Mick Price could be facing up to the biggest pay day in his training career, with the exciting colt, Extreme Choice, who looks to be the best two year old let out so far this season.

He opened his winning account in sensational fashion at Randwick, after missing the start he had the leaders well covered when heads were turned for home.

A yearling that was purchased for $100,000, returning a profit of $190,000 on just the one run, Mick could be touted as a candidate for the Stock Exchange.

The colt will return to the Caulfield stable sometime this week, a decision in which direction he takes, the Blue Diamond Stakes and the Golden Slipper Stakes, would be high on the shopping list.

Whether the colt will be set for the two majors is too early at this stage, but surely they will be discussed, however, it is not impossible.

Bounding Away, Coutza, John’s Hope and Sepoy, won both the Blue Diamond Stakes, in late February, and the Golden Slipper Stakes can be up nearly six weeks later.

Saturday’s win was all about speed, and the winner is well endowed with that, his sire, Not A Single Doubt, had exceptional speed, much of that has been inherited bu many of his progeny.

Winner has overcome problems

Shakespearean Lass has proved a work in progress for her trainer Pat Carey, however, he has never been the one to give in easily.

There have been a few quirks to iron out in her short racing career, but she really put her best foot forward in winning the First Response Pharmacy Trophy at Flemington.

It was an impressive win as Miss Gidget showed a great deal of pace and still looked a winner at the clock tower, with Shakespearean Lass doing all the chasing.

When Miss Gidget began to wilt the winner grabbed her very quickly, with Tykiato getting up to split the winner, Shakespearean Lass and Miss Gidget.

The winner is trained by Pat Carey and ridden by his former apprentice, Rhys McLeod, who does not get that many city rides, but he still makes the best of it.

Both the winner and the second horse, Tykiato, are by Written Tycoon, whilst he is a long way off being the leading sire; he is proving a very good money spinner for Woodside Park, where he stands at Tylden.

Shakespearean Lass winning at Flemington

Queensland racing in trouble

Queensland racing is heading in the wrong direction with an announcement that stake money is to be reduced, the life blood of the industry is being drained, trainers will have no option but to shut up shop.

Rising costs against income is a sure recipe for disaster, thousands thrown out of a job, all that achieves is the dole queues are getting longer.

Racing people for racing, without the solid knowledge about the grass roots of the industry and how it works, is a futile exercise.

Governments should not be so heavily involved in racing when they know so little about it, they could be on the scrap heap in three years.

We should not have a Minister of Racing; by the time one bill has been passed it can be altered by an incoming of Government.

A new Racing Minister for Queensland has been appointed in Grace Grace, whether she is a Messiah that will save the northern state remains to be seen.

City environment suits mare

A change of stables has rejuvenated Precious Gem; she scored brilliantly in coming from the rear of the field to win the Building Engineering Trophy at Flemington.

As per usual she got a fair way back again on Saturday, but had an interrupted run under the vigorous riding of Chris Symons, she responded well to win by three parts of a length.

Formerly trained by Gwenda Johnston, she is now in the stable of Henry Dwyer at Caulfield; she is holding her condition well as she has been up for quite a while.

Dwyer paid a compliment to Mick and Gwenda saying, “the mare was sent down to him is great order.”

The plan is to start Precious Gem on Boxing Day in the Lord Stakes, a Listed race at Caulfield, if a horse ever deserved to have a race named in his honour it was Lord, he won 20 races at “The Heath”, the first three as a two year old ridden by Kevin Mitchell. 

Precious Gem - A winner for Henry Dwyer

Criterion is no jetsetter

Criterion failed again, a bit like the boy that fell out of the boat, he was not in it.

Sure, he drew two from the outside, which was no help, but he was entitled to do something, yet he did nothing, it didn’t enhance his value.

His race record is hardly flattering as a potential sire, 33 starts for seven wins, and after the Hong Kong episode, the next one is not yet in sight.

He is rising six, the autumn would see him out, there is not much there after that, it is the early bird that catches the worm, many of better sires have gone to stud at four, youth is the name of the game.

After the impressive win of Vostok, at Sandown Park, for trainer Peter Moody, the next assignment for the colt is the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast.

He is entitled to run in the race as he has an unblemished record, having won at his only two starts.

The Magic Millions certainly won’t be short on talent, nor should it be expected to be, however, this colt has met the challenges to date and there could be further improvement in him.

