Danny Lands Double Before Dashing To Macau Meeting

Sun Herald

Sunday April 10, 2005

By CRAIG YOUNG WARWICK FARM

DASHING Danny Beasley warmed up for an assault on the Macau Derby today with a frontrunning winning double on the nine-race card in Sydney yesterday.

The rider of leading trainer Gai Waterhouse's Hong Kong-bound champion Grand Armee, Beasley was booked on a 10 o'clock flight out of Australia last night and was expected to arrive in Macau at 5am.

"I've got eight rides awaiting in Macau and I'm riding the derby favourite Happy Pearl for Gary Moore," Beasley said.

"Gary was telling me the horse is in great form and won't be lacking on fitness."

The Warwick Farm meeting couldn't have started any better after Beasley bounced Waterhouse's improving three-year-old Fumble to the front in the opening event, and that's where the filly stayed.

Beasley followed that up with victory on Royal Ninja 35 minutes later.

Having won at Hawkesbury at start No 3, Fumble made it back-to-back wins when scoring by 11/4 lengths from the $4.40 favourite Cinque Cento.

"She was impressive, she's a nice filly," Beasley said.

Fumble firmed from $5 to $4.60 and while Cinque Cento, with Darren Beadman on board, sat behind Beasley's mount, she wasn't good enough.

Beadman looked to slip up inside Fumble inside the final 200m, but Beasley hadn't left sufficient room and Cinque Cento, which sweated badly in the parade ring prior to the race, was forced to come out and across the winner's heels.

It mattered little and it was a similar tale in the second race when Beasley correctly followed instructions from trainer Kevin Moses, a former three-time premiership-winning jockey, when winning aboard Royal Ninja.

"When you go that slow and the others are non-chasers, it makes things easier," Moses said.

"I just said to Danny stack them up until the 600m and then get going, he can win."

Moses is keen to take the three-year-old north for the winter, with the Queensland Derby on the Saturday of the June long weekend the ultimate target.

"A couple of times the horse has been a little unlucky in his races," Moses said.

"His runs have been quite good and I'll try him again over a bit of ground before we head north."

Moses, who is ably supported at the stable by wife Jenny, has taken to the training game with the zest that was evident when riding to premiership victories.

"There was an easier race for him on Wednesday but I told the owner we should try him over the 2400m," Moses said.

"They are ordinary horses these ones.".

Royal Ninja was solid in the market at $5 and won by a length from Famous Dane [$5.50].

There was a further 1/2 length to Guy Walter's hotpot and topweight Caught Courting, which was ridden by Beadman.

© 2005 Sun Herald

Back to News Index | Back to Home