Albury, Hawkesbury previews: Legends to combine in bordertown raid

News.com.au

26-05-2025

Grand Armee's jockey will combine with Emancipation's trainer at Albury on Tuesday with two lightly-raced prospects both of who are placed to win.
Wagga trainer Danny Beasley is honoured with the task of conditioning a handful of gallopers owned and/or bred by the living legend Neville Begg at his Riverina HQ.
Two of those, namely Begg-purchase Jato and Begg-bred Donegal Bay, will carry the famous black, white armbands and red cap in their respective missions on Tuesday.
First of the pair to step out is Donegal Bay, who was up to recently housed in Melbourne with champion trainer (and Neville's son) Grahame.
The Star Witness three-year-old, who has placed at two of his five Victorian starts, makes his NSW debut in today's Albury Plumbing Service Maiden Plate (900m).
'He's in great order as you'd expect of any horse coming out of Grahame's stable, he looks magnificent so I haven't had to do much with him,'' Beasley said.
'Because he is not eligible for those Country Boosted races yet, we were a bit limited in what we could run in.
'He is a big heavy horse and I am just sort of taking the punt that over 900m, he won't have too much time to think about things.
'He'll probably get back off a pretty good and he'll run at them pretty quick late.
'I've kept him fresh and kept him well and I'll have a look at him in a 900m race and win, lose or draw, I'll learn something about him.'
Beasley and Begg's second and final runner on Tuesday's Albury program is Jato who has come a long way in a short time.
Born and raised at Rosemont Stud in Victoria, Jato opened her current campaign with a second at Wagga on April 13.
She followed up with an emphatic win here at Albury 11-days later before an honourable fourth in an uncommonly strong edition of the MTC Wagga Guineas at the start of May.
It's a winning debut for Jato at Wagga! ðŸ'� @DanBeasley111 pic.twitter.com/KfgVck1Kw0
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 1, 2024
'I was really happy with her,'' Beasley said.
'It was a race I always wanted to run in but I had a few hiccups with her early in the preparation so I got there in a roundabout sort of way.
'She's trained on well.
'I think she has probably got enough ability to go to a Highway one day but her temperament is just not quite there yet so I still want her to have a bit more racing and get a bit more experience before we throw her into anything too deep again.'
Jato was purchased by Begg at the Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale in 2022 for the sum of $25,000.
The filly's dam, Rahveel, is a daughter of Zabeel, and while she only managed one win in her 21 starts, she was runner-up in the Wakeful and Auraria Stakes in Adelaide as well as fourth in the MRC Thousand Guineas (to Atlantic Jewel).
Not only does she derive stamina from her dam, Jato's sire is Starcraft who won five Group 1s around the globe.
One of those wins was at Royal Randwick in the AJC Derby, a race that Beasley remembers well given he rode the 100/1 shot, and runner-up, Braeloch for Guy Walter.
'That was heartbreaking,'' Beasley said.
'I think (Starcraft) only got us the last stride.'
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HALL Of Famer Ron Quinton is hopeful the Hawkesbury -bound Like Anything can win her first race on Tuesday almost 30 years to the day that her grand-dam rolled Hareeba and Telesto at the Gold Coast.
Like Anything is the third of her generation to be housed at Quinton's High Street HQ.
The eight-time Sydney Jockeys Premiership winner and six times Group 1-winning trainer won two races at Canterbury with Like Anything's dam, Duchess Pedrille.
He won 11 races with Duchess Pedrille's dam, Mamzelle Pedrille including the STC Theo Marks, VATC Sandown Stakes and the Winter Stakes in Brisbane, now known as the Group 1 Tattersall's Tiara.
A daughter of Maurice, Like Anything was $31 out to $41 back into $31 when she made her debut in a deep two and three-year-old maiden at Canterbury on April 21.
Quinton's filly handed in an honourable fifth behind the Chris Waller pairing Mia Ballerina and Hidden Achievement.
'It was certainly a pass-mark for sure,'' Quinton said.
'It was probably short of her best distance. She goes up to 1400m this time, the track will be heavy of course and it is hard to know how she'll handle the real heavy ground.
'She is quite a nice filly but she is a filly that I think is probably going to step up over a bit of ground.'
Like Anything will wear the black, yellow seams, carried to victory by the Quinton filly Bulla Borghese in the 2002 VRC Oaks.
Her early afternoon mission today will be closely watched in Hong Kong given Like Anything was bought at sale (for $130,000) by leading local trainer, Casper Fownes.
Super Nui, Quinton's other runner at Hawkesbury on Tuesday, will wear the same predominantly orange silks that Mamzelle Pedrille wore both in Australia and on tour in Hong Kong.
A daughter of Super One, Super Nui won't be held back by the prospect of a Heavy track given her eight-plus lengths win on a '9' at Wyong at her most recent outing.
'You get these big margins on wet tracks,'' Quinton warned.
'It wasn't a super race by any means but she won well.
'Handicappers don't forget when they win by margins, they don't forget to whack them up a massive lot of points.
'That put her up six points.
'She's been very honest and consistent. She is very tough actually.'