Prince of Boom could be retired if he doesn't show enough in Wednesday's 2025 Ramornie Handicap
The Robert Heathcote -trained gelding, who has been battling hoof issues, hasn't won since taking out the Group 3 WJ Healy Stakes (1200m) two years ago.
And jockey Aaron Bullock faces a monumental challenge to win the time-honoured sprint on the six-year-old after Prince Of Boom drew gate 20 (including emergencies).
Heathcote's fellow Brisbane trainer Kelly Schweida scratched Metalart from the Ramornie on Monday afternoon after the last-start WJ Healy Stakes winner drew barrier 19.
Metalart was a $5.50 chance with bookmakers before the barrier draw.
The race favourite is the Richard Litt -trained gelding Barber ($4, barrier four), with the ex-Godolphin sprinter's most recent victory coming in the $250,000 Listed Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) at Gosford on May 10.
Heathcote spoke to Racenet on Monday from the Rocky Mountains in Canada, where he is holidaying with his family, and admitted Prince Of Boom faced a rocky future if he couldn't turn around his fortunes on Wednesday.
The son of Spirit Of Boom finished last in the WJ Healy on June 28 at Eagle Farm.
Heathcote will also saddle up The Big Goodbye in the Ramornie, which the gelding won as a five-year-old in 2023.
The Big Goodbye has been freshened up nicely after suffering a stone bruise in his hoof that led to an infection, similar to what happened to star stablemate Rothfire in the lead-up to the $3m Stradbroke Handicap last month.
'It's fair to say they're past their best but if they can recover some of their past form then they're going to be competitive,' Heathcote said about his pair, who are both $11 in the market.
Prince Of Boom goes bang in W.J Healy Stakes! @clarkyhk the king of front running rides delivers again for Robert Heathcote who trains the quinella. pic.twitter.com/mFp6QE1XVm
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 24, 2023
'Prince Of Boom is a $1.4 million earner and on his best day, he would beat these but he's a horse that suffers from chronic hoof issues.
'He's an ongoing source of frustration but I reckon we've got him right going into this race.
'I can shout from the highest mountain saying 'he's spot-on' but we won't really know until he's under pressure at the 300m mark.
'It's a hard race so my two will have to step up and be counted. Certainly Prince of Boom, his future is clouded unless he can recover his old form.
'His desire is still there but his feet are causing him problems.'
The Big Goodbye overhauls a very brave Ranges in the 2023 Ramornie!
Martin Harley with a peach for the Robert Heathcote yard! pic.twitter.com/yDhncuFL4S
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 12, 2023
Schweida had never entered a horse into the Ramornie Handicap before this week but he was ready to have a crack with Metalart until the barrier draw cruelled his hopes of vying for the winner's $109,000 in prizemoney.
In a wide-open race, there are five gallopers in the market at $8 or under. They are Barber ($4), Compelling Truth ($5), Midnight In Tokyo, Sha Of Gomer and Tribeca Star (all $8).
Leading Sydney trainer Peter Snowden has won the Ramornie six times, either solo or with his son Paul, including last year with Ka Bling, but does not have a horse in this year's edition.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Australia's iconic West Indies Test tours may be on borrowed time as crucial call looms
As Australia's Test series against the West Indies comes to an end there is the real possibility it could be the last one Australia plays in the Caribbean. While on the surface that may sound far-fetched as the trip to the Caribbean is one that both fans and cricketers look on fondly and is full of nostalgia. But with changes likely to come to the five-day format, Australia vs. West Indies Test matches could now be a thing of the past. The International Cricket Council's (ICC) Future Tours Program is reportedly strongly considering moving to the two-tier system which would see Australia and the Windies no longer face in Test cricket. And a report in the SMH backs that up, with the news outlet reporting there are no Tests locked in between Australia and the West Indies in the Caribbean from 2027 onwards. Cricket Australia and the Aussie team would undoubtedly be keen for another Test series but with numbers again down it would be no surprise to see it scrapped. However, most likely that decision is not CA's to make, instead if the ICC opts to split Test cricket into two divisions, the West Indies would almost certainly be in the second tier. Another reason for that Test cricket in the Caribbean could be doomed, is the focus shifting from Test to T20 cricket. In recent years the Windies have played some of the fewest Test matches of all eligible nations. Of the scheduled Test matches in this cricket calendar from 2023 to 2027, the Windies have and are scheduled to play just 28 Tests. That is 17 fewer than England, 16 fewer than Australia and 14 fewer than India. But if the two-tier system becomes a reality, it will almost entirely kill off one of the sport's greatest ever Test nations. It even led West Indies great Clive Lloyd to say he was 'very disturbed' by the idea earlier this year when it was first floated by the ICC> 'I think it will be terrible for all those countries who worked so hard to get the Test status,' Lloyd said. 'Now they'll be playing among themselves in the lower section. How are they going to make it to the top when you play against better teams?' But next Australia will face the West Indies in a five-match T20 series starting July 20 in Jamaica.
