Bits & Pieces

THEY SAID IT

“I’ll give it a shake – the margin is decreasing with time. He can’t improve, but I can,” said Bart Cummings after his 253rd Group 1 win, second only to the late, great T.J. Smith (282). Another much younger Hall of Fame member, Lee Freedman, is next on 123.

Bart’s 253rd came courtesy of Russeting in the Winter Stakes (1400m), the 2008-09 Group 1 finale at Eagle Farm on Saturday, and it came without the usual patient Cummings’ preparation because the mare (B or br 4, Commands-Granny Apple, by Bluebird (USA)) came to him from Toowoomba trainer Don Baker only after the Magic Millions broodmare sale on the Gold Coast early this month, when Adam Mackrell paid  $300,000, planning to send the mare to his family’s stud, Bell View Park (NSW). Stable foreman Reg Fleming has done the work with Russeting.

This season Cummings has added four Group 1s to his tally, with Viewed the first and biggest (Melbourne Cup No. 12), then Swick (Patinack Farm Classic), then Roman Emperor (AJC Australian Derby in April) and now Russeting.

Interestingly, Russeting beat Prima Nova, trained by Bart’s son Anthony – Swick (B g 7, O’Reilly (NZ)-Creme Anglaise (NZ), by Crested Wave (USA)) beat Anthony’s Turffontein in the Patinack on the last day of the Melbourne Cup carnival.

Whether Russeting can play her part in adding to Bart’s tally next season depends on whether the trainer can convince the Mackrells to delay sending the mare to stud.

Cummings will turn 82 in November. If he can repeat this season’s mark each year – something he hasn’t managed since 1997-98 – he will be rising 90 if/when he catches Smith. The odds look long, but it is Bart we’re talking about.

Top Group 1 trainers this year with six wins each were Gai Waterhouse (93 all up) and Mick Price (14). Peter Snowden had five to take his tally to six in his short time at the head of the Darley team. Nash Rawiller (20) was top jock with six, from Craig Newitt (16) and Damien Oliver (83) on five.

Talking of veteran trainers, Cummings is a few years off Jack Denham’s pace – the Rosehill trainer celebrated his 85th birthday with a winner, Cleanup, at Rosehill on Saturday. We know that because Jack’s son Allan, also a trainer, told the media. Jack, of course, rarely gives more than a grunt to the fourth estate.

Tasmania has another young jockey aiming to make his mark on what Tasmanians call “the mainland”. Jason Maskiell rode a winner (Awimoweh, for Robbie Laing) at Moonee Valley on Saturday and will join Mick Price at Caulfield next month.

“You couldn’t go to anyone any better than Mick Price, and I’m just stoked to get the opportunity to come over,” said Maskiell (18), who will be featured with other “sons of guns” in the Winter edition of The Thoroughbred, out next month.

Maskiell, son of top Tassie jockey Stephen, is the third of the island’s promising young riders to cross Bass Strait – Craig Newitt (24) has established himself as one of Melbourne’s top jockeys, with Price playing a big role in his maturation; and Daniel Ganderton (20) is apprenticed to Gai Waterhouse in Sydney and is third in line behind Nash Rawiller and Blake Shinn – Ganderton has 41 metro wins this season, Shinn  43 and Rawiller 46.5. Ganderton leads the apprentices’ race.

Shinn won the Sydney senior premiership last year, but this season Hugh Bowman is likely to win from Corey Brown. Bowman had a treble at the weekend and leads 81-73. Darley’s Peter Snowden (72) kept in touch with Waterhouse (77.5) in the race to be top trainer.

With Damien Oliver and Craig Williams riding in Brisbane, the Victorian jockeys’ ladder did not change. They are clear on top with 63 wins each. Lee Freedman (64) leads David Hayes (61) for the trainers’ crown.

WE SAW IT

Fair Trade, impressive in his two Melbourne starts for Mick Kent this year, won first up in Hong Kong on Sunday and propelled Caspar Fownes into the lead in the trainers’ title for the first time this season with only three meetings to go. The victory, the second for the afternoon at Sha Tin, took the trainer to 62 wins, the same as the stumbling Moore, who was a dozen clear two months ago, but Fownes has 55 seconds to Moore’s 49. Fownes, champion in 2006-07 for the first time, has 20 winners from his past 100 runners, Moore only seven. John Size is third on 59, and still a rough chance to repeat last season’s premiership success.

