TUESDAY RACING NEWS

Nominations for the William Reid Stakes have been released with the showdown between Black Caviar and Nicconi set to be the highlight. Black Caviar won brilliantly first up at the track and distance in the Australia Stakes, while Nicconi won his second Group One last start at Flemington. The difficulty for Nicconi is that he will be conceding the filly a good start around Moonee Valley, and if the track is playing to leaders in the same way it was last Friday, she will be nearly be impossible to run down.

Other nominations include Nicconi’s classy stablemate Eagle Falls, Headway, first up specialist Light Fantastic, Mentality, Shellscrape, Sniper’s Bullet, Starspangledbanner, Turffontein and Wanted, who has to be the best sprinter in the country not to have won a Group One. Of course, with the Oakleigh Plate the week after at Caulfield, it is likely that many will elect to dodge to stars and race under handicap conditions the next week.

The Tasmanian summer carnival is in full swing and yesterday Hobart put on a fantastic day’s racing, highlighted by Growl’s emphatic win in the 2200m Hobart Cup, defeating another Melbourne horse De Fine Lago. Growl had not won since the 2006 Herbert Power Handicap, and he had embarked on a fail jumping career, as well as a couple of trips to Hong Kong, but his form this preparation had been excellent, going down very narrowly at his last at Flemington, while De Fine Lago who finished second was caught up in interference and looks to be a talented stayer in the making, perhaps not Caulfield or Melbourne Cup class but certainly capable of winning more races. Growl will likely head to the Launceston Cup over 2400m, then the two mile Adelaide Cup.

The other black type wins were that of Royal Ida in the Sir Thomas Lyons Stakes, who looked a certainty following a fourth placing in the Australia Stakes at his last start, and Colin Alderson’s tough filly Tio Rossa, who won most impressively at Moonee Valley on the same day under 59Kg.  

Kyneton trainer Leon Corstens will likely appeal his six month suspension received last week for presenting Starspangledbanner at the races with a prohibited substance in his system. Under the new system, appeals can be lodged with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, a non-judicial body. Judge Lewis, who chairs the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Tribunal, was scathing on Corstens record in relation to doping, so many would suggest he was fortunate to only receive a six month sentence. Training partners Richard and Bevan Laming will be facing the tribunal soon in relation to charges relating to the positive tests that their horses returned to the drug EPO, which is certain to attract considerable coverage.

The jumps racing season is gradually approaching, with the first Victorian racing scheduled to be held at Warrnambool on April 6. A new design has been agreed on for the hurdles and steeples, which will now need to be manufactured, then have horses trial over them before the first race. The world famous Oakbank carnival will go ahead at Easter as usual, so the first jumping event of the season in Australia will be held on March the 13^th at that track, which racing fans across the country are looking forward to. The famous Warrnambool May Carnival is the highlight of the racing year in my opinion, and Melbourne Racing will again be heading down to give readers the very best online coverage.