TRAINER Tim McIntosh and his partner, former top jockey Samantha Clenton, are expecting their first child, a son, in early November and will be able to further decorate the nursery after General Harmony (Josh Adams) won the Magic Millions 2YOS In Training Sale Class One (1280m) at Muswellbrook on Tuesday.
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General Harmony, bought by McIntosh at a Dubbo yearling sale for just $3000, has proved an astute purchase.
In seven starts, he has scored two wins and a third and taken his earnings past $30,000.
“I bought six yearlings that sale and they have all won races,” McIntosh said.
“He is a nice style of horse and I think the key to this win is Josh.
“He rode him at previous start at Scone when fourth and learned a lot about the horse.
“He can be a bit tricky to ride but Josh is such a good rider and he has him worked out.
“I think in time the horse will get 1600 metres when he learns to settle but in the mean time we will keep him to these shorter races.”
Adams settled the horse in fifth place on the rails, got a split in the straight and went on to win by two lengths from Our Tax Return (Kelli Holding).
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THE bubble surrounding the promising four-year-old Floki was well and truly burst in dramatic fashion and his jockey Josh Adams returned to scale furious after the running of the Vancouver @ Coolmore Class One (1000m).
Floki, which ran third, missed the start a fraction and was last early before Adams pushed him along the rails, a move that may have proved his undoing.
The other five riders put Adams in a pocket and he had no option but to stay where he was.
In the straight Adams tried to find a way clear along the fence but the leader and eventual winner Oakfield Time (Serg Lisnyy) moved in and the opening closed.
Adams then shifted away and tried to drive Floki between Oakfield Time and Final Frontier (Paul King) but Final Frontier moved in, closing that gap.
Adams went back to the fence and Oakfield Time shifted in and Floki twice hit the running rail and lost all chance, hanging on to run third.
“I feel sick,” Floki’s trainer Benjamin Smith said.
“I’ll take the horse home and see how he has come through this before making any plans.”
Floki started the $1.28 favourite on the strength of his runaway maiden win at Scone two weeks earlier.
Oakfield Time was the only horse that Tuncurry trainer Terry Evans took to the meeting.
“I was confident we could beat the favourite,” Evans said.
“If you look the time my horse ran in winning his maiden here and the time Floki ran at Scone then my horse was entitled to win.
“I told Serg to lead if he could but if something else wanted to lead then to take a sit.
“My horse was comfortable in front.
“It was a good win and I will probably take him back to town for another Highway Handicap.”
Oakfield Time was having his first run from a spell. Last November he ran third in a Highway at Rosehill.
Stewards opened and inquiry after the race and took evidence from Adams, King and Lisnyy.
They accepted King’s evidence that he had moved his horse in to close the gap and that his actions “were just within the parameters.”
They ruled that Adams had established a line inside Oakfield Time near the 150 metres but that Oakfield Time had moved in, closing the gap and forcing Floki on to the running rail.
They found Lisnyy guilty of careless riding and suspended him from August 30 to September 9 on which day he may ride.
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SILENT Jack, the Allan Denham-trained four-year-old named after his late father Jack Denham, made it a family affair in winning the TAB.COM.AU MAIDEN (1500m).
The New Zealand bred galloper, raced by the Denham family, was having only his second start after a debut fourth at Port Macquarie last month.
“He was bred in New Zealand and is by a staying sire out of a staying mare so in time he is going to get a mile and a half (2600m),” Denham said.
“A mate of mine in New Zealand looks out for horses for me and he found us this one.
“The horse is still learning but I will keep him going and gradually get him up to 1600 metres this campaign.”
The late Jack Denham was re-nowned for saying very little and saying nothing to the media but he was one of Australia’s foremost trainers, a member of the Hall Of Fame and the trainer of more than 3000 winners in a long career.
A host of top class gallopers wet through his hands including the Caulfield and Melbourne cup winner Might And Power
Silent Jack is by little known New Zealand sire Mettre En Jeu from the Volksraad mare Hahei.
Mettre En Jeu is by Montjeu and won four races from 1300 metres to 2100 metres.
Robert Thompson settled Silent Jack in third place early, went to the lead in the straight and held off a challenge from Latin Light (Josh Adams) to win by a long neck.
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ADAMS was in the winners’ circle after the following race, the Shalaa @ Arrowfield Maiden (1280m), when the Todd Howlett trained Hayden Boy finished wide out to win impressively.
The win came at his eighth start following three minor placings. However his previous two starts produced a sixth at Warren and a fifth at Taree.
“Those last two runs were disappointing but his work has been really good,” Howlett said.
“I think there are more wins in store for him.
“The horse was bred by Dennis Wilton and it is good to get another winner for him.”
Adams settled Hayden Boy in fifth place early, was the widest runner in the straight and finished strongly to win by one and a half lengths from Our Dilemma.
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FORMER Irish bred galloper Der Meister scored his first win since coming from Britain two and a half years ago when he won the Two Rivers Wines Benchmark 60 (2300m) for trainer Paul Perry.
The horse won three of his four English starts including a win over 2400 metres at Newmarket in September 2014.
His first Australian start was when eighth for Perry over 1800 metres at Rosehill the following May.
In 24 starts after that he was placed seven times including six on city tracks but could not break through until this race.
“Like so many of these English horses they take time to adjust to the hard Australian tracks but Dad never lost faith in the horse,” foreman Shannon Perry said.
“He did a good job today coming from the rear of the field and carrying that big weight (61.5kgs).”
Der Meister had a tendency to run about in the straight but Perry put that down to his big weight.
He went away on the line to win by three quarters of a length from Marman with Strike Zone a further three and three quarter lengths away third.
The stable made it a double later in the day when Nick On The Run (Rachael Murray) came from well back early to win the Vancouver @ Coolmore Class One (1000m).
Nick On The Run started well but drifted back through the field. Murray let him balance up before edging forward then going to the middle of the track to wear down the leaders and win by half a length from Heidsieck which was having his first start in more than 12 months.
“That was a good ride and a good win and the horse will go back to provincial and mid-week racing,” Perry said.
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THERE was a special reason for Bobby El-Issa to celebrate after the Peter Robl trained Percussion proved too good in winning the Godolphin Benchmark 55 (1500m).
It was two years ago to the day that El-Issa was given the all clear by doctors after under-going four rounds of chemo therapy to treat acute myeloid leukaemia.
He was told at the time there was only a slim chance he would ride again.
“I feel so fortunate that I was able to beat it,” El-Issa said.
“It is such a blessing that I am able to ride work every morning and go to the races and ride winners.”
El Issa settled Percussion one off the fence behind the leaders then went to the outside to take the lead and go on and win by one and a half lengths from the leader Prince Roo which fought back near the line.
Robl, making his first visit to Muswellbrook, said the horse would go home to Segenhoe for a break.
“He will go there tonight and have four or six weeks off,” Robl said.
“I have had runners here before but never been here until today.”
