Latest News

By Mark Brassel

The famous jockey silks carried by former champion sprinter Takeover Target were on display at Coffs Harbour on Friday when Polskie Lady ran her rivals ragged at Coffs Harbour.

Those red and black check, white sleeves that were aboard Takeover Target when he won eight Group One races and prizemoney of $6.3 million, were seen on the mare who is part-owned by Joe Janiak, the man who owned and trained the former superstar.

Janiak these days just owns a couple of horses with Polskie Lady prepared by Jim Jarvis at Coffs Harbour and Polskie Prince trained by Sue Grills at Tamworth.

Polskie Lady’s win last Friday was her third from nine appearances while Polskie Prince has been a good money-spinner for Janiak, winning seven races for nearly $110,000 in prizemoney.

Three races later at Coffs, chestnut galloper Western Alliance pulled off a sizeable betting coup when successful in the maiden (1000m). The horse was backed into favouritism from $7 into $4 and never gave his backers much cause for concern during the run.

Western Alliance had not raced for three months and was driven straight to the lead from an outside barrier by talented jockey Luke Rolls.

Grafton trainer, David Campbell, said the horse had “matured in the last few months.” “I hadn’t given him much work so there’ll be a fair bit of improvement in him.”

Rolls brought up a winning double in the very next race when he drove Do Dar to a narrow win from Our Boy Ben who looked the winner until Do Dar fought back valiantly.

Michael Beattie, representing trainer Dwayne Schmidt, said: “He’s a great little horse and Dwayne found him on an auction website.

“He thought he’d run 2000m but he couldn’t so he put him back on the market, but at the 11th hour he decided not to sell and it has been a good move as his form has been first class this time in.”

Rolls said even though Do Dar was headed by the runner-up, he thought he would eventually win the race: “He just takes a long time to wind up and he also appreciated the sting out of the track.”

Meanwhile, NSW will host seven race meetings to coincide with next Saturday’s Caulfield Cup Day. Aside from Royal Randwick and Newcastle, there will also be meetings at Bombala, Wagga Wagga, Inverell, Narromine and Deniliquin.

Bombala Jockey Club stages its annual Cup day with a Fashions on the Field sponsored by Joseph and Jones Racing, entertainment for the children and a bus departing both the Delegate Hotel and Bombala RSL. There is also a BBQ, afternoon tea and bar facilities.

Murrumbidgee Turf Club has its Group 9 Men of League Cup Day, Deniliquin Racing Club has its Cup day with Narromine hosting its annual Dandy Cup program.