Horse Racing: Emirates next on list

Bow Creek. Photo /Getty

New Zealand has had a great Melbourne spring -- we won the Caulfield Cup with Mongolian Khan, Prince Of Penzance was Aussie-trained for the Melbourne Cup but is New Zealand bred and Michelle Payne might have been born in Australia, but she's of pure New Zealand stock.

Cox Plate winner Winx is by an Australian bred sire, but the dam Vegas Showgirl is a New Zealander and so is the trainer Chris Waller. We'll claim half of that at least.

Turn Me Loose, by Iffraaj and trained at Cambridge by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, will attempt to complete a wonderful Kiwi exhibition in tomorrow's A$1 million Emirates Stakes at Flemington.

The 56.5kg is as much as a 4-year-old needs to carry in a group one race at Flemington, but Turn Me Loose is nothing if not brave. His front running talent was superb in winning the Seymour Cup. Favourite at $4.80 for the Emirates is Bow Creek, which has another New Zealand connection being ridden by James McDonald.

It seems a long time since Bob Skelton, one of racing's gentlemen, first rode in Melbourne before New Zealand jockeys came into vogue and the headlines on the back page of the Melbourne Herald screamed: "Skelton Go Home".

Bow Creek looked the quick improver flashing home into second behind Turn Me Loose in the Crystal Mile at Moonee Valley. This track will suit him better.

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Jim Cassidy has ridden the racing rollercoaster so many times that he takes missing out on his final group one mount in his stride.

The champion jockey will retire without adding to his 104 group one wins after the scratching of his VRC Oaks mount Dawnie Perfect yesterday. The 52-year-old was not about to let that overshadow his final day of competitive riding.

"I've said it for a long time and that's what happens in racing, you're there one minute and you're not the next," Cassidy told AAP.

His fellow jockeys formed a guard of honour for Cassidy at Flemington yesterday.

Cassidy rode in his final Melbourne Cup on Tuesday aboard Grand Marshal and rates seeing Michelle Payne win on Prince Of Penzance as one of the greatest things to happen in his 36 years in racing.

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Damien Oliver has posted his fourth VRC Oaks win after Jameka ploughed through a rain-sodden Flemington track to outstay her rivals in the A$1 million race yesterday.

Sydney filly Honesta was second and Ambience, ridden by James McDonald, was third.