Racing: Brown ponders riding options

Corey Brown has to decide whether to ride Shocking or stay in Sydney. Photo / Getty Images

SYDNEY - New South Wales jockey Corey Brown's decision whether to ride Melbourne Cup winner Shocking in the CF Orr Stakes got a whole lot tougher after the jockey partnered two impressive fillies in Rosehill barrier trials yesterday.

Brown has the option to ride Shocking first-up at Caulfield on February 12 but is weighing up whether to remain in Sydney on the same day, where his stakes rides could include either Satin Shoes or Fast Shanti in the Widden Stakes.

The Clarry Conners-trained Satin Shoes raced to an impressive 4-length trial win over 900m in her first appearance since a brilliant debut win at Randwick in October.

Only 10 minutes later, Brown also partnered the Gerald Ryan-trained two-year-old Fast Shanti in her first public outing as she won her 900m heat in style in only slightly slower time than Satin Shoes.

Brown acknowledged he had a very tough decision to make with the Widden one of six stakes races at Randwick that day.

"I'll be going home and my manager and I will bang our heads together," Brown said.

"It's a great game, the racing game.

"Shocking has won me a Melbourne Cup but the others are on the way up and I don't know what they could win me.

"I'm sitting on the fence and rocking at the moment."

Satin Shoes began brilliantly in her trial and led the field before careering away over the final 200m to win in 53.95 seconds.

After being a fraction slowly away, Fast Shanti quickly put herself in a good position and then cruised to the line to win by three-quarters of a length in 54 seconds.

"It's hard, both trialled as well as one another," Brown said, adding that Satin Shoes was a real 2-year-old while Fast Shanti was also impressive and had plenty of upside to her as well.

Conners said it was all systems go towards Satin Shoes resuming in the listed Widden Stakes (1100m).

"She's pretty gross still so the trial will do her the world of good," he said.

"The plan is to run her in the Widden and, hopefully, Corey rides her."

The trial session also saw group one winners Pressday and Melito win their 900m heats.

Meanwhile, a sparingly raced mare with dodgy knees will be out to help fill a stable void for trainer Alan Scorse at Warwick Farm today.

Talapega, sensationally backed before she was beaten into second place at Randwick last month, can ease Scorse's disappointment over the loss of Looking Fur Lang with a winning result in the Riverside Handicap (1300m).

Scorse said it was decided the time was right for Looking Fur Lang, a 7-year-old, to head into a well-deserved retirement after his Rosehill failure on January 22.

In a 40-start career, Looking Fur Lang won nine times with highlight victories coming in the Grey Stars Classic during the 2008 Melbourne Cup Carnival and last year's Tamworth Cup.

His prizemoney earnings were almost A$280,000.

"Looking Fur Lang was a pretty good horse for me," Scorse said.

"He tried his heart out every time and horses who do that can't go on forever."

Talapega arrived at Scorse's Newcastle stables as the winner of her only start - in February last year - when under the care of Warwick Farm trainer Greg Hickman.

"She's got crook knees and we give her a fair bit of swimming to keep her in order," Scorse said.

His patience with Talapega was almost rewarded on the back of a $12 to $4.40 betting move which was ultimately foiled by the brilliance of Jim Cassidy on Just Been Lucky at Randwick on January 19.

- AAP