The racing ramped up a couple of levels with the running on the PB Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield but plenty was happening off the track on Saturday.
NO SLEEP LOST FOR HAYES AFTER CATCHY DEFEAT
Catchy lost her unbeaten record in Victoria when second to Crown Witness in the Quezette Stakes but co-trainer David Hayes was unconcerned with her defeat.
Hayes said Catchy's effort pleased the stable and would have no effect on his plans to push Catchy towards the Group I Thousand Guineas in October.
Hayes, who trains Catchy in partnership with his son Ben and nephew Tom Dabernig, said the Blue Diamond winner was solid behind a fit winner that raced in the right part of the track considering the day's pattern of racing.
"I'm not worried about that because of the way the races had been run today," Hayes said.
"The winner sat where they have all been winning and she's a good fit filly and our filly got beaten a head.
"She'll be at her best at her fifth and sixth run this time in not her first."
Another of the powerful Lindsay Park three-year-old team, Formality, beat the Sydney fillies in the Group II Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m).
ZAHRA'S BOOK SHRINKS RAPIDLY
Danuki's scratching at the barriers was the last thing jockey Mark Zahra needed.
Zahra was fortunately unhurt in the incident that caused the withdrawal of the Clinton McDonald-trained gelding from the Beveridge Williams Plate (1100m) but the scratching cut the jockeys' book even further.
Zahra had a good book of seven rides at Saturday's Caulfield meeting before his main mount, the Lee and Anthony Freedman-trained Shoals, was not among the Quezette Stakes acceptors.
Zahra picked up the ride on Tulip in the Quezette Stakes but the Lindsay Park team scratched that filly while his bookings King's Authority and Revolving Door were scratched from the Vain Stakes and Thebigscreencompany.com.au Plate (1400m) respectively.
That left Zahra with two rides for the day at Caulfield but both Gailo Chop in the PB Lawrence Stakes and Most Important in the Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) finished last in their respective races.
BART PULLS UP LAME
I don't think he'd have beaten Hartnell under any circumstances but vets found an excuse for Black Heart Bart for his failure to get past the leader Charmed Harmony in the PB Lawrence Stakes.
Hartnell was an easy 2¼ length winner of the PB Lawrence Stakes with Charmed Harmony holding a length over Black Heart Bart in second at the end of a race in which many punters thought the Darren Weir-trained runner would stretch the winner.
A post-race vet's examination revealed Black Heart Bart to be slightly lame in the near hind leg.
Black Heart Bart didn't run a bad race and he'll be improved for his first-up run but he'll need everything to go his way to beat Hartnell this spring.
SYMONS GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND AGAIN
Congratulations to jockey Chris Symons for his latest fund-raising effort to help the family of a seven-year-old boy who has been struck down with leukaemia.
Symons heard of the boy's plight and the associated financial hardship the youngster's family will face in a three-year treatment period and had an idea to give a hand to a family in need.
Riding goods company Persuader donated a saddle that Symons will send around the world for all living Melbourne Cup-winning jockeys to sign before it is auctioned in Cup week to raise funds for the famiy.
The saddle will head to Japan first to be signed by Delta Blues's jockey Yasunari Iwata before heading to France, Ireland and Singapore for signatures from the likes of Glen Boss, Michael Rodd, Ryan Moore and Gerard Mosse.
Symons does plenty of work to help those less fortunate through charities and hosting groups at his mini-zoo The Funky Farm on the Mornington Peninsula.
We'll provide details on how to bid on what would be a super piece of racing memorabilia when the project is complete later in the spring.
