Daily News Wrap

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Lindsay Park’s Pakenham plans

Lindsay Park’s new training complex at Pakenham will give them three Victorian bases.

Work will shortly begin at Pakenham, which will complement their Euroa operation in the north-east of Victoria and its city base at Flemington.

Lindsay Park also has a presence at Randwick in Sydney.

David Hayes, who trains in partnership with his son Ben and nephew Tom Dabernig, said plans had been ticked off in the past week.

He hopes to see the project begin early next month with the Pakenham stable up and running by May.

Lindsay Park has two allotments at the Pakenham racecourse with initial plans to develop one with stabling for 40 horses.

David Hayes

“We'll fully develop one block and we'll be able to have 40 horses there,” Hayes said.

“When it's fully developed down here we could have 80 horses, but I've got no plans for that just yet. I'm just thinking of the future.

“I'll keep the second block vacant for the time being, learn off the first block and make the second one better.

“With all the night racing at Cranbourne and Pakenham, floating into these places is a nightmare.

“I want to be on this side of town so it's not so hard on the horses.

“Also, instead of trialling from Euroa at places like Tatura and Benalla, I want to do their trialling from Pakenham.”

Group chase successful

Chasing Yesterday (USA) (Tapit {USA}) has produced a determined effort to win the G1 Starlet S, at Los Alamitos.

The half-sister to the Triple Crown winner and Coolmore sire American Pharoah (USA) (Pioneer of The Nile {USA}) settled close to the pace and she forged clear in the closing stages.

It was the first Group I success for both the filly and her owner Jane Lyon, of Summer Wind Farm, who is the breeder of four top-level winners in Moonshine Memories (USA) (Malibu Moon {USA}), McKinzie (USA) (Street Sense {USA}), undefeated Game Winner (USA) (Candy Ride {ARG}) and Mozu Ascot (USA) (Frankel {GB}).

An impressive debut winner at Del Mar, Chasing Yesterday was then a disappointing seventh after encountering some trouble in Saratoga’s GI Spinaway S.

She returned to California in good form, rattling off wins in the Anoakia S. at Santa Anita in October and the Desi Arnaz S. back at Del Mar.

Test for Eagle Farm

Eagle Farm racecourse will stage a dress rehearsal for a race meeting with two official barrier trials and jump-outs.

The track has been dormant for most of the past four years because of problems with a reconstruction of the racing surface.

The Brisbane Racing Club and Racing Queensland are hoping the track will be ready for use on December 22.

The new Eagle Farm surface passed its first test with track gallops last Tuesday and a week later faces a major test with two barrier trials over 1000 metres as well as jump-outs on the course proper.

"We will use the trials as a type of dress rehearsal with the weigh-out area and jockeys room, etc open," BRC racing manager Matt Rudolph said.

"After the trials there will be two jump-outs on the back section of the track. We want to see how it holds up with horses galloping over it.

"At the end of the day we will confer with stewards and Racing Queensland to confirm whether a return to racing is possible on December 22.

"The December 22 meeting is set for Doomben, but there are no feature races that day so the meeting can easily be transferred to Eagle Farm."

There will be normal jump-outs on the Eagle Farm A grass on Tuesday morning before the trials.

Pakenham specialist strikes again

The Mick Kent-trained Amadeus (Amadeus Wolf {GB}) has continued his love affair with the Pakenham course.

The 6-year-old is unbeaten in three appearances there, including two VOBIS Gold bullions, successfully defending at the track on Saturday.

“He's a 78 graded horse racing for great prize money which he wouldn't be able to get against his own rated horses,” Kent said.

“We set him for this race. We had a go at the Moonee Valley race (in October), but it was a bit of a rushed prep to get him there and plus there was no Iconoclasm to go up against here.

“After Moonee Valley we freshened him, he had a bit of time down the beach and we were really happy with him.

“He got to the front a lot earlier than I would have liked, but he's got the job done which is good.”

Kent said Amadeus was likely to have a start at Flemington over summer before another freshen-up ahead of the VOBIS Gold race day at Caulfield in April.

Allen outed for whip use

Ben Allen paid a hefty price for his winning ride aboard Mr Quickie (Shamus Award) at Pakenham.

He was given a 12-meeting suspension on Saturday after pleading guilty to using the whip on 12 occasions before the 100 metre mark, seven more than permitted, in the horse’s slender victory in the Grand Vue Springlands H.

Ben Allen

Racing Victoria stewards also took into account the totality of his whip use, 21 times over the 2000 metre course and his poor record in handing down the penalty.

Meanwhile, in-form jockey Clayton Douglas was suspended for 11 meetings after he pleaded guilty to a careless riding charge aboard Champagne Cocktail (Gonski) in the Fulmen Park H.

Both jockeys start their bans immediately.

Group 1 goal for sprinter

Talented Matamata sprinter Princess Kereru (NZ) (Pins) has been set on a Group 1 path.

The plan was confirmed following the 5-year-old’s open class victory over 1200 metres at Ellerslie on Saturday.

Princess Kereru was tardily away from the barrier before charging home in the straight.

“I didn’t know what to think (at the start), probably the blinkers made her a bit slow,” co-trainer Ken Kelso said.

“I do think that’s the way to ride her as she’s better off coming at them late as she’s proved that lately.

Kelso will now lift his sights with the mare, who has the G1 Sistema Railway on January 1 as her major summer assignment.

“She’s exempt from the ballot and I think we might roll the dice and go,” Kelso said.

“She loves Ellerslie so she may as well as she’s five and has strengthened up. She’s flying at the moment so I think we will aim that way and go straight there from here.”