KEY POINTS:
The $700,000 Mercedes Derby chance Thumbs Up has been forced out of the race by $101 outsider Abitofado.
The Auckland Racing Club put a clause in the conditions of the Derby that the field would be selected entirely by stake earnings.
That saw Abitofado included in the field and Thumbs Up as first emergency when Saturday's Derby day fields were finalised yesterday.
Thumbs Up's owners only recently purchased the horse who has had little racing.
He won first-up for the new ownership at Hastings then finished fifth in the Championship Stakes behind Red Ruler at his only other start.
Thumbs Up has an official rating of 74 and Abitofado 72, but South Island visitor Abitofado has stakemoney of $15,488 against Thumbs Up's $12,305.
Thumbs Up (5th) beat Abitofado (8th) in the Championship Stakes and would clearly carry more betting than the other horse in Saturday's feature, costing the Auckland Racing Club revenue.
Thumbs Up's trainer Shaune Ritchie, while bitterly disappointed, said he didn't want to comment in depth.
"It makes you look like a sore loser.
"Also, if he gets beaten in the R80 2100m on Saturday I'd look silly if I said too much," he said.
Red Ruler remains the $3 Derby favourite after his dominating Championship Stakes victory.
Rain is forecast for Saturday - predictions punters, the connections of most of the Derby runners, Auckland Racing Club officials and the fashion females hope are wide of the mark.
But Cambridge trainer Murray Baker will be hoping the forecast rain arrives for well-fancied Derby hopeful Nom du Jeu.
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Royce Dowling and daughter Linda Laing have a hugely talented juvenile in Siem Reap.
The three and three-quarter length debut winning margin could easily have been double that at Te Rapa yesterday.
"He's very, very smart and he's got a brain," said Royce Dowling after Siem Reap led throughout to win the Inex Juvenile.
Owner Tony Meier turned down an overseas offer of $400,000 for the Bertolini youngster after he won his most recent barrier trial victory.
The retired Waikato farmer would rather have fun racing the horse, said Dowling.
He is disappointed Siem Reap missed what was meant to be his debut run when a recent Tauranga meeting was abandoned.
"He needed to have that one, then this race and then he'd have been ready for the good horses.
"The big races [group ones] are going to come up a bit too quick for him."
On yesterday's effort Siem Reap deserves a crack at the best.
Worthing, all-the-way winner of the other 2-year-old race, also looks a youngster of real ability for part-owner and trainer Gary Alton.
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Darryl Horner jnr has a nice photo of Mynewbestfriend, his first winner as a jockey at Te Rapa yesterday.
But he has nothing else to show for it.
Stewards relieved him of $275 - nearly double his share of the percentages as the winning apprentice rider.
Stewards did not take kindly to the extravagant whip flourish the 15-year-old English teenager gave short of the winning post.
But Horner was happy to part with the money - the win meant a lot to him.
Injury forced older brother Gareth to give away a promising career as a jumps jockey in England.
"That made me more determined to become a successful jockey for our family," said Horner.
His family emigrated to Australia four years ago and he came to New Zealand to sign up as an apprentice jockey because he was in a hurry and aspiring riders can start an apprenticeship in New Zealand at 15, a year earlier than in Australia.
"I went to Lance O'Sullivan because everyone recommended him to me," said Horner. "You couldn't be in better hands."
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Australian jockeys have had a behaviour barrier placed on them with the release of a code of conduct paper on Tuesday.
Jockeys across the Tasman can be relieved of up to 6 per cent of their annual earnings for serious breaches of a code recently put in place by their own Australian Jockeys' Association.
Minor breaches are deemed to be being late or failing to attend a meeting, wearing incorrect apparel, failing to meet professional standards set by peers and missing promotional appearances on behalf of the AJA. Fines for these breaches will range from $200 to $500.
But for serious offences, on top of any penalty handed down by stewards, jockeys facing a first breach will be relieved of 3 per cent of their wages for the previous 12 months.
Subsequent charges - for offences on or off the track - are fined at between 2 and 6 per cent of annual earnings.
