Jimmysstar no certainty for TJ Smith run

The second favourite for the Gr.1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m) is no certainty to take his place this Saturday with Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto) having to prove himself in his work after a rare unplaced failure last week at Caulfield.

Trainer Ciaron Maher said at Flemington on Saturday that he would travel to Sydney in the morning to watch Jimmysstar go through his paces on the track at Warwick Farm after his William Reid Stakes run, which Maher termed “a bit of a head-scratcher”.

“I’ll just want to see how he is,” Maher said. “We’ll have a look at him tomorrow morning and watch him work and then we have to make a call.

“He travelled up to Sydney and had a canter this morning. We’ll see how he works – he doesn’t have to do a lot obviously as his fitness is pretty good, so he’ll just have a tick-over – but yeah, it (last start) was a bit of a head scratcher.

“There were clods. He had black eyes and he had stuff down his throat. So, does that make all that much difference? The winner might have had been hit by clods also and so I don’t really like making excuses.

“Mark (Zahra) said he just got sort of terrorised, and he is a horse that does his own thing a bit; bridles up. I didn’t mind him being on the inside.

“He (Zahra) said he jumped, got hit straight out of the barriers (by Tropicus), and then he was wanting to get out and got pushed back in and then at the furlong got a decent bump as well. But as I said I don’t really like making excuses.

“Mark is normally a pretty straight shooter but he just said just nothing went right, so I don’t know. Maybe a bit on the fence.”

In the early Sportsbet market, the beaten Newmarket Handicap favourite Tentyris holds sway in the T.J. Smith at $3 ahead of Jimmysstar ($4,50), Joliestar ($5) and Giga Kick ($7). - Racing.com

Trans-Tasman success for Rich Hill Stud

Rich Hill Stud celebrated Group One success on both sides of the Tasman on Saturday, highlighted by homebred and raced mare She’s A Dealer (NZ) (Ace High) giving farm principal John Thompson his first elite-level win as an owner.

The daughter of resident stallion Ace High achieved that feat in the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Trentham for trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood, replicating her dam Say No More’s success in the race.

The day got even better for the farm on the other side of the Tasman when fellow homebred mare Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) won the Gr.1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill, and earlier in the day at Flemington the farm’s resident stallion Satono Aladdin recorded success when his daughter Satono Glow (NZ) took out the Gr.3 Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).

Thompson, who was on course at Rosehill to see Aeliana win, was duly rapt with the farm’s success.

“That’s the first time we’ve bred Group One winners in New Zealand and Australia on the same day and She’s A Dealer is the first Group One winner I’ve owned,” he said.

“We’ve got the full package really with the stallion Ace High, She’s A Dealer and her half-sister Say Satono, who’s won seven races and been stakes placed this season.”

The Chris Waller-trained Aeliana was bred by Rich Hill with Nearco Stud and is a daughter of Castelvecchio and the Star Witness mare Temolie, who was purchased in foal for A$200,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

Aeliana was sold out of Rich Hill’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $180,000 to Star Thoroughbreds and added the Tancred title to her previous Group One victories in the Ranvet Stakes (2000m) and Australian Derby (2000m).

“We retained the half-sister to Aeliana by Proisir and the mother’s in foal to Dundeel, so it’s pretty exciting for us,” Thompson said.

Meanwhile at Flemington, Satono Glow remained unbeaten after she followed up her debut win at Warwick Farm with further success in the Breeders’ Stakes.

Bred by Sydney doctor Phil Chen, she is out of the Pins mare Electrode and was sold out of Windsor Park Stud’s draft at Karaka for $260,000 to O’Shea Charlton Racing and James Bester Bloodstock. - NZ Racing Desk

Easter Handicap in crosshairs for Lupo Solitario

Danica Guy is eyeing a return to stakes level with her Group Three winner Lupo Solitario (NZ) (Satono Aladdin). The five-year-old gelding performed well for the Matamata horsewoman as a three-year-old, winning three races, including the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m), before he was sold to Hong Kong interests. The

NZ Racing NewsJoshua Smith

Hutchings ends NZ stint on a high

Family tragedy may have instigated Rory Hutchings’ latest Kiwi stint, but his return home has been both a healing and rewarding experience for the Australian-based hoop. Hutchings unfortunately lost his mother late last year, and yearning the closeness of family during the trying time, he returned to New Zealand to

NZ Racing NewsJoshua Smith

🎥 Did you see?