John Schell
Former top jockey-turned-trainer Danny Beasley is banking on quality rather than quantity at Wagga on Sunday when he saddles up one runner.
Beasley will start form galloper Screen Spirit in the WIN Network Country Boosted Benchmark 58 Handicap (1200m), with the three-year-old son of Brazen Beau out to make it a hat-trick of victories.
“He’s a nice horse that is heading in the right direction,” Beasley said. “He won well on the Riverside at Wagga two starts ago and then backed that up with another victory at Narrandera. He’s racing very well and he only needs to have held that form to be hard to hold out again on Sunday.”
Jack Martin, who was in the saddle in Screen Spirit’s Riverside victory at Wagga, is back on board on Sunday after Pierre Boudvillain rode the gelding to the Narrandera win.
“Jack got the job done when he last rode him and he should get every chance to do it again from barrier three,” Beasley said.
Brodie Loy will ride the Allan McRae-prepared pre-post favourite La Mer Bleue in Screen Spirit’s event, with that galloper being one of a strong full book of seven mounts for the jockey at Wagga.
La Mer Bleue was a winner at Wagga at the end of March and finished a last-start fourth at Kembla Grange behind Sunday Tycoon.
Loy starts the day with the ride on Riverbend Gold for trainer Wayne Carroll in the Riverina Plaster Works Country Boosted Maiden Plate (1200m). He then partners the Matthew Dale-prepared Hammett in the Short’N’Sharp Welding Class 1 & Maiden Plate (1600m) before linking with McRae-trained Noteabeel in the Delta Star Designs Pty Ltd Benchmark 58 Handicap (1000m).
The Heath Maclean-trained Chief Of War is Loy’s mount in the Bidgee Pumps & Irrigation Super Maiden Handicap (1400m), and he is booked to ride-well fancied The Shaper for Dan McCarthy in the Alan Harris McDonald Benchmark 82 Handicap (1600m). His remaining ride is Hells Spirit for Kym Davison in the SDB Byrne Benchmark 66 Handicap (2000m).
Supplied by Racing NSW
