Gold Edition Looking The Goods For Southern Campaign
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday August 14, 2007
TOOWOOMBA tornado Gold Edition will be off to Melbourne to take the early part of the spring carnival by storm following a conditioning barrier trial at Rosehill this morning.
Trainer Ron Maund has made the trip to Sydney to inspect the iron mare, which in two seasons of racing has won 15 of 31 starts and $2.6 million in prizemoney. "I thought I'd better come down to Sydney to have a look at her and watch her trial, particularly as I haven't set eyes on her for almost two months," Maund said yesterday. "And I have been very pleased with what I have seen since I got here. [Foreman] Neville Saunders has been looking after her down here and he's doing a good job with her. She looks super." Gold Edition finished a gallant second to Sniper's Bullet in the Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm in June before running the worst race of her career two weeks later when 15th of 20 in the Winter Stakes, won by Nova Star. "She only had a week or 10 days off after that," said Maund. "She would still go for a trot, get on the walker and out in the paddock. It was a bit of a working holiday." Maund said Gold Edition and Queensland Derby-winning stablemate Ice Chariot had been stabled at Warwick Farm and he "took them out for a swim" yesterday afternoon. "They will be out to have nice gallops at the trials without being gut-busters," he said. "We've got a heavy jockey in Justin Sheehan riding them on Tuesday morning and he will just breeze around on them and get them to work home over the last little bit."We'll send Gold Edition and Ice Chariot down to Melbourne on Wednesday and from there it will be on with the show." Maund said he had the group 3 McEwen Stakes at Moonee Valley on Saturday week inked in as Gold Edition's next start. The mare, which won the Ascot Vale Stakes in Melbourne last spring, will then push on to the group 1 Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley on September 15. "Damien Oliver has been booked to ride Gold Edition and we are very happy to have him on," said Maund. "Don't be surprised if the horses do a bit of travelling between Melbourne and Sydney during the carnival." Maund said he would look at some staying races for Ice Chariot with the gelding having failed down south last spring when it contested the Caulfield Cup, Saab Quality and Melbourne Cup. Gold Edition will contest a 900m trial today with Rosehill trainer Chris Waller sending around unbeaten three-year-old Triple Honour against her. "Triple Honour will run in Saturday's The Run To The Rose at Rosehill so he'll have a nice quiet trial as it will be four weeks between runs come race day," he said. Meanwhile, Oliver has picked up the ride on last year's Melbourne Cup third placegetter Maybe Better in Saturday's Liston Stakes at Caulfield with Steven Arnold, who was on Maybe Better when it resumed in the Bletchingly Stakes, booked for the Lloyd Williams-owned Efficient. Surveillance video captured trainer John Leek carrying tubing gear into a horse float, giving an injection to his horse Gold Attire and removing a cattle prod from his utility, reports AAP.Leek has pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempting to stomach-tube Gold Attire, on the morning of a race at Warrnambool, not guilty to possessing a cattle prodder, but changed his plea to guilty of administering medication by way of intravenous injection at an inquiry in Melbourne yesterday. It continues today.
© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald
