Finnegan rides out claim

MEATH jockey Emily Finnegan outrode her metropolitan claim last weekend when riding the three-year-old filly Mo Femme to victory at Morphettville. Finnegan has well over 200 winners to her name since emigrating to Australia and will now ride as a senior jockey. She was booked to ride New Zealand raider Benzini in the A$120,000 Group 3 Lord Reims Stakes at Morphettville this morning.

Kavanagh and O’Brien escape suspensions

TRAINERS Mark Kavanagh and Danny O’Brien are set to pursue A$10 million in damages after escaping any form of suspension or disqualification at the end of the long-running cobalt saga. It was decided by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to issue just a fine to both trainers – A$8,000 to O’Brien and A$4,000 to Kavanagh.

Ultimately, the trainers were found to have no knowledge of their horses being doped by their vet and are now set to pursue the Flemington Equine Centre for more than $10m in damages while also reserving the right to make a similar claim against Racing Victoria.

Winx eyes 23

WINX lined up in today’s Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick over 1,600 metres for her first race since her third consecutive Cox Plate win in October. Having been held back two weeks so Hugh Bowman could come out of suspension, much will be discussed following today’s run with her owners having been courted by numerous racecourse representatives keen to secure her star power. If successful this morning, the win would be her 23rd straight and a 16th Group 1.

Melbourne Premier

THE Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sale begins it three-day run at Oaklands tomorrow with 564 lots catalogued across book one. The sale has experienced a lot of growth over the past 10 years, doubling its average from 2007 to last year’s A$120,262 and lifting its median across the same period from $45,000 to $100,000. The are 120 stallions represented in the catalogue, which features the progeny of 103 stakes-winning mares.

Follow the sale at inglis.com.au