3 minute read

Valley Gallops; Cummings Team; Waterhouse Workers; Blinkers Test; Manikato Stakes; Manawanui Worries; Barbed Report; Dundeel Work; Kiwi Plans

• IT will be a huge morning at Moonee Valley on Tuesday with 37 horses listed to work during the Breakfast with the Stars session between 6am and 8am.

Interesting to see Chris Waller's team of Foreteller, Sacred Falls, Arinosa, Opinion and Catkins are listed to have first use of the course at 6am.

There are five Cox Plate entries listed to work at the Valley including Caulfield Guineas winner Long John.

The others are It's A Dundeel, Rekindled Interest and Waller's entries Foreteller and Sacred Falls.

Waller says he will not commit either of his horses to a start on Saturday until after he assesses their work on Tuesday.

Rekindled Interest, a course specialist and luckless in the Cox Plate two years ago, will be Jim Conlan's only runner as his Australian Guineas winner Ferlax has been spelled after he jarred up in the Toorak Handicap.

• ANTHONY Cummings, fresh from his three win haul at Randwick on Saturday, has a healthy team ready fire in Melbourne.

He has rushed Saturday's Nivision winner Diamond Earth to Melbourne with the intention of backing her up on Friday night in the G1 Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley.

DIamond Earth is among seven horses Cummings plans to take to Moonee Valley on Tuesday for workouts ahead of the weekend racing.

Drago has done well since arriving in Melbourne last week and will work at the Valley with stablemates Fontelina, Good Prince, Federica, Thunder Fantasy, Surge Ahead and Diamond Earth.

• GAI Waterhouse has resisted sending her Cox Plate runner Fiorente to the Valley for another gallop ahead of Saturday but she will give her lesser lights Queenstown, Rain Drum, Ashokan and Porcellanus a look at the track on Tuesday.

• JOHN O'Shea will gallop his top three-year-old Savvy Nature in blinkers at Moonee Valley on Tuesday morning.

The gallop will determine if the Victoria Derby contedner wears blinkers in his Melbourne debut on Saturday in the Moonee Valley Vase.

O'Shea is also taking Lucky Lago, Diamond Oasis and Gypsy Diamond to Moonee Valley for gallops on Tuesday.

Savvy Nature is set for a rematch with Spring Champion Stakes winner Complacent in the Vase with Peter Snowden sending him to the Valley for a workout with Long John on Tuesday.

• CHRIS Waller's explosive mare Arinosa will be given her chance in the G1 Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate eve.

It's a fair indication of the opinion Waller holds of Arinosa's ability that he is prepared to pass up a range of suitable fillies and mares races to pit the grey against a red hot G1 field of sprinters.

Arinosa showed she was up to taking on the top grade with her impressive first-up win in the G2 Premiere Stakes at Randwick on October 5.

Arinosa, Bel Sprinter and Fontelina are the Manikato entries listed to work at the Valley on Tuesday.

It will be a crack Manikato field on Friday featuring the above trio, Samaready, Shamexpress, Buffering, Lucky Nine, Rebel Dane, Sessions Moment Of Change and Temple Of Boom.

• FUTURE plans for Group One winner Manawanui must be clouded after more post race concerns emerged about his fitness after he finished eight in Boban's Moonga Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.

Manawanui was reported to be lame in the off hind leg and suffering from atrial fibrillation after the race.

The reports indicate trainer Ron Leemon is facing a real battle to get Manawanui back to the form that saw him win the G1 Golden Rose as a three-year-old and just miss in the Caulfield Guineas.

Classy mare Peron also suffered from heat stress and poor recovery after her failure in The TRistarc Stakes and will be spelled.

• IT comes as no surprise that trainer Peter Snowden has advised Racing NSW stewards that Barbed pulled up with muscle soreness after he was beaten as a hot favourite in the Sir Brian Crowley Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

Barbed was in trouble from the moment the gates opened as he knuckled badly and lost valuable ground that saw him settle last in the small field.

Snowden said the results of a full veterinary examination of Barbed revealed the gelding to be muscle sore behind but he is expected to make good clinical improvement in coming days.

Snowden did not reveal his immediate plans for Barbed but a quick recovery would likely see him join his Melbourne team.

• RACE jockey James McDonald was quick to make two pertinent points after riding It's A Dundeel in his pleasing workout at Caulfield last Wednesday.

“He doesn't really work that hard without a mate, so without the blinkers on he just cruised around,” McDonald remarked after the gallop.

"I think he needed the gallop. He was a bit fresh.”

They are comments that serve notice that Atlantic Jewel is in for another tough race when she has her rematch with It's A Dundeel in the Cox Plate.

It's A Dundeel ended Atlantic Jewel's unbeaten run when he worried her out of the Underwood Stakes at Caulfield after a brilliant tactical ride by McDonald.

It should be noted that It's A Dundeel wore a three-quarter shoe on the troublesome foot in Saturday's gallop.

• LET'S Make Adeal didn't escape unscathed from her eye catching fourth in the Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield.

The 4YO required stitches for a gash in a hind leg, suffered when she lost her footing shortly soon after the start.

Trainer Nigel Blackiston said there was no structural damage but gave the mare a quiet week in the hope she will be able to start in the Moonee Valley Cup.

• A ROUSING track gallop on Saturday morning has trainer Stephen Marsh confident he has his classy filly Ruud Awakening back on track to continue her Australian campaign at Moonee Valley this weekend.

Marsh had been up in the air about his plans for the filly after her disappointing performance under the Moonee Valley lights at her last start.

The Karaka Million winner subsequently needed treatment for a minor hoof problem but Saturday's gallop reassured Marsh that she is back on track to continue her Melbourne campaign.

“I wasn't prepared to risk her unless she could show me she was back to full fitness,” said Marsh.

“Her work on Saturday was the test and she passed with flying colours so we will press on with her.”