September 2, 2017
In recent weeks, South Burnett interests have kept the scoreboard ticking over, and this weekend will see the district’s representatives scattered far and wide.
On Saturday, Nanango apprentices Hannah English and Hannah Phillips will don silk at Toowoomba.
The former, with five wins to her credit during the past three weeks, has engagements for trainers Patrick Sexton and Bob Mahon, while the latter is seeking a hat-trick for her father Barry with Orleans and also has bookings for the stables of Tony Webb and Bradley Hudson.
English’s master Glenn Richardson is aiming high with Prime Target.
The Oratorio gelding he races with Peter Jackson and his family is taking on the Programmed Services Class 6 Plate (1110m), the fifth on the card at Doomben.
The now seven-year-old, with just eleven outings to date, is a definite chance.
This is particularly so if he reproduces the Sydney sprint form that landed back-to-back Canterbury victories in February 2016.
The bay then had a long lay off and Richardson did tremendously well to score with him first-up in an Ipswich Class 3 Handicap on 26 July.
There was no disgrace next time out on August 23 at Class 5 level when the grandson of Red Ransom was a length and a half adrift of the winner Gracida in fourth berth at Caloundra.
Prime Target, undoubtedly improved by those two recent chores, is ideally drawn at gate two. Brad Stewart is the pilot.
Richardson has also accepted with I Am McLovin (Paul Hamblin) and Sparkling Gift (Gemma Steele) at Bundaberg.
On Sunday at Caloundra, Lindsay Anderson saddles up Liverpool Jane (Hannah English) in the opening event, the Caloundra RSL Class 3 (1000m) and Glenthorn Avenue (Gemma Steele) in the Butler McDermott Lawyers BM 75 (1400m).
English also partners Stratalena for Scott Pedron and Excellent Spirit for Pat Duff while Ric McMahon will be in the irons on Pedron’s other aspirant Fort Myer in the Class 2 sprint.
Meanwhile, two other well known faces in these parts – namely jockeys Jason Hoopert and Pietro Romeo – have certainly spread their wings of late.
“Hoops” rode at Beetoota last Saturday and is ticking off a bucket list item by competing at Birdsville’s current two day carnival.
Romeo, having plied his trade at the likes of Camooweal, Cunnamulla, Muttaburra and Corfield, is in the mix at Emerald this Saturday.
By the way, Hannah English and Hannah Phillips journeyed to Cairns for the first day of the famous “Cairns Amateurs” on Friday.
They both picked up a placing from just two rides apiece.
No doubt they relished the experience.
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Is Honesty The Best Policy?
Melbourne’s reigning premier jockey Craig Williams really found himself in a pickle a few minutes before the field for the P.B. Lawrence Stakes was due to be despatched at Caulfield a fortnight ago.
He was decked out in the Goldolphin colours on the favourite Hartnell when he realised he had the wrong vest on.
The story goes that he took off a heavier garment so he could weigh out for the following race and forgot to make the all important change back.
In desperation, he commandeered some items from the farrier’s kit bag to compensate for the shortfall.
Hartnell saluted.
Williams, who was found to be 1.3 kilograms overweight courtesy of the added ballast in his boots, was issued with a $1,000 fine for that problem and another $1,000 for altering equipment without stewards’ permission.
In this case, the jockey’s return was certainly worth more than the momentary monetary pain.
For wealthy jockeys, such a fine is akin to a mosquito bite.
An alternative strategy for Williams would have been to inform the starter of his dilemma and let the stewards decide on the matter.
They may have opted to quickly ferry the correct vest out to the barrier – that exercise may have taken less time than it does to replate a runner behind the gates or to recapture a runaway.
Should the deception have attracted a sharper hit? Obviously it would have if Hartnell was narrowly beaten and Williams had to weigh in.
Did the episode bring racing into disrepute?
I wonder what impressionable rookie riders made of this example of expediency!
There has been no reference to the issue on Williams’ personal website and he is riding Bezel, Trekking and Tally for Godolphin at The Heath this Saturday.
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Reminder: The added treat at Nanango’s meeting in a fortnight’s time is the chance to win a night’s stay at the Sofitel Hotel Noosa and dinner at Noosa Beach House. The prize comes courtesy of the Nanango bookmakers. The draw will be made from a barrel holding losing tickets with a minimum stake of five dollars.
