Lockdown Forces Stable Switch

Media Release - Wednesday March 25

Three quality gallopers from the Tony Pike team have transferred to Australian stables in a bid to finish their campaigns in Sydney.

Not an OptionGroup One winners The Bostonian and Sherwood Forest have switched stables to tackle the Gr.1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) and Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) respectively, while Group Two-winning juvenile Not An Option will run in Pike’s name in the Gr.3 Schweppervescence (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday but will be saddled by a fellow trainer. 

With New Zealand going into lockdown due to the threat of Covid-19 from 11:59pm on Wednesday, the decision was made for staff members Chris McNab and Mark Hills to return home on Tuesday, 24-hours before the lockdown.

“We sent the horses to a spelling farm while the staff came back yesterday afternoon,” Pike said.

“After discussions with owners and there is a little bit of confidence that they would continue racing over there, at least in the short term, so we’ve arranged for those horses to go to other trainers for their final races of the carnival.

“Not An Option has gone to Richard Freedman. He was in the barn beside us at Rosehill, so he has taken him over just for the next four days until he runs on Saturday.

“Sherwood Forest has headed to Bjorn Baker’s. I have just been in touch with him and he has arrived in good shape from the spelling farm.

“The Bostonian has headed to John O’Shea’s, just to finish his preparation off in the All Aged Stakes.”

Advertisement

The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained duo of Quick Thinker and The Chosen One have been integrated into the stable of Baker’s son Bjorn, where the pair were domiciled under the care of travelling foreperson Aliesha Legg, who also returned to New Zealand on Tuesday.

Quick Thinker has drawn barrier 2 in Saturday’s Gr.2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) and will be ridden by James McDonald, who was impressed by his last start placing in the Gr.2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m)

“After his third placing behind those star fillies (Funstar and Probabeel), he looks pretty well placed in a race like that,” McDonald said.

“He wouldn’t be running scared of anything in that field. They’re all very similar sort of horses and they’re all trying to get to a Derby and this is a bit of a back door.

“If rain comes about, it only enhances his chances.” – NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Resolute Racing Purchase Top Lot Goffs Orby Day 1
The Goffs Orby Yearling Sale kicked off overnight and the top lot on Day 1 was a colt by Blue Point purchased by John Stewart’s Resolute Bloodstock for €675,000, while Wootton Bassett produced the top selling filly, whose half-brother Trinity College is now in Australia.
Karaka Million Dreaming for Out of the Blue
Te Akau Racing marketing manager Julia-Rose Hayes has had plenty of success syndicating horses selected by her father, David Ellis, and that has continued with her latest syndicate.
She's Unusual Keeps Good Times Rolling
Continued success with resident stallion Unusual Suspect and their racing team has kept Nigel and Adaire Auret busier than they may have envisaged, but without any complaints.
Equimillion This Long Weekend – Draws and Start Lists
Racing NSW have their annual Equimillion event coming up this long weekend at Sydney International Equestrian Centre at Horsley Park and for people interested in off the trackers it’s a showcase for the sport, so let’s take a look at who’s who in the zoo.
2025 G1 Epsom Handicap Field and Barrier Draw
The field and barrier draw has been decided for the Group I Epsom Handicap on Saturday with odds-on favourite and unbeaten mare Autumn Glow drawing the extreme outside gate in a field of 14.
Golden Rose Brings Second Season Shake Up
We are two months into a new racing season and the second season sires table was given a good shake up over the weekend with the $1million Group I Golden Rose and $300,000 Group II Stutt Stakes both producing a quinella for sires in this cohort.
Autumn Glow Epsom Challenge - Just How Big Is This Task?
With the unbeaten Autumn Glow set to run as the first odds-on favourite this century in the Epsom Handicap on Saturday we thought we’d run some data to see how big this mountain is that she’s attempting to climb, and turns out, it’s pretty big.
Kiwi Stayer Chasing Melbourne Cup Golden Ticket
Wolfgang, who races as Mister Wolfgang in Australia, will get his first opportunity to earn a golden ticket into the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) when he heads to Flemington on Saturday.
Magic Carpet Writes New Chapter for Family
Jenna McLeod got a massive thrill when watching the latest generation of her family’s breed score at stakes level at Te Rapa on Saturday.
Sires With Winners - Monday September 29
Here is the full list of 22 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.