Nikita eyes rare Group 1
The jockey and trainer will combine with $11 chance Fontein Lad in the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2200m) at Doomben on Saturday. 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES HOST CITY
Beriman has been in Queensland for two weeks with Fontein Lad who is on a mission to win the classic after missing a run in the South Australian Derby.
She rode Fontein Lad to win at Ipswich last Wednesday and she believes there is improvement in the gelding now he has had a clockwise start.
“At the start he actually wanted to take a step to the left where the rail would be on a Victorian track but I was able to get cover which was a big help,” Beriman said.
She said Fontein Lad was tricky to ride in races.
“It took me to the 600 metres to pull him up a Ipswich,” she said.
“But he is a genuine stayer and has a chance on Saturday.”
Beriman’s only win at Group 1 level was on 100/1 shot Tears I Cry in the 2007 Emirates Stakes at Flemington.
Eurell has been a regular Queensland visitor with his most famous wins in the 2008 and 2009 Doomben 10,000 and 2008 BTC Cup with star sprinter Apache Cat.
“Fontein Lad deserves a crack at a Group 1 and he has stood up well since coming north,” Eurell said.
The field for the final classic of the season will be finalised tomorrow with connections expected to pay a late entry fee to put Ana Royale in after her unlucky eighth in Saturday’s Queensland Oaks.
RACING Queensland has called in one of Australia’s most experienced administrators to plot a way out of the Eagle Farm track crisis.
Former Victoria Racing Club CEO and current Harness Racing Victoria chair Dale Monteith has been engaged to conduct an independent review of the track, which is closed because of surface issues following a $10 million redevelopment.
The review will attempt to find a strategy to repair the track which has had major issues because of a layer of thatch which stops water draining from the surface.
Monteith, who has 37 years of experience in the racing industry, was a key figure in the redesign of Flemington and Caulfield race tracks.
He also chaired a Tasmanian racing review in 2014 and reviewed racing in the Northern Territory before conducting a review of harness racing in Victoria in 2015.
WANGARATTA VR