Jockey Claims Riding Fee

Nickolas Hall has approached Racing NSW Stewards lodging a claim for a winning or losing riding fee for To The World (Jpn), claiming he held a firm engagement to ride the horse in the $4 million Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes next Saturday.

Stewards will make a ruling on Hall’s claim after interviewing the connections of To The World.

Owner Confident

Rupert Legh, part owner of Chautauqua, left Flemington racecourse on Super Saturday with a zip in his step, claiming the gelding would win the T J Smith Stakes.

However, it would have looked a bit too close for comfort; Lord Of The Sky seemed to have the race in his keeping, until the very last stride, a case of so close but so far away.

Randwick turned out to be a case of horses for courses, those that could handle it and those that couldn’t.

They Raced At Bourke

Bourke was the country racing venue out in Western New South Wales on Sunday, racing in opposition to Royal Randwick.

While it is fashionable for the ladies to dress up in their finery, high heels are not recommended, most get bogged in the sand.

The outback, an experience you never forget, no one complains out there it’s all a fun day, a reason to have a good time.

While the race fields were a bit light on, and so were the pockets when the odds on favourite, Gobo, bit the dust in a field of three.

The meeting consisted of 38 starters spread over six races, Tim Phillips and Ricky Blewitt each rode doubles.

Dual Derbies

Mongolian Khan equalled the feat of Bonecrusher in winning the New Zealand Derby, and the Australian Derby; he will follow the same path as Phar Lap into the Melbourne Cup.

Dual Derby winners were quite common when the Sydney Derby and the Melbourne Derby were decided three weeks apart

The Victoria Racing Club retained its original date, the Australian Jockey Club transferred to the autumn during the change of dates, the AJC version was not run in 1978.

Manfred set the scene for what became quite common, but not before he almost threw the AJC Derby away refusing to move until the field had covered almost 100 metres.

The decade to follow saw no fewer than five colts win both Derbies, Hall Mark, Theo, Talking, Nuffield and Reading, geldings were barred after Johnnie Jason won in 1931.

Both Silver Sharp and Royal Sovereign each won three Derbies, Flemington, Randwick and Eagle Farm, in that order.