RICHARD Cully, no longer testing himself as a jumps jockey, landed his first blacktype winner as a trainer when Pintoff won the Listed Regal Roller Stakes over 1,200 metres at Caulfield last Saturday with Declan Bates up.
“I am absolutely delighted for Richard (Cully) and his team,” said Bates. “It is actually my first winner for them, so it wasn’t a bad way to get the first one up.”
Cully prefers to keep himself out of the way on raceday. “I’m no good at the races, so I just let him go down with Megan, the Irish lass that looks after him for us,” said Cully. “I was sitting on the couch screaming with my wife and the young fella. Being a jockey was easy. Even a big race didn’t faze me, but training is a different story. I am far better off staying away. I overthink things.”
Having retired from the saddle in 2020 Cully has built up his business in Ballarat. “I’ve only got about six or seven to race but we pre-train for the likes of Lindsey Smith and Paddy Payne, so that’s our main go.”
Sir Lucan targets Melbourne Cup
SIR Lucan has been sold by Coolmore to Australian interests who are understood to be those that previously bought his full-brother Sir Dragonet, last year’s Group 1 Cox Plate winner.
The team of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will train the Camelot colt who is among the late entries for the Lexis Melbourne Cup.
“The path we’re on at present is to target the St Leger (at Doncaster on September 11th) and then come over,” said Bott.
Fourth in the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes this week at York, and runner-up in the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Goodwood at the end of July, Sir Lucan has won two from six, successful over a mile at Cork before saluting at Navan over a mile and five furlongs in the Listed Yeats Stakes.
A Carnival of 21 $1 million Group 1s
RACING Victoria has raised the prize money of Group 1 races across Melbourne’s Spring Carnival to a minimum of A$1 million. “From Memsie Stakes day at Caulfield on August 28th through to Stakes Day at Flemington on November 6th, there are 21 Group 1 races programmed in Victoria and all will offer at least $1 million in prize money,” said Racing Victoria Chairman Brian Kruger.
The move is in part a response to Racing New South Wales’s continuing challenging of conventions, in this case the recently announced $2 million race, The Invitation. A 1,400m contest for fillies and mares at Randwick on 23 October, which is also Caulfield Cup day. The field for The Invitation will exclusively comprise 12 starters invited by a panel convened by Racing NSW. Invitations will be extended to fillies and mares from Australia and New Zealand with the race conducted under a set-weights and penalty scale.
New Zealand
THE New Zealand-bred Tallyho Twinkletoe, successful in the Australian Grand National Hurdle and Steeplechase double in 2019, crushed his rivals by 15 lengths to win Saturday’s New Zealand Grand National Steeple at Riccarton Park.
Back with his original trainer Kevin Myers, Tallyho Twinkletoe was sent out at the prohibitive odds of $1.50.
Despite being 11 and a winner of the 2015 New Zealand Grand National Hurdle, the St Reims gelding avoided the early pace before making his move at the Kennels double with 1,200 metres to run.
Shamal, attempting to lead all the way, was too one-paced approaching the final bend as Tallyho Twinkletoe found a gear to draw level, hitting the second last a length in front as steady rain fell.
Extending his advantage with every stride despite the heavy ground, Tallyho Twinkletoe completed his full set of Grand National Hurdle and Steeple Doubles on both sides of the Tasman in style.