By John Schell
Local trainer Rodney Northam will be out to make a major impact at Scone on Tuesday when he has seven runners spread across the seven-race card.
Northam will start the day in the second race when he combines with three-kilogram claiming apprentice Leeshelle Small to guide four-year-old mare Great Point in the Emirates Park Class 1 Handicap – Heat Of The Rising Star (1400m).
Local trainer Rodney Northam has seven runners on the program at Scone on Tuesday.Credit: Getty
Great Point has finished second in each of her latest two starts at Scone and Muswellbrook and was beaten less than a length as an odds-on favourite when last produced.
Small will ride Questionable for Northam in the Lion Country Boosted Maiden Handicap (1300m), while stablemate and short-priced favourite One Man Show will contest the same event with Reece Jones taking the ride.
Questionable is a filly on debut and wasn’t beaten far in a barrier trial midway through the year, while One Man Show is also on debut, with the gelding by Showtime impressing when winning each of his trials.
Jones will partner the promising Shropshire Lad for Northam in the Muswellbrook Ford Maiden Plate (1100m) with the gelding by Supido only needing to overcome a wide barrier.
Shropshire Lad won two trials at Scone in February and November before debuting with a luckless second behind Overtook at Newcastle late last month.
Jones and Small will stick with Northam when they partner Hammoon Thunder and Zippo Idea respectively in the Select Events Benchmark 66 Handicap (1300m).
Hammoon Thunder is resuming from a lengthy spell, but has the advantage of gate one, while Zippo Idea is a winner of two of her nine starts that has tackled Highway grade in the city and has had a trial since losing her rider when last in action at Scone.
Northam will finish the day when the promising Speck contests the Widden Country Boosted Benchmark 58 Handicap (1100m) with Jean Van Overmeire taking the ride.
Speck has won two of her five starts and the daughter of Bon Hoffa was right back to her best when scoring a last-start Tamworth victory when second-up from a spell.
Supplied by Racing NSW
Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au
Friend’s fundraiser for tragic Kavanagh
Craig Kerry
A close friend of Sam Kavanagh is fulfilling the trainer’s dying wish by launching a GoFundMe page to help his family.
The Newcastle-based trainer lost his battle with cancer on Saturday at age 38, and friend Amy Yargi the next day launched the fundraiser, which had received more than $22,000 on Monday for Kavanagh’s fiancee, Kelly, and their daughter, Sienna, 11.
Trainer Sam Kavanagh died from cancer on Saturday aged 38.Credit: Paul Harris
“I asked Sam if he wanted some financial help during his health battle, and he said no because he ‘Didn’t want to have people feel sorry for him or think that he was making it about him’,” Yargi wrote.
“What he did ask was that once he passed, that I would ask our friends for help for Kelly and Sienna. He would say, ‘When I die AJ, I need you to do a fundraiser for Kelly and Sienna. I don’t want Kelly to worry about money or working for a while. She needs time to grieve and be there for Sienna’.“
Stipes agree to bring forward Sherry ban
By Craig Kerry
Tom Sherry has brought forward his suspension for careless riding, which was one of three dished out at Randwick on Saturday.
Sherry was initially suspended from December 22 to January 1 for his ride on Eagle Nest, which was third in the listed Razor Sharp Handicap.
Racing NSW stewards acceded to an application from Sherry to amend the dates of his four-meeting ban from yesterday (Monday) to this Sunday.
Nash Rawiller is out for the same period for his ride on Caribbean King, which was second in a photo-finish in the Highway Handicap. Josh Parr is out from December 19-27 for careless riding on Rustic Steel, which was fifth in the $2 million The Ingham.
Englishman Harry Davies, 20, escaped with a reprimand for careless riding on Claim The Crown, which was his first mount in Australia.
