Mark Zahra will replace the suspended Nicholas Hall on Alaskan Rose in the Group 3 $150,000 The Vanity (1400m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Jockey Mark Zahra, above, replaces Nicholas Hall on Alaskan Rose in The Vanity at Flemington. Photo by Adrienne Bicknell.
Hall was originally booked to partner the Mike Moroney trained Alaskan Rose but surrendered the ride after he was handed a ten meeting suspension at Ladbrokes Park at Sandown on Wednesday.
Hall’s suspension was due to start after the Black Caviar Lightning meeting at Flemington on Saturday and end at midnight on the February 28.
But Hall was keen to be available to ride the David Hayes and Tom Dabernig trained Zamzam in the Group 1 $1.5m Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 27 and made arrangements to be relinquished from his rides at Pakenham today and at Flemington on Saturday, meaning he will be able to ride after the Warrnambool meeting next Thursday.
Hall was also down to ride Lizard Island in the Group 3 $150,000 C S Hayes Stakes (1400m) but the Pat Hyland trained three year old will be ridden by last Saturday’s Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes winning jockey Luke Currie.
Alaskan Rose has had one run back from a spell and Moroney is confident that the Encosta De Lago filly is set to perform better at Group level this campaign after coming back a more relaxed filly.
“She’s come back stronger and more relaxed and that seems to be the key with her,” Moroney told AAP.
“As long as she stays that way she’ll be an interesting runner on Saturday.”
“She seemed to get wound up at the finish (of her last campaign) as we were about to start chasing black type and might have come to the end of it as she got on the toe in both her runs at Caulfield.”
Moroney did test Alaskan Rose at Group level during the Spring but the filly under performed with an eighth to Miss Gunpowder in the Group 2 $200,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) and with a tenth to Stay With Me in the Group 1 $500,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield.
Alaskan Rose is also facing a tough task on Saturday in The Vanity, coming up against Caulfield Classic winner Sacred Eye, Crown Oaks winner Jameka and the unbeaten former Perth trained filly Perfect Reflection who are all resuming from a break.
The Vanity market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $2.30 Perfect Reflection, $3.90 Jameka, $6 Don’t Tell Mamma, $7.50 Sacred Eye, $10 Alaskan Rose, $21 Egypt, Italy $81 Stylemaker.
