, but even more surprising, it was reduced to $14 to get some chocolate.
Ten-year-old gelding Em Bryan won the final event of the Mindarie-Hallidon program.
This is his second career win. pic.twitter.com/ZiBpgrAlKQ
— Racing.com (@Racing) September 15, 2024
Good training yesterday at Mindarie Hallidon.
EM BRYAN is a 10 year old colt with 1 win from 39 starts. He is rated 41 in class and is not in good form at all.
He was bet $51 to $14 and won by a wide margin.
— Lachlan Mosley (@BlackBookRacing) September 15, 2024
Harness horse wins first race after 1,224 days
This is one for the “long rest” file. Workhorse started for the first time in 1224 days, started in order of popularity and was duly saluted.
The five-year-old pace horse Smart Man made his debut on May 8, 2021 and finished sixth in the Globe Derby.
On Friday he made just his second career start at Mildura and won as the $1.85 favourite at odds of 14.7 million.
He certainly had no rust on his ring.
It was a long time from start to finish! (Image: harness.org.au)
#Missed #September #16th