Racing: Hold your horses on Hombre

Trainer John Bary with The Hombre who is unlikely to run. Photo / APN

Don't go putting too much on The Hombre in no-return futures betting in next Saturday's $250,000 Windsor Park Plate - he's almost certain not to run.

Trainer John Bary declared yesterday he was "90 per cent sure" The Hombre would be kept for the $250,000 Spring Classic, which is to be run on October 2.

The Queensland Rough Habit Plate winner finished mid-field when looking in need of a race when he resumed in the Mudgway Stakes at Hastings.

"He's not one of those horses you need to race all the time," said Bary.

"We're perfectly happy for him to have five weeks between these two races and go straight from 1400m to 2000m."

Bary said his class 3-year-old Jimmy Choux, beaten a lip in last week's Wanganui Guineas, showed signs of an infection after the race.

"When I pulled him out of his paddock on Sunday huge amounts of snot poured out of his nose."

Bary gave Jimmy Choux the rest of this week off and believes he will be fine when put back into work on Monday.

"He'll be really firing on Guineas day [October 2]."

* Shaune Ritchie took the deepest breath when James McDonald went into the inquiry room after Race 1 at Taupo on Wednesday.

It was clear McDonald had broken the rules and was a live chance to be suspended.

He was - four racedays, which would normally have taken in next Saturday and McDonald's ride Keep The Peace in the $250,000 Windsor Park Plate at Hastings.

McDonald was lucky. The JCA generally allows jockeys to count South Island meetings as part of a suspension if they have a record of having ridden there a reasonable amount.

McDonald did last year and was permitted to take in Friday's Winton meeting as Day 4 of the suspension instead of Hastings the following day.

Try getting from Winton late on Friday night to Hastings on Saturday morning.

We looked, but couldn't see too many direct flights!

* Finally, some common sense.

The Labour Department has just put back on the desired list for immigration grooms for stud and stable, trackwork riders and jockeys.

The department threw a scare into thoroughbred circles when it recently removed all four categories from its approval list, claiming it was the result of consultation with the horse industry.

A spokesperson said yesterday that it was "ah, a bit of a stuff up".

* Handle with care.

Phar Lap's skeleton this week transfers from Te Papa to Melbourne to be on show in that city during the celebrations around the 150th running of the Melbourne Cup.

The Australian caretakers of the great racehorse's mounted heart have refused a similar request to have that on display at the same time.

* Ask trainer Lisa Anderson why she thought Singapore Sling ran off the track on the home bend at Te Rapa yesterday and she doesn't speak - she shrugs.

"I have no idea why she did it," said a shocked Anderson.

The heavily backed fixed-odds favourite was travelling well outside the leaders at the 500m when she took control of rider Tasha Collett and ran to the outside running rail.

Singapore Sling lost all chance in the move and still looked to be giving Collett problems as she came past the finish line hard against the outside running rail 250m behind the field.

Stipendiary stewards ordered Singapore Sling to barrier trial to their satisfaction before being allowed to race next.

The surprising factor was that Singapore Sling's two races have been left-handed and she had made a winning debut at Te Rapa.

The race was won by Major Rio, who scored stylishly, but may have been lucky on another count in that Belle De Jeu was stopped in her tracks when trying to improve through a gap to challenge at the 300m. Belle De Jeu lost ground being switched to the outside but ran on strongly to finish third.

Pinnafero got past 21 race starts and six years of age before he tried blinkers for the first time at Te Rapa yesterday. And, boy, did they make a difference.

Judging by the way he careered away from the opposition late, it was difficult to believe Pinnafero could not win more than just one of those 21 races.

"I just don't like putting blinkers on them," said trainer John Mason.

He probably likes them a bit better this morning.