Two top horses go south

FAR North Queensland has lost two of its best sprinters, with Platinum Tycoon and Windmill Lane en route to Sydney.

Platinum Tycoon, trained by Tolga’s Michael Lee, will head to Gerald Ryan’s yard, while Atherton trainer Ricky Ludwig is sending his gelding to Peter Snowden.

“He’s getting weighted out of races,” Ludwig said.

“We really need to be having weight-for-age races up here so we don’t lose our good older horses.

“It would also give the three-year-olds a chance against the older types.”

Ludwig said he had known Snowden for a long time and trusted him to take care of Windmill Lane.

“He’s a pretty honest fella. He’ll tell you if they are not going to measure up.

“Peter rang the handicapper to make sure his rating would drop down there. He’s an 85 rater up here but he’s going to be a 73 rater (in Sydney).

“There should be a nice midweek race for him down at Canterbury or Warwick Farm.”

Ludwig, who also owns Windmill Lane, said he expect- ed the seven-year-old gelding to return next year for the winter carnival.

“As long as he is sound he’ll come back up,” he said.

“But it depends on how he goes. If he does well then he might stay down there because he’ll get too much weight — even for a Cleveland Bay.”

Windmill Lane’s absence should mean the Mackaytrained Mega D’Oro starts a short-priced favourite in Wednesday’s $14,000 Open Handicap (950m) at the Cairns Jockey Club.

Trainer Tracy Simmons said the former Victorian galloper was flying since moving to North Queensland.

“He took a little bit of time to settle in but since then he’s been doing very well for us,” she said yesterday.

“He’s a real jump and run type of horse, which suits up in North Queensland.

“The only problem with him is that he needs to lead comfortably.

“If something goes past him or gets close he can give up.

“He’s probably better suited to the 950m over Cairns. He’ll be very hard to run down.”

Regular hoop David Simmons will ride Mega D’Oro, who has won four of his past five starts.