It took a little while to make up their minds, but Blake Shinn backed the connections of Toydini to reap the benefit of gelding the Queensland Derby-bound star, which won the group 2 Phar Lap Stakes at Rosehill. ''The owners took a bit of persuading to geld him, but they've got a really promising racehorse,'' Shinn said. ''We're sure he's going to go to really big heights this horse. Mentally, he's so much calmer in trackwork. He wants to be a racehorse. You're always a bit sceptical until they perform on race day, but he really attacked the line [yesterday].'' Shinn camped midfield on Toydini ($6.50) before steering his mount into the open, dashing to a comfortable 2¼ length win from Ninth Legion. Trainer Guy Walter declared the Carbine Club and Frank Packer Plate the immediate targets before hinting he was happy to test the waters in the Queensland Derby.
WONDERFUL WORLD
Joe Pride's decision to dodge The Galaxy next week paid dividends after See The World avoided a mounting yard meltdown to win the listed Maurice McCarten Stakes. The Warwick Farm trainer had originally ear-marked The Galaxy for his smart sprinter, which was backed in to $6 after opening at $9. ''He surprised me a bit there [yesterday],'' Pride said after See The World's last-to-first win. ''He was having a bit of a meltdown in the yard. I don't race him during the summer months because it just gets too hot for him, but he just blew them away.'' Pride all but ruled out having a stab against the top-line sprinters in the $350,000 Galaxy, instead leaning towards a start in the Sebring Stakes on Golden Slipper day. Welkom Gold and Hurrara scorched along in front allowing Jason Collett to angle See The World to the middle of the track, swamping the frontrunners in the final 200m. ''I didn't quite clear the gates well and I thought the stopwatch was broken they were going that hard,'' Collett said. ''They come right back to me at the furlong and I put them away pretty quickly.'' Hidden Warrior was a late scratching on the order of stewards after it was discovered the horse was fitted with work plates and not race plates on race morning.
JULIENAS LEADS CHARGE
Wayward stayer Julienas led home an overseas-bred trifecta before Gai Waterhouse joked No.1 stable rider Nash Rawiller might have to ''get a few lessons'' after the European import darted left and then right down the straight at Rosehill. Rawiller had a handful straightening out the Wyong Cup winner, which would have walloped his Sky High Stakes rivals by more than the 1¾ length margin if he had navigated a more direct path home. ''He might have to get a few lessons,'' Waterhouse said of Rawiller's struggle to keep the front-running Julienas on course. ''He's a real chance in the Sydney Cup this Julienas. We bought him in England 18 months ago and he's turned into a real Down Under horse. I couldn't be happier with the way he's going.'' Rawiller added: ''He's always been a horse with good ability. Once he gets into a rhythm like that he's terribly hard to beat.'' Quizzed on whether she had completely got a grip on Julienas ($9.50) since he arrived in Australia, Waterhouse said: ''He's a real stayer and you saw the real thing, just back him in the Sydney Cup.'' French-bred Lunayir worked home strongly for second while Le Roi, bred in Germany, pipped Apollo Stakes winner Alma's Fury for third.
BROWN TAKES THE FALL
Corey Brown escaped injury after Sidestep dumped the top jockey in one of his rare mounts for Darley, in the Todman Stakes. Sidestep barely went a handful of strides before dislodging Brown from the saddle. Thankfully, the Exceed And Excel two-year-old didn't wreak havoc with the rest of the field when riderless. Criterion franked the Black Opal form after charging down the outside in a time slightly inferior to that recorded by Overreach in the fillies' division.
DALE MISSES START
Rosehill starter Billy Dale was a notable absentee from the rostrum on Saturday, but with good reason. Dale, who has clocked up more than 40 years of service, dodged Coolmore Classic day to attend the wedding of his son, Brent. ''He missed the Golden Slipper a couple of years ago because he was really sick, but I can't ever remember him not being here for a day in the carnival apart from that,'' ATC racecourse manager Lindsay Murphy said.
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