Hastings apprentice Hunter Durrant is on loan to an Australian stable to further his experience.
Promising Hastings apprentice Hunter Durrant left for Melbourne on Tuesday where he will be on loan to Victoria trainer Patrick Payne for eight weeks.
Durrant, 18, is apprenticed to the partnership of Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen and could also have a stint with Whanganui trainer Kevin Myers when he returns to New Zealand.
"We have sent him over to Patrick Payne's to further his experience. He is a good rider with a good work ethic and will benefit a lot from the experience," Lowry said.
Durrant only started race-riding last year and has had one win from 60 rides. That was aboard Royal Ruby in a Rating 72 race over 1600m at Hastings on New Year's Day when he led all the way and judged the pace of the race to a nicety. That success followed several minor placings for the young rider.
Durrant is not from a racing family but was always keen on horses and started riding when he was 5. He had a grounding in show jumping before signing up as a probationary apprentice two years ago with Lowry and Cullen.
Somervell banking on a gear change
Hastings trainer Lee Somervell is hoping a gear change can bring about a change of luck for his consistent performer One Prize One Goal on his home track tomorrow.
The Ekraar 5-year-old will contest the $25,000 Rating 72 race over 1400m at the Hawke's Bay meeting and will have the blinkers removed after wearing them in his past eight starts.
"I'm going to take the blinkers off and hopefully it will help him see the winning post a bit better," Somervell joked after watching the horse turn in a strong gallop at the Hastings track on Tuesday.
One Prize One Goal worked with the open sprinter Scandalo over 1000m at Tuesday's Hastings trackwork session, clocking 1:3.5 for the full distance and the last 600m in an excellent 35.7.
"He worked well without the blinkers on so I don't think he needs them on Saturday," Somervell added.
One Prize One Goal has had 33 starts for three wins, seven seconds, seven thirds and two fourths and chased home the impressive winner Satu Lagi when second in a Rating 72 race over 1300m at Hastings in his last start.
His last success was in a Rating 65 race over 1200m at this same Hawke's Bay meeting last year, where he overcame interference in the running to score by 2-3/4 lengths.
Somervell has engaged talented apprentice Holly Andrew for One Prize One Goal in what is the last race at tomorrow's Hawke's Bay meeting and she will claim a 2kg allowance. Unfortunately the horse has the extreme outside barrier draw to overcome.
Felaar to campaign in Melbourne
Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh has confirmed a hit and run mission to Melbourne for this year's Hawke's Bay Cup winner Felaar.
The progressive Ekraar 5-year-old has thrived since his Hastings victory with Marsh set to test him in Melbourne with a view to possible future assignments across the Tasman in his next campaign.
"He hasn't put a foot wrong since his win and has thrived," Marsh said.
"He will head over to Melbourne next for a handicap event over 2600m at Flemington on May 4.
"If he goes well there, then he will contest the Listed Andrew Ramsden [2800m] three weeks later."
Restricted to 3, 4 and 5-year-olds, the Listed Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) is shaping up as an important race for Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) aspirants as it now carries an automatic ballot exemption into the famous Flemington two-miler on the first Tuesday in November.
Marsh is keen to take the opportunity to assess Felaar against Australian opposition as he looks towards next season.
"I'm just not sure what he will come up against in Melbourne at this time of the year, but it does represent an excellent chance to gauge where he is at in relation to them.
"We know that he has the makings of being a top stayer once he puts it all together so once we see how he goes, we can start to put a programme together for him for next season."
Five To Midnight now in Australia
Five To Midnight, winner of the Hawke's Bay Cup three years ago, has been transferred from the Awapuni stable of Lisa Latta to Patrick Payne in Victoria and will do his future racing in Australia.
Raced by Kamada Racing principal Kevin Pratt, Five To Midnight finished runner-up in last month's Group 1 Auckland Cup (3200m) in his last run for Latta, a position he also filled in last year's edition of the event.
