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Glyn Schofield; Seismos; Laura Stojakovic; Vinnie Colgan; HK Betting; Team Hawkes; Hawkspur; Jake Duffy; Injured Jockeys Updates; Oakleigh Girl

SCHOFIELD GETS A BOOST

It’s been trying time for leading jockey Glyn Schofield having to sit out a controversial five weeks suspension and endure losing the ride on his favourite horse Boban.

However Schofield has been given a big lift ahead of his return to riding on Sunday with his booking to ride NZ 2000 Guineas winner Atlante when he opens his Sydney campaign in the G2 Hobartville Stakes at Rosehill on March 1.

"It's been a tough month but certainly the news about riding this promising three-year-old is positive," Schofield said.

Schofield has served a five-week suspension after stewards found he failed to give Number One Gun every permissible chance of winning at Randwick before Christmas when they deemed he had allowed his mount to lead at an 'unsustainable' pace.

Atlante, trained by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, looked ready to go when he finished second in a barrier trial at Rosehill last Tuesday.

GERMAN CUP HOPE

Australian buyers have snapped up another German Group One winner as a Melbourne Cup prospect.

Seismos, winner of last year’s G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern, has been purchased by Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock, the syndicate that has enjoyed considerable success with previous European purchases.

The 6YO gelding will race in Dubai next month for his current German trainer Andreas Wohler and then be transferred to UK trainer Marco Botti to be prepared for a spring campaign in Australia.

It’s the same path ATB have taken with their past Botti-trained Melbourne Cup runners Jakkalberry and Dandino.

Seismos boasts some excellent G1 form in Europe including a close second to his outstanding stablemate Novellist in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden.

TIMELY RETURN

Adelaide’s popular Laura Stojakovic has been cleared to resume riding in time to renew her partnership with brilliant filly Miracles Of Life.

Stojakovic has received from injuries she suffered in a race fall at Port Lincoln and will be back to ride last year’s Blue Diamond winner in a jump out at Morphettville on Tuesday.

Trainer Daniel Clarken has Miracles Of Life set to resume at Flemington on March 8 before taking her back to Adelaide for the Redelva Stakes and Robert Sangster Stakes in Adelaide.

COLGAN RETURNS

Top Kiwi jockey Vinnie Colgan will return to riding in Brisbane after next week’s New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie.

Colgan is the Derby king of New Zealand as he will be attempting to win next week’s Ellerslie classic for the sixth time when he takes the ride on the Donna and Dean Logan-trained colt Stand Your Ground.

Colgan, who has been riding in Australia for the past 11 months, had the choice of five rides in the Derby.

Colgan and the Logans combined to win last year's NZ Derby with Habibi. His other Derby winners have been Redoute's Dancer for Sydney trainer Tim Martin in 2007, and a trio of wins for

Colgan moved to Adelaide last year before switching to Queensland in September and is eager to return.

"Brisbane has been good," he said. "I'm riding a lot of work for the top trainers and really enjoying it.

"I'm booked to go back on March 10 but if I pick up a ride in the New Zealand Oaks at Trentham I might stay a bit longer."

Michael Walker passed up the Blue Diamond meeting this weekend to rest his injured ankle as he doesn’t want to jeopardise his chances of winning next week’s NZ Derby on top chance Puccini, the colt he rode to win last week’s Avondale Guineas.

HK SIMULCAST BETTING

It will be interesting to see the Hong Kong betting turnover figures on the 10 races that are being simulcast from Caulfield and Randwick on Saturday.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is taking seven races from the Blue Diamond meeting and three from Randwick and it’s reasonable to expect the turnover in HK will at least rival local betting figures.

It will also be reminder of how long we have been waiting for the much talked about commingling of tote betting pools between Australia and Hong Kong, the shot in the arm our TABs desperately need to counter the leakage of turnover to corporate bookmakers.

HAWKES TEAM RUNNING HOT

No stable is firing better than Team Hawkes with a double at Canterbury on Friday night giving the family team of John, Michael And Wayne Hawkes 10 winners since February 1 from just 35 starters.

The stable has high hopes for Nostradamus, Happy Galaxy and the classy Not Listenin'tome at Caulfield this weekend while Magic Millions Classic winner Real Surreal runs for the stable for the first time at Randwick.

