McEvoy hopes for summer success on Galah

Wednesday 5 December 2012, 4:47pm

After aborting a Group One mission to Perth with Galah, the Darley team has altered its sights to a Sydney summer double, starting with the Festival Stakes.

Galah was in line for a trip west after the Melbourne spring carnival but when it emerged the four-year-old would not make the final field for the $1 million Railway Stakes he remained on the eastern seaboard.

The Listed Festival Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday will be the first of two targets this month along with the Group Two Villiers Stakes (1600m).

Darley jockey Kerrin McEvoy chose to partner Galah in the Festival over stablemates Classics and Quidnunc.

"It was pretty close between him and Classics who was a good last start winner," McEvoy said.

"They are all in good shape and there's not much between them.

"I just feel he (Galah) is going to be our main chance in a race like the Villiers. He's a colt that's up to winning the Villiers Stakes, that's for sure, and hopefully I can be on him."

Galah has barrier three in the field of 17 with first emergency Gangster's Choice gaining a start following the early scratching of Praecido.

Topweight Monton will be chasing back-to-back wins in the event and came up with gate eight, while last start stakes winners Cabernet and Darci Be Good had differing fortunes with Cabernet drawing four and Darci Be Good 17.

McEvoy said Galah had returned to Sydney in fine shape after his Melbourne campaign.

"Pete (Snowden) has freshened him up and he's doing really well at home," McEvoy said.

"He's travelled back up to Sydney nicely and he's drawn a nice alley for Saturday.

"He's going to go on to the Villiers but he's forward enough in condition to say he's going to run well this week."

Trainer Ron Quinton was satisfied with Monton's draw.

"That should work out alright for him and it's certainly better than drawing 18," Quinton said.

"He needs to have a reasonable run with that weight (59kg) but I'm very happy with the horse."

Meanwhile, leading rider Hugh Bowman has told stewards he is confident he will be fit to ride at both Friday night's Canterbury meeting and at Rosehill on Saturday.

Bowman injured his heel when he was dislodged returning to scale after a race in Mauritius on the weekend where he was competing in a jockeys' series.

He is booked for Darci Be Good in the Festival.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »