KEY POINTS:
Multiple group One-winning Sydney jockey Jay Ford celebrated the first day of his New Zealand riding stint with a winner at Ellerslie yesterday.
Platinum Elle, trained by Lisa Latta, charged home late after a patient ride by Ford to score a comfortable two-length win over The Cosmob in the Colleen Mangnall Hcp (1600m).
Ford will be joined in New Zealand next week by Sydney's premier apprentice Tye Angland, Kathy O'Hara and apprentice Peter Wells who have all escaped the chaos that equine influenza (EI) has caused racing in NSW and Queensland.
They join Sydney-based Patrick Ferris and Brisbane's Ryan Plumb in New Zealand.
Sydney has also lost champion rider Darren Beadman and high-profile jockeys Glen Boss and Zac Purton to Hong Kong, while Hugh Bowman has shifted to Melbourne for the spring carnival and Danny Beasley kicks off his Singapore riding contract tomorrow.
Beadman's apprentice son Mitchell rides in Melbourne today out of the Flemington stable of his master John Hawkes.
Manager Bryan Haskins said Ford would remain in New Zealand for at least the next two weeks and would consider extending the stint if Sydney's Rosehill meeting on October 13 was cancelled.
Meanwhile, in New Plymouth yesterday highly promising Veloz swamped the opposition to make it three-from-three in the listed Mason Appliances (1400m).
The Black Minnaloushe gelding led all the way in the $55,000 race, winning easily by a length from Sequential with a head back to Flypass.
From the stable of newcomers Russell and Robyn Rogers who own the Rodmor Stud in Waikato and call themselves "mug trainers", Veloz did not race at 2 or 3.
He came close to breaking a track record at Taupo at his first start on August 14 and then waltzed away for a big win at Hastings on September 1.
Veloz is a half brother to Maguire, an Auckland Cup winner.
Earlier, the Murray Baker-trained Nom du Jeu, who is entered for the Victoria Derby, won plenty of admirers with a dashing half-neck second.
The Montjeu colt came from well off the pace to just miss catching Insignificant.
- AAP, NZPA
