Latest news with #Moruya
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Bathurst, Moruya Tips and Inside Mail for Monday from Shayne O'Cass
Form analyst Shayne O'Cass has provided his best bets and race-by-race analysis for the quaddie legs at Monday's NSW country meetings at Bathurst and Moruya. â– â– â– â– â– BATHURST TIPS BEST BET Runner-up at his only two starts for the new stable and ready to win. Scratched from the Kensington meeting last Wednesday with this race in mind. Has some talent. VALUE Local whose sole win was here and first-up as is the case in this. â– â– â– â– â– QUADDIE Race 4: 5 Race 5: 3,4,6 Race 6: 2,3,4,6 Race 7: 2,7,5,6 â– â– â– â– â– JOCKEY TO FOLLOW Grant Buckley has ridden 144 winners at Bathurst and has a good book on Monday. â– â– â– â– â– BATHURST INSIDE MAIL RACE 4 – Benchmark 58 Handicap (1300m) Green Pineapple 's lone win in 10 starts was here at Bathurst and first-up over this very same trip back when Roy McCabe had him. The horse's last four runs are for Gayna Williams who has found a suitable race at home to resume in. Thoughtful, who races in the same colours as his close relative Happy Clapper, has the job ahead with a wide draw and a big weight but if he brings his A-game, he's a chance. Slush Fund is ready for the 1400m and barrier 1 (hopefully) can't hurt. Bet: Green Pineapple each-way. Skiing is a former Ciaron Maher-trained galloper who has raced seven times for Robert Quinn inclusive of two fourths and two fifths, three of them at provincial level. In terms of the trip, he was in a strong Midway class race at Newcastle last start and ran fifth; very fit and drawn 3. The best Final Comment is better than most of his rivals. Needs it fairly dry. Outcast Girl has claims. Island Legend used to wear the Classique Legend colours of Bon Ho back in the early days. Fast forward to more recent times and this son of Capitalist calls Wyong home with Nikki Hodgson calling the shots. Resumes here off a lovely trial win with Winona Costin the key booking. Starane is a terrific little bush horse. This will be his 40th start and he's won five and placed 13 times – and always in good country class races. Navios was huge in his local debut. Pressnell has drawn the outside alley twice in six starts and hasn't fared a whole lot better here with 14 although he'll come in a few closer to the inside rail after scratchings. There is no doubt the talent is there, and everything says 1400m will be his go. Saint Philomena beat a decent field at Mudgee on July 6 to shed her maiden status. No reason why she can't climb another rung in this. Ditto that for Bonnie And Bruce. Bet: Pressnell to win. â– â– â– â– â– MORUYA TIPS BEST BET Race 4 No. 9: Beauty Dash Really is racing herself ever closer to a first win. NEXT BEST Race 5 No. 10: Miss Steffi Graff filly (of course) on debut off some lovely trials. VALUE So You Think, granddaughter of Let's Elope and she is on the improve. **** LAY OF THE DAY **** SPICE BABY (Race 5 No. 11) Has trialled well but has competition from the likes of 6, 10 and 11 others hence lay in a full field only. â– â– â– â– â– RACE 5 – Maiden Handicap (1020m) Miss Steffi is a daughter of Graff and was bought for $20,000 at the Magic Millions. her three trials can summed up this way; 'good, very good and 'not as bad as it looks'. Love the draw for her here and has an experienced jockey on. The astute Trevor Lobb paid $15,000 at the HTBA Yearling Sale for Molteuno knowing it was way too cheap for granddaughter of Dizelle. There was a lot of hidden merit in her debut. Bet: Miss Steffi to win, Molteuno each-way, exacta 10 to beat 6. Rippana will turn six on August but only has five starts on her CV for one reason or another. What is important is that she has won twice, finished third once together with a fourth and a fifth. That win came first-up last prep and she thrashed them too. This will be Selhurst Park 's 14th run at the track and trip. He has one win and five placings. Watch him charging home late as always. Bet: Rippana to win, exacta 8 to beat 10, box trifecta 1,4,8,10, Daily Double 1st Leg 8, 2nd Leg 1. Gooloo Bucky put the writing on the wall first-up that a win was close at hand and sure enough he came back to Moruya two weeks later and won by nearly three lengths in that 1200m maiden. Bad alley this time but she has the confidence up. Teepee Princess is an American Pharoah out of a Savabeel, so with breeding like that, it only enhances her debut win over 1200m no less. Lady Revolution and Dame Annie have claims. Gorush Lightning finished an honourable third in quite a respectable Benchmark 66 here last start. That was his 80th career start and his 29th run at home here at Moruya. In that time, he has won six times and placed on 10 other occasions so he is very reliable really. His danger could come from within, that is his stablemate Peruno who has a lot of ticker and a better draw than his Michael Gatty-trained rival on Monday. is so, so consistent.
