Favourite to miss Derby
BETTING on today’s Schweppes Tasmanian Derby was thrown into disarray late yesterday when odds-on favourite Still A Star was withdrawn owing to a blood disorder.
The Bill Ryan-trained three-year-old was considered a “good thing” by most pundits with her opening price of $1.55 considered luxurious by some.
Still A Star’s trainer Bill Ryan said he had no option but to scratch his stable star late yesterday owing to the filly having an elevated white blood-cell count.
“I had the filly’s blood sent to Melbourne early this week and the result was an elevated white blood cell count, but she showed no signs of anything being wrong with her and her temperature was normal,” Ryan said. “I didn’t want to take any chances so I had her blood analysed locally this morning and ... the cell count had dropped to closer to normal, but I am not prepared to take any risks so I scratched her.
“We still have the Tasmanian Oaks to run in and possibly the Strutt Stakes on Sunday week.”
With the filly out, it has opened the door for interstate invader Rogues Point to take out the $150,000 Listed event over 2200m. Rogues Point arrived in the state on Thursday and settled in well at Gary White’s Brighton stables.
The Anthony Freedmantrained three-year-old looked in great shape to tackle his first Listed assignment, but he has been forced to wait an extra day to strut his stuff on the new StrathAyr track at Elwick owing to extreme heat forcing the meeting to be postponed for 24 hours.
Rogues Point could start a short-priced favourite and it could still be claimed as a part-local victory.
Rogues Point was bred in Tasmania at Brooklyn Park Stud at Evandale and was sold to Victorian trainer Anthony Freedman for $14,000 at the 2018 Tasmanian Magic Millions Yearling sale.
Freedman was keen to buy the colt as he trained his sire
Mawingo, which stands at Graeme McCulloch’s Grenville Stud at Whitemore.
The grey gelding was to be ridden by in-form Melbourne-based jockey John Allen, but he had to be replaced owing to his commitments at Caulfield today.
However Tasmania’s premier jockey Craig Newitt has picked up the ride.
“We are very fortunate to have picked up Craig [Newitt] otherwise it would have put us in a very awkward situation,” Freedman stable racing manager Brad Taylor said.
“We pencilled in this race after he won his maiden at
Cranbourne three starts back and since then he was second at Sandown beaten a narrow margin and last start he was third at Flemington.”
The Scott Brunton-trained Vamos Raffa was an eyecatching third to Still A Star in the Launceston Guineas, so he warrants respect at $18.