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Nash Rawiller; John O'Shea; John Thompson; Simon Miller; Paul King; Darren Gauci; Usainity; Black Caviar; Hurricane Fly
RAWILLER REPRESENTS AUSTRALIA
Nash Rawiller will represent Australia in the annual international jockeys challenge in Mauritius this weekend.
The three-time Sydney premiership winner is on his first visit to Mauritius and has his family - wife Sarah, daughter Caitlin and son Campbell – along for support.
Hugh Bowman represented Australia last year and was unlucky not win the title as he won two races but then had forego late rides after suffering a sprained ankle.
Rawiller will be riding in 10 races at the unique Champ De Mars track in Port-Louis on Saturday and Sunday in a contest that features four international teams.
Rawiller’s teammates are champion Mauritius jockey Robbie Burke (Ireland) and Cristian Demuro (Italy).
They go up against three other teams comprising Rai Joorawon (Mauritius), William Buick (Denmark) and Kevin Manning (Ireland); James Doyle (England), Ahmed Ajtebi (United Arab Emirates) and Johnny Geroudis (South Africa); and Yusuke Fujioka (Japan), Olivier Peslier (France) and Dashrath Singh (India).
HONG KONG CONJECTURE
It has come out of left field but John O’Shea’s name has been thrown about as the next Australian trainer in line for a licence in Hong Kong.
South China Morning Post racing editor Alan Aitken suggested O’Shea and American trainer Charles LoPresti were on the radar for HK licences in a shake up of the training ranks at Sha Tin.
Melbourne trainer Danny O’Brien has also been freely mentioned as a candidate for a HK licence.
Others have dismissed O'Shea and LoPresti getting licences, suggesting that a new Australian trainer will only be considered when one of the current HK-based Australian trainers decides to leave.
LOCALS FAVOUR THOMPSON
Warwick Farm insiders reckon former Patinack Farm head trainer John Thompson is favourite to replace Peter Snowden in the top job for Sheikh Mohammed.
They believe he is the right fit for the job and suggest that his father, former top Sydney trainer Vic Thompson, and father-in-law Rod Craig, another successful Warwick Farm trainer, could be brought into the fold to give the stable a powerful board of management.
MILLER LOOKING EAST
Talented Perth trainer Simon Miller, putting aside suggestions that he is a wild card for the top trainer job with Darley, is planning his first serious assault on east coast racing in 2014.
The Aquanita trainer has plans to head interstate next year with Perth carnival stars Saint Bro, Miss Rose De Lago and Platinum Rocker,
Champion Fillies Stakes winner Miss Rose De Lago split Ihtsahymn and Saint Bro when a close second in the WA Guineas while Platinum Rocker almost caused a boilover when second behind Luckygray in last Saturday’s G1 Railway Stakes.
The trio have now been spelled ahead of autumn campaigns in the east.
Platinum Rocker will be set for mares races in Melbourne and Sydney, Miss Rose De Lago has races at the Sydney carnival on her agenda and Saint Bro’s long range target is the Queensland Guineas.
Miller also revealed the owners Saint Bro and stablemate Sujet, second in the Placid Ark Stakes last Saturday, had rejected Hong Kong offers for the three-year-olds.
Sujet will face a rematch with Petrol Power in the $125,000 Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic at Ascot on Saturday week while Miller's top mare Power Princess will tackle the $125,000 AJ Scahill Stakes on the same day.
A decision on her future will be made after the Scahill Stakes
KING SETTLES IN NSW
Former leading Perth jockey Paul King seems happy to call NSW home following his return to Australia from a riding stint in Qatar.
King brought up is first win in NSW for local trainer Paul Perry at Broadmeadow last Saturday and will ride at Hawkesbury on Saturday.
King, who survived a horror fall at Ascot in 2009 when he suffered a broken neck, rode in Qatar for 12 months before returning home last month.
QUICK RETURN BY GAUCI
Popular jockey Darren Gauci could be back riding as soon as next week after his race fall at Bendigo on Wednesday.
Gauci had a lucky escape from serious injury with x-rays clearing him of a broken wrist.
Stewards have adjourned an inquiry into Gauci’s mount Royal Mephisto falling in the straight just as he looked set to figure in the finish.
USAINITY SUFFERS TENDON INJURY
Usainity, the Murray Baker-trained winner of last season’s G3 Frank Packer Plate at Randwick, is likely to be out of action for up to a year.
The four-year-old pulled up sore after losing a plate when he resumed at Tauranga and a further examination has revealed a serious tendon injury.
Usainity has had only 11 starts for four wins and was placed in the G3 Rough Habit Plate and G3 Grand Prix Stakes in Brisbane after his Randwick win.
ANOTHER GONG FOR BLACK CAVIAR
Yet another accolade is about to be bestowed on Black Caviar when she is recognised with French star Treve as the joint top-rated horses in the 2013 International Racehorse Rankings.
They pair, sharing a rating of 130, will be honoured during the Longines World's Best Racehorse Ceremony at the gala dinner in Hong Kong preceding the Hong Kong International Races on December 6.
Breeders' Cup Mile winner and reigning US Horse of the Year Wise Dan, the third-highest rated horse in the rankings at 129, also will be recognized at the ceremony.
It marks the first year that the three highest-rated horses have been honoured at the gala dinner.
The World's Best Racehorse Rankings are compiled by the World Rankings Supervisory Committee and published by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.
Rounding out the top 10 are Novellist (128); Toronado (126); with Animal Kingdom, Dawn Approach, Game On Dude, Mucho Macho Man, Olympic Glory, and Orfevre all on 125.
IRISH JUMPER SETS G1 RECORD
There is a new world record holder for most number of Grade/Group One wins in Pattern Race history – and it’s a jumper!
By winning last Sunday's Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown in Ireland, Hurricane Fly surpassed equine greats John Henry and Kauto Star as sole holder of the world record for number of G1 wins with a remarkable 17 major victories.
Hurricane Fly started his racing career on the flat and was a stakes winner in France before coming under the care of Irish jumps maestro Willie Mullins.
He is now the highest earning Irish National Hunt horse in history.
