Stars Go Through Paces

The Informant's Dennis Ryan reports ...

Jamie Richards was back at the track this morning, looking little the worse for wear after five days in Waikato Hospital while medics dealt with an abdominal problem.

Six weeks after taking sole charge of the Te Akau stable and preparing 11 winners to be equal at the top of the premiership, Richards was admitted to hospital last Wednesday. Extensive tests revealed the problem to be a piece of bone lodged in his digestive tract but yesterday he was cleared for release and he was on deck while members of his Matamata team went through their paces ahead of another busy week of racing.

“Nothing like a good horse to get you out of bed,” Richards told www.theinformant.co.nz minutes before current stable star Melody Belle had her main gallop ahead of Saturday's Gr. 1 Windsor Park Plate.

The Commands mare is sitting on a hat-trick after early season wins in the Gr. 2 Foxbridge Plate and Gr. 1 Tarzino Trophy. Shafiq Rusof was in the saddle when Melody Belle and race rival Our Abbadean, likewise ridden by her raceday jockey Danielle Johnson, put in a pleasing gallop on the plough.

Melody Belle had a slight edge on her stablemate at the end of 1200 metres in 1:16.8, with the last 1000 in 1:01.3 and 600 in 35.8. Rusof, who has proven a worthy substitute for sidelined stable jockey Opie Bosson through the opening weeks of the season, gave the mare the thumbs up ahead of her weekend assignment.

“That was very nice work, she was good and relaxed. The way she finished it off she'll get the 1600 at Hastings,” Rusof said.

Johnson made her early morning trip across from Cambridge doubly worthwhile to also partner last season's champion two-year-old Avantage in her main gallop ahead of her first-up run in Saturday's Gold Trail Stakes.

“She felt good, on the job and ready,” commented Johnson after the Fastnet Rock filly had partnered Don'tblamethemusic over 1000 metres in 1:05 and 36.8.

Johnson has an ideal measure by which to judge Avantage, having ridden her to victory when she last raced in the Gr. 1 Manawatu Sires' Produce in the autumn. The runner-up at Awapuni was Melt, so impressive in her Northland Breeders' Stakes win last weekend and setting up a mouth-watering clash when the two classy fillies meet any time soon.