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Dee to have surgery on broken collarbone; Grylls hoping for further opportunity; Winter Cup reinstated
Dee to have surgery on broken collarbone
Group One-winning jockey Michael Dee is set for a stint on the sidelines after breaking a collarbone in a fall at Pakenham which requires surgery.
Dee won the fifth race on Sunday's program on the synthetic track but was injured when the horse he was riding, Heroic Fighter, fell on pulling up after the race.
He was taken to Dandenong Hospital and the jockey confirmed he was scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday.
"It's broken in two places and sort of facing the wrong way," Dee told RSN927.
"It's sticking out a little bit but, oh well, surgery tomorrow and it will be all fixed up. Hopefully six weeks (out)."
Dee has ridden 76 winners this season highlighted by the Gr.1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m) on Alabama Express at Caulfield in February.
A son of former New Zealand trainer Richard Dee, Mick moved across the Tasman in early 2015 after two seasons of his apprenticeship in his homeland.
Grylls hoping for further opportunity
Kiwi rider Bridget Grylls is hoping a win in Sunday's Ultrasigns Maiden Plate at Pakenham, could provide a springboard to greater opportunities in Victoria.
Brazen Princess was Grylls' second winner since relocating across the Tasman with partner Joe Waldron, who trains at Mornington, but hopes it is not her last.
"When my partner moved to Melbourne from New Zealand, I just followed and I didn't want to give up riding because I enjoy it too much, so I thought I may as well give it another crack in Victoria," Grylls said.
"It is quite hard just with the number of jockeys and how competitive it is, but it is good to be here and I'm enjoying the racing.
"I'm just trying to ride as much work as I can. It's just so competitive. You've just got to do the best that you can and the opportunities I am getting I'm trying my hardest on."
Brazen Princess was the first winner for 27-year-old Grylls since guiding Misscino to victory for Kyneton trainer Helen White at Warracknabeal on May 16.
Winter Cup reinstated
The Canterbury Jockey Club has announced that the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) will be run on Saturday 15 August 2020.
The Grand National Festival of Racing was a casualty of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the racing calendar, however, the Winter Cup has found a new date in the new season.
The race will be run over its traditional distance of 1600. with the Group Three stake to be confirmed when the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing funding policy is released later this week.
Usually early entries are taken for the Winter Cup but that will not be the case this year and entries will close with the other races on the programme on Tuesday 11 August 2020.