Fownes used Sunday’s run to give the million-dollar-plus purchase Fair Trade (B g 3, Danewin-Villa Igea, by Papal Power (USA)) a run-up to next season, when he has to build on his unbeaten record to race against Hong Kong’s best. On yesterday’s effort, he is up to that class.

Jockey Weichong Marwing, who drove Fair Trade ($3.65 favourite) forward, told the South China Morning Post: “Caspar said he showed enormous acceleration in Melbourne when ridden cold, but this is Hong Kong and he has to become more versatile and learn to race forward.”

Zac Purton had a treble at Sha Tin to take his season’s tally to 37. The Australian is seventh, but could finish as high as third; rising Chinese star Matthew Chadwick holds that spot with 39.

Away from the Royal Ascot spotlight that Scenic Blast slotted into with his win in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) last week, another Australian gained a mention. No, not Takeover Target, a Golden Jubilee scratching because on an elevated temperature, but Clare Lindop, South Australia’s reigning champion rider.

On a working holiday in England, she teamed up with former Adelaide trainer Jeremy Gask to ride a winner (One Way Or Another) and a second (Catalan Bay) at Haydock at the weekend. The horses are Australian, too – David Hayes used to train One Way Or Another (B g 5, Carnegie (IRE)-True Blonde, by Naturalism (NZ)) and Lee Freedman had Catalan Bay (B m 4, Rock Of Gibraltar (IRE)-Kim Angel, by Serheed (USA)).

The spectre of death continues to hang over jumps racing with Whatsourgo (Ch g 5, Jeune (GB)-Alzabella, by Alzao (USA)) having to be put down after falling at the last jump in the Ted Best Hurdle at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

The stewards’ reports on the jumps at the Valley and at Casterton on Sunday (see racingvictoria.net.au) show just how closely officials are monitoring the races to ensure all care is taken.

We reprint part of their report on the open steeple at Casterton as an example: “Paul Hamblin, rider of Riri, was found guilty of a charge under the provisions of LR 62(9) a, b. The particulars of the charge being that after falling at the second last obstacle near the 600 metres Hamblin remounted Riri and continued on negotiating the final obstacle when Riri was clearly not in contention and may have been distressed due to the fall. Stewards also took into account that his actions posed a risk to both horse and rider. Hamblin’s licence to ride in jumping races was suspended for a period to commence at midnight 21 June and to expire at the completion of the second jumping race at Warrnambool on 28 June 2009 – a total of three jumps races, taking into account the jumps races in South Australia. On arriving at this decision Stewards took into account the remorse shown by Hamblin for his actions.”

How times have changed. Not too long ago Hamblin would have been praised for his action.

WE’LL WATCH IT

The independent report commissioned by the NSW Government on the potential merger of Sydney’s two clubs, the Australian Jockey Club and the Sydney Turf Club, is due out tomorrow. It should be fascinating reading.

Weekend Hussler: will he or won’t he be back in the spring? Trainer Ross McDonald said connections would decide on Wednesday after another veterinary opinion was sought on the back problem that is still worrying the four-year-old gelding, the winner of seven Group 1 races.

The $200,000 Listed Winter Championship (1600m) at Flemington is not on until July 4, but Davcon looks the one to beat on his stylish and easy win in the Geoff Torney Cup (1500m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday. Davcon (Bl g 4, Anglia-Royal Persepoly, by Persepolis (FR)) started a $2 favourite and Michael Rodd found all the gaps to get to the front on straightening. Trainer Heath Conners, now part of the Aquanita stable at Caulfield, has a couple of handy four-year olds – remember, Davcon ran fourth in the 2007 Caulfield Guineas behind Weekend Hussler, Scenic Blast (both Group 1 winners) and Marching (a Group 2 winner); and Conners’ Chasm (Ch g 4, Umatilla (NZ)-Arabian Poppi, by Al Hareb (USA)) is no slouch, either. He has a Group 3 win among his eight from 18 starts. He has been spelling since second to Serious Speed in the Group 3 Lee Stakes (1600m) at Morphettville on May 9.

Belmont has two Listed races on Saturday – the York Stakes (1600m) and the Belmont Oaks (2000m). Caloundra has three – the Caloundra Cup (2400m), the Glasshouse Handicap (1400m) and the Sunshine Coast Guineas (1600m) as part of a two-track (grass and cushion) and day-night meeting. Rosehill has one – the Winter Cup (2400m). They also race at Flemington and Morphettville.

Group 1 action continues overseas on Sunday. Ireland has its Derby (2400m) and the Pretty Polly (2000m) at the Curragh; France has the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud (2400m).