News.com.au
11-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Randwick Inside Mail: Amazing stat will put Pep in your step
If racing had its own version of the Dally Ms, Luke Pepper would just about have to be voted Trainer of the Year. Going into Friday's Moruya meeting, Pepper's tally of wins stood at 50. His stable earnings? $997,355. His strike rate of winners-to-runners? A truly remarkable 25 per cent. 'It's been unbelievable,'' Pepper said. 'The move back to Canberra was the starting of it all I guess. We obviously trained a few winners before we left Scone but it has been amazing being back home. 'I've got to sort of pinch myself all the time. There's a lot of hard work going on, I've got a really good team behind me but it is good to see it is all paying off. 'We've got to about 30-31 in work at the moment now and for the majority of the season, we have had less than 20. 'So to get this amount of winners and the amount of prizemoney we've been able to earn is a credit to all my staff and the support of the owners.' Consistency is one thing but Pepper, like all trainers large and small, is eager for another 'banner-horse', in his case another Opal Ridge. 'I'd love to run into another 'Opal' but look, we just keep working hard and hopefully one comes through the door, that's all you can do,'' Takeover Target's trackwork rider said. 'At the moment, I am just happy working hard and getting winners.' Pepper can add to his season total by two on Saturday should the stablemates Soul Taker (TAB Highway) and recent Highway winner Bengal perform accordingly. 'We have obviously got a big opinion of Bengal and we brought him back this time of year to see if he can step up and see if he can get himself a slot in the Kosciuszko so he'll have to keep improving and put his profile out there to hopefully get a spot,'' Pepper said. Bengal hangs on in the TAB Highway for Luke Pepper and @brodie_loy ðŸ'° @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 7, 2025 Pepper's weekend Highway runner is the well-bred Soul Taker who was scratched from a scheduled engagement at Moruya on Friday to participate in her first TAB Highway. 'She was very good first-up,'' Pepper said. 'She had to go back from a bad barrier and they (the winners) were all on-speed the whole day at Moruya so it definitely wasn't going to help her winning chances but it was a good, solid effort. 'The owners are keen to have a crack with her and obviously being a set-weights race she is probably not the best weighted in the race but she's a tough little horse and she'll run out the mile nice and strong.' â– â– â– â– â– BEST BET Race 7 No.3 LULUMON won arguably one of the strongest 'form races' on the winter when she skittled Storm The Ramparts and Hi Dubai here at HQ on June 21. For the record, both of the beaten duo won at their respective next starts at Rosehill last weekend. That win was Lulumon's first run at the Randwick 1000m and interestingly, her other win over the 'five furlongs' was art Gosford in May when she beat none other than the Storm The Ramparts. Lulumon dives and gets there in a close one at Randwick, and that's a double to Jason Collett! 🙌 @jason1coyle @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 21, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– BEST VALUE Race 9 No.7 RAZORS is a Godolphin gelding who resumed here in a very strong Benchmark 94 Handicap on June 21 off two solid trials. The market, as it so often does, told the story with Razors. He opened at $12 but drifted to start $18 but for all intents and purposes, he ran much more akin to a $12-shot than an $18-pop when a 2.35-length sixth behind Accredited. Worth noting that the only other time Razors has raced at the 1400m at HQ was when he was beaten a lip in the South Pacific at the Championships. 