'Sherpa Tenzing' returns with a bang

Up and coming stayer 'Sherpa Tenzing' returned with a dominant win at Bendigo yesterday, a definite sign he has bigger things to come.

The odds looked stacked against the four year old, who was resuming over an unsuitable 1300m and carrying the top-weight of 59kg. The Zabeel gelding still proved too classy however, settling last and circling the field for an impressive win when heavily backed.

Trainer Jim Conlan was thrilled to have him back in winning form as he's always had a big opinion of the gelding and will now look to better races further north.

“I love the horse and think he's got enormous potential”, Conlan said.

“I ride him every now and then and he gives you the feel of a very good horse. He's got a fantastic attitude, he's a terrific individual and the breeding to beat it”.

Conlan said he would have one more run in Victoria before a decision is made whether to stay at home or continue on to Brisbane for the winter carnival.

“I'll take him to the Valley in three weeks and then possibly run him in the Easter Cup here. Then we'll have a look at him and maybe go to Brisbane with him”.

The Group 2 Brisbane Cup over 2400m looks an ideal race for the improving gelding.

Sherpa Tenzing has raced nine times for two wins, and last campaign he finished a close third over 2800m in the St Leger behind 'Exceptionally'.

Runners to watch (15/03)

Runners to watch

That's Not It

The son of 'Foreplay' has always shown promise in his short career, and Saturday's run didn't disappoint. It took 'That's Not It' some distance inside the 300m to find some galloping room and had difficulty obtaining clear running until near the 150m, before storming home to finish second.

The step up to 1200-1400m should be ideal for the colt and it wouldn't surprise if he won a handy race soon.

Pinker Pinker

This three year old filly is certainly on the path to super stardom. She was badly weighted against the older mares, and didn't gain clear running until late in the straight, before powering home and winning.

If 'Pinker Pinker' heads to Sydney she will be very competitive in Group 1 company, and it will pay to follow her.

Notable trials from Cranbourne:

Marillion Force
Mosheen
Candy Stripes
Misty Blue

This weekends "Runners to watch"

As posted in Runners to watch (28/02):

Response - Running in the Race 6 at Flemington

Easily the unluckiest runner in the Oakleigh Plate, the disappointment in both trainer and jockey's voices post-race was very evident.

She will certainly appreciate a longer trip, and with clear running room, Response will be go very close to gaining Group 1 success this Autumn.

Linton - Running in Race 7 at Flemington

The lightly raced gelding may have only run ninth in the St George, but he was storming home late alongside 'Moudre' in the final 200m, and a big Australia Cup showing would not suprise.

Linton still has plenty of developing to do, so anything he does in this campaign looks to be a bonus before his Spring assault.

'Faint Perfume' calls it a day

Dual Group 1 winner 'Faint Perfume' has been retired after connections decided that she should be readied for the next phase of her career in the broodmare paddock.

The four year old mare, trained by Bart Cummings for Dato Tan Chin Nam and Alan and Colleen Jackson, had an outstanding three year old year season winning the Group 1 Crown Oaks in the spring and returned for an autumn campaign, winning the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes.

Faint Perfume was bred by Dato Tan Chin Nam out of his 'Zabeel' mare 'Zona' and his friends Alan and Colleen Jackson, racing partners in other co-owned horses in the Cummings stable, joined him in the ownership of the mare.

Owner Alan Jackson praised the mare saying, “She put everything into her racing and she has given us and Dato Tan Chin Nam wonderful memories of her wins",

"She was very brave in the Crown Oaks and her explosive run in the Vinery was breathtaking. We are immensely proud to have raced her and we look forward to breeding from her with Dato Tan Chin Nam”.

Faint Perfume won five races from 19 starts and with two placings, earning stakes of $1,432,590. She will join the broodmare band at Dato Tan Chin Nam's Think Big Stud in the NSW Southern Highlands.

'Black Caviar' given top-weight in Newmarket

'Black Caviar', the world's highest-rated sprinter, will equal a modern-day weight-carrying record of 58 kg if she wins the million dollar Newmarket Handicap at Flemington on Saturday week.

The 1991 winner Shaftesbury Avenue is the only winner in the last 50 years to carry 58kg or more, while the only mare to win the Newmarket as topweight was Maybe Mahal who carried 56.5kg in 1978.

"Black Caviar was rated the world champion sprinter in 2010 and she demonstrated that she has improved further when she resumed with a totally dominant performance in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington on February 19", Racing Victoria senior handicapper Neil Jennings said.

"That was her second consecutive Group 1 victory and on each occasion she has defeated many of her rivals in the Newmarket Handicap by significant margins which had to be considered when determining the handicaps",

"Hay List receives a 3.5kg turnaround in weights for the Newmarket as a result and will carry 56.5kg".

'Hay List', Group 1 winner of the Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley last September, is the second highest-weighted horse of the 44 first acceptors in the Newmarket.

Dual Group 1 winner 'Star Witness', whose only beaten run down the Flemington straight was his second to Black Caviar, is the highest-weighted three-year-old in the race.

Star Witness will be retired to stand at Widden Stud in the Hunter Valley after an international campaign aimed at Royal Ascot in June.

Last Saturday's Group 1 Oakleigh Plate winner 'Eagle Falls' received 55kg which is 2.5kg more than he carried when second to Wanted 12 months ago.