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‘Homecoming Queen’ linchpin
for Carnival launch
THE launch of the Brisbane Racing Carnival at Doomben
tomorrow has captured headlines interstate, largely
as a result of the return to racing in her home state
of millionaire filly, Regimental Gal.
Racing Editor Craig Young has written a feature
under the headline ‘The Homecoming Queen,’ which
we have reproduced courtesy of The Sydney Morning
Herald.
‘THE internet princess is primed for a resounding
welcome home this weekend, with Regimental Gal making
a return to Queensland racing.
The Toowoomba terminator hasn't contested a race
in her home state since winning last year's Magic
Millions on the Gold Coast but the filly's reputation
has been enhanced down south.
The three-year-old made headlines in Sydney last
spring by beating subsequent Group 1 winners, Exceed
And Excel and Spark Of Life, in the San Domenico
Stakes at Randwick before ousting the fillies in
the Furious Stakes.
Meticulously handled by Toowoomba trainer Shaun
Dwyer, Regimental Gal kicked off an autumn assault
in Melbourne with a first-up victory in the Lightning
Stakes. She then finished third behind Exceed And
Excel in the Newmarket Handicap before claiming a
second Group 1 by winning the Australia Stakes.
Dwyer opted to start the winner of seven from 11
in the TJ Smith at Randwick on April 4 but a dodgy
track and soft lead-up conspired against Regimental
Gal.
Four days picking grass in a paddock were part
of the return home to Dwyer's stable a fortnight
ago, with the trainer keen on the prospects of Regimental
Gal in Saturday's BTC Cup at Doomben.
“I galloped her on the outside of the course
proper this morning and the boy [work rider] gave
her the thumbs up,” he said on Thursday. “I
love that thumbs up on the Thursday morning before
a race on Saturday. That's when you want them to
feel really well.”
Dwyer admitted Regimental Gal had ‘had a
lot of miles this time up, in the plane, on the truck
and on the track,’ but the father of five knows
the filly like no other.
“ I've really got to say everything has gone
pretty well to plan since she got up here,” he
said. “She has done well, worked well, and
I think she has got the right look in her eye for
Saturday. She looks fresh and ready to go.”
Such is the standing of Regimental Gal, connections
of the filly have set up an Internet site. It carries
the latest news, awards, quotes, articles, photos
and, of course, merchandise.
“ The owners are very passionate about her,” Dwyer
said. “Managing owner Bill Larkins set it [the
Internet site] up. Bill did a bit of a giveaway up
here with the local newspaper. You had to cut out
a coupon and front up at the newspaper offices on
Wednesday morning when it opened. There were 30 people
there when it opened and the 100 ‘Regie’ caps
were gone within an hour.
“ It is not quite the same following Lonhro
and Sunline had but she is a lot of good fun for
the maroon brigade. I think it has plenty to do with
the fact she has been pretty gutsy.”
The Internet site also carries a bit of trivia.
It reveals Regimental Gal was born on September 23
2000, six years to the day after her sire General
Nediym arrived. General Nediym won the Magic Millions
on January 11 1997, while Regimental Gal won on the
same date last year. Same goes with the pair's San
Domenico Stakes wins.
“ I'm just very glad she has graduated from
restricted two-year-old and three-year-old races
to be able to compete at the highest level,” Dwyer
said. “She is just another handy horse, certainly
no champion, she is a terrific little sprinting filly.”
Not bad considering Regimental Gal started off
her racing career highly strung. “She used
to get stressed but we managed to get her through
it,” Dwyer said. “With maturity and a
little bit of time she has developed into a really
resilient horse.
“ We've looked after her, tried to do the
best thing for the filly to give us a bit of longevity
with her career. She is actually racing 30 kg heavier
than she did as Magic Millions winner.”
All the signs are good for Saturday with Dwyer
confident it will be a joyous homecoming. The way
he sees it the filly will take a sit just off the
Queensland speedball Star Of Florida and the opposition
are going to have to run her down.
“ Star Of Florida has that much pace a cheetah
wouldn't lead him,” he said. “It will
give us the chance to bring her back under herself
and not be out there making the speed. If she wins
we will run her in the [Doomben] 10,000 with the
Stradbroke a real long shot. We are hoping she'll
hold together for two more good runs.”
Should be some homecoming!
