Racehorse TALK

May 15, 2007 12:00am

SYDNEY trainer John O'Shea angrily labelled Queensland Racing's renewed handicap conditions for the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) as "a stupid rule".

O'Shea was delighted with 52.5kg allotted to rising star Reigning To Win but upset the handicapper could still penalise a horse which wins a flat race worth $60,000 or more for the Stradbroke.

Conditions enable penalties to be imposed on winners of set-weight and weight-for-age races, a rarity in 150 years of racing anywhere in the world.

"This could only happen in Queensland," O'Shea said. "The art of training is to beat the handicapper if you are good enough. The point of weight-for-age races is not to get handicapped.

"This rule just encourages impropriety . . . I am gobsmacked to be honest."

Penalties aside, O'Shea's ears pricked on hearing Reigning To Win's weight.

The colt is 3½kg better off than Gold Edition at the weight-for-age scale, the latter getting what trainer Ron Maund expected in 53.5kg.

"We beat her in the Roman Consul in Sydney and had 2kg more, yes it is very enticing," O'Shea said.

Maund said it was "almost impossible" for $6 Stradbroke favourite Gold Edition to win.

"It's a tall order. After I realised no filly has carried more than 50kg to victory in recent history, it suggests her task is almost impossible," he said.

While handicapper Lester Grimmett is unlikely to re-handicap Reigning To Win if he wins the 2000m Doomben Cup, the Doomben 10,000 winner, where Gold Edition is favourite, is on close watch.

Grimmett said: "If Gold Edition won the 10,000, depending on the margin, she could get up to a one and half penalty."

Maund said: "It would be a sad day for Queensland racing if Gold Edition was muted by the handicapper.

"I'm locked into this campaign regardless, there is nowhere else to race her, I just have to take it on," he said.

Queensland Racing’s Racing Services Manger, Mr Paul Brennan, today labelled the statements attributed to Sydney trainer John O’Shea, as “short sighted and ill informed”.

Brennan said: “Subsequent to the conclusion of the 2006 Queensland Winter Racing Carnival, Queensland Racing conducted a complete review of the outcomes delivered by the Carnival and the previously disjointed conditions utilised by individual Clubs.”

“As a consequence of this review Queensland Racing made a number of changes to the feature race schedule and implemented a consistent approach to all feature race conditions,” Brennan said.

These changes included the ability for the handicappers to penalise the winner of any race with prizemoney to the winner of $60,000 or more in the Stradbroke Handicap, regardless of weight conditions. 

Brennan said: “Under the previous conditions of the Stradbroke the handicappers were unable to penalise the winner of not less than 15 Set Weight races conducted between the release of weights and the running of the Stradbroke.”

“There were only four (4) races that provided the opportunity for the handicappers to allocate a penalty, those being the BTC Sprint, Premier’s Cup, Gunsynd Quality and QTC Cup.”

“I’m sure that most would remember that under the previous conditions of the Stradbroke, last year’s Doomben 10,000 winner “Undue” was denied a start.”

Listed below are the 15 races that previously provided no opportunity for a penalty:

• Doomben Cup   WFA   Gr1  $500,000   2020m
• Lord Mayor’s Cup WFA Gr3  $100,000 1615m 
• Glenlogan Park Stakes  SWP LR $150,000 1350m
• Doomben Roses SW  LR $175,000 2020m
• BTC Classic  SW  Gr3  $100,000 1350m
• Champagne Classic SW  Gr2  $150,000 1200m
• Doomben 10,000  WFA Gr1  $650,000 1350m
• Rough Habit Plate SW  Gr3  $125,000 2020m
• Doomben Slipper SW  LR $100,000 1350m
• Queensland Oaks SW  Gr1  $400,000 2400m
• Sire’s Produce  SW  Gr2  $250,000 1400m
• PJ O’Shea Stks  WFA Gr2  $250,000 2200m
• Dane Ripper Quality SWP Gr3  $200,000 1400m
• Grand Prix  SWPA Gr3 $125,000 2100m
• Daybreak Lover  SW  LR $100,000 1400m

Brennan said: “In recent years the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival has undergone a significant transformation, all changes have been made in the best interest of the Industry and these changes have alleviated previous flaws in the conditions.”

“I would expect that the connections of the majority of Stradbroke runners would prefer to be competing in the race knowing that the contemporary form of runners had been considered, rather than knowing a large number of starters had snuck into the race through the back door.” 