The consistent 6-year-old won nine races from 43 starts in New Zealand including the Group 3 Waikato Gold Cup (2400m), the Listed Hawke's Bay Gold Cup (2200m) and Listed Feilding Gold Cup (2100m).
Dundeel stud fee $A66,000
Emerging Arrowfield Stud stallion Dundeel, who sired his third individual Group 1 winner at the weekend courtesy of Castelvecchio's stunning Champagne Stakes (1600m) victory, has had his fee increased markedly to $A66,000 (inc GST) for the 2019 breeding season.
The son of High Chaparral (Sadler's Wells) has enjoyed a breakthrough year on the track, with Castelvecchio joined by dual Group 1-winning juvenile Yourdeel and Cape Derby (2000m) hero Atyaab as elite-level winners for the stallion, who will be entering his sixth season at stud.
Five-time Group 1 winner The Autumn Sun (Redoute's Choice), who will stand for an introductory fee of $A77,000 (inc GST), spearheads a trio of new additions to the Arrowfield roster this year, with Japanese stallion Real Steel (Deep Impact) - a descendant of champion racemare Miesque (Nureyev) - and Showtime - a dual Group 2-winning son of Snitzel - set to stand their debut seasons at $A16,500 (inc GST) and $A11,000 (inc GST) respectively.
Johnson to return next season
Jockey Danielle Johnson is enjoying life away from race riding but is keen to get back into action next season.
Johnson has been on the sidelines since mid-November when she sustained three fractures to her collar bone in a race fall at Ruakaka.
"I've been back riding trackwork for the last couple of weeks and I had four trial rides last Monday, but I won't be back race riding until next season," Johnson said.
"I still have a plate and six screws in my collar bone and they're coming out on July 23.
"I couldn't move my collar bone at all for a long time and it's still a bit weak so it's going to take a while to get my full strength back."
Despite her five-month layoff, Johnson has maintained her base fitness and kept her weight under control by going to the gym and keeping active.
The 28-year-old said her time out of the saddle has been bittersweet.
"I've been a jockey since I was 16 years old and this is the longest time I've had off," she said.
"I usually take a break over the winter, so it's been nice having time off in the summer. But riding over the Christmas and New Year carnival is what we strive for as jockeys and watching the horses that I would usually ride win was tough."
However, the time did give Johnson an opportunity to view racing from the other side of the racecourse.
"I have a new appreciation for all the work that goes on behind the scenes in a racing stable," she said.
"There's so much that the trainers and the staff do that jockeys probably don't always appreciate."
Johnson also experienced the other side of the winners' circle when Balios, a horse she co-owns with Sir Peter Vela, was successful at Ellerslie in December.
"That was an amazing experience and it was excitement that I haven't felt before, it's very different to winning a race when you're riding the horse," she said.
However, nothing beats riding winners for Johnson who is looking forward to returning to the saddle.
"My goal is just to ride more winners and big race winners," she said.
"I'm really looking forward to getting back in the saddle. I loved riding at the trials the other day."
Rock On enters Aussie stable
Six-year-old stayer Rock On has arrived in Victoria and has joined the stable of Peter Gelagotis at his Moe base.
The last start winner of the Te Aroha Cup (2200m) has been sent over by his New Zealand trainer Gary Vile, who also shares in the ownership.
"I just thought Melbourne would suit him quite well and there are two or three races there for him," Vile said.
"I will just leave it up to Peter and let him get a feel for the horse over the next couple of days.
"He is ready to go. He has come through his win at Te Aroha very well and I am pretty happy with him, so I thought you might as well have a go."
Vile said Rock On, the winner of seven races, was on a mission to bank some more prize-money whilst also being able to race on superior racetracks over the coming months.
"Our weather cracks up a little bit quicker than what it does over there and when you can race for $A130,000 on a Saturday, it's a lot of money to us," Vile said.