THURSDAY RACING NEWS

The fallout from the abandonment of last Saturday’s meeting at Flemington has continued, with Rowan Aujard, the owner of King Pulse, who got free from his handler and badly injured himself as a result, saying in today’s Herald Sun that he is considering legal action against stewards for running the race despite the onset of lightning.

King Pulse was found to have bone chips in his shoulder after he slipped on hail then jumped a fence as he was led back to the stable area following the race. He was to be aimed towards the Doncaster and Stradbroke Handicaps, but now unfortunately his opportunity to run in those races will be lost.

TAB Sportsbet has announced that all bets on the Australian Cup and Australian Guineas will stand. Given the nature of the TAB’s system, it was not possible to cancel the bets placed after the scratching of Shocking, without cancelling all the wagers on the event.

However, it is important to note that all punters who wish to cancel their bet on the race will be able to do so. In the event that a bet has been put on subsequent to the scratching of Shocking and is not cancelled, then an extra 13% win top up and 12% place top up will be payable.

Interestingly enough, despite receiving 160ml of precipitation, the Flemington track is likely to need to be watered before next Saturday’s meeting. The VRC has decided to make entry to Saturday’s meeting free, and it is to be hoped they are rewarded with a decent crowd. In my opinion, it should be free every Saturday outside the spring carnival.

Imported galloper Changingoftheguard, originally purchased to run in the Melbourne Cup then controversially scratched on race morning, has died following a gelding operation. The Irish galloper, formerly trained by Aidan O’Brien suffered a ruptured bowel during the procedure, which meant he then had to be destroyed for humane reasons.

Changingoftheguard was to be aimed towards the Australian Cup, however he did not accept for the race after disappointing in trackwork. Trainer David Hayes put down his performance to having his mind on other things, so the horse was to be gelded in order to put him right. It will be a tremendous disappointment for his owners who paid a sum rumoured to be around the $1 million mark.

The dominance of Australian trained gallopers in New Zealand feature races continued yesterday when Zavite won the Auckland Cup in a canter. A last start winner of the Night Cup under 60.5Kg at Moonee Valley, Zavite was ridden perfectly by Damien Oliver who made the trip across the Tasman especially for the ride. The victory was a vindication of trainer Anthony Cummings decision to miss the Adelaide Cup, which the Zabeel gelding won last year, in favour of the New Zealand feature. Another Sydney galloper, Gold Trail, easily won the Railway Stakes at Ellerslie earlier this year.

Racing Victoria has announced that the jumps racing season will be delayed slightly. A press release to this effect is repeated below for readers.