“Queensland Racing has a long history of consulting the Industry (!!!) and whilst this was undertaken prior to the implementation of this amendment, should John (O’Shea) wish to put forward some recommendations I will be more than happy to sit down with him during his stay in Queensland,” Brennan said.

The 2007 Queensland Winter Racing Carnival Brochure was published and distributed to all Interstate and Overseas Stakeholders in January 2007.  All amended conditions were clearly highlighted within this publication to ensure that stakeholders fully understood these amendments.

QUEENSLAND Racing web news: May 18

I'm not sure what he's trying to say... 
That trainers should only try to win races that aren't rehandicapped?
WFA races that weren't subject to rehandicapping were (up until now) the only races in which his horses were trying??
Now his horses won't try in anything?? 

Gillian Heinrich has 6 of the 13 acceptors in GC Race 5 on Saturday.  And all but one drew an odd-numbered alley.

Luckily she and husband, Hoss, had a dispersal sale recently or they might have had the LOT.

QUEENSLAND businessman Phil Sullivan yesterday confirmed he was buying showpiece training complex Wadham Park at Canungra in the Gold Coast hinterland.

Sullivan takes the controlling share in the property that was developed by former Toll Transport boss Peter Rowsthorn.

"I have about 10 horses in training and they will be transferred to Canungra," Sullivan said.

"The property is under contract and should be completed next month. Obviously it can support a bigger sting but I have had any number of inquiries from people with bigger stings to go there.

"I am a businessman and this looked a good buy. I also have about 15 breeding stock."

Rowsthorn and his trainer Dale Sutton have developed another property just outside Melbourne and will shift base camp.

Sutton last year made international headlines when he bought Irish Derby winner Grey Swallow from Dermot Weld and trained him for the Cox Plate.

Grey Swallow cost $6 million and has not appeared since he ran a distant last to Fields Of Omagh in the Cox Plate.

Rowsthorn is believed to have spent more than $60 million setting up the Wadham Park training complex and stocking it.

The shift of the Sutton stable from Canungra to Victoria will be completed next month.

Sullivan will install David Kelly as the new trainer at Canungra and he knows the property like the back of his hand.

"It is a magnificent set-up," Kelly said. "I trained there for six months and prepared 35 winners. Then I took a job at the sister Wadham Park property in Victoria.

"Canungra has a 2000m grass track with a 600m straight and an uphill finish. There is also a 2000m artificial track."

From today's The Courier-Mail:

Top rider Damien Oliver yesterday lost an appeal to the Racing Appeal Tribunal against a suspension and fine imposed for a careless-riding charge from the Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm on June 9.

Oliver will now serve the nine-meeting sentence and pay the $5000 fine for causing interference on Derby winner Empires Choice.

He will be clear to resume riding on July 20. The Sir John Monash Stakes is run at Caulfield on that day.

ANOTHER win to the in-form Sunday Adieu in the Grafton Cup on Thursday will not earn her a spring carnival opportunity.

Sunday Adieu is likely to be the favourite for the $160,000 cup over 2400m on the back of her two most convincing wins in successive starts at Randwick and the Kensington track.

Dwyer is extremely confident about another victory at Grafton but he won't be present. He's off on a family holiday to New Zealand this week.

"I'll be disappointed if she doesn't win with ordinary luck in running," Dwyer said.

"Danny Beasley rode her in work on Saturday morning and is adamant she has improved again.

"While I expect her to win I still feel, even as a rising five-year-old, she isn't mature enough yet to go to the level needed for the big races in the spring.

"That's for next year.

"My plan is to give her a couple of months off and then about six runs in the autumn, another break next winter and then head to the Melbourne Cup."

Dwyer has had only one Grafton Cup starter previously, when he won the race with Pacific Dancer in 2004 and then headed to the spring where the horse struggled to come up.

Trainer Brian Smith is hoping to have both Bikkie Tin Blues (Scott Seamer) and Scattergun (Ric McMahon) lining up in the cup.

He is hoping for rain midweek to soften the track for Scattergun who ran his best race since April when he finished second in the Caloundra City Cup on a heavy track nine days ago.

McMahon, who has ridden Scattergun in many of his races, was bypassed for the four-year-old's last four runs when Kelvin Wharton, Bobby El-Issa, Jim Cassidy and Brad Pengelly were tried without success.

Shane Scriven's hopes of grabbing an unexpected premiership title could hinge on an appeal against a careless-riding suspension at the Racing Appeals Tribunal today.

As things stand, the jockeys title leaderboard has Glen Colless (56 wins) ahead of Jim Byrne (54) and Scriven (51).