🥳 @PrideRacing ends the day with a double as Accredited wins the last! @nashhot @ProvenTbreds @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 21, 2025 • Market Movers: $14 into $6 in quaddie closer â– â– â– â– â– EARLY QUADDIE Race 3: 4,9,10 Race 4: 5,9,11 Race 5: 3,4 Race 6: 1,2,5,10 QUADDIE Race 7: 3 Race 8: 4,5,11 Race 9: 3,7,10 Race 10: 1,2,3,5 â– â– â– â– â– PRICE CHECK Race 6 No.1 AGE OF KINGS was a handy horse back in his early days. He won a 1207m Maiden at the Curragh by four then ran in stakes races for his remaining five starts in Ireland, culminating in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes. Since he has been in Australia, he has contested a Golden Eagle. Linlithgow, Hall mark Stakes and Luskin Star Stakes. At the end of the day, you'd like (and need) to see him do something in a winter Benchmark 88 and he's $23 for the gamble. Another #RoyalAscot winner for Aidan O’Brien! Age Of Kings wins the Jersey under Wayne Lordan... @Ascot — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 24, 2023 • ' I've learnt a lot': Sherry keen to build on breakthrough Group 1 â– â– â– â– â– SECTIONAL STARS Race 8 No.11 KING RATEL was two years, three months and 27 days between runs when he resumed, beating half the big field home here on June 7. The son of a Kentucky Derby winner and Coolmore Classic winning mum was just as good the next time finishing fifth behind It's A Knockout and credited with two of the quickest 200m sectionals of the race. It's A Knockout KO's them first up at Randwick! 🥊 @cmaherracing @NockBraith @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 21, 2025 Race 10 No.2 GENTLY ROLLED is a stablemate to King Ratel and like him, she too is possessed of a whirlwind finish. This daughter of Press Statement sends out every signal that she was near to her peak after two runs back, that last one a closing third behind Changing Colours at Rosehill Gardens where she clocked three of the fastest furlongs from the 600m home. Changing Colours sails past them at Rosehill for a deserved win! 🎨 ðŸ'� @cwallerracing @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 28, 2025 • â– â– â– â– â– TRIAL POINTERS Race 9 No.3 SUPER HELPFUL will join the ranks of 'millionaire galloper' if he wins today. The Joseph/Jones trained gelding's earnings presently stand at $940,735; a stunning 'ROI' on the 'JJR' $20,000 outlay at the 2020 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. Super Helpful has a fascinating record at Randwick. He's been there 11 times and came away with one third – but he did collect a whopping $300,000. Yep, it was The Big Dance. Looked the part in a Canberra trial last Friday. Super Helpful wins the Nowra Cup! ðŸ�† Apprentice jockey Claire Ramsbotham gets her third win for the day ðŸ'� @JJRacing_ACT — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 15, 2024 Race 1 No.6 KOKATAHI is a son of the Golden Slipper winner Farnan. As good as he is going as a sire, the most likely reason for this horse's hefty $425,000 price-tag at the Karaka Yearling Sale is that his third dam, Scandinavia, is the grandmother of Black Caviar. This Chris Waller-trained gelding has trialled in unhurried fashion since that most encouraging debut third to his star stablemate Central Coast at the midweeks. Regally bred Central Coast gets the job done at Canterbury, and that's the First 4 to @cwallerracing after he trained the Quinella in Race 1 at Doomben as well! ðŸ'° @aus_turf_club @coolmorestud — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 18, 2025 • â– â– â– â– â– • 47.8% – Race 4 No.4 BENGAL (Nick Heywood / Luke Pepper) • 42% – Race 8 No.8 PUNTIN (Ashley Morgan / Bjorn Baker) • 21% – Race 10 No.6 VERY SEWREEL (Josh Parr / Bjorn Baker) • 19.7% – Race 5 No.9 HOVLAND (Andrew Adkins / John O'Shea-Tom Charlton) • 19.6% – Race 9 No.6 TIME QUEST (Ashley Morgan / Matthew Smith) RATINGS RULER (best three Racenet iQ ratings for the meeting) • Race 6 No.10 PIPPIE BEACH ($3.40) • Race 9 No.10 IT'S A KNOCKOUT ($3.00) • Race 10 No.5 CHANGING COLOURS ($4.20)
News.com.au
10-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Scone, Moruya best bets, inside mail for Friday, July 11, 2025
