Reported in this morning's press that there is still a strong chance that Northerly will run at Caulfield on Saturday in the Futurity Stakes (1400m) or Victoria Gold Cup (2020m).

Kersley will not decide which race to target until after handicaps are declared.

Kersley at this stage is leaning towards the Gold Cup, which has a maximum handicap of 60kg.

Kersley is concerned of the 16-day gap to the Australian Cup, last year there were only nine days between the St George Stakes and the Australian Cup.

thats it magoo, when northerly raced in his first few lead up races last spring i tried to find something which could beat it and lost every time. come caulfield cup day i wasn't falling for that again and he won me some money that day and also cox plate day, the things a dead set freak, dare i say, UNBEATABLE when fit and over the right distance

Caulfield Saturday - VICTORIA GOLD CUP 2020M - Weights

1 NORTHERLY Fred Kersley 60
2 GUNNAMATTA Tony Noonan 52
3 MR. CASANOVA Colin Alderson 52
4 LORD ARDSLEY (NZ) Doug Harrison 51
5 ARENA VALADORA David Hall 51
6 CONSULAR Peter Morgan 51
7 MR. TRICKSTER Mick Price 51
8 LADY KNOCKOUT Tony McEvoy 51
9 GUSSY GODIVA (NZ) Brian Mayfield-Smith 51
10 GALLIC (NZ) Bradley Marzato 51


_________________
All the best from the West

Sandgroper :smile:

[ This Message was edited by: Sandgroper on 2003-02-25 18:58 ]

Caulfield Saturday - FUTURITY STAKES 1400M - Nominations

1 NORTHERLY Fred Kersley 1 58
2 OLD FASHION V A Brockman 4 58
3 TIT FOR TAAT (NZ) Wayne Herbert 6 58
4 AQUIVER John Hawkes 7 58
5 EMISSION Cliff Brown 9 58
6 VIKING RULER Clarry Conners 11 58
7 MR. MAGOO James Riley 12 58
8 EL NINO Tony McEvoy 15 58
9 ROMAN ARCH Robbie Laing 16 58
10 CHOISIR Paul Perry 2 55
11 YELL John Hawkes 5 55
12 TITANIC JACK Tom Hughes (Jnr) 13 55
13 TYCOON RULER Jim Marconi 14 55
14 INNOVATION GIRL Brian Mayfield-Smith 3 52.5
15 BRIEF EMBRACE Peter G Moody 8 52.5
16 LA BELLA DAME Mick Price 10 52.5



_________________
All the best from the West

Sandgroper :smile:

[ This Message was edited by: Sandgroper on 2003-02-25 19:01 ]

That would have to be the lightest weight Lady Knockout (51kg) has lumped and should be right in the finish. Thanks for the info, Sandgroper.

LADY KNOCKOUT must be some chance of filling a place, Magoo. Given Northerly is still to reach peak form, I expect GUNNAMATTA and MR. CASANOVA to give the champ a run for his money.

__________________
Ta me go maith

Courtesy The West Australian website:

Heavyweight jockey Patrick Payne retains the ride on Northerly in the Victoria Gold Cup , Northerly has the maximum limit topweight of 60kg.

Kersley said Heavy Nova, a first-up third at Sandown, would be ridden by Carbery in the Carlyon Cup, a race Northerly won two years ago on his climb to stardom.

He said the 2020m of the Victoria Gold Cup was an ideal step up from the 1800m of last week's St George Stakes in which Northerly trounced arch rival Fields of Omagh.

Although Northerly meets inferior horses to Fields Of Omagh on Saturday, Kersley is mindful of the big weight difference between Northerly and his rivals, a factor which cost him several Perth races.

__________________
Ta me go maith

The final field has fallen away a bit, and MR. CASANOVA is not starting, Paddy.

No. Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight
1 NORTHERLY Fred Kersley P Payne 4 60
2 GUNNAMATTA Tony Noonan R Wheeler (a) 1 52
3 GUSSY GODIVA (NZ) Brian Mayfield-Smith S Baster 6 51
4 LADY KNOCKOUT Tony McEvoy R McLeod 5 51
5 LORD ARDSLEY (NZ) Doug Harrison W Davis 2 51
6 MR. TRICKSTER Mick Price C Newitt (a) 3 51


_________________
All the best from the West

Sandgroper :smile:

[ This Message was edited by: Sandgroper on 2003-02-27 13:52 ]

Courtesy The Age website:

Just a week ago, Caulfield trainer Mick Price said he now felt comfortable mixing it with racing's big names, but Price yesterday admitted to being embarrassed and numb after his galloper Mr Trickster claimed the biggest scalp in Australasia by outgunning Northerly in the listed Victoria Gold Cup (2020m) at Caulfield.

While obviously delighted with the upset win, which followed his winning treble on Blue Diamond Stakes day last weekend, Price was stuck for words.

"What do you say? It was a funny race and a fluke result happened. I really don't know how it happened, but I'll take it," Price said.

A fluke it may have been but Price revealed that he and apprentice rider Craig Newitt had decided before the race that as Mr Trickster would carry nine kilograms less than Northerly yesterday, they would make the champion earn victory.

"Our plan was to get out and lead and make him win the race. I thought he would, but my bloke just stuck on and the unbelievable happened," Price said

"It's a bit embarrassing, to tell you the truth."
Mr Trickster ($9) sped away in the straight and then held Northerly ($1.30), who rallied late, by three-quarters of a length. Mornington Cup winner Gunnamatta ($8) was three lengths away third.

Northerly's trainer Fred Kersley said he felt that Northerly had faltered on the track as heavy rain fell before the race, making the surface slippery.

Jockey Patrick Payne said he knew as far out as 700 metres from home that the champion would struggle to win.

"He did slip a few times near the home turn but all credit to the winner," Payne said. "He made us carry our weight (60 kilograms) and we were never really travelling well enough to get to him.

"But he still ran pretty well. When he slipped, it took a bit of confidence out of him as he couldn't really dig into the track," Payne said.

"The last 200 metres was good, though and, I'd have to say, he is still well and truly on track for the Australian Cup."

In 2001, Northerly was beaten in the Victoria Gold Cup by an unknown called Greenstone Charm, but it is a fair bet that more will be heard of Mr Trickster.

The four-year-old gelding yesterday took his earnings to more than $200,000 at his 17th start yesterday.

Mr Trickster had a severe leg injury as a three-year-old when he was shaping as a most promising stayer but Price said he was ready yesterday to test the galloper fully.

Mr Trickster is now likely to go to the autumn carnivals in either Sydney or Brisbane, with Price eyeing a group race success.

An interested onlooker yesterday was trainer Tony McEvoy, whose best galloper, Fields Of Omagh, has chased Northerly unsuccessfully since last spring.

"It shows it can happen," McEvoy said of the upset.

"If only it would happen to us," he added.

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Ta me go maith

I see the knives already out for the champ,talk like Lonhro's time has come etc., the positive out of yesterday I guess is that Fred now knows what work there is to be done before the Australian Cup, also considering the Sydney/International campaign ahead and his pattern of last prep. especially, he's not at his peak this early.
Maybe also Payne won't ride such a pretty race in future.
Hoping for a good-fast track on March 10th.