Bouncing back from the 'big probe' that went nowhere, jockey Danny Nikolic has picked up a couple of top Grafton carnival rides from the Peter Snowden stable. He'll be on Pinwheel in the Ramornie and Damascene in the Guineas. DN says: 'Pinwheel looks a great ride...He was beaten a fair way by Hay List the other day, but that horse could well be a real superstar...Pete says Damascene is a good ride and that is good enough to make you very confident.'Jason Maskiell has got the chop from the Asian
Bouncing back from the 'big probe' that went nowhere, jockey Danny Nikolic has picked up a couple of top Grafton carnival rides from the Peter Snowden stable. He'll be on Pinwheel in the Ramornie and Damascene in the Guineas. DN says: 'Pinwheel looks a great ride...He was beaten a fair way by Hay List the other day, but that horse could well be a real superstar...Pete says Damascene is a good ride and that is good enough to make you very confident.'
Jason Maskiell has got the chop from the Asian Young Guns Challenge in Singapore on July 18. He was originally picked to represent Australia along with Billy Egan but it appears officialdom has decided that the apprentice's recent booze problems have cancelled him out of the gig. JM was sacked by Mick Price when the trainer lost patience with Maskiell's drinking problem. The Young Guns series was launched in August last year when five apprentices from Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan battled it out against two from Victoria in three races at Flemington. The series was won by Japanese rider Kota Fujioka.
Kiwi news...The NZ Racing Board has purchased the form guide publication Turf Digest | BEST BETS (NZ) from Fairfax Media. It says this will ensure TAB customers continue to have a twice-weekly form guide publication, in a format they like, from which to source their racing information. In the short term there will be no changes to the publication but the Board will consider whether enhancements can be made to make the formguide more appealing to TAB customers.