3 minute read
One of the hottest fields ever seen at Sale is poised to contest the second heat of the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series on Thurasday.
The 31 nominations remaining before acceptances have won 145 races between them and the nominations are littered with city winners and place-getters.
Sale Turf Club CEO Wayne Pollock said he was delighted with the quantity and quality of the nominations.
“The Winter Championship has been a wonderful concept for Victorian racing,” he said. “It benefits both country and city trained horses.”
At the top of the list of nominations is last-start Flemington winner Henwood who was scratched from Flemington last Saturday. Henwood has raced 19 times for six wins and seven placings.
Most interesting nomination is former Kiwi star Thunderbird One, who will make his Australian race debut.
Thunderbird One, a five-year-old, has raced only 10 times for five wins and three placings and is now prepared at Cranbourne by his original trainer in New Zealand, Francis Finnegan.
Thunderbird One has had a much interrupted career. He won two jump-outs as a two-year-old and his only official trial as a three-year-old.
He was transferred to NZ trainer Murray Baker when Finnegan moved to Cranbourne.
Baker also quickly became aware of Thunderbird One’s talent – and his rebellious nature. He won a 1300-metre maiden on debut in August, 2012 and then was set aside for two months.
He came back to win his next four starts in less than 30 days.
Thunderbird One continued to race well at the highest level in NZ but continued to be a problem – he was withdrawn at the barriers on a couple of occasions because of his behavior.
Finnegan said Thunderbird One showed his talent when he started favorite and finished a close third to star mare Zonza (giving her 2kg in weight) in an open handicap. He has not raced since finishing third in the Group 3 Sofitel (wfa,2000m.) in New Zealand last November 5.
Thunderbird One then was sent to the Sydney stables of Chris Waller but played nothing more than a cameo role as a stable visitor before the owners decided that Finnegan might have more time to deal with the troubled mind of the talented gelding.
Stipendiary stewards have given Thunderbird One his ticket to race in Victoria and Finnegan said: “He will run a good race if he is good mentally on Thursday .
Adam McCabe will ride Thunderbird One.
Force Command, who shed his claim to be Australia’s best maiden galloper with a first-up win at Sandown on May 11, will again be ridden by Chris Symonds.
Force Command was third in the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m.) at Rosehill and runner-up in the Group 3 C.S.Hayes Stakes (1400m.) at Flemington in autumn last year.
Michael Rodd has been engaged for Anthony Freedman’s runner Spectre who finished fourth to Henwood at Flemington/
Damian Oliver will ride Mercielago who finished third when first-up at Sandown on May 14 and that engagement left New York without a rider before acceptances.
There are other chances in this talented line-up, especially the unbeaten Avakaroun who has won his four starts - at Caulfield, Warrnambool (twice) and Bendigo.
Main support act on the card at Sale is the first heat of Rivette Series (1400m.) for three-year-old fillies, and again there was a line-up of city class gallopers in the 16 surviving nominations on Monday. Seven of the fillies are eligible for a $9000 Super VOBIS bonus.
