Matt Cuman s hoping to win with Coup De Tonerre or Khoekhoe.
Camera IconMatt Cuman s hoping to win with Coup De Tonerre or Khoekhoe. Credit: News Corp Australia, Michael Klein

The Showdown: Trainer Gemma Rielly thrilled Tarcoola Diva gets chance in two-year-olds classic

Leo Schlink and Michael ManleyHerald Sun

Snaring a youngster with genuine ability when starting out in the training caper can be both nerve-racking and exhilarating as Gemma Rielly is discovering with her filly Tarcoola Diva.

“Even though it’s not quite the $1 million race it was going to be due to the reductions because of the COVID virus it’s still pretty exiting,” she said.

And Rielly believes Tarcoola Diva, an $8 chance with TAB fixed odds, can go close.

She wanted Tarcoola Diva to contest this second-up, but her debut in the Bendigo Gold Rush didn’t go to plan.

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She didn’t think the $5000 Tarcoola Diva won for finishing 10th would get her a start in The Showdown, so the filly ran last Saturday at Caulfield and finished second to Diala.

Rielly said she was deflated by Tarcoola Diva’s debut but she had excuses.

“We’ve been thinking she’s above average winning two jumpouts in good time, so The Showdown has been on our radar for some time,” she said.

“The Bendigo run wasn’t too bad as she missed the kick and then she found trouble in the run, but we had to get her prizemoney up as last year you needed to have won $16,000 to get into The Showdown.”

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Gemma Rielly spent time with trainer Lindsey Smith.
Camera IconGemma Rielly spent time with trainer Lindsey Smith. Credit: AAP

Last week’s run provided the confidence boost Rielly was looking for.

“I don’t think she really handled the track — she’ll be much better on top of the ground,” she said.

“If she can handle the back up from last week I think she’ll go close.”

Tarcoola Diva is owned by her Mornington breeder Ken Williams.

Williams also bred Tarcoola Diva’s sire Cluster, who stands at Larneuk Stud, Euroa, and her dam Explosive Cross.

Rielly only has a handful of horses in work at Caulfield, but has been in the industry for 11 years, working for Lindsey Smith and Simon Millar in Perth and Mick Price here.

Her flag-bearer has been six-year-old mare La Belle Jude, who she bought for $26,000 as a yearling to win $170,000.

“Tarcoola Diva is the only other horse other than La Belle Jude I’ve had since she was a yearling and gone through my system,” Rielly said.

michael.manley@news.com.au

ROBBIE’S DOUBLE DELIGHT

Robbie Griffiths is the major beneficiary of Racing Victoria’s pre-race fitness protocols after veterinary checks on two rival runners paved the way for Miss Kansas and Halvoya to gain starts in the $855,000 The Showdown at Caulfield.

Ciaron Maher and David Eustace’s Ideas Man was withdrawn after the colt “presented with lameness in the right fore”.

South Australian trainer Will Clarken decided to scratch Beau Rossa after advising RV the gelding had suffered an injury while being floated from Adelaide.

The scratchings meant Griffiths gained starts with two of his three emergencies. Griffiths also trains third emergency Night Of Delight.

RV said all other horses in The Showdown have been passed fit.

TRAINER SAYS BREEDERS’ MEETING DESERVES KUDOS

Simon Zahra predicts the $855,000 The Showdown, centrepiece of Saturday’s $2.3 million Caulfield meeting, will become an increasing focus for trainers and eventually one of the most important two-year-old races in Victoria.

Now in its sixth year, the Victorian Owners and Breeders’ race day is the state’s most lucrative program outside the spring carnival and autumn festival.

“Once this race, The Showdown, starts to get deeper into people’s thought processes, it will become even more important,” Zahra said.

“It will be like the All-Star Mile and the recent stand-alone Bendigo meeting — the fields were outstanding.

“This VOBIS meeting is fantastic for owners looking to incentivise through the horses they buy.

“There are great incentives through the VOBIS scheme.

“The Showdown gives an option for those two-year-olds that aren’t ready for the Blue Diamond in February and give the later-maturing horses a crack at a really good race.

