In Brief
- High white blood cell count ends filly's Derby hopes.
- Interstate invader now likely to start a short-priced favourite.
- Newitt picks up plum ride with Allen opting to ride in Melbourne on Saturday.
Longford trainer Bill Ryan caused a sensation when he was forced to scratch the Schweppes Tasmanian Derby favourite Still A Star due to a blood disorder.
Ryan said he had no option but to scratch his stable star late yesterday afternoon owing to the filly having an elevated white blood cell count.
“I had the filly’s bloods sent to Melbourne early this week and the result was an elevated white blood cell count but she showed no signs of anything being wrong with her and her temperature was normal,” Ryan said.
“I didn’t want to take any chances so I had her blood analysed locally this morning and when I get the results back the cell count had dropped closer to normal, but I am not prepared to take any risks so I scratched her.”
With the filly out, it has opened the door for interstate invader Rogues Point to take out the $150,000 Listed event over 2200m.
Rouge’s Point arrived in the state on Thursday morning and settled in well at Gary White’s Brighton stables and he has been forced to wait an extra 24 hours to strut his stuff owing to the the meeting having to be postponed due to extreme heat on Friday.
With Still A Star out, Rogues Point will start a short-priced favourite and has been reeled into $1.55 with Ladbrokes.
The grey gelding was to be ridden by in-form Melbourne-based jockey John Allen but he had to be replaced owing to his commitments at the Caulfield meeting on Saturday.
However Tasmania’s premier jockey Craig Newitt has picked up the ride owing to his original Derby mount Upwind being unlikely to run.
“We are very fortunate to have picked up Craig (Newitt) otherwise it would have put us in a very awkward situation,” said Freedman sable racing manager Brad Taylor.
“The horse has travelled very well to Tasmania and his form suggests he will be very competitive.
“We pencilled in this race after he won his maiden at Cranbourne three starts back and since then he was second at Sandown beaten a narrow margin and last start he was third at Flemington.”
The Scott Brunton-trained Vamos Raffa was an eye-catching third to Still A Star in the Launceston Guineas, so he warrants respect while another Victorian, the Richard Laming-trained Skyt (Anthony Darmanin), will be kept safe.
The Derby will be run as race five on the eight-event card and is scheduled to start at 2.43pm with the first race to be run at 12:20.
The meeting will be live hosted on Tasracing TV with full mounting yard coverage.