Daily Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
NRL news, updates: Nicho Hynes calls out Nathan Cleary tall poppy syndrome after State of Origin criticism
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes has leapt to the defence of Nathan Cleary, who he says is a victim of tall poppy syndrome following last week's shock State of Origin defeat. The former Dally M Medal winner has warned the rest of the NRL that the Panthers star could take his game to scary heights after his Blues heartbreak. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. A shattered Cleary spoke with humility after NSW lost game three at home and conceded he was yet to own the Origin arena after falling to an 0-3 record in series deciders after the Maroons rallied around skipper Cameron Munster and played a faultless opening 67 minutes. The discourse around Cleary has ranged from him being the GOAT (greatest of all time) to someone who can't win the big one, which doesn't quite stack up given he's won four titles in a row and is doing things we've never seen on a footy field. Nathan Cleary has failed to make an impact in the Origin arena. (Photo by) Nicho Hynes (right) is no stranger to criticism. Picture: Richard Dobson Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon was stunned by the criticism Cleary copped after the decider, and Hynes took it a step further in the sheds after his side's win over the Dolphins. 'It can be challenging at times,' said Hynes, who now has a private Instagram account and blocks out all the outside noise having copped similar criticism after losing games for NSW. 'In the past I've let it get to me a fair bit, but I've put things in place at the moment so I don't see any of the stuff that's being spoken about me as long as the coaching staff, my teammates and my family value what I'm doing for the club and the effort I'm putting in. 'I felt for Nathan the other night. Although I haven't seen any of what's going on, I have heard whispers around and people talking about what he's going through and the things he's been copping. 'He's a four-time premiership winner in a row, he's tactically probably the best player in our game. I think Munster's the best football player we've had for a long time in the game, but Nathan's tactically so good and Queensland just lifted the other night. 'They lifted, the whole state lifted and the whole team did for Munster and it just goes like that sometimes. As a halfback, you do wear a lot of it and that just comes with being the No.7 on a rugby league team, it's like the quarterback in the NFL. 'I know he strives for perfection and there are days sometimes it just doesn't turn out. He's going to come back better for it. 'It's like me, I always strive for perfection and I'll never reach it, but I'm going to keep trying and I'm going to keep working hard for this club and put my best foot forward and not worry about what people have to say. Nathan Cleary is widely regarded as the best player in the NRL. (Photo by) 'I know what I'm doing and if anyone could do a better job they would be. They just sit on the couch and watch the footy and have their opinion when their opinion doesn't really matter. 'You guys in the media have your opinion because you have to, it's your job. You write about it and I don't listen to it. I just keep working hard, doing my best for this team and sometimes you don't get the win. 'There's always a winner and a loser and we've been losing at the moment and that's fair enough, some criticism will come our way and I've just got to deal with it, keep moving on and keep fighting.' Baseball legend Reggie Jackson had a famous quote back in the day that 'Fans don't boo nobodies', and that was on show on Sunday when Eels supporters booed Cleary when he was shown on the bench before the Penrith playmaker came on and led his side to victory. 'It's the Australian way sometimes. They want to bring people down all the time, whether you're at the top of your game or you're not or you're a high-profile person,' Hynes said. 'This is tall poppy syndrome and in Australia it's real. They just want to bring everyone down. 'In our game there is only one winner at the end of the day in October and only one halfback wins it every year. Nathan Cleary's been that one. 'People coming at me, are they saying every other halfback is a failure in this competition? There's only one person who gets to win it, one No.7 wins it every year, so all of us other halfbacks are chasing that. 'Are they calling Mitchell Moses a failure? I don't think so because he's a great player, won an Origin series last year and he hasn't won a comp yet.' Hynes said he didn't need external validation and was only focused on the opinions of his teammates, coaches and those close to him, but he'd happily offer his praise to Cleary if he thought it would help. 'I thought about messaging him over the last couple of days and saying 'you're the GOAT, don't worry about it',' he said. 'But I know what it's like when people message you telling you not to worry about the things that are being said about you. You straight away think about what's being said. 'He's a professional, he's been through it all before. I have been thinking about him a lot, I just didn't want to be another person to message saying 'don't worry about it' because I don't even know what's going on and what's been said. 'The boys come in and say 'what happened about this person?' I don't know because I just don't care anymore about what's going on in this world, about rugby league. 'If he does see this, I honestly am thinking about him and I do love him as a person. He's a genuine, really good person. 'I'm scared for the competition now, how he's going to bounce back.' Originally published as Nicho Hynes 'scared' for the rest of the NRL as Cleary criticism exposes tall poppy syndrome is 'real'
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Australian Olympic swimming champion Cam McEvoy shares baby news, name revealed
Australian Olympic champion Cam McEvoy has announced the birth of his first child, much to the delight of the sporting world. Sharing the wonderful news on Monday, the 31-year-old swimmer said Maddi gave birth to their son, Hartley, last week. 'We walked into the hospital at 4pm, not knowing we were just hours away from meeting our son,' McEvoy said in a post on Instagram. 'Maddi was so calm that everyone in the room was shocked when they found out she was 8cm dilated. We had a well-thought-out birthing plan because of Maddi's heart which basically involved as little pain as possible to keep her heart rate down. 'But Hartley seemed to have different plans. Before we knew it, he was earth side in our hands before 7pm.' Maddi was born with a pulmonary valve defect which required four open-heart surgeries and she had a replacement pulmonary valve put in when she was still a teenager. But McEvoy confirmed that the delivery went well and both mum and bub are well. 'Words do so little for how much we love this little guy already,' he posted. 'Mum and baby are both doing exceptionally well.' The post was quickly flooded with well-wishes for the family from fellow Aussie champions. 'He's beautiful Cam! Congratulations to you both,' eight-time medallist Cate Campbell commented. 'What a beautiful boy, we will have the cutest fan club,' three-time champion Sarah Sjostrom said. 'He's already a stud,' Australian swimming legend Grant Hackett said. While McEvoy is in the middle of preparing for the World Championships later this month, he put his training on pause to be by his wife's side for their big moment. When he takes to the pool in Singapore he will set a new men's record for most appearances by a member of the Australian team. McEvoy will compete in the 50m freestyle – the event he won gold in at the Paris Olympics. During the Australian Trials in June, McEvoy finished first in the final with a time of 21.30. It remains the world-leading time this year and he will like his chances of claiming another gold later this month.
