Fancy Red anything but expensive for favourite followers as in-form filly takes on Belmont Oaks field
The daughter of Sessions has started the market elect in four of her last six runs and emerged successful each time, with her most recent win just seven days prior to this clash.
From gate one, Fancy Red sat midfield before William Pike squeezed her home along the fence to win by a length and a half going away from her graduation-class rivals.
But despite her winning form and followers' confidence, trainer Adam Durrant says her even-money price is way too short.
'We're under no illusions; $2 is ridiculous,' Durrant told TABradio.
'She's got the Pike tax because she won her last start but when you start breaking down the field… they're never generally that strong.
'I've won them before with horses that aren't genuine stayers and never see that distance again.
'We've got to plan how we can hopefully just ride her quiet, which is how she seems to race best.
'Hopefully she can just get away with it but we're under no illusions and it should be $5 the field; she shouldn't be $2.
'If it was 1400m or 1600m, perhaps, but it is what it is, and we'll take our chance to get some black type.'
Durrant has a rich history with the Oaks going back almost two decades when he prepared Kia Ora Miss to win in 2006.
He had to wait until 2013 before Summah's Touch provided him with a second but collected the trophy the following year with the Pike-ridden Tick Tick Bloom.
He again shared the spoils with Pike in 2023 with Ihts Closing Inn, the fifth of the champion hoop's six wins in the event after scoring with the Grant and Alana Williams-trained Petrouchka last year.
Fancy Red steps into unknown territory having her first start beyond a mile in distance, however, that is the case for the bulk of her opponents, too.
'Distance wise, it's a roll of the dice,' Durrant said.
'She certainly wouldn't have been taking on the boys over this trip and we'll rely on a filly that's in the zone.
'She ran through the line strongly the other day, so we'll have a crack.
'The run last Saturday, that was her bonus run. We knew she was going really well and in good form and wasn't looking for the paddock.
'We thought she could win that race, and that's a bonus race, and then it was a good trial hit-out for this week.'
Showlas ($5.50) is the only other horse in the field is at single-digit odds after competing in last fortnight's Belmont Guineas with credit, finishing a four-length fifth to Opportunistic.
+ West On Sidney ($1.36) is a red-hot prospect in The Westcha$e Final (520m) at Cannington after overcoming a chequered passage to land his heat last week.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
24-07-2025
- News.com.au
James Cummings prepares for move to train in Hong Kong with final Melbourne runners at Caulfield in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes on Saturday
James Cummings is left only with a lifetime of Melbourne racing and training memories to cherish. The iconic Flemington stable, Carbine Lodge, has all but been emptied now, along with mantelpieces which proudly showcased Godolphin success under Cummings's watch. Only three horses remain in the yard, Kin, Inhibitions and Kallos, ahead of the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) on Saturday at Caulfield – his last runners in Melbourne. Cummings, in Sydney on Saturday to saddle two at Randwick, cannot pack into boxes what is going to be missed the most before a move to train in Hong Kong next year. Flemington, the racecourse and its people – most importantly the loyal Carbine Lodge team but also resident trainers and participants alike, past and present. 'I'll miss the team, a really amazing team that have been assembled and developed a great passion for the horses,' Cummings said. 'They see the horses leave, they're horses that they love … it bubbles a bit of emotion to the surface. 'Seeing that makes you appreciate that even more … missing the team will be the biggest thing. 'We've had really lovely pedigrees, outstanding horses come through the stable, but you know, the horses do come and go. 'The longevity of people that have been here to see the ebbs and flows of the stable … we cherish that … and so that makes it particularly difficult.' Cummings shared a moment with Reg Fleming on Wednesday night in Melbourne. Fleming, who served as foreman for Cups King Bart Cummings, has been a mainstay at Flemington. 