Exciting filly Mossfun, Doncaster hope Messene and Jolie Bay are among the other big autumn hopes for the stable.

However all good things have a downside with the stable reporting Flemington spring carnival winner at Girl Gone Rockin’ has been retired to stud after a setback.

HAWKSPUR RETURNS HOME

Chris Waller has been left with only Foreteller as his Australian Cup contender after aborting the Melbourne campaign of his Queensland Derby winner Hawkspur.

Hawkspur disappointed Waller first-up in the CF Orr Stakes at Caulfield. The trainer is hoping the switch back to Sydney will spark a return to form as he has formed the view that the four-year-old prefers racing right handed and also appreciates soft going.

His immediate goals will be the $500,000 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm on March 8 and $500,000 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on March 22.

Lightning Stakes winner Snitzerland also returns to Sydney this weekend after trainer Gerald Ryan locked in his Sydney program for the brilliant mare.

Her next start will be against Buffering in the $400,000 Challenge Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on March 15 followed by the Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill on March 29.

From there it’s two weeks to the $2.5 million TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.

JAKE DUFFY GRADUATES

Victorian rider Jake Duffy completes his apprenticeship this weekend.

He rides for the last time as an apprentice at Caulfield on Saturday and joins the senior ranks with rides at Sunday’s Kilmore Cup meeting.

INJURED JOCKEY UPDATES

Peter Mertens will not be back riding any time soon due to a prolonged recovery from a broken collarbone suffered in a fall at Hamilton in November.

Mertens was hoping to have a pin removed from his collarbone but has been told by a specialist the break hadn’t healed and it will be at least another five weeks before it can be taken out.

Mertens also suffered a broken ankle and tore knee ligaments in the fall.

There’s better news for other injured jockeys with Kathy O’Hara and Kayla Nisbet both set to resume race riding next week after receiving medical clearances.

O’Hara has resumed riding trackwork after recovering from her hand and wrist injuries suffered in a fall at Gosford on January 17 and is set to take race rides next week.

Nisbet has advised she will be back in action next Wednesday after she also received her clearance to resume riding after breaking her wrist in a trackwork fall in December.

Another Victorian rider Ben Melham is recovering from a hip operation and is aiming to resume riding in mid-March while former Perth rider Paul King is undergoing physiotherapy to assist his recovery from a fractured knee cap that halted the great run he had been enjoying since moving to NSW.

Adelaide jockey Paul Gatt expects to be out of the saddle for up to eight weeks as the result of the broken leg her suffered in his fall this week.

In Queensland former Gold Coast premiership winner Dan Griffin has returned to riding after an enforced 15 months layoff with leg injuries.

BOLD SLIPPER PLAN

Top Queensland filly Oakleigh Girl will have two barrier trials as her preparation for the Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill on April 5.

Trainer Dan Bougoure spelled Oakleigh Girl after she finished second in the Magic Milions Classic at the Gold Coast on January 11 but brought her back into work after a month off after deciding to make a Slipper bid.

She will have the two trials in Sydney with Bougoure planning to send her south next week with stablemate Longport.

They will travel after Longport takes part in a jump out on Tuesday ahead of a start in the Millie Fox Stakes at Rosehill on March 1.

Longport won the G2 Tea Rose Stakes and was G1 placed in the Flight Stakes and Vinery Stakes when raced by Nathan Tinkler before she was sold to the Bougoure stable at his dispersal sale last year.

She won at Flemington last spring at her first start for Bougoure.

CUP NEEDS YOUTH

The three-year-olds promise to add that much needed extra dimension to the $1 million Australian Cup at Flemington on March 8.

There are six three-year-olds among the 19 horses left in the Australian Cup, perhaps spurred on by Super Cool breaking the drought for the age group in the G1 feature last year.

Super Cool joined Saintly (1996) and Dulcify (1979) as the only three-year-olds to win the Australian Cup under weight-for-0age conditions.

The six left in this year’s Australian Cup are Derby winner Polanski, Cox Plate winner Shamus Award, Hucklebuck, Thunder Fantasy, Surge Ahead and Alpha Beat. All six are in next week’s Australian Guineas.

Impressive Flemington winner Solicit is the only filly among the 20 three-year-olds remaining in the Guineas.