“You don’t have to push them into a Blue Diamond when you’ve got a race like this.”

The Showdown was staged for the first time last year and won by Matt Laurie’s Prince Of Sussex.

The Toronado gelding was soon after sold for $1.75 million to Hong Kong interests and will be trained by John Size.

Yet to race in Hong Kong and now known as Lucky ­Express, he trialled encouragingly at Sha Tin on Tuesday.

Trainer Simon Zahra says The Showdown concept has heaps of merit
Camera IconTrainer Simon Zahra says The Showdown concept has heaps of merit Credit: AAP

Zahra and co-trainer Mathew Ellerton have two runners in The Showdown — River Night and Chrome Angel — and expect both to acquit themselves strongly.

“I think they’ll both run well, although the draws are a bit of a worry (River Night barrier 12, Chrome Angel 13),” Zahra said.

“Chrome Angel probably ran on a bit of fear when she won at Bendigo, and not everything went to plan for River Night.

“They’ve both got the same turn of foot — River Night will probably be better suited to ­sitting just off them, (while) Chrome Angel will probably be closer to the speed.”

John McArdle’s Archipeta Beach ($5.50) is favourite ahead of River Night ($6.50) and Chrome Angel ($7.50).

The Caulfield meeting is ­littered with quality gallopers in races with unexpectedly deep histories, given the short lifespan of some.

In 2018, the VOBIS Gold Dash (1100m) was won by Sam’s Image, who downed Nature Strip — winner of three Group 1s this season alone.

Group 1 Queensland Derby winner Mr Quickie will chase successive victories in the VOBIS Gold Heath (2000m), where he is a $1.80 favourite.

leo.schlink@news.com.au

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HOW CUMANI FELT WATCHING HIS FORMER MARE WIN

Matt Cumani felt mixed emotions as he watched his former mare Etah James take out last Saturday’s Group 1 Sydney Cup at Royal Randwick.

“I was really happy for the owners and I called them but obviously I would have loved to have trained her to win the Sydney Cup,” Cumani said.

Cumani is hoping to win a major race on Saturday with two-year-olds Khoekhoe and Coup De Tonerre in the $855,000 The Showdown at Caulfield.

Cumani trained Etah James for most of her career, which included last year’s Pakenham Cup win, but she returned to New Zealand after finishing sixth in the Bagot Handicap.

Her managing owner Mark Lupton trained her to run third in the Avondale Cup and fourth in the Auckland Cup.

“I knew they wanted to run in the Sydney Cup — it was either send her over to me for a week and then I had to get her to Sydney during the COVID crisis, which wouldn’t have been easy, or give her to Ciaron (Maher) and David (Eustace) … who had stables in Sydney,” Cumani said.

Cumani’s pair in The Showdown ran the quinella last start when Khoekoe defeated Coup De Tonerre at Echuca.

“They were both in this field, so with the massive prizemoney on offer you’d be crazy not to go for it — it’s not going to be easy, but they are there and in it so why not?” he said.

Cumani said Khoekoe had disappointed on debut at Ballarat but ran up to form from a Burrumbeet jumpout when he swooped home at Echuca.

“They are two different types of horses — Coup is a genuine worker and wants to do everything hard and Khoekhoe does the bare minimum,” he said.

Fred Kersley, who will graduate from his apprenticeship with Cumani on Sunday, will stay on Khoekhoe in the hope of a farewell present.

“He’s done a lot of work with the horse,” Cumani said. “He’s a good young jockey and he has a great record with me. He has a strike rate of 17 per cent and if you’d placed $1 the win on every ride he’s had for me you would have won $195.”

TRAINER CHARGED

Trainer Paul Banks was issued with five charges by Racing Victoria stewards on Wednesday after prohibited substances were found in two of his horses on race day.

Banks was charged with taking Coastal Chic to the races with a TCO2 reading in excess of 36.0 millimoles per litre in plasma when she ran ninth at Echuca on September 15, 2018.

His other charges relate to Rex Bell when he won a Benchmark 58 over 2200m on September 30 last year and when he finished third on October 23, both at Geelong.