'I've always been in his orbit in a way, whether it's growing up from afar in Sydney,' Cumming said. 'His relationship and devotion really to my grandfather and then being a colleague of his … Reg and a number of other staff have been around a long time.' Cummings has upheld a family tradition for top-class success in Melbourne, particularly Flemington. Cummings has saddled 13 of 52 Group 1 wins at Flemington including three Newmarket Handicaps, two Australian Cups, two VRC Oaks and the Victoria Derby before the successful Godolphin chapter. Cummings's father Anthony (Oaks and Derby) and older brother Edward (Australian Cup) boast top class Flemington honours. Bart's deeds remain peerless – 13 Australian Cups, 12 Melbourne Cups, 11 Mackinnon (Champions) Stakes, nine VRC Oaks and eight Newmarket Handicaps among others. 'It's been a very special place to our family,' Cummings said. 'To say it's been a privilege to train here is an understatement really, it truly has been a privilege and more. 'The trophies, that are not quite in the mantelpieces anymore as they've been boxed up, but it's more than just the trophies to show for those great results here. 'There are amazing pedigrees that have been updated and improved by those results, stallions at stud, stallions on the roster, broodmares at stud … and great memories.' Cummings has always held the Flemington mounting yard in the highest esteem. 'The theatre there and the drama and club feel,' Cummings said. 'To think back to those times (big race days), the place looks amazing and it feels like a very privileged place to be, in the thick of the action. 'I'd say that mounting yard encapsulates … everything about Flemington, doesn't it, everything's done well, and plenty of space, and it's a great cauldron, a great test for a horse, as much as it's a cauldron it's spacious. 'There's pressure and everyone's there and you know, the competition couldn't be much stronger … lucky to be a part of it.' Cox Plate success in 2022 with Anamoe at The Valley stamped Cummings's own legacy and avenged a contentious defeat the previous year, a benefit arguably in hindsight. Anamoe was second past the post by a hair margin in the 2021 but sustained interference from Irish raider and Cox Plate winner State Of Rest. Stewards dismissed the high-stakes protest after submissions from all parties. 'In a funny way, it probably opened up his entire four-year-old career because he had something to come back to prove and we got to see so much more of him as a result,' Cummings said. 'If you can remain upbeat and circumspect about those things that just go against you a little bit you give yourself the opportunity to make good and he got his chance for retribution. 'Everybody is better off as a consequence and he set himself up beautifully for the next phase of his career.' • Shinn tightens grips on jockeys' title at Sandown Cummings confirmed the personal and professional importance of a Melbourne spring major Cox Plate. 'I'd won a Slipper and Doncaster in Sydney, very important to get a major in Melbourne … you don't get too many opportunities at those sorts of races,' Cummings said. 'That was an amazing day (2022 Cox Plate) and an amazing race to look back on … it gave the entire team a huge uplift … imagine that day, the next day, next few weeks, people walking out in blue (Godolphin) jackets being congratulated for the feats of that champion horse. 'It's important to celebrate your wins … as much as you resist feeling the difficult days too much, it's inevitable you will still feel the disappointments and those feelings are bitter feelings. 'If you can, I think, without getting carried away, balance that out with celebrating big days. I think that's really proved to be a really good recipe for team culture and your longevity at that level.' Cummings has to keep winning races next year in Hong Kong, if nothing else but to appease his and wife Monica's four children under 10. 'They think I've got hundreds of trophies,' Cummings laughed. 'That's their view of (racing) seeing the trophies come home, but they're probably a bit young, the oldest is 10, so a bit on the younger side to be fully immersed in the ins and outs of the industry. 'Show and tell has been good for the five year old. She's enjoyed taking the odd trophy in. 'There's a few trophies stashed away in drawers as well as on display (at home) … but they'll have to be packed away. I can't take them all.'