Form analyst Shayne O'Cass provides his best bets and analysis of the quaddie legs at Scone and Moruya on Friday. The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. BEST BET Race 5 No. 9: GRAINNE A Les Bridge-trained filly who is zeroing in on her first win. NEXT BEST Race 1 No. 6: NOVA CENTAURI Tipped out after an eye-catcher on debut. Trained here. VALUE Race 7 No. 1: PANTA RHEI Lightly-raced type with Sir Remlap form at Scone. QUADDIE Race 4: 2, 8, 9 Race 5: 6, 9 Race 6: 2, 3, 4 Race 7: 1, 4, 7 JOCKEY TO FOLLOW Inaugural Country Championships Final winner MITCHELL BELL has a great book at Scone. MORUYA BEST BET Race 8 No. 7: TIMELESS GRACE Won in amazing style at her debut at Wagga back in March. NEXT BEST Race 6 No. 7: BARDETTE Barely a foot wrong in her four starts. Has a booming finish. VALUE Race 5 No. 7: SUTTON VELLA Drawn barrier 1 for Jeff Penza. Has the talent too. INSIDE MAIL - SCONE RACE 4: Coolmore Mdn Hcp 1200m CRIMSON WINGS (9) was purchased by the late, great Sam Kavanagh at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale in 2024 for $75,000. Trained by Richard and Will Freedman, her trials are indicative of a horse that won't be a maiden for long. SIPPING SHAMUS (2) has the advantage of debuting at his home track. Well-bred, good looking horse, in a top barn. Same goes for BIRD WHISTLE (8) who won a trial here on June 25. Bet: Crimson Wings to win or if scratched Sipping Shamus to win â– â– â– â– â– RACE 5: Kia Ora Mdn Plate 1600m GRAINNE (9) is trained by the Hall of Famer Les Bridge and is bred on a very similar (but reverse) cross that resulted in Ka Ying Rising. Grainne has raced three times and improved in and after each of them suffice to say that this is the easiest race she has run in. Make a lot of appeal. THE BIG BLUE (6) is another High Street resident heading up to Scone. Scratched from Gosford; tipping Scone suits him so much better. Bet: Grainne to win, exacta 9 to beat 6, Daily Double 1st Leg 9, 2nd Leg 1 â– â– â– â– â– RACE 6: The Gables (Bm58) 1700m ZELESTIAL (4) is a Kia Ora owned Zoustar mare born in England but brought down here to race and then go to stud. Lyle Chandler has placed her so that she has won two of her three runs and was honourable in defeat at the other. Has accepted for Monday at Quirindi. If she is out, all roads lead to OFF THE SCALE (3) who has done, by far, more good than bad in her 10 starts. Absolutely trotted in at Port Macquarie last start. GRANDINI (2) is on a hat-trick. â– â– â– â– â– PANTA RHEI (1) is quite a promising and talented three-year-old filly trained here at Scone by Justin Drake who bred her. The daughter of Astern and relative of Diego Garcia has raced four times for a win, a second, a third and a fourth so she's done nothing wrong really. What is also notable about her is that she has been in very strong races; her second here was behind Sir Remlap no less. CRESTA RUN (4), beat her home here when they met on June 23. Bet: Panta Rhei to win, quinella 1, 4 INSIDE MAIL - MORUYA SUTTON VELLA (7) is a member of racing royalty owing to the fact that her sixth dam is Kingston Rose, the mother of Rose Of Kingston (dam of Kingston Rule) and Spirit Of Kingston. This Gratz Vella-trained daughter of Shaft has a tidy resume of three wins and three placings from 10 runs. Highway placed over this trip. SNAPPY JIM (6) is trained here but sadly has the visitors draw. GORUSH LIGHTNING (4) has won six times here at home. Bet: Sutton Vella to win â– â– â– â– â– BARDETTE (7) has been competitive so far in all four starts from 1000m up to 1425m. She has a bit of stamina through her damline so she'll run a mile, easily, one day. She was huge from 13th of 14 at the turn here last start; suspect she may be handier from barrier 4 perhaps. LONDON STAR (11) is invariably thereabouts. Suitable assignment again for her here. KOOL KADE (15) is a massive longshot, maybe for good reason, but he could be a sharp improver. Bet: Bardette to win, exacta 7 to beat 11, Daily Double 1st Leg 7, 2nd Leg 7 â– â– â– â– â– VERMICELLA (11) is down to contest Saturday's TAB Highway which says a bit about her form. Her absence would make it easier for the local FIELD MARSHAL (5) to post his first win for Michael Gatty who has gifted the horse the most perfect build-up to 1425m here at the new hometrack. VICTORY AT OMAHA (6) races well at the venue. Ditto that for ALMOST PERSUADED (4) who loves the trip like no other. Market watch advised given he is first-up, Drawn out too. Bet: Vermicella to win, if scratched, Field Marshal each-way â– â– â– â– â– TIMELESS GRACE (7) deadset looked like Black Caviar in a trial here on March 2. She went to Wagga 11 days for her debut and she looked (at the 200m) like she was going to work home into third or whatever but then she switched on the afterburners and boom, right over the top of them. Can't wait to see what she does here. Pedigree