Here's a twist...Tony Noonan is attempting to force Craig Williams to ride Ortensia in the Stradbroke! CW ditched Ortensia for All Silent during the week,and Noonan wasn't happy. He reckons he has a firm booking for Williams and has asked Queensland stewards to hold the jockey to the original booking. Queensland Racing's deputy chief steward John Hackett says TN spoke to stewards after the last race at Eagle Farm and asked for an inquiry to be opened. He says: 'Mr Noonan said he has evidence he
Here's a twist...Tony Noonan is attempting to force Craig Williams to ride Ortensia in the Stradbroke! CW ditched Ortensia for All Silent during the week,and Noonan wasn't happy. He reckons he has a firm booking for Williams and has asked Queensland stewards to hold the jockey to the original booking. Queensland Racing's deputy chief steward John Hackett says TN spoke to stewards after the last race at Eagle Farm and asked for an inquiry to be opened. He says: 'Mr Noonan said he has evidence he wanted to produce and Craig Williams had a 6pm flight to catch so we will decide the matter via a video hook-up on Monday. We have heard disputes like this in the past but I can't recall one like this in a million-dollar race.'
Grahame Begg says he won'tstop Craig Williams getting off All Silent to ride Ortensia. He says: 'That will be OK with me...I've got Hugh Bowman on standby so I will have a good jockey on him in the Stradbroke...If Craig sticks with All Silent, I guess we'll have an inquiry on Monday. The ball is right in his court.'
In or out? Don't know yet...Trainer Anthony Cummings is still mulling over a Qld Derby run for Qld Oaks runner-up Nothin' Leica Cat. He's going to wait to see how Nothin' Leica Cat fares in the next few days before making a final decision.
Alan Bailey is in the same dilemma...Will he run his emerging star Saint Minerva in the Queensland Derby? He says: 'We've got to think about these things...it is early days, they are only three-year-olds once.' Saint Minerva treated the colts and geldings with contempt to win yesterday's Grand Prix Stakes.