West Australian
11-07-2025
- West Australian
Fancy Red anything but expensive for favourite followers as in-form filly takes on Belmont Oaks field
Fancy Red has been anything but expensive for punters in the lead-up to Saturday's Listed $125,000 Belmont Oaks (2019m) at Bunbury where she will again start favourite. The daughter of Sessions has started the market elect in four of her last six runs and emerged successful each time, with her most recent win just seven days prior to this clash. From gate one, Fancy Red sat midfield before William Pike squeezed her home along the fence to win by a length and a half going away from her graduation-class rivals. But despite her winning form and followers' confidence, trainer Adam Durrant says her even-money price is way too short. 'We're under no illusions; $2 is ridiculous,' Durrant told TABradio. 'She's got the Pike tax because she won her last start but when you start breaking down the field… they're never generally that strong. 'I've won them before with horses that aren't genuine stayers and never see that distance again. 'We've got to plan how we can hopefully just ride her quiet, which is how she seems to race best. 'Hopefully she can just get away with it but we're under no illusions and it should be $5 the field; she shouldn't be $2. 'If it was 1400m or 1600m, perhaps, but it is what it is, and we'll take our chance to get some black type.' Durrant has a rich history with the Oaks going back almost two decades when he prepared Kia Ora Miss to win in 2006. He had to wait until 2013 before Summah's Touch provided him with a second but collected the trophy the following year with the Pike-ridden Tick Tick Bloom. He again shared the spoils with Pike in 2023 with Ihts Closing Inn, the fifth of the champion hoop's six wins in the event after scoring with the Grant and Alana Williams-trained Petrouchka last year. Fancy Red steps into unknown territory having her first start beyond a mile in distance, however, that is the case for the bulk of her opponents, too. 'Distance wise, it's a roll of the dice,' Durrant said. 'She certainly wouldn't have been taking on the boys over this trip and we'll rely on a filly that's in the zone. 'She ran through the line strongly the other day, so we'll have a crack. 'The run last Saturday, that was her bonus run. We knew she was going really well and in good form and wasn't looking for the paddock. 'We thought she could win that race, and that's a bonus race, and then it was a good trial hit-out for this week.' Showlas ($5.50) is the only other horse in the field is at single-digit odds after competing in last fortnight's Belmont Guineas with credit, finishing a four-length fifth to Opportunistic. + West On Sidney ($1.36) is a red-hot prospect in The Westcha$e Final (520m) at Cannington after overcoming a chequered passage to land his heat last week.
West Australian
01-07-2025
- West Australian
Young apprentice jockey Holly Nottle experiencing incredible run after starting career just a month ago
The sultry climates of Carnarvon and Port Hedland are a long way from the farm where Holly Nottle grew up, but that's exactly where the promising apprentice jockey is making her mark. On a property between Brookton and Corrigin, Nottle was riding horses from toddler age but until as recently as a few years ago, the 21-year-old had no connection with racing. That psychological moment came only in the last few years when she began a casual employment with the famous Kersley family. 'About three years ago, I started trackwork, but I was really on and off with it,' Nottle told TABradio. 'I'd move to my parents' farm and work there and then come back up to Perth for a month and do a bit more trackwork. 'At the end of 2023, I thought that this is something that I really want to give a go.' After satisfying officials with more than 40 trials, Nottle was offered her first race ride from boss Greg Kersley aboard Buckland at Pinjarra on May 28, reining the galloper into second place. Three weeks later, she was rewarded with her first winner as the Kersley-trained Leetron led all the way and began a whirlwind run for the apprentice. With a double at Port Hedland two days later and another brace at Carnarvon less than a week on, she even bagged a Northam winner in between for good measure. Further success at Kalgoorlie on Sunday took her tally to seven victories from her last 24 rides, with only a weighting mishap reducing that number from eight. 'I didn't think this is how my career would start,' she said. 'It's been different. I definitely haven't had this much attention before, so I don't really know how to feel about it all. 'I actually really enjoy riding on the dirt. Port Hedland would be my favourite track because it goes to grass in the straight; I like that change. 'It was really hard at the start. I've noticed a few people that weren't answering my calls are now starting to answer. 'A few people ring and ask if I can ride, so that makes me feel good. 'I still think I've got a lot to learn, and I definitely think it's a challenge riding against the other jockeys that are really good and at a top level, but my confidence is definitely growing.' Despite hailing from a family of farmers and fisherman, it should come as no surprise that Nottle has an aptitude for racing given her lifelong affinity with horses. 'I did a lot of gymkhanas and ag shows where you do a lot of jumping,' she said. 'In the last five years, I was competing in rodeos around WA. Barrel racing and steer decorating where you get a ribbon off the steer's back. 'If you're barrel racing, it's the thrill of going really fast and taking quick turns. It's the same with racing; going really fast and making quick decisions as you go. With guidance from trailblazing senior hoops such as Holly Watson, Tash Faithfull and Lucy Fiore, even greater success seems assured for the burgeoning talent, who rides Tropical Sun ($26) at Northam on Wednesday.