Winning form is always good form, when Daniel Stackhouse popped the question the colt gave the immediate answer, there was still plenty left in the tank.

He had improved a lot since his win at the out of town track Kilmore; he stripped in great shape at Sandown and was the pick of the yard.

The favourite, Broadway And First out of the Darren Weir yard, did very little, he got further out his ground than expected, he only ran on fairly but was never a winning chance at any stage.

Vostok is the first foal of his dam, La Biondina, to race; she is a half sister to Mica’s Pride, the dam of Criterion, who meets his next engagement in Hong Kong on Sunday.

Peter Willett, an esteemed English racing writer and worldwide breeding authority for more than 60 years, has died at the age of 97.

He was a major player in the inception to recognise the excellence of the thoroughbred adopted worldwide.

Known as the Pattern System it measured the quality of races under Groups 1, 2, 3 and Listed classification.

It was developed in the mid 1960s by the Duke of Norfolk’s committee, on the Pattern of Racing made up of men who had a passion for the thoroughbred, including Peter Willett; he served with distinction on the committee for 27 years.

He was quite an authority on how the thoroughbred was bred, he devoted much of his time in researching pedigrees.

Books were a passion with him, he wrote quite a few, including The Classic Racehorse and the Makers Of The Modern Thoroughbred.

He joined Roger Mortimer and Richard Onslow to write the Biographical Encyclopaedia of British Flat Racing that proved a great success in Britian.

The New South Wales thoroughbred breeding industry has cause to celebrate, when the Planning Assessment Committee (PAC) handed down its verdict for the application, by the Anglo American, for the proposed mining development at Drayton South in the Hunter Valley.

In a published report, the proposal was rejected recognising that mining and thoroughbred land users are not compatible in close proximity, and that appropriate buffer zones are required to protect sensitive industries from the impacts of coal mining.

In a statement by the HTBA President, Dr Cameron Collins, while grateful of the findings, held sympathy for the families of those affected by the report.

“While we are relieved at the decision, we are saddened by the impact this will have on the affected mining families.”

“Our community here in the Hunter Valley is a small and tight one, this issue has caused divisions that no one wanted,” Dr Cameron Collins, HTBA President said.

While there are two more steps to this long process, the Minister for Planning could now accept the PAC recommendations and make a prompt decision.

A leading voice against the mine proposal, the outcome of the report was welcomed by Darley’s Managing Director, Henry Plumptre.  

“Given the overwhelming evidence against the mine proceeding, we now need certainty,” Henry Plumptre said.

Another driving force against the proposal was Coolmore’s Tom Magnier, he said “the uncertainty of this process has been tough on everyone, we now thank the PAC for their diligence on this matter, and deliver certainty to both mining and the thoroughbred industry,” he added.

Mornington trained, Claro El Banco, proved a class above his rivals in winning the Magic Millions Two Year Old Classic at Ballarat on Saturday.

With the edge in experience, having raced once at Flemington, where as the remainder of the field were all first starters.  

However, that does not detract anything from his performance, after drawing an outside gate he was in front from the outset, and that is where he remained.

Claro El Banco, a gelding, will be given an easy time leading into his prime mission, the Magic Millions Two Year Old Classic of $2 million dollars on the Gold Coast, with total prizemoney on the day of $10 million dollars, the richest race day in the world, with the exception of the World Cup in Dubai.

The final field of 16 runners and 5 emergencies is determined by prize money earned, Claro El Banco has a credit balance of $120,000 after his win.

He was a $80,000 purchase out of the Magic Millions Sales, after the Ballarat win he has more than squared the ledger.

Claro El Banco winning Magic Millions at Ballarat

The gelding is trained on the course at Mornington by Jason Petch, he prefers to have a team of up to 10 horses at any one time, he is hands on with every horse in the stable, each receiving his individual attention.

Jason Petch thought the barrier draw could have been a problem, the gelding had to be used up to get to the first corner, from there he made it a procession, he did have quite a bit on his rivals.

A proud trainer stood tall, it was a big win for a deserving cause, Petch is a battler and he has had to battle pretty hard at times, but there was no escaping the smile on his face at Ballarat.

He has a good mate in Mark Lindsay from Eliza Park International, who steered him in the direction of the gelding (formerly a colt), by Statue Of Liberty, a proven sire who is leaving a number of winners besides Hay List.

Craig Newitt with Jason Petch