buffs take note; her fourth dam is Bold Promise. ALOTTOSAY (3) ended his first preparation with a well-earned win. Hasn't drawn particularly well however. Bet: Timeless Grace to win SCONE BEST BET Race 5 No. 9: Grainne Les Bridge trained filly who is zeroing in on her first win. NEXT BEST Race 1 No. 6: Nova Centauri Tipped out after an eye-catcher on debut. Trained here. VALUE Race 7 No. 1: Panta Rhei Lightly-raced type with Sir Remlap form at Scone. QUADDIE Race 4: 2,8,9 Race 5: 6,9 Race 6: 2,3,4 Race 7: 1,4,7 LAY Race 3 No. 2: Solitario Has some competition among his seven rivals (check scratchings) JOCKEY TO FOLLOW Inaugural Country Champs Final winner Mitchell Bell has a great book at Scone. MORUYA BEST BET Race 8 No. 7: Timeless Grace Won in amazing style at her debut at Wagga back in March. NEXT BEST Race 6 No. 7: Bardette Barely a foot wrong in her four starts. Has a booming finish. VALUE
News.com.au
04-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Another concussion would kill me': Jockey Blake Spriggs retires as he continues recovery from Moruya race fall
Blake Spriggs realises he has won the biggest race of his life. It's why he can accept his riding days are over. So too are his chances of winning The Everest on Headwall this year. The talented jockey who has ridden nearly 700 winners is still recovering from horrific injuries he sustained in a race fall at Moruya back in January. His body was so badly broken, his injuries so severe, doctors told his fiancee, KC Osborne, to prepare for the worst. But Spriggs defied the odds. His recovery continues, albeit slowly, but the reality is he will never ride again. Spriggs, 33, visited his neurosurgeon earlier this week where he received the inevitable medical advice. 'I have micro-bleeds on the brain and my neurologist advised me if I sustained another concussion it would basically kill me,'' Spriggs said. 'It puts everything into perspective. I was walking into that appointment with the theory I would not be riding again anyway. 'But that advice has left me with no thought of whether I should try to return. 'Now I look at it like my son, Brooklyn, gets a father and that's the most important thing. I nearly wasn't here, I was as close as you get to going without going.'' â– â– â– â– â– The Moment Jockey Blake Spriggs remains in a critical condition while Beany Panya will require spinal surgery following an ugly fall at Moruya on Friday afternoon. — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) January 17, 2025 Spriggs remembers nothing of that day when a fall at Moruya races ended his career. It nearly ended his life, too. His injuries were severe. Fractured left forearm and collarbone, dislocated left elbow, all but two of his ribs were broken, both lungs collapsed, his liver was haemorrhaging, his kidneys shut down, and he had bruising to the brain. 'Essentially, I was on the track drowning in my own blood but the paramedics saved my life,'' Spriggs said. 'I was rushed to hospital and KC was told to prepare for the worst as they were not sure I was going to make it. 'I don't have any memory of that as I was heavily sedated for about two weeks. 'When they tried to bring me out of sedation the machines would start going off so they had to keep putting me back under.'' When Spriggs finally woke, he had no idea what had happened or where he was. He was intubated and unable to move. 'I had a whiteboard because I couldn't talk with the tubes I had in,'' he said. 'But the first thing I wrote on the board made everyone cry. I said 'I'm fine'.'' â– â– â– â– â– The Recovery The truth was Spriggs was not 'fine'. His road to recovery was going to be long and painful. 'I realised I was in a bad way but the doctors and nurses at Canberra Hospital were amazing,'' he said. 'I am very grateful to those doctors and nurses who saved my life and I stay in contact with them on social media. 'I almost died doing my job and they saved mine doing theirs. It says a lot about these people. 'I said the day you guys go on strike for a pay rise I will be there marching with you. It's a tough job they do, the hours they work and they go through some hard times trying to save people and they keep turning up every day and go through it again. 