Breeder and managing owner Mark Jones believes his dream horse Jokers Grin, at his best, can measure up to his rivals in the $1 million The Shorts (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday.
asserted
horse → manage → Saturday
And if he does, Jones would love to race him in the “ultimate”, the $20 million The Everest.
However, after a rocky road which has stretched to this week, it was a case of fingers crossed on Friday.
asserted
it → do → Friday
Jokers Grin – a home-bred son of Maschino out of mare Walk In Beauty, gifted to Jones and David Gatti by long-time friend and trainer Bernie Miller – won nine of 13 starts and $2.66 million in West Australia before coming to Chris Waller’s premier Rosehill stable in January.
asserted
Grin → breed → January
Feet problems, though, have delayed his debut for Waller and again had him in doubt this week.
asserted
him → delay → doubt
Waller reported Jokers Grin had a temperature on Tuesday, which was then linked to a foot abscess.
asserted
which → report → abscess
Blood work results and track gallops have since been positive and Jones made the long trek from Western Australia on Thursday in the hope of seeing him race.
asserted
him → make → hope
He made the trip in April before the Hall Mark Stakes, only to wake up to an email telling him Jokers Grin was lame.
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Grin → make → him
“I’ll just keep the fingers crossed.
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I → keep → fingers
We’ve had a bit of a rocky road,” Jones said.
asserted
Jones → have → road
“We were planning a two-race run up to Queensland [after the Hall Mark], but then he got a foot abscess, then corns in another foot, the abscess flared a few times and we kept putting it back a couple of races before making the decision to put him out and get him right.”
asserted
him → plan → him
As evidenced in Jokers Grin’s two slick trials, Jones said the reports this preparation, before the setback this week, were excellent.
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reports → evidence → setback
“He’s looked a different horse this time around,” Jones said.
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Jones → look → ?
“He looked a bit jaded last time.
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He → look → ?
He raced in the Winterbottom then fronted up for the Gold Rush, but he got a respiratory virus.
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he → race → virus
“He had three weeks in the paddock, then on the truck for five hours to Melbourne and eight hours to Sydney, so he didn’t get a lot of space into his first prep.
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he → have → prep
This time he looks a better horse, a lot fresher and Chris is happy with the way he’s going.
asserted
he → look → way
Jones had his fingers crossed also that his six-year-old could match it with the likes of Everest hopefuls Headwall and Joliestar, and confirmed runner Ninja, in his first test outside WA.
“It would be lovely to see him measure up to these.
uncertain
him → have → these
I think on his best, he certainly should,” Jones said.
asserted
Jones → think → best
“It’s a pretty slick field.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
In a lot of his early racing in the west, except for the Quokka, it was against lesser opposition, but he did very well for us and we’ve had a fairytale ride with him, so hopefully it continues.
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it → do → him
“He’s a big horse and has a lovely temperament, and he loves to run.
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he → ’ → temperament
“I know that’s the throwaway, they love to run, but everyone who has been on him says he’s like a big kid out there.
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he → know → kid
He loves to run, and he loves to run fast.”
asserted
he → love → ?
Jones said connections moved Jokers Grin to Waller to access more major races on the east coast, and the richest anywhere, the Everest “was in our minds probably a fair way back”.
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richest → say → minds
“A lot of people would say, ‘are you going to the Everest?’” he said.
“I’d day ‘we’d love to do that’.
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we → say → that
It’s a dream, but you’ve got to have someone offer you a place.
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someone → ’ → place
A few things have got to fall into place.
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things → get → place
It’s the same now.
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It → ’ → ?
If he races well, I’m sure people will come forward.
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people → race → ?
We would be up against a very good horse in Ka Ying Rising, plus a lot of other very good horses, but the Sydney Stakes and further down, there are other races here and in Melbourne.
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We → be → Melbourne
“Our biggest problem in the west is there’s the Quokka and two lead-ups, but then we’d have to wait for the Winterbottom and it’s lead-up races.
asserted
it → ’ → Winterbottom
Rawiller up for ‘interesting’ challenge against Autumn Glow
Nash Rawiller, one of only two jockeys to find a way to beat superstar mare Autumn Glow, believes Gringotts is the one to find any chinks in her armour on Saturday in the $1 million 7 Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.
asserted
Gringotts → find → Randwick
That’s if she had any.
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she → ’ → any
Autumn Glow, last season’s champion horse of the year, was a $1.15 (TAB) favourite for the group 2 after repelling the challenge of Sheza Alibi in the group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) first-up.
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Glow → repel → Stakes
Only four will line up against her on Saturday and Ciaron Maher-trained Gringotts ($9.50) was seen as next best.
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Gringotts → line → Saturday
The seven-year-old was third in the Winx, three lengths off Autumn Glow, after making his charge alongside runner-up Sheza Alibi with Ethan Brown aboard.
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old → make → Brown
Rawiller is back on Gringotts, which could race on to the Epsom Handicap and chase a third Big Dance victory.
uncertain
which → race → victory
His commitment to the gelding has cost him a chance on Chelmsford Stakes winner Lindermann in the group 1 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.
asserted
commitment → cost → Saturday
“I was always booked for Gringotts for this race,” Rawiller said.
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Rawiller → book → race
“I would have loved to have followed Lindermann.
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I → love → Lindermann
…and 33 more, not listed.
The Aporia
