IS A “DEAR JOHN” LETTER ON THE CARDS?
“If John Moore has more than two runners in a race, don’t back the one ridden by Darren Beadman. It’s just going around. Wait for it the next time.” And so it goes in Hong Kong. Chinese Whispers are dangerous. It ruins reputations, and often, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
Over the past few weeks, the drums have been getting louder and the natives are getting more boisterous that all is not well with the Moore-Beadman partnership.
Anyone in their right mind will tell you that Darren Beadman has played a very, VERY vital part in the success of the so-called “Cups King” John Moore. And as with any cups, sometimes, they “overfloweth” and shit pours out.
In the past, let’s say a month, Beadman has been on the hotpots and Jeff Lloyd has brought home the bacon. Okay, he might have fluked it on Able One on HK International Day and simply outrode his opposition into the dust, but when he won on Zaidan during the holiday meeting on Sunday while Beadman got beaten on the stable hotpot- Smart Giant- we let go an enormous, “Hmmmmm.”
Sometimes, one can play second banana for only so long before the Chinese punters- and the Chinese racing media- look at everything with as much conspiratorial interest as to Who Shot JFK.
Guess something has rubbed off on us as we now hear that the brilliant and ageless Darren Beadman was not too pleased not to have been on another John Moore winner he did not ride over the weekend- Straight Gold which was ridden by Neil Callan- and with the money on it very much bang on target.
All this comes following Moore’s rather undiplomatic quote to the media that he was looking for a replacement jockey when Beadman had to forfeit his rides the meeting before the International Day races with a niggling spinal concern.
Darren Beadman, of course, made it for The Big Day Out, but many who have been in this game since Methuselah groaned to us, how “The Moores only care about the Moores” and asked, “Does ANYONE last with John Moore?”
Apart from his safari suits- grey, brown and blue- not many. And let us not even get started about “Brother” Gary Moore. Many remember all the shenanigans when “Mo Gah-lay” rode in Hong Kong with the so-called “Shanghai Syndicate” while “Brother” John was a hack rider winning the occasional race on Carrington or Harrington.
To his credit, “Brother” John has done remarkably well and has a coterie- maybe even a coven- of owners who trust him and his purchases. And, along with John Size, he has some great horses destined for glory and International success. What? The almighty flop of Mighty High in Oz??? Shhhhh.
So, let’s just say, there is an “amicable” parting of the ways between “Brother John” and “Brother Darren”- of course, not to say that this will happen. Or could it? Our bet would be that the former will try his best to get Damien Oliver out to Hong Kong- depending on how long it takes for him to recover from his recent surgery. Another choice might be Craig Williams. But wait: Didn’t both jockeys leave Hong Kong under somewhat of a cloud?
What about Jeff Lloyd? Nah. At 50-years-young, Lloyd is the Wily Coyote of racing. He’s seen it all, done it all and, from all reports, is a damn nice chappie. With his new home on the Gold Coast- see story below- we see him finishing off his riding career in Brisbane and even giving Sydney a wide berth. Why have hassles? Why ride horses for Chris Waller?
As for Darren Beadman, we have always said that if he were to ever become a Club jockey, he would be the only one who could give Douglas Whyte a serious run for his money in the Jockeys Premiership.
Brett Prebble? Nah. Not in the same class. Give us Jeff Lloyd, Tye Angland, Zac Purton and Tim Clark over Prebble.
What will happen or unravel?
Only The Shadow knows.
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LLOYD HEADING TO DO BATTLE WITH “MONKEY” MUNCE?
If the rumours that were floating around International Week are correct, expat South African/Aussie Jeff Lloyd is poised to return to Australia. Originally, it appeared that Lloyd would return after his contract with the Hong Kong Jockey Club expired early in 2012. Lloyd, like a number of other international riders, did not receive a full season license, and until International Day, it appeared the HKJC would not renew his license. Then, Able One came along and thanks to a brilliant tactical ride by Lloyd, and a “too low for zero” effort by Darren Beadman on stablemate Xtension in the International Mile, and another win later in the day on another John Moore runner in Majestic Falcon, again the lesser fancied of the two Moore runners; Jeff Lloyd’s star was shining brightly once again.
Last Tuesday’s win on Zaidan continued the now familiar pattern of the lesser fancied of the John Moore runners greeting the judge ahead of the rest of the field, and placed the promising Zaidan firmly on track for a Derby start.
There is now a strong possibility that Jeff Lloyd may consider staying on in Hong Kong until the end of the season before he returns to Australia. He won’t however be returning to Sydney. Lloyd, we understand, has purchased a property on the Gold Coast and will be riding out of Brisbane.
The sight of Jeff “Steptoe” Lloyd doing battle with Chris “Monkey” Munce is just too horrible to visualize.
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BASTER TO SINGAPORE.
DURIC RUSHES BACK TO MELBOURNE
Lightweight Melbourne jockey Stephen Baster will shortly take up a riding contract in Singapore. Baster, who has been stable jockey for the Woodside Park stables of Dale Sutton for the past several years, leaves Melbourne on a high, having ridden several winners for the Mark Kavanagh stable while Michael Rodd has taken a holiday.
Still on Singapore, Vlad Duric who has ridden with great success over recent seasons, is returning to Melbourne, deciding to “call time” on his riding contract with the Singapore Turf Club. Yes, the bells were tolling about this move outta Singapore for some time now. And often, you gotta listen to dem bells before they crash on top of you.
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MOODY’S SYDNEY MOVE NOT ALL THAT POPULAR.
The news that Peter Moody had been allocated ten on-course boxes at Rosehill by the ATA has been welcomed by the Sydney media and by some of Australia’s biggest breeders, who are clients of his stable. But it appears a different story with some of the training fraternity. Trainers who have applied for the coveted on-course stabling at Rosehill are reportedly incensed that their applications have been leap frogged by an “interloper” from Melbourne.
Some well known Sydney trainers, and one in particular who is a mate of a prominent Melbourne trainer who was once close to Moody, have privately expressed their displeasure of Moody’s footprint in Sydney, fearing that some of their wealthy Hunter Valley clients will defect to the Moody One.
While Moody has stated that he will only use the boxes to stable horses who will come over to Sydney for specific races, it would be surprising if he does not establish a permanent satellite stable in Sydney. Either that or the man goes and has a lobotomy.
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TRAINERS PISSED OFF OVER HOLIDAY PRIZE MONEY
Sydney trainers are irate over metropolitan prize money levels for the Christmas holiday race meetings in Sydney. Instead of the normal $70,000 stakes for Saturday and public holiday race meetings, prize money has been reduced to $40,000 for meetings at Canterbury and Warwick Farm.
Trainers whom we spoke to on Boxing Day made the all too familiar comparison with prize money levels in Melbourne, pointing out once again, their displeasure both at Racing NSW’ unhealthy and illogical dependence on the outcome of a “bloody court case to secure the future of NSW racing”; and the ATC’s perilous financial position which “makes us look like bloody second class citizens in comparison to our Melbourne counterparts”.
Many NSW trainers are also unhappy that the NSW Trainers Association has not made loud enough noises of protest over the prize money situation.
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by RacingB*tch