Word from indisposed hoop gets Valuate home in feature Winner defies setback
VALUATE proved her value after winning yesterday’s 1200m QTIS 2YO Classic Prelude at Cluden Park by a nose.
Jockey Chris Whitel got some last minute instructions from the jockey who was meant to ride her, Stephen Wilson, as he was taken away to hospital in an ambulance after suffering chest pains.
Wilson was taken to Townsville Hospital by ambulance in a stable condition shortly after the third race, at about 2.30pm, a Queensland Ambulance spokesman told the Bulletin.
Valuate’s trainer Alby Molino said Wilson, his sonin- law, would not be happy missing out on the chance of riding the winner.
“He’s probably got more pains now that he saw the horse win,” Molino joked.
“It’s hard – he had to ex- plain to another rider how to ride her.”
But Molino said jockey Chris Whitel, who replaced Wilson, rode a “perfect race” on Valuate.
“There was only a head in it but that’s all you need. And that’s all I need in the Classic I hope,” he said.
Valuate beat Dalon ( 0.3 lengths) and Our Alicia’s Lane ( 0.4 lengths).
The filly automatically qualified for the next month’s $ 100,000 Townsville RSL Two- Year- Old Classic with the win.
Molino said the 1200m distance of the June 9 Classic suited Valuate perfectly and should make her a favourite. “A thousand ( metres) is too short,” he said.
“If she gets all good luck in the running and gets a good draw in the barriers I think they’ll be looking for her. They’ll be worried about her, put it that way.”
In the final race of the day, the 1400m BenchMark 55 Handicap, a fall occurred around the 1000m mark involving Jerrazz, Sidthekid and Kanui. Queensland Racing Integrity Commission Commissioner Ross Barnett said stewards adjourned an inquiry into the reasons behind the fall.
“One of the horses involved in the incident, Jerrazz, suffered injuries to its forehead and is being treated by a veterinarian and the two horses other horses involved Sidthekid and Kanui were uninjured,” Barnett said.
“The inquiry will resume at a date to be fixed when all jockeys are well enough to attend.”
The three jockeys were taken to hospital with minor injuries and cuts.
Mishani Redman won race one, Mega D’oro won race two, Point Forward won race three, Freeze ‘ n’ Tease won race four, Grey Missile and Broken Finger won race seven.