'It is a little bit weird in a way but after I was born in Canberra Hospital, I left on January 17 and had not gone back there for 33 years until I was taken there after the fall. So, that hospital has given me life twice.'' â– â– â– â– â– The Future Spriggs is concentrating on the healing process and that necessitates putting any future career plans on hold for now. 'At the moment I'm not sure what I am going to do,'' he said. 'My neurologist said it will be 12 months to three years before my brain returns to as close to where it was but it will never be the same. 'I will have memory issues and focus issues. I've noticed my memory is not as good but it is slowly getting better. 'My focus is OK if I am talking to someone one-on-one but if I am in a room with people talking around me I do find it harder to focus on the person I am talking to. 'But that is all good. If that is the worst of my worries I can accept that. 'I kind of promised myself I would not make a decision on what I would do next until January next year based on my neurologist's advice. 'I hate sitting still, I love to be busy. I've always kept busy, but my neurologist said to me the less stress you put your body through, the more rest you get and the more happiness in your life then the better your recovery would be.'' â– â– â– â– â– The Family His riding career might be over but Spriggs has so much to look forward to in life including getting married. 'KC and I have had to put our wedding on hold with everything else that has been going on but we can start to plan for it now,'' Spriggs said. 'I'm also spending a lot of time with our little boy, Brooklyn, and I'm loving it. 'I remember when I left hospital after four weeks I had lost that connection with him which was heartbreaking. I think that hurt me more than my broken bones, more than anything. 'But since then I have been able to rebuild that relationship with Brooklyn and now I can spend all my time with him. 'When I walk in the door, he runs up to me yelling 'Daddy'. It has made me realise how lucky I was to survive this fall. I only went to work for him to give him the best and all he wanted was me.'' â– â– â– â– â– Headwall and The Everest Headwall FLIES home and wins The Warra for @mcsmithracing! ðŸ�† — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 23, 2024 Spriggs has ridden a Group 1 winner and also rode in a Melbourne Cup but it would have been a career highlight to partner Headwall in the $20 million The Everest in October. The jockey has come to terms with the fact his riding days are behind him but that won't stop him from pushing for Headwall to be given an Everest slot. 'I think it is absolutely incredible that Headwall hasn't already got a slot,'' Spriggs said. 'If they do pick him for The Everest, you will get a horse that settles off speed and he will unleash late. 'If it rains, it will wipe a few out but enhance his chances. On a good track, he has run second in a Newmarket Handicap, third in a TJ Smith Stakes, second in The Quokka and he probably should have placed in the Oakleigh Plate. 'The way he has improved through his last preparation and everything suggests he will be better again. 'I had such a big opinion of him for a long time even though I had a lot of people say he was not as good as I thought he was. 'But now he is showing that he is a genuine Group 1 horse even though he hasn't won one yet. It is sad I won't be part of him anymore but I will be cheering him on.'' â– â– â– â– â– The Promise Let’s go Headwall! Marie would be so proud of this horse and we miss having her with us to celebrate him. We haven’t seen the best of him yet… — Blake Spriggs (@BlakeSpriggs) April 25, 2025 Spriggs' premature retirement means he won't get the opportunity to ride Headwall this spring and fulfil a promise he made to the sprinter's late owner, Marie Young. 'I promised Marie (a partner of Headwall who died of MND last year) I would win a big race on him but sadly we lost her before that could happen,'' Spriggs said. 'When I was hurt, Marie's husband, Reg, sat on the bed at hospital when I was unconscious for days on end. 'They have been very close to me for a long time and I think Marie was up there putting the case for me to stay down here. 'I believe Marie can accept me not winning a big race for her because I've won the race of life.''