Why Honkers is better than
England for ‘The Gal’
SHAUN Dwyer has given an insight as to why connections
of Richmond Grove BTC Cup favourite, Regimental Gal,
rejected an all-expenses-paid trip to race their
boom filly in England.
Dwyer says it was becase she is a filly and not
a colt. “It’s alright if you’ve
got the rattlers between the legs…(then) you
can get your $22 million.
“ A $2 million horse (Exceed and Excel) won
the Newmarket and he is now a $22mn colt but she
is a $1mn filly. She can go over there (to England)
and win and she is still a million dollar filly.
She can have one foal a year. They (stallions) can
have 300. That’s the difference.”
Dwyer said the long-term plan for Regimental Gal
was to follow the path of retired Queensland sprint
snsation Falvelon and chase an invitation for the
international meeting at Sha Tin, Hong Kong, in December.
“ The money is three times as much (as England)
and the trip is a third of the distance. She can
fly up to Hong Kong quicker than she can float to
Sydney. It’s 10 hours to Hong Kong and about
11 hours by float to Sydney,” he said.
Strictly Smart sidelined with
Bowed Tendon
THE North Queensland winter carnival has lost a
major drawcard for star sprinter, Strictly Smart,
facing a lengthy period out of racing with a bowed
tendon.
Innisfail trainer, Stephen Potiris, told the Townsville
Bulletin that scans conducted yesterday had revealed
the extent of an injury, which had first become apparent
last week.
“The vet classed it as a bowed tendon but
not at a bad stage,” Potiris said. “It
is something that can be fixed. He has strongly recommended
that the horse have a three-month spell.
“We’re going to take more scans in July
and the vet said as long as we do the right thing
by the horse, he’ll be back racing by the end
of the year.”
Potiris said Strictly Smart, a winner of 16 of 34
starts including last year’s Cleveland Bay
Handicap at Cluden, was thought to have sustained
the injury to his off fore leg in a track gallop.
“It’s lucky we got it in the first stage
as the real bad damage hasn’t been done. If
you really bow the tendon you’re looking at
six to 12 months in the paddock.”
‘Florida’ gets
his chance in 1200m feature
TRAINER Pat Duff has told The Australian that speedster
Star of Florida may never have a better chance to
win a feature sprint at 1200m than tomorrow’s
$200,000 Richmond Grove BTC Cup at NCF Doomben.
“He drew barrier one last time (in The Galaxy)
at Randwick,” Duff said. “But the way
the track was, it was the worse place to be. Horses
which led, or were drawn on the inside, just weren’t
winning.
“But we’ll have a level field at Doomben
and I’m happy with the draw (one). He has trained
on really well since coming back from Sydney and
I think he has a real chance.”
Star of Florida, the winner of nine of his 18 stats,
ran a close third to Snowland and Thorn Park in the
Up And Coming Stakes at his only attempt at 1200m.
“That was when he was an early three-year-old
and I know he is a stronger horse today,” Duff
said. “Doomben is the track where his speed
is suited.”
At his only Doomben start, as a late two-year-old
in 2001, Star of Florida won by seven lengths and
ran a track record for the 1110m. He has now won
almost $700,000 in stakes.
Bosson happy to call Brisbane home this Winter
STAR Kiwi jockey Opie Bosson has such a high opinion
of the Mark Walker-trained King’s Chapel and
Distinctly Secret that he has moved to Queensland
for the carnival.
Bosson will link with boom three-year-old, King’s
Chapel, at its Australian debut when favourite in
tomorrow’s G3 Richmond Grove Classic at NCF
Doomben.
He hasn’t ridden King’s Chapel since
November when it won the Group 1 2000 Guineas at
Riccarton before a third in the G1 Bayer Classic
at Otaki. He rode the colt in a recent trial win
at Te Aroha.
Light weights prevented Bosson from riding King’s
Chapel when it won Group 1 events at Trentham and
Hastings.
AAP Racing and Sports reports that Bosson’s carnival move to Queensland
could cost him a riding premiership in New Zealand where he is in the box seat
following the decision of current leader, Michael Walker, to relocate permanently
to Melbourne.
Bosson is the leading feature race rider across
the Tasman this season with 30 Black Type wins to
his credit, including seven Group One races.
Distinctly Secret is prepost favourite to open his
Carnival campaign on a winning note in tomorrow’s
weight-for-age Richmond Grove Cup.
QUEENSLAND Racing web news: John Lingard – April
30.
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