Kah made the call

Jamie Kah made the decision to part ways with Tony McEvoy, according to her manager Nick Pinkerton.

“Tony was asking for a greater commitment, which Jamie couldn’t provide,” he told RSN Racing and Sports. “There is no bad blood. It’s all amicable.

“We will gratefully accept rides from the McEvoy stable. In fact, Jamie still hopes she will one day ride her first Group 1 for Tony.”

Kah and McEvoy had enjoyed a successful partnership with the jockey riding 65 winners from 215 rides for the stable.

Pinkerton said it was difficult for Kah to commit to riding track for McEvoy at Angaston at the expense of riding for other trainers.

“She’s there twice a week and it’s a three-hour round trip from where she lives (in the Adelaide hills) whereas it’s very easy for her to get to tracks like Morphettville,” he said.

“She just felt that if she put all of her eggs in the McEvoy basket that she would not be being fair to trainers like Will Clarken, David Jolly, the Hayes stable, Ryan Balfour.”

Andrew Mallyon will be flown in to Adelaide to ride for McEvoy on Saturday.

Mare undergoes surgery

Group 1 winner Youngstar (High Chaparral {IRE}) has undergone surgery to remove bone chips.

Trainer Chris Waller said precautionary X-rays taken after she ran sixth in the G1 Melbourne Cup had detected the issue.

“The surgery went smoothly. We expect her to take part in the second half of the autumn carnival."

Youngstar was the first Australian-bred and -raised horse home in the Cup, won by Godolphin's Cross Counter (GB) (Teofilo {IRE}), who is trained by Charlie Appleby.

Her star stablemate Winx (Street Cry {IRE}) continues to do well in the spelling paddock after her record fourth G1 Cox Plate win, which took her unbeaten streak to 29.

There is unlikely to be a decision on Winx's racing future before the end of the year.

Smart sprinter sidelined

Leading sprinter Ball Of Muscle (NZ) (Dubawi {IRE}) will be stood down for the mandatory three months after bleeding in a barrier trial on Tuesday.

The 8-year-old had posted an easy win at Canterbury and was to have headed to Perth for the G1 Winterbottom S.

A brother to the Group 1 winners Terravista (NZ) (Dubawi {IRE}) and Tiger Tees, both also formerly trained by Pride, had won three stakes races this spring.

He took the G3 Heath at Caulfield and G2 Shorts in Sydney before he was successful in the G2 Schillaci S. last month.

Bowman suspensions reduced

Hugh Bowman’s G1 Melbourne Cup penalty was on Tuesday reduced from 35 meetings to 23 by the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board.

The top Sydney jockey was hit with a 21-meeting suspension for returning 1kg overweight after riding runner-up Marmelo (GB) (Duke Of Marmalade {IRE}) and he received a 12-meeting penalty for careless riding plus eight meetings for a whip-rule breach.

The penalties added up to 41 meetings, but stewards cut the penalty to one calendar month on the day.

However, Bowman took his case to the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board on Tuesday.

Bowman’s counsel argued the three penalties combined were excessive, telling the RAD Board the whip breach should have resulted in a financial penalty.

The RAD Board decided to cut Bowman’s penalties to a total of 23 meetings.

The panel reduced Bowman’s whip penalty to a $10,000 fine while cutting his careless riding suspension from 12 to 10 meetings.

Bowman’s three-week suspension for weighing in overweight was reduced to a 13-meeting ban.

Eagle Farm gallops next month

The first gallops on the new Eagle Farm track have been set down for December 4.

All going well, racing will resume there three days before Christmas.

Eagle Farm has been out of operation for most of the past four years because of problems with the re-laying of the track surface.

Racing Queensland's senior track specialist Mick Goodie has been overseeing the work.

“We'll trial the jump-out from the 1600 metres, then one from the 1000 metres, then hopefully return to racing on the 22nd of December,” Goodie told Sky Sports Radio.

He has no qualms about the testing date and said he was very confident in its progress.

“The back-side is really starting to catch up to the front. Another four weeks and it'll be pretty close to the same all across,” he said.

Patient approach rewarded

The wait for Blood Warrior (NZ) (Makfi {GB}) was both worthwhile and satisfying when he was let loose at Te Aroha on Wednesday.

The 4-year-old posted an impressive front-running debut victory in the Swampfoxes Meades Cup Champions Maiden.

“He’s got a bit to learn, but he was really impressive,” part-owner and trainer Mark Blackie said.

“He’s got a lot of ability and is pretty much untapped. He might go to the paddock now.

“He’s still got soft bones and we’ll look after him. You might not see him again until the autumn.”

Blood Warrior won the first of his trials earlier this year and attracted interest from Hong Kong, but the horse failed a veterinary test.

Bred by Qatar Bloodstock, he is out of a half-sister to the G2 Warwick S., winner What Can I Say (NZ) (Khozaam {USA}), who is the dam of the triple Group 2 winner Only Words (End Sweep {USA}).

Blood Warrior’s dam is the winning Viking Ruler mare Khagan (NZ), who was purchased last year for NZ$60,000 by Rosemont Stud out of Windsor Park Stud ‘s National Broodmare Sale draft.

Change brings princely transformation

New surroundings have transformed Prince Oz (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) into a winning machine.

The 7-year-old managed a maiden success from 11 starts from the stable of Raymond Connors before he relocated to Neill Ridley’s South Island yard.

Prince Oz is unbeaten in six starts from his Riccarton operation and will attempt to stretch that sequence in Wednesdays’ G3 Lindauer Stewards S., on his adopted home track.

“I’m really pleased with the way he is going,” Ridley said. “I’m not too sure what is behind his improved form, but I think it has to do with a change in environment.

“It was a pretty good run in his last start at Ashburton against a quality field. He went a bit better than we thought he would.

“He’s pulled up well since, I am pleased with him. He’s been working well.”

Ridley has a long association with the Connors family and a plan was hatched earlier this year to send Prince Oz south.

“I have known Mark and Raymond for a long time,” he said. “I spoke with them at the Yearling Sales earlier this year and they said they were keen to send him down to the South Island.”