Colless did not ride at Eagle Farm on Saturday because of a suspension and Byrne picked up a suspension of nine meetings, taking him out of action until the last meeting of the season on July 28.

Byrne is eligible to ride at Eagle Farm on Wednesday before he begins his sentence. He does have the avenue of an appeal and seeking a stay of proceedings.

There are six more metropolitan meetings before the end of the season.

TOP trainer Gerald Ryan reluctantly is giving up his fulltime stable on the Gold Coast.

"I love Queensland and love the racing up there but it's become increasingly hard to find the time to juggle between the two stables with so many race meetings these days," Ryan said.

"For the past two years the Gold Coast stable has lost money. Rosehill has been propping up my business.

"Bruce is keen to have another go at training in his own right and most of my clients have agreed to leave the horses in the Coast stable with him.

"Bruce has been with me since I set up at the Coast over nine years ago and we have had a great association. I think he will do well on his own.

"I still intend to campaign horses in Queensland if I think they are the right types and the races suit. But they will go up in my name with my staff."

Apart from his large horse and client connection to Sydney Ryan also has family ties with his son Blake, a producer at TVN, and daughter Tai who works in the events division at the Sydney Turf Club.

Ryan has been a splendid contributor to Queensland racing in the past decade. His best wins were multiple successes in the Queensland Guineas with Saxon, Magnifier and Regent Street and the Queensland Oaks and Winter Stakes with Mon Mekki.

A virus which went through his two stables last spring has limited Ryan's opportunities but he has a strong base of young, untried horses.

"I went through my Sydney list a few weeks ago and I had 52 horses in work and 32 of them were unraced," Ryan said.

In the coming months Ryan plans to boost his Sydney numbers up close to the maximum 70 he can accommodate with his on-course stabling.

Ryan thinks there is a Magic Millions prospect in his rising two-year-old stocks. He likes the way a Danzero colt related to his Saturday Doomben winner Rapid Jacko might come up early in the new season.

Hill, also 52, is highly credentialled.

Originally from New Zealand where he began working with his father Frank at Pukekohe, Hill trained for six years but then came to Australia.

He worked for Geoff Murphy for more than six years at a time when Sovereign Red and Caulfield-Melbourne Cup winner Gurner's Lane were the flagbearers.

"I was travelling foreman for Geoff for four years and then the Melbourne foreman for another two years before he encouraged me to take out my own licence again," Hill said.

"When my biggest client died I sold my property at Mornington and moved to the Gold Coast where I worked for Greg Mance for a few months.

"Then Gerald started up and I worked for him from day one at the Gold Coast."

Hill, who has to formally gain Gold Coast Turf Club approval to train at the track, will take up a lease on Ryan's current Ascot Lodge stable complex which is owned by one of owner Les Cowell's family companies.

On Saturday, Morrison, 23, produced another daring and skilful ride to win the $100,000 Jupiters Townsville Cup on rising nine-year-old Legal Brief.

It was a deserved victory for Legal Brief who was third and second in the race in the past two years.

Morrison admits there have been lengthy periods of frustration since she completed her apprenticeship three years ago.

"It seems every time I was starting to get some momentum I was injured or suspended," Morrison said.

Even Morrison's northern stint with partner Greg Wehlow, Legal Brief's trainer, has been interrupted by another suspension. She only resumed on Saturday.

The cup ride was lauded by all and experienced racecaster Wayne Wilson, who was there, gave her top marks.

"It was a superb ride. Lacey managed to find the fence midrace from barrier nine so that was a top effort," Wilson said.

"Then she waited until the turn to make her move and managed to find a run between horses to give Legal Brief every chance.

"And she didn't lack anything in vigour compared to the men at the finish. It was a very polished display."

Wehlow, who moved north from his Gold Coast base with eight horses, now has a team of 22 as his focus turns to the next northern carnival in Cairns.

Last September, Morrison looked back on track when she had a very successful time at the northern carnivals culminating with victory on Legal Brief in the Cairns Amateurs Cup.

She was disqualified for two months at the Amateurs meeting on a charge of deliberately striking another rider with her whip.

That was quashed on appeal but the process distracted her from racing.

In January, Morrison had surgery to her right knee, injured when she was kicked by a horse a year ago. This time it was four months on the sideline.

When she's fit and in form Morrison is an aggressive competitor who is a much better rider than her results from the past three years might indicate.

Many believe there is unfinished business for Morrison in Brisbane.

At the metropolitan tracks where she was highly successful a few years ago she is rarely sighted any more.

Morrison is good enough to be a solid competitor in the big smoke.