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Quick Thinker out of Sydney Cup; Bonham to Australia; Showina scores in Hong Kong
Quick Thinker out of Sydney Cup
The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Quick Thinker has been withdrawn from Saturday's A$2million Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m) after a minor issue with his near foreleg.
The OTI raced four-year-old ran out a strong winner of last week's Gr.2 Chairman's Quality (2600m) and will now be readied for targets at the Brisbane Winter Carnival.
Baker and Forsman will still be represented by classy stayer The Chosen One in the Sydney Cup, but the son of Savabeel will carry topweight of 56kgs and has the outside barrier of 16 to overcome in his bid to go one better than his second placing in the two mile feature last year.
Bonham to Australia
Group One winning filly Bonham has run her final race for her current connections, with prominent owner Gary Harding confirming the daughter of Per Incanto will be sold as a racing and breeding prospect at the Gold Coast Sale next month.
Prepared at Otaki by Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard, Bonham was a strong winner of the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m) in January, defeating quality colt Brando.
The three-year-old filly returned from a break to run second in the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) behind Need I Say More, coming from last on the home turn.
"She has finished for the season," Harding said.
"The sale is only a bit over a month away, so I want to get her over there and settled in and give her future owner a reasonable chance."
Harding has raced some top-quality fillies and mares over the years, including the likes of Bounding, Capella and Fix, the latter a New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year, but is not involved in breeding these days.
"We buy them and race them," Harding said. "I like my three-year-old racing and at the end of their three-year-old season we generally sell them, irrespective of where they are.
"Bonham has had six starts, won four, including a Group One, and finished second in a Group Two. That's not a bad record," he said of the Little Avondale Stud bred and raised filly whom he purchased for $160,000 as a yearling at Karaka.
Meanwhile, Harding has reported that Group Three placed filly Key has been sold to Australia, while winning Sebring filly Meg is another likely to be sold.
"A lot of people say we shouldn't race them in New Zealand given the amount of money we outlay on them, but we enjoy racing them in New Zealand. It's a hobby to myself and my family and I particularly like the Classic racing," Harding said.
"I'd love to win a New Zealand 1000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m). I've run second (Bounding) and third (Fix) in it and like all owners say I was a dead cert beaten."
Showina scores in Hong Kong
David Hayes struck at Happy Valley on Wednesday with emerging talent when Showina, veteran of only two previous starts, prevailed in the first section of the Class 4 Larch Handicap (1200m) under Blake Shinn.
"He had to do some work from the outside barrier (gate 12) to establish the lead but once he got to the lead, he got some soft sectionals," Shinn said.
"He attacked the line and he really had a sense of purpose about himself to win the race and it's the sign of a horse who wants to be here in Hong Kong - I think he's a horse that's going places."
Hayes notched his 18th win of the season with the three-year-old gelding, revealing his only pre-race concern was a poor draw.
"I was confident before we got gate 12. I just thought, he's had two starts now, has blinkers on so let's make our own luck and grab the race by the scruff of the neck - it worked," Hayes said.
"When you do those tactics, it is sink or swim. When he was leading like that, he was always going to be hard to beat."
Bred by Rodger and Emily Finlay, Showina was sold out of Wentwood Grange's 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 draft for $10,000 when purchased by Warrior Stables.
The youngster was prepared by Dean Wiles to win a trial at Ellerslie in June last year prior to his export to Hong Kong.