News.com.au
26-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Moruya, Tamworth previews: Ring of Fire is ready to cash in for trainers Keith Dryden and Libby Snowden
Master trainer Keith Dryden says he is 'excited' about the future prospects of the well-bred colt Ring of Fire who travels to Moruya on Friday in search of an early career win before heading off to the paddock. The Canberra based two-year-old, who Dryden trains in partnership with Libby Snowden, sent out all the right signs when a close and closing second on debut at Wagga at the start of the month. 'He's a nice horse,'' Dryden said. 'I am a little bit excited about him actually.' 'He is very immature and is only having this run and he'll go straight to the paddock after it but I think as a three-year-old, he'll be a very nice horse. He still really doesn't know what he is doing yet.' Ring Of Fire 's father, North Pacific, split stablemate Ole Kirk and King's Legacy in the 2020 Golden Rose. Given the lure a $1 million purse and Group 1 status, could Ring of Fire be a participant in the 2025 edition this spring? Time will tell, but Dryden is focused less so on any particular race as much as on the racehorse himself. 'He's lean and I'm pumping as much feed into him as he can take but he's in that growing pains stage,'' Dryden explained. 'He is showing me enough to say 'put him away and look after him'. 'If you go back through the years, I don't race many two-year-olds. I am a great believer, it's like building a house, a good foundation extends the lifespan and longevity of a horse.' Ring Of Fire is one of those rare horses who can claim a 'Champion' in his family. His sixth dam is Amarco, the mother of Tobin Bronze, whose 28 wins included the Cox Plate, VRC Derby, Caulfield Cup, Toorak Handicap and Mackinnon Stakes. Dryden and Snowden's first runner on the Moruya card on Friday is the progressive Sepoy filly, Bardette, who has all the tools required to nail the Mitre 10 Country Boosted Maiden Plate over 1425m. 'The trip should suit,'' Dryden said. 'She's got home well from back in the field at her last couple of runs. 'I think she would probably be better off over a mile but we've had a virus go through the stable so I had to ease off everything so that's why she is so long between runs.' While Bardette and Ring Of Fire are both making their first visit to Moruya, stablemate Pretty Eyed is familiar with the picturesque South Coast venue having raced there six times prior to today. Pretty Eyed makes it back to back wins! — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 12, 2023 The daughter of Yarraman Park Stud resident Hellbent has an affinity with Moruya; so much so that both of her career wins have come there. 'She is getting on a little bit now but I am pleased with her work and she looks a picture,'' Dryden reported. Pretty Eyed was the fourth foal of the Gerry Harvey-bred mare Dancing Doll who was well known to Dryden. He trained the daughter of Danehill Dancer for the last 13 of her total 39 starts, winning twice. Pretty Eyed will be ridden by Shaun Guymer who steered Dancing Doll around Kensington in a midweeker back in August, 2011. â– â– â– â– â– Northam chasing winners at home, and on the Highway Rodney Northam will be in town on Saturday on a quest for yet another Highway win. Before that, he'll be closer to home – at Tamworth to be precise – where he stands an undeniable chance of bringing his total number of winners at the tablelands track to 100. Saturday's Highway participant, Great Point, became Northam's 98th winner at Tamworth when charging past her rivals at the June 16 meeting. Friday's potential 99th and 100th Tamworth winners are the three-year-old stablemates See You Then and This One Time, both of whom are expected to press for favouritism in their respective assignments. First to go is See You Then who has had the flashing lights on, full beam, when a fast finishing runner-up at either side of her spell. See You Then's second-up mission is a virtual, yet smaller, carbon copy of her 1000m Tamworth Maiden 11-days ago where she was firing on all cylinders late in the piece. 'She's obviously knocking on the door with two seconds, you can't do much more than that without winning,'' Northam said. 'She has drawn a little wide but I think that might help her. She won't be rushed. She drew inside the other day and was ridden along a bit to hold her spot. 'So I think she is probably better off drawn a bit wide so she can find her feet a little bit more and hopefully the track is playing (fair) so that you can make a little bit of ground down the outside. 'I nom'ed her in the 1200m as well as the 1000m looked a bit softer race so I decided to go that way.' Northam is widely acknowledged as having an expert eye at the yearling sales, collecting numerous bargains over time. One such horse headed that way is This One Time, a $36,000 Rod Northam Racing purchase at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. The Sledmere Stud raised filly went within inches of bagging a hat-trick of wins when a brave and determined second at Tamworth recently. The fact that she was six weeks between runs only added merit to her effort. 'It just told that little bit and she'll be better for that run,'' says Northam. 'She's been really good this prep. 'She always showed something as a young horse and is starting to race a bit more consistently and figure out what is going on.'
