Johnson causing double trouble
Slowly but surely Christchurch jockey Chris Johnson is edging clear of Cambridge’s Danielle Johnson in the national jockeys’ premiership race.
A string of recent winning doubles has shot the southern rider five clear of his northern rival in the battle for premiership honours.
The Canterbury jockey’s hectic travel schedule is starting to pay off. Sunday’s Waimate meeting at Oamaru, was Johnson’s fourth in five days following on from Riccarton, Avondale and Te Rapa.
He rode a double at Riccarton on Wednesday and Avondale on Friday but missed out at Te Rapa as did his rival.
He was causing double trouble for his namesake kicking home another double at Oamaru including the Kevin Myers-trained Zentangle in the Waimate Cup taking him closer to his season century with 96 wins, five clear of his rival.
With winning doubles at Avondale and Te Rapa, Matthew Cameron has moved to 83 wins for the season and is third on the table.
Apprentice Darren Danis was suspended for five days at Te Rapa on Saturday after his winning ride on Roc De Bank for Cambridge trainer Chris Wood.
Danis admitted a careless riding breach with a suspension from the conclusion of racing June 17 until June 25.
Samantha Collett also admitted careless riding with her license suspended from the conclusion of racing on June 17 up to and including racing on June 22, three riding days.
Collett, who won earlier in the day aboard Wait A Sec for Hastings trainers Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen, was suspended for her ride on El Cajero in the last on the card.
ONE: Punters take a tumble in bizarre steeplechase
Punting can be a tough gig at any time but when your money goes west before your selection takes a stride it’s no fun at all.
In bizarre circumstances at Trentham on Saturday that’s what happened to backers of the misbehaving Highly Likely.
To recap, Shaun Fannin’s mount Highly Likely was fractious before the start and backed into Lonely Boy ridden by Charlie Price as the open start was declared by starter Garry Phillips resulting in both riders being dislodged.
Stewards had to determine whether the two horses received a fair start.
After hearing from riders, the starter and the starter’s assistant the JCA determined that Highly Likely, the architect of his own misfortune, be declared a runner and that Lonely Boy was denied a fair start due to the actions of Highly Likely and was declared a non-runner.
Highly Likely’s connections were advised that a warning is placed against the gelding with regard to its manners when in open starts.
But the horse wasn’t finished – immediately prior to the second of the double in the centre on the first round, the riderless horse made heavy contact with Kings Deep resulting in Shaun Phelan being dislodged.
Fortunately for all concerned no major injuries were received by horses or riders involved. Highly Likely incurred abrasions and was found to be lame in the right hind and requires a veterinary clearance prior to racing.
Two major questions to come out of the race were the continued use of messy open starts for steeplechase races and whether stewards should have called a norace with riderless horses gallivanting about – you be the judge.
No doubt there will be more fallout from this bizarre spectacle in the next few days. For the record, favourite Just Ishi won the race.
TWO: Switch to Doomben the right call – just ask Stephen Marsh
Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh was on the side of race fans when the call was made to switch Stradbroke day from a below-par Eagle Farm racecourse to nearby Doomben.
Fans approved the move by turning out – 14,000 of them – at Doomben on Saturday and if the switch hadn’t been made, Marsh would have been watching from afar.
Instead, through the urgings of jockey Jim Byrne, Marsh kept his stayer Chocante in Queensland for the Brisbane Cup.
Byrne rode Chocante to an allthe-way win in Saturday’s Group II race at Doomben.
Byrne was confident Chocante would bounce back in the Brisbane Cup despite finishing 10th, beaten 10 lengths, in the Premier’s Cup at Eagle Farm on May 27.
He told connections after he ran at Eagle Farm not to worry because Chocante didn’t handle that track at all.
After Chocante’s Eagle Farm flop, Marsh was resigned to missing the Brisbane Cup but had a change of heart when the meeting was transferred to Doomben.
A trip to Melbourne for the spring carnival is on the agenda for Chocante, who will now spell.
The Cup was the last on the Doomben card and the only bright spot on a dismal day for the Kiwis.
Top jockey Opie Bosson had a bumper book of rides but was stood down by the club doctor after the first race.
Jockeys were running left, right and centre to claim the vacant rides but not one of then saluted.
Fellow Kiwi jockey Leith Innes picked up Bosson’s booking on Counterattack in the Stradbroke and finished fourth.
But it may come at a cost after stewards adjourned an inquiry involving Innes who faces a charge of causing interference to Kaepernick in the home straight. Kaepernick’s jockey Patrick Moloney had left the course without permission so the inquiry will be heard at a later date.
THREE: Blue Shadow’s hattrick a feel-good racing story
The undoubted highlight of the weekend’s domestic racing was Blue Shadow’s outstanding win at Te Rapa.
The Dalghar 3-year-old filly was bought for what can now be called a bargain price of $18,000 by Hamilton horseman Colin Bishop at the Karaka Festival Yearling Sale.
Blue Shadow has now had four starts in her exciting career for three wins and more than $33,000 in prize-money.
But her value lies in her bright future on the track as Bishop and his partners, brother Des Bishop and sister Astrid Morgan have no intention of selling despite overtures from overseas interests.