Group 1 winning Irish jockey Martin Harley will continue his Australian sojourn when he heads to Perth this weekend to ride the James Cummings trained Tally in the Group 1 $1m Kingston Town Classic (1800m) at Ascot.
Irish jockey Martin Harley will ride Tally, above, in the 2019 Kingston Town Classic at Ascot in Perth. Photo by Steve Hart.
Harley has been mixing his riding up between Sydney and Victoria and rode the Anthony Freedman trained Warning in his two lead up races before Damien Oliver steered the gelding to victory in the Group 1 $2m AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on November 2.
Harley guided Warning to victory in the Listed $175,000 Super Impose Stakes (1800m) at Flemington on October 5 and then the pair finished second in the Group 3 $350,000 Ladbrokes Classic (2000m) at Caulfield a fortnight later.
Cummings’ travelling foreman Sean Keogh said that Harley is a well-accomplished and well-travelled jockey and had ridden for the Godolphin stable in Victoria before.
“Martin has come over. He has done a bit of travelling this year. He has done a little bit of work in Hong Kong,” Keogh told The Races WA.
“He came down to Melbourne and he has ridden a winner for us there. So he comes over and partners Tally on Saturday.”
Tally was back in the winner’s stall two starts back in the $500,000 Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m) at Rosehill on November 2 and then beat one runner home when ninth over an unsuitable distance in the 1400m Listed $100,000 Carbine Club Of WA Stakes at Ascot on November 23.
Keogh is happy with the way Tally has progressed since and said the step back up to 1800m will be more to his liking.
“We sent Tally back to seven furlongs (1400m) when he came over. James electing to run him in that race,” Keogh said.
“We had a runaway leader in that race and he was run off his feet a little bit. We have seen his best form up over a mile and a quarter (2000m) so definitely over 1800m the horse will be better suited.”
“Tally has settled in beautifully and two weeks between the runs and we have seen him thrive over the last couple of weeks.”
Tally is marked at $15 at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Kingston Town Classic and Cummings will also saddle up $9 chance Best Of Days.
Best Of Days is coming off a last start second to Regal Power in the Group 1 $1m Kirin Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot in Perth on November 23 and Keogh said the stable couldn’t be happier with the way the six year old has come through that Group 1 assignment.
“Was a super run in the Railway and he has pulled up beautifully from that,” Keogh said.
“Two weeks on from that now he has settled in really nicely and he is working well.”
“He maintains the form from the Railway, we are pretty happy with where he is at.”
“He did a nice gallop on the course proper this morning. He got a lead off of our three year old Widespread and they worked around nicely over 1200m.”
“The horses have settled in beautifully.”
“He is a well-travelled horse and copped the travelling really well and very happy with him.”
Victorian jockey Brad Rawiller was aboard Best Of Days in the Railway Stakes and will stick with the gelding in the weight for age Kingston Town Classic.
The Grant and Alana Williams trained Tuscan Queen is the $3.60 favourite for the Kingston Town Classic and the three year old filly is coming off a win in the Group 3 $200,000 WA Champion Fillies Stakes (1600m) at Ascot in Perth on November 16.
Betting for the 2019 Kingston Town Classic at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3.60 Tuscan Queen, $7.50 Regal Power, $8 Superstorm, $9 Best Of Days, $10 Pacodali, $12 Kay Cee, $15 Gatting, Mississippi Delta, Star Exhibit, Tally, $16 Gailo Chop, $21 Achernar Star, Dig Deep, $26 Jericho Missile, Platoon, $34 The Velvet King.
