Larneuk Stud fees

Cluster has made an encouraging start to his stallion career and he will stand at a service fee of $6600 (inc GST) at Larneuk Stud this year. The son of Fastnet Rock has only had a handful of runners, but has already sired the stakes performer Gee Gees Darl.

Group producer O’Lonhro will stand at $5500 (inc GST) and his progeny have won over 200 races and in excess of $5 million in stakes and the winners of 34 races this season and $1.1 million in earnings. He has a 60 per cent winners to runners strike rate.

Larneuk Stud is also looking forward to selling the first of the Wolf Cry yearlings next year and the son Street Cry (Ire) will stand at $4400 (inc GST)

Wolf Cry is a son of the Redoute's Choice mare Starfish, a stakes performer as a 2-year-old and a daughter of the G1 Australia S. winner Stella Cadente (Centaine).

Praise for track

Jockey Brad Rawiller has praised the new Ballarat synthetic track after it was called into action earlier than expected.

Scheduled to hold its first meeting on Friday, the synthetic track held a transferred turf meeting on Sunday. Heavy rain late last week had left the turf track sodden.

Rawiller rode a double on Sunday and said the track passed the test. "At the end of the day we were able to get the meeting to go ahead," Rawiller told RSN927. "That's a big win to begin with but the track itself stood up fantastic."

Sale additions

The catalogue for the 2019 Karaka May Sale has been bolstered by three supplementary entries, a weanling and two broodmares to be offered at the end of each session they are catalogued in.

Westbury Stud has added a fifth weanling to their May Sale draft in Lot 241, a filly from the first crop of Tarzino (NZ). She is out of Cabal (NZ) (Carnegie {Ire}), a half-sister to the multiple Group 1 winner Second Coming (NZ) (Oak Ridge {Fr}). Cabal is the dam of four winners from five foals to race.

The other two supplementary entries are broodmares being offered by Brighthill Farm. The first of them is Spiritual (NZ) (Savabeel) catalogued as Lot 242. She is out of a Flying Spur mare who is half-sister to the five-time Group 1 winner Eremein (Timber Country {USA}).

Brighthill’s other supplementary entry is Lot 243 Twin Soul (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}), a three-time winner whose dam is a half-sister to the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free winner Right Approach (GB) (Machiavellian {USA}).

Bright start

Rock On (NZ) (Road To Rock) made an encouraging start for Victorian trainer Peter Gelagotis when runner-up at Caulfield.

‘’Peter rang me later on and he was very happy with the run,’’ former trainer and part-owner Gary Vile said. ‘’He expected a big run and so did we. He went over a fit horse, even though it was five weeks between runs.

“Rock On will probably follow the Banjo Patterson series and we’ll see how he shapes up. If he gets to the Final I’ll probably go over for that.

Time called

Multiple stakes winner Passing Shot (NZ) (Swiss Ace) has been retired due to ongoing joint issues.

“It is with a very heavy heart that we are making the decision to retire Passing Shot,” trainer Steven McKee said. “He’s an absolute character and a favourite with my staff.”

Passing Shot won 11 of his 52 career starts, including the G3 Mr Tiz Trophy, Listed NZB Finance Sprint) and the Listed Lightning H.

Stradbroke goal

Chapter and Verse (Rothesay) will take a step toward a Group 1 target when he tackles the G3 BRC Sprint at Doomben.

"It has been our plan all along to run in the BRC Sprint to frank his form. If he can win the BRC Sprint he should go on to the Stradbroke," trainer Desleigh Forster said.

"But if he doesn't all isn't lost. I have said all along there is no rush to get him to Group I. If he makes it he makes it, but otherwise there is always next year."