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Jockeys riding at Scone today will wear black armbands as a mark of respect for former Singapore jockey Brett Tai, who was killed in a car accident after riding at Newcastle last Saturday.
Tai, who was sponsored in Australia for Central Coast trainer John McNair, was to have ridden Radar Love for him at Scone in the SEH Specialists In Equine Surgery Class Three (900m).
Last Saturday Tai rode Sun Command into fourth for McNair at Newcastle.
Tai collided with a power pole on his way that night and there are unconfirmed reports that he may have swerved to avoid an object.
Racing NSW moved quickly to assist his family with Maurice Logue and racing chaplain Rev Colin Watts meeting Tai’s wife, brother and sister-in-law when they flew into Sydney.
Meanwhile, the former David Payne-trained three-year-old Weepu will have his first start for Scone trainer Peter Bloomfield in the Scone Equine Hospital Benchmark 65 (1100m) and the new trainer is not quite sure what to expect.
“He has only been at my place for a couple of weeks and I still don’t know a lot about him,” Bloomfield said. “I have trained horses before for his owner John Thompson and it was decided he wasn’t quite up to city standard so he ended up with me.
“I have been told he can be a hard going horse but I think I have the right jockey in Grant Buckley to solve that problem. I will be very interested to see what he can do against a pretty good field.”
Weepu, a 3yo, has started only seven times for a two-year-old maiden win at Hawkesbury, a second at Canterbury in January when resuming and a last start fifth at Wyong beaten two and a half lengths.
SELECTIONS
1-1.18, SEH SPECIALISTS IN EQUINE SURGERY CLASS THREE, 900m: HOT DIGGITY 1, Jagonal 2, Scarrzam 3, Run Legless 4.
2-1.53, SEH PROFESSIONAL SALES RADIOGRAPHY 2YO 1100m: RAFFINATO 1, Harada Tat Tat 2, Elegant Doubt 3, Street Dance 4.
3-2.28, SEH REPRODUCTIVE SERVICES MAIDEN, 1100m: STATUETTE 1, Mighty Milly 2, Northern Blitz 3, Mr Smart 4.
4-3.03, SEH SPECIALISTS IN INTENSIVE CARE MAIDEN, 1300m: SHADOW IN THE SNOW `1, Amelia Dreams 2, Dicaprio 3, Truly Effective 4.
5-3.38, SEH ADVANCING EQUINE HEALTH BENCHMARK 60, 1400m: ONA’S CHOICE 1, Golotto 2, Ay Dee Bee 3, Murphy’s Royal 4.
6-4.15, SEH DEDICATED EXPERT CARE CLASS ONE AND MAIDEN, 1600m: GOOD INTENT 1, Make Mine A Dubleo 2, Tourmalet 3, Belrock Lighthouse 4.
7-4.55, SCONE EQUINE HOSPITAL BENCHMARK 65, 1100m: I’M MARY TOO 1, Miss Alignment 2, Weepu 3, I’m In The Money 4.
Best Bets: Raffinato, Shadow in the Snow