London Express is very small in stature and Sharrock was able to secure the services of promising northern apprentice Chelsea Burdan, who claimed a 3kg allowance which reduced the weight the horse had to carry to just 51kg.
Burdan bounced her out quickly from the number one barrier and positioned her third on the fence in the six horse field. The mare started to over-race when the pace slackened mid-stages of the race but then got travelling kindly again coming to the home turn.
She took an inside run rounding the bend and showed a good turn of foot to dash clear of her rivals.
Tess Castles is the wife of Hawke's Bay Racing CEO Andrew Castles and she, along with three close friends, lease a 50 per cent share in London Express. The mare has now recorded five wins, two seconds and three thirds from her 13 starts and amassed more than $123,000 in stake money.
"She's got a good winning record and the girl rode her good," Sharrock said after Sunday's win.
"She can get a little bit intractable in the run but when the pace went on again she was able to level out and won well."
The other partners in the horse, with Tess Castles, are Sharrock's partner Emma Davies, Anna McKenzie, who is the wife of the chairman of Rita in Dean McKenzie, and Auckland-based Anna Milne.
Emma Davies also holds a permit to train licence and Sharrock joked that, as long as he continues to win races with London Express, there is no reason why she should take over the training.
London Express is likely to be spelled after one or two more races and brought back in the autumn, with Sharrock saying the mare is still six months away from reaching her peak.
Scandalo retired
Successful Hastings sprinter Scandalo has been retired from racing after a career that saw him win seven races and more than $138,000 in stakes.
Trainer Patrick Campbell, who also owns the horse, decided to call an end after the 7-year-old finished last of 12 runners at his last start, in an open 1200m sprint at Hastings on September 21.
"He hasn't really been putting in his last two starts and also only went fair in a jumpout at Hastings a couple of weeks ago so I've decided to retire him," Campbell said.
"He's been too good a horse to push on with when he doesn't really want to do it."
Scandalo had 31 starts for seven wins, four seconds and three thirds.
Campbell bought the horse privately from the South Island when he was still a maiden and won first up with the horse in a 1450m race at Wairoa in February, 2017.
The horse then finished an unlucky second over 1400m in a Rating 65 event at Trentham at his next start and went on to win another six races, his biggest success coming in a $35,000 Open 1200m race at Hastings in April this year.
Wait A Sec ready to resume
Group 1 winner Wait A Sec is back on track for another racing campaign and could open it in the $35,000 open sprint over 1400m at Awapuni tomorrow week.
The Postponed 9-year-old hasn't raced since pulling up sore when finishing last of 13 runners in the Group 3 Metric Mile at Awapuni on September 13.
Co-trainer Grant Cullen, who prepares the horse in partnership with Guy Lowry, said the problem appeared to be in his hind legs but a couple of weeks of rest and some extensive treatment by Cullen's partner and equine physiotherapist Nikki Lourie, seems to have got the horse back to full fitness.
Wait A Sec is stabled at the Nikki Lourie's Dannevirke property and was brought up to Hastings for a testing track gallop a couple of weeks ago to test his fitness.
"He galloped1000 metres and came home the last 600 in about 38s and we were very happy with him," Cullen said.
"The horse is fine but we are just being held up by the weather."
Original plans were for Wait A Sec to resume racing in tomorrow's Group 3 Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham but, when the track there was rated a heavy-11 earlier this week, it was decided to bypass that race.
Cullen said alternative plans were for Wait A Sec to have a jumpout at Woodville today and that should tune him up for the open sprint at Awapuni on November 2.
Wait A Sec, who is owned by his Hastings breeder Iain Henderson and raced by him in partnership with his Australian-based son Paul, has a record of 13 wins, five seconds and six thirds from 48 starts and has stake earnings of $394,270.
His Group 1 victory came in the Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings two years ago.
Riva Capri heading south
The Hastings training partnership of Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen produced Xpression to finish third in last year's Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton and are hoping to go two better with exciting filly Riva Capri next month.
Xpression chased home Media Sensation and Valalie in last year's 1600m feature after finished a close second in the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) and winning the Group 3 Barnswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton. She has since been transferred to the Sydney stable of top Australian trainer Chris Waller.
Riva Capri also contested this year's Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings on September 21, where she was desperately unlucky, and followed that up with a good last start fourth in the Group 2 Sacred Falls Hawke's Bay Guineas (1400m).
The Atlante 3-year-old filly turned in an excellent gallop in company at the Hastings track on Tuesday and was to have a jumpout over 1000m at Woodville today to further her preparation for Riccarton.
"I think she can go straight into the Thousand Guineas without another race," co-trainer Guy Lowry said this week.
"She had a couple of hard races over the Hawke's Bay spring carnival and has freshened up well since."
Riva Capri has only had four starts for a win, a second and a fourth. Her success came in the Listed O'Leary Fillies Stakes (1200m) at Wanganui on September 7.
HB couple have another star
Havelock North couple Dave and Jenny Morison look to have shares in another highly promising galloper in Alabama Express, winner of last Saturday's Listed $190,000 Polytrack Gothic Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield in Australia.
The Morisons were members of the company Waimarama Limited which owned and raced the outstanding performer Dundeel and they still own shares in that horse, that has now progressed into one of Australasia's top stallions.
"We still have shares in Dundeel and are breeding mares to him but we have also been lucky enough to buy a 10 per cent share in Alabama Express, who looks another exciting 3-year-old," Morison said this week.
Alabama Express, trained at Flemington by ex-pat New Zealander Mike Moroney, won his second race from only four starts when scoring a neck victory over the highly rated Hilo in last Saturday's 3-year-old feature at Caulfield.
It was the Redoute's Choice colt's third start this time in and followed a second over 1200m at Mornington and a fifth over 1200m at Moonee Valley.
There are no big plans for Alabama Express at this stage but he is a colt that is expected to get better with age, being out of an Encosta de Lago mare. Also included in his ownership are top New Zealand owner Lib Patenga and John Messara, head of Australia's Arrowfield Stud.
Johnson injured again
Top woman jockey Danielle Johnson will again be missing from the riding ranks for a while after suffering a further injury.
The Cambridge-based jockey has suffered a slight crack to her collarbone.
''She'll be off for a month,'' her partner, trainer Stephen Marsh, said.
''It's minor, but the doctors are erring on the side of caution after the other injury she had to it.''
Johnson, who has a career tally of 838 wins, spent a good part of last season on the sidelines after suffering three fractures to her collarbone following a fall at Ruakaka in mid-November.
She has ridden 16 winners this season, the latest being on the Marsh-trained Charlie Awesome at Timaru on October 11.
Nicoletta retired
Group 1 winner Nicoletta has been retired to stud following her unplaced run in the Group 3 Taranaki Breeders' Stakes (1400m) at Hawera earlier this month.
The daughter of Savabeel, that is owned by Lib Petagna's JML Bloodstock, won five of her 32 career starts, including the Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1600m), Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m), and Group 3 Taranaki Breeders' Stakes (1400m).
The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained mare was also placed at Group 1 level in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1600m) and Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m).
"She's gone to Trapeze Artist, a three-time Group 1 winner by Snitzel," Baker said.
"She's a Group One winner herself and had done enough. She was a good mare."
