Racing: Childs now tipped to ride Starcraft at Hastings

Former New Zealand jockey Greg Childs was all but confirmed yesterday as the replacement rider for star Australian galloper Starcraft's return to racing in New Zealand.

Starcraft is scheduled to resume racing in the group one $200,000 weight-for-age Mudgway Partsworld Stakes (1400m) at Hastings on August 28 and was to have been ridden by Glenn Boss of Sydney.

Boss, however, received a five-meeting suspension at Rosehill in Sydney on Saturday on a careless riding charge. The suspension begins after next Saturday's racing and he will be back in action by September 4.

Queensland trainer Garry Newham, of the Gold Coast, said he had received a number of inquiries about the Starcraft ride.

"We've had quite a few but it looks like Greg Childs will probably come and ride him," Newham said.

He said he had only spoken to Childs' agent but expected confirmation would be forthcoming.

"He [the agent] thought it would be 100 per cent right but he just wanted to speak to Greg to confirm everything. We have put a deal to Greg to ride him [at Hastings] and be there on the Thursday morning to ride him in work and his manager thinks that will be quite all right."

Newham said the agent had not sought for Childs to ride Starcraft beyond the Hastings race.

"That wasn't mentioned," Newham said.

It is expected Starcraft would have four races after the Mudgway, culminating in the A$3 million ($3.29 million) Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley, Melbourne, on October 23.

"We can't make any commitments as far as that goes, as the rides have been promised to Glenn for those four races," Newham said.

Starcraft has not raced since winning the A$2 million AJC Derby (2400m) for three-year-olds at Randwick on April 10.

It was the Soviet Star colt's seventh win from his last eight starts and he is now basically favourite for any race he is entered for.

The New Zealand TAB last night had him listed as a $2.85 favourite to win the Mudgway, a $2.75 favourite to win the group one $1 million Kelt Capital Stakes (2040m) at Hastings on October 2 and a $5 favourite to win the Cox Plate.

It had been previously reported that former star New Zealand apprentice Michael Walker was on standby to ride Starcraft at Hastings should Boss decline the mount.

Walker, now based in Melbourne, said yesterday that he had, however, turned down owner Paul Makin's offer to ride Starcraft as he had since made a commitment to ride the Melbourne-trained Kempinsky.

"I was flattered to be offered the ride by Mr Makin but I had given the connections of Kempinsky a written guarantee I would ride their horse in his first two runs back this preparation and I must honour that commitment," Walker said.

Walker remained hopeful he was in contention to ride the horse in the future.

"My agent Bruce Clark has been in contact with Mr Makin a few times since Saturday night and there is always a possibility of being available further into Starcraft's preparation, perhaps even in the Kelt," Walker said.

"Starcraft is obviously a horse any jockey would love to be associated with."

- NZPA