Central Coast Pair Dash For Macau Money

Newcastle Herald

Monday February 5, 2007

By GEOFF WILSON and AAP

CENTRAL Coast sprinters Bennett's Green and Rutherford Eagle leave for Macau on February 20.

Macau has a policy of bringing in Australian horses to race and paying all expenses.

Rutherford Eagle is the winner of a listed Gosford Guineas, and Bennett's Green has won on Sydney and Melbourne metropolitan tracks.

"The prizemoney they can win over in Macau is much better than here," owner Col Keane said.

"Basically we were forced to send them to Macau. The way breeders have influence in racing here, it has become based on precious two-year-olds.

"Older horses are much harder to place and keep.

"Both horses have done a good job, but around here they would struggle to find the right races."

? Blue Diamond Stakes favourite Victory Chant has settled into his Caulfield base and will gallop at the track tomorrow ahead of Saturday's Prelude to the $1 million race this month.

Trainer Leon Macdonald said the colt had travelled well from Adelaide but admitted the Prelude (1100 metres) was a big test for Victory Chant, which has had just one race start.

He led all the way to win against moderate opposition over 1000m at Cheltenham on December 23, but the manner in which he dominated has him at $5 with TAB Sportsbet for Victoria's top two-year-old race.

"He ran half a second quicker than the three-year-olds and the quickest last 600 metres of the day," Macdonald said.

? New Zealand mare Ticklish surprised many when she ran a game third in the group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley.

And new trainer Steven Pinfold has not ruled out more hit-and-run raids across the Tasman.

? Newcastle racing has lost a long-time stalwart after the death of George Willson.

Willson, who trained at Broadmeadow, celebrated his 100th birthday last year.

He died last Thursday and was cremated on Saturday.

By GEOFF WILSON

ONE TO FOLLOW

There was no more impressive

performance in Australia than the

one handed in by Chinchilla Rose

on debut in Brisbane. The youngster

won over 1110 metres at Doomben

but, more importantly, it was the way

she scored that said emphatically

here is an above-average galloper.

The filly hesitated at the start and

was back in the ruck early but she

relaxed well, and it was obvious a

long way from home that if she got

luck in the straight she would be in

the finish. When the run came, she

powered home and breezed away

to win by two lengths. Stick with

Chinchilla Rose, because she is a

little bit special.

ONE TO FORGIVE

More Than Lucky

and square at Rosehill, but if you

look at the effort closely punters will

quickly decide the mare is one to

forgive. The four-year-old was beaten

by group 1 performers Mentality

and Fashions Afi eld when third in

the Expressway Stakes over 1200m.

She was fi rst-up and will be so much

better next time around. To sprint so

well first-up against class opposition

and to stick on as well as she did

says More Than Lucky will make up

for that defeat in the near future.

ONE TO FORGET

to finish penniless then drop off

Matchless straight away. She has not

set the Sydney racing scene alight

since coming from the bush, but that

has not stopped punters from lashing

out on her run after run. On Saturday

Matchless again firmed in the betting,

but after having a charmed run in

the 1500m handicap she never got

hot in the straight and finished a

disappointing fourth. A pathetic effort

indeed. Matchless? Me thinks not.

Should be renamed No Match.

© 2007 Newcastle Herald

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