Powerful hand

Ciaron Maher and David Eustace will saddle a remarkable six runners in pursuit of a first win in the G1 Neds Blue Diamond S. at Caulfield.

Colts Ideas Man (Brazen Beau), Rathlin (Fastnet Rock) and Tanker (Pride Of Dubai) and fillies Away Game (Snitzel), A Beautiful Night (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and Muntaseera (I Am Invincible) will represent the stable.

The stable started the season with between 100 and 120 2-year-olds on its books leading to 16 wins from 56 juvenile starters.

"We're very proud of everyone being able to do that, obviously led by Ciaron who has gone out there sticking his neck on the line and buying them," Eustace said. “In the last three sales seasons, this one included, he really wanted to focus on buying 2-year-old types.”

Fresh is best

Mr Quickie (Shamus Award) has secured his spot in the $5 million All-Star Mile and will go into the race without a lead-up run.

The Phillip Stokes-trained 4-year-old, who is $15 for the All-Star Mile, produced a slashing run over 1600 metres first-up last spring when third in the G1 Makybe Diva S. at Flemington.

That encouraged his connections to target the All-Star Mile fresh and part-owner Wylie Dalziel said there was both relief and excitement that the gelding had secured enough votes to make the field.

"We're targeting it first-up so we didn't want to have to rely on winning our way in," Dalziel said. "We had to get in on votes so we actively went about doing all that.

"Phillip Stokes is training him accordingly so if we didn't get in, he would have had to totally change plans. Now everything is going to plan."

Coolmore hopes

The late Max Lees won the G1 Coolmore Classic five times and his son Kris’s hopes of winning next month’s contest will become clearer after Saturday.

He has Miss Fabulass (Frankel {GB}), Invincible Gem (I Am Invincible) and Delectation Girl (GB) (Delegator {GB}) on Group 1 paths if they perform well in Saturday's G2 Millie Fox S. at Rosehill.

"Invincible Gem will probably go to stud at the end of the season so we're trying to get her to the Coolmore Classic in three weeks," Lees said. "They're all resuming, albeit a couple of them are coming off short turnarounds, but they're all in good order and they will all appreciate a forgiving track."

Win for Berry

Jockey Tommy Berry has won his appeal against a riding suspension with the Racing New South Wales Appeal Panel overturning his 15 meeting penalty.

He was outed by stewards for failing to ride out Kentucky Wildcat (All American) at Warwick Farm on Inglis Millennium day, a suspension which would have cost him some plum rides in the coming weeks.

Berry took his case to the Racing NSW Appeal panel on Thursday and successfully had the suspension quashed, leaving him free to concentrate on Saturday's Rosehill meeting where his mounts include Cellsabeel (Hinchinbrook) in the G2 Silver Slipper S.

McEvoy in pole position

Kerrin McEvoy is chasing consecutive G2 Arrowfield Hobartville S. win when he teams up with Castelvecchio (Dundeel {NZ}) in Saturday’s edition at Rosehill.

The top jockey, who guided The Autumn Sun (Redoute’s Choice) to victory last year, will have his first race ride on the G1 Cox Pate runner-up in the 3-year-old feature.

"There is a bit of pressure and big races there to be won, but at the same time it's exciting and that's what I really enjoy, going to the races knowing you've got a bit of nerves in the belly," McEvoy said.

A phone call from Arrowfield Stud principal John Messara, who bought into the Richard Litt-trained colt in the spring, sealed the deal for McEvoy to ride Castelvecchio.

"John rang me up and offered me the ride on Castelvecchio and it was a bit of a no-brainer really. He's a quality colt," he said.

Zahra misses out

Mark Zahra has lost his appeal against the severity of a careless riding suspension and will sit out the Australian Guineas meeting.

Zahra was banned for careless riding aboard G1 Lightning S. winner Gytrash (Lope De Vega {Ire}) at Flemington last Saturday and hit with an eight meeting ban.

He had been hoping to get the suspension reduced by a day to allow him to ride in the G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington on Saturday week.

Zahra's suspension starts after he rides at Saturday's Caulfield meeting where his feature race rides include second favourite Rulership (I Am Invincible) in the G1 Neds Blue Diamond S. and G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Super Seth (Dundeel {NZ}) in the G1 PFD Food Services Futurity S.

Hoping for change

Toowoomba trainer Kevin Kemp is hoping stable apprentice Madeleine Wishart and stablemates In Your Element (Red Element) and Naval Strike (Smart Missile) can turn their luck around at Eagle Farm.

Wishart will ride In Your Element in the Trump Flooring H. and Naval Strike in the QTIS 3-Year-Old H. on Saturday.

She has ridden In Your Element at the mare's past six starts for five minor placings including a nose second at Eagle Farm last Saturday week.

"In Your Element goes well for Madeleine and they just keep running into one a bit better on the day," Kemp said. "She gets in light again and she will be running on strongly so they are in with a hope."

Wishart will take over from fellow 3kg claiming apprentice Adin Thompson on Naval Strike, who also has had no luck in recent starts. The saddle slipped two runs back and he was then checked when finishing hard along the rails at his next outing.

Supera stays home

Ken and Bev Kelso have opted for the safe option with their star mare Supera (Savabeel).

The Matamata trainers had originally targeted Saturday's G1 Haunui Farm WFA Classic at Otaki with the 5-year-old, but the prospect of an unsuitable wet track prompted a change of plans on Wednesday and she will now run in the Lisa Chittick Plate on her home track.

"It was too much of a concern running her fresh-up on a wet track,” Ken Kelso said. "We needed a run under her belt ahead of the G1 Bonecrusher New Zealand S. and it would have been hopeless travelling all the way down to Otaki and having to run on an unsuitable track.”