Vincent out of Ballarat Cup
Auckland Cup winner Vincent has been scratched from Saturday night’s Ballarat Cup after showing heat in his leg on Thursday morning.
“I noticed a slight swelling on the nearside front this morning,” said co-trainer Natalie Rasmussen on the stable website.
“He is not lame or anything and I am fairly confident it is something minor.
“You just don’t take risks with horses like him”
“He was out in the paddock and whether he has just rolled the wrong way or knocked it getting up you can’t say, but it is not that far from the suspensory and we wouldn’t risk racing him until it was completely cleared up.
“We will get the experts to have a look and check him out because you can never be 100 per cent sure with these sorts of injuries just how much is involved with them.
“But from the outside to my eye it seems a fairly minor problem at this stage.”
Vincent had been the subject of huge punter support in Australian markets after opening second favourite behind stablemate Heaven Rocks on Tuesday.
Spelling paddock for Eamon Maguire
Otago trainer Graeme Anderson has not been happy with the results of his four-year-old pacer Eamon Maguire so far this season and has decided to spell him.
In four runs this season the Art Major pacer has not raced with the same vigor that saw him win the Gr. 2 Southern Supremacy Stakes and run third in the Gr. 1 New Zealand Derby as a three-year-old last term.
With the horse showing no signs of an injury problems, Anderson decided time in the paddock was in Eamon Maguire’s best interests.
Herlihy pair sold to Australia
Three-year-old fillies Hot Flush and Harmony Blue have been sold out of the Ardmore stable of Tony Herlihy.
Harmony Blue, who was thought enough of the line up in Group 1 races as a juvenile last season, has been purchased by clients of Victorian horseman Mattie Craven.
Her dam, Gotta Go Harmony, was a Group 1 winner while grandam Elect To Live was New Zealand Horse of the Year in 2002.
Her older half-sister, Gotta Go Dali Queen, formerly trained in Kumeu by Frank Cooney and Tate Hopkins, has also recently joined Craven after an ownership restructure.
Hot Flush, a race-winning daughter of Bettor’s Delight, is headed to the Sydney stable of KerryAnn Turner.
John Coltrane on the road to Cup day
Promising Invercargill pacer John Coltrane could well continue the fine record of his mother as a producer.
He quit maidens just before Christmas at his third start for trainer Brent Shirley, who describes the four-year-old as big and overgrown.
Shirley had him at last weekend’s Invercargill workouts in preparation for Invercargill Cup Day on January 27.
“They dawdled and sprinted home in 27, he was doing his best work after the finish,” said Shirley.
In 2003, Shirley bought Satire Franco for his wife Raewyn.
The mare was carrying When The Music’s Over and went on to produce Turbine, Rowchester, I Smart and Costa Del Magnifico, all good winners on both sides of the Tasman.
Dry spell ends for Court
It’s been a long time between drinks for Ivan Court.
The Rolleston trainer, not to be confused with the Ladbrooks trainer Ivan Court, picked up his first training win in almost eight years at Timaru on Wednesday when Cullens Joy was victorious.
Court, who trains a small team on the outskirts of Rolleston, has only had 30 starts since his previous victory which came when Lifes A Giggle, the dam of Cullens Joy, won at Oamaru in May of 2010.
Cullens Joy sat off the speed and stormed home down centre track for Colin DeFilippi to win quite comfortably at Phar Lap Raceway.
Her win took Court to 15 career training wins with Bradwin (four wins) his best performer in the early 80s before J C’s Starbuck (three) and Life’s A Giggle (three).
- NZ Harness News
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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