Jimmy Choux shines in track gallop

Star Hastings galloper Jimmy Choux turned in an excellent training gallop in Melbourne yesterday in preparation for this Saturday’s $1million Emirates Mile, feature race on the last day of the Melbourne Cup carnival.

The horse’s trainer, John Bary, is back home but has been in constant contact with Jimmy Choux’s minder, Sue Hall, in Australia since his gutsy last start second in the Cox Plate (2040m) and says the horse is in perfect order going into this Saturday’s 1600-metre event.

Bary sent one of his trackwork riders, amateur jockey Aaron Kuru, across to Melbourne to ride Jimmy Choux in a searching gallop on the Flemington course yesterday and he gave him a glowing report afterwards.

“The horse had a lovely hit-out over 1000 metres and was timed to run it in 1:02, which was pretty good time,” Bary said.

“Aaron has ridden him a lot in track gallops in the past and said he’s never felt as good as he is now. He feels magnificent.”

Bary sent Jimmy Choux out to a farm outside of Melbourne for a few days after his Cox Plate run, to freshen up, and said he has just kept him ticking over since.

“Today’s gallop was his first decent hit-out since the Cox Plate and we are really happy with him,” he added.

Jimmy Choux has to carry topweight of 58kg under the handicap conditions of Saturday’s Emirates Stakes, half a kilogram more than he had when finishing 1-1/4 lengths behind Pinker Pinker in the weight-for-age Cox Plate 10 days ago.

Whilst Bary says it will be hard to concede weight to the likes of Wall Street, who won last year’s Emirates Stakes, as well as a host of other top Australian gallopers, he was not surprised by the handicap he has been given.

“He’s rated on 118 points, which is the highest in the field and has won two Group 1 races on his way through so I’m quite happy that we didn’t get more,” he said.

Bary and Jimmy Choux’s regular race day jockey, Jonathan Riddell, are booked on a flight to Melbourne this Friday night, after they fulfil commitments with horses racing at that day’s Poverty Bay meeting.

Plans are for Jimmy Choux to go on to the $HK20million Hong Kong Mile (1600m) at the Sha Tin racecourse in Hong Kong on December 11 following this Saturday’s race and there is a strong chance he could then race in Dubai after that.

Made light work of a heavy track

Whilst most thoroughbred trainers in the central districts are getting frustrated trying to find firm tracks for their horses Waipukurau owner-trainer David Williams doesn’t care if it keeps on raining until Christmas.

Williams picked up another win at Awapuni on Saturday with his nine-year-old gelding Turn On D’Light, a noted mudlark who revelled in the heavy-10 track conditions.

The Woodbury Lad gelding led from start to finish in a $12,000 Rating 90 event, staving off a challenge by race favourite Rememba Howe to score by 1-1/4 lengths.

It was Turn On D’Light’s fifth win from 32 starts and all of them have been on either slow or heavy tracks. Williams wants to keep him going until the tracks become too firm and he is still eligible for another Rating 80 16009-metre race at Awapuni next Tuesday.

Turn On D’Light is the only horse Williams is training at the moment and he bred the Woodbury Lad gelding in partnership with his wife Phillippa. He is the only living foal produced by the Alleged Dash mare All D’Light, who unfortunately died in 2003 when in foal again to Woodbury Lad.

Strong assault on Gisborne

Hastings stables are expected to have strong representation at the two-day Poverty Bay race meeting run at Gisborne this Friday and the following Sunday.

The partnership of Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen could have as many as nine runners on the first day, with some of them likely to back up on the second day. Last start winner The Innkeeper heads their team, with others likely to start over the two days being Arizona Jazz, Cowboy, Firekeeper, Gusto, Kaycent, Pheasant, Snippins, Youtoofast, Scareaway and Tullamayo. John Bary has six entered for the first day, Commett, Jakob Gambino, Crumpet, Shaby Sheik, Xabeel and Party Horse, and is also likely to have other runners on the second day.

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