Horse racing: Trainer hoping a little loyalty will go a long way at Caulfield

Desert Lightning. Photo / Natasha Wood

Trainer Peter Williams is hoping a little loyalty will go a long way at Caulfield on Saturday.

Williams and the connections of Desert Lightning have stuck with their regular jockey Vinnie Colgan for Saturday’s A$4 million ($4.3m) All Star Mile at Caulfield, in which their star will be one of two New Zealand-trained reps.

The other will be Puntura, whose connections will also have their usual New Zealand jockey Craig Grylls aboard, in what is increasingly becoming a rarity these days.

While retained rider Opie Bosson does much of Te Akau’s biggest race riding in Australia, few other New Zealand-based jockeys cross the Tasman for the elite races any more as many trainers prefer to use local riders.

It is not a slur on the ability of the Kiwi-based jockeys, more that the Australian-based jockeys know the track and their rival jockeys and horses better.

But Williams says taking the man who knows his horse best is more important.

“Why would we want to change?” he says of the Colgan booking.

“Vinnie has ridden him all the time so we really didn’t look into another jockey.”

Desert Lightning was a last-start third in the Trackside Classic at Ōtaki when not suited by the wet track but before that won the TAB Classic at Group 1 level at Trentham and the $1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic at Ellerslie.

He travelled over to Melbourne with Taranaki galloper Puntura on Sunday and Williams, who trains in partnership with his wife Dawn, says Desert Lightning has settled in well.

“We are staying at Mike Moroney’s stables and the horse handled it well and looks good.”

Puntura’s trainer Robbie Patterson took his loyalty to jockey and close mate Craig Grylls even further when the idea of a surprise All Star Mile assault was raised last week.

“I told the owners I wasn’t going unless Craig was going to ride him,” says Patterson.

While the All Star Mile has fallen away, the Kiwis are still long odds to win, with Desert Lightning rated a $15 chance by Australian bookies and Puntura a $51 hope, albeit in a market so dominated by $1.80 favourite Mr Brightside that everything else outside Pride Of Jenni is paying more than $10.

The other New Zealander who was going to be in the All Star Mile pulled out on Monday, with Aegon suffering a poorly-timed minor injury.

“He has a little cut, which isn’t much but was going to be niggly for his gallop and for flying so we have had to pull the pin, which is very frustrating,” said trainer Andrew Forsman.

** One of the last Group 1s of the season has been moved to Ellerslie.

The $400,000 New Zealand Breeders Stakes was scheduled for Te Aroha but with that track struggling with some issues since its return to racing, it was not going to be ready for the March 30 fillies and mares race.

So the meeting has been transferred to Ellerslie, with the Group 1 feature likely to contain La Crique, Molly Bloom and Pearl Of Alsace, the latter having won there on Saturday.