Latest news with #ex-Kranji
New Paper
3 days ago
- Sport
- New Paper
Pallaton to bloom further in the Rosebud
With the rainy weather in Sydney not letting up, the Rosebud meeting will still take place on a heavy track at Rosehill on Aug 16. Nonetheless, plenty of hot action is to be expected across the eight races (starting at 10.10am Singapore time) picked up by the Singapore Pools for wagering. The A$200,000 (S$167,000) Listed Rosebud is a three-year-old feature over 1,100m that kicks off the Spring campaign, and has garnered a small but select field of six youngsters following the scratching of Shaggy. On face value, Pallaton may have put a dampener on his cracking Randwick debut last December and all the hype as ex-Kranji trainer Michael Freedman's best two-year-old last season, with two subsequent unplaced starts. As a result, his Golden Slipper plans were scuppered, even if Freedman still ended up winning the Australian premier sprint for two-year-olds with Marhoona. Jockey Tommy Berry is convinced the deflating runs did not do the Wootton Bassett colt justice. "He took all before him at his first start, then had a little break and was a bit big going into the second run and you saw that late," said the jockey, who won the 2013 Singapore Gold Cup aboard Tropaios for Freedman. "His third run, he'd had a bit of a setback and he had a horse either side of him in the run, got his mouth open and wanted to charge a little bit. "He was his own worst enemy towards the end of his prep but it was a long prep for him as well. "Coming into this preparation, we've put a crossover noseband on him which he seems to have adapted to very quickly. He has put two really nice trials together, so we're pretty confident going into the weekend." The wet does not daunt Berry either as Wootton Bassett's are known to thrive on such surfaces. The top Sydney jockey, who finished a distant eighth to perennial champion James McDonald last season, has sprung off the starting blocks this term. On three wins in only three metropolitan meetings, he is just one win behind early leader McDonald and can bank on not just pre-race (3-2) favourite Pallaton to pad up his score. Tuileries (5-2) and Our Gold Hope (8-1) are among his other decent chances from his six other bookings, the latter a value hope in the A$200,000 Captivant @ Kia Ora Handicap (1,400m). The Robert and Luke Price-trained Lope De Vega mare's narrow third to Ceolwulfin the Group 2 Neville Sellwood Stakes (2,000m) sticks out as the best formline. She will, however, have to be wary of Palmetto (5-1) who is first-up for ex-Kuala Lumpur-based Kiwi trainer John Sargent (Malaysia champion trainer in 2000). Palmetto had a mixed Autumn campaign that yielded a Listed Canberra Cup (2,000m) success and midfield finishes in Sydney. Though the son of Ghibellines is seven, Sargent believes he is a late bloomer, but needs to run well on Aug 16 first before taking the path he has plotted for him towards more serious targets like the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1,600m) at Randwick on Sept 6 and the Group 2 Feehan Stakes (1,600m) at Moonee Valley on Sept 26. "He has finally matured, being a New Zealand-bred horse and being slow-maturing," said Sargent. "His trials have been super and I'd expect him to run well on Saturday." However, the 14-5 favourite War Eternal may be the horse they all have to gun down. The Bjorn Baker-trained four-time winner looked in a spot of bother in a small four-horse field in a Benchmark 94 (1,300m) on a heavy track at Rosehill on Aug 2, but rallied late to keep eventual winner The Novelist honest to the line. It is an open race but the Pierro seven-year-old can score in the expert hands of Jason Collett. manyan@
New Paper
12-05-2025
- Business
- New Paper
Flying start in New Zealand for Queiroz
Bruno Queiroz's riding career in New Zealand got off to a great start when he steered Tycoon Boss to an effortless win on his second ride at Trentham, Wellington on May 10. After clinching the 2024 Singapore champion jockey title right at its very final meeting at Kranji on Oct 5, the Brazilian returned home to continue his riding career. He spent the next six months in Brazil before flying to his new riding base in Palmerston North on May 3. With the help of ex-Kranji trainer Stephen Gray - who now trains with his father, Kevin, at Copper Belt Lodge in Palmerston North - Queiroz soon found himself sitting atop a winning ride at his first race meeting in New Zealand. The Grays supplied two of his four rides at Trentham on May 10. The 23-year-old repaid their trust with a third on Albarossa on his first ride, before going two better with maiden runner Tycoon Boss in the NZ$20,000 (S$15,300) Doctor Askar Maiden race (1,000m) in the very next race. Placed three times in as many starts previously, the three-year-old son of Street Boss sat in a handy position under Queiroz before upping the ante in the straight to stride home powerfully towards an easy 4.3-length win from Fleeting Glimpse (Jim Chung). Queiroz, who turns 24 on May 15, was rapt with the breakthrough. "I was so happy. I have to thank Mr Stephen Gray for the big opportunity to ride Tycoon Boss," said Queiroz. "Stephen told me before the race that I've got two very good rides. Albarossa ran third at my first race in New Zealand and then Tycoon Boss won in my second race. "I was confident he can win. I rode him in trackwork on the Friday before and he felt very fresh. "He jumped very well and I sat second on him because the horse inside wanted to go to the front. At the last 300m, I put some pressure on him and he responded very nicely. He did it himself and it was an easy win." Queiroz also had four rides at Whanganui on May 11, when he managed two fourths. The Sao Paulo native had been wanting to keep riding overseas since his first successful overseas stint in Singapore. He spoke to Gray in September 2024 and the latter agreed to help Queiroz kickstart his career in the Land of the Long White Cloud. "I thought New Zealand is a nice place and it would be a good experience overseas," he said. "Besides Stephen and (his wife) Bridget, I don't know anyone here. I flew to Auckland alone before arriving in Palmerston North. "I'm staying with Stephen and Bridget now. Stephen's my main supporter and they will drive me to the races. "But I'm also looking to rent a place around this area and to buy a car. My girlfriend (Kemilly Rodrigues) will join me next month. "The weather's a bit cold for me but I do like the food and place. It's different from Brazil. "I ride trackwork on weekdays here, and then in the races on weekends. I don't know my rides for this week yet, but (racing manager) Andre (Niel) will let me know tomorrow (Tuesday)." Before his one-year stint in New Zealand, the two-time Rio de Janeiro champion jockey yielded good results from his rides at home, including a Group 1 win in the first leg of the Brazil Triple Crown, the Grande Prêmio Estado do Rio de Janeiro (1,600m) astride New Dance on Feb 9. Queiroz also flew to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a short two-day raid on Jan 31 and Feb 2, when he bagged two wins at Sungai Besi. "I had good results riding at home after I left Singapore. I rode mainly in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo and Curitiba," he said. "I rode 36 winners, including a Group 1 win on New Dance in the Brazil Triple Crown in Rio de Janeiro, two Group 2 races and two Listed races. My last ride in Brazil was on April 29. "I don't have a goal for myself in New Zealand, but I will do my best to ride many winners. Hopefully, I get to ride in the bigger races in Auckland too. "My experiences here would be good for my resume. Maybe, in future, I can ride in Hong Kong or Australia." sharonzhang@
