By Craig Kerry
Jockey Rory Hutchings was handed a four-week penalty on Saturday at Randwick after trying to weigh out without a safety vest in a bid to make the weight, before telling the clerk of scales, “I’ll look after you”.
Hutchings, on the comeback from a broken collarbone, was meant to ride Providence for top trainer Chris Waller in the opening race at 56.5 kilograms but was replaced by Tyler Schiller after the scales incident.
Jockey Rory Hutchings has been given a four-week suspension.
Stewards charged Hutchings with “attempting to weigh out without an approved safety vest, such action being intentional in order to make the allotted weight”. He was also charged with making an improper action “after admitting to the clerk of scales, Mr D Sylvester, that you attempted to weigh out without the vest, you commented ‘I’ll look after you’.”
Hutchings pleaded guilty to the first charge but not guilty to the second, admitting he said the words, but the meaning was not what he intended.
“It was a stressful time, I was in a rush, and it come out completely wrong,” Hutchings said.
“I actually went to change what I said straightaway, that I’d make it back in, make the weight coming back in. He said [to] go and grab my vest, which I did.”
‘The last two days, we’ve been flooded in our home, so that’s interrupted my preparation.’
Suspended jockey Rory Hutchings
Stewards said it was reasonable to find that Hutchings was trying to have the clerk of scales “turn a blind eye”.
The stewards found him guilty, with deputy chairman Tom Moxon saying: “It’s our view that any subjective observer would consider the comments you’ve made to be improper, particularly in the circumstances they were said.”
He was suspended for three weeks on the first charge and four on the second, but they are to be served concurrently from June 7.
Hutchings said of the first charge that he’d made “a massive mistake”.
“I’ve just come back from a three-month injury. Financially, it’s put a lot of pressure on me,” he said.
“The last two days, we’ve been flooded in our home, so that’s interrupted my preparation, hence my weight was a little bit bad.
“I felt the pressure because it was a Chris Waller runner, and I’m trying to establish myself again in NSW. I do regret it, and it’s just possibly a brain snap on my behalf.”
As for the second charge, he said: “It sort of didn’t hit me until we were sitting in here and he said those words and I thought, ‘Geez, this is pretty big’. I’m all for the integrity of racing. Obviously, the words are serious, but it’s a long way from what I meant.”
Braith Nock and Let’s Fly gap their rivals on Saturday at Randwick.Credit: Getty Images
Freedman flyer eyes Oaks
Trainer Will Freedman believes Let’s Fly is bred to tackle the 2400m of the Queensland Oaks after she rocketed into calculations with a wet-track demolition at Randwick on Saturday.
A $31 chance, the filly relished heavy going in the 1800m benchmark 72 handicap for three-year-olds to win by almost six lengths and was quickly posted as a $15 (TAB) for the group 1 Oaks on June 7 at Eagle Farm.
Leading Sydney apprentice Braith Nock raced Let’s Fly outside the leader before she took over on the home turn under hands and heels riding. Nock then asked for an effort, and she gapped her rivals.
Owners now seem certain to pay a late nomination fee for the Oaks.
“Her half sister, Mimi’s Award, won over 2800 and 3200, so there’s definitely pedigree to run over a trip, but she’s come to hand a lot quicker than I thought,” said Will, who trains in partnership with his father, Richard.
“I thought an Oaks was way too ambitious, but she’s beaten them like a good thing.”
Sargent on weather watch
Randwick trainer John Sargent has his fingers crossed for a wet Brisbane Cup on June 14 after Casual Connection showed he is up for another shot at the group 2 3200m test with a dominant win on Saturday.
The six-year-old cruised to a three-length win in the 2400m benchmark 78 race, which he also won narrowly last year from Quantum Cat on a soft track. On a heavy surface on Saturday, he was never threatened.
Molly Bourke wins on Casual Connection.Credit: Getty Images
Last year, Casual Connection went onto the Brisbane Cup, where he ran ninth on a good 4 Eagle Farm surface.
“He’s been a great horse, especially on this type of ground,” Sargent said.
“I wouldn’t take him again, he’s getting older now, unless it was wet. I took him last year, and it was rock hard, and he didn’t like it, so we’ll just tick away for a few weeks and see how the weather is.
“He loves the wet, he’s only a one-paced horse so she rode it a treat.”
Stanley breaks through
Newcastle-based apprentice William Stanley celebrated his best moment in racing when scoring a first Saturday city win thanks to a strong effort from John Thompson-trained Flying Embers in the Midway Handicap (1400m).
Stanley, who had his first city winner, Opal Fields, also for Thompson at a midweek Warwick Farm meeting, produced a calm ride on the favourite, which was caught wide but still powered to a one and a quarter length victory.
Stanley, who hails from Orange, moved to join the Kris Lees stables, through a connection with former jockey Corey Brown, six months ago and hopes to land more city rides.
“That’s my No.1 so far,” Stanley said of the win.
William Stanley on Flying Embers.Credit: Getty Images
“All the family are in racing. Dad [Peter] was a jockey for 30 years and is now a trainer. All my sisters and brothers are jockeys. They weren’t going to stop it [me becoming one].
“I’m happy where I am at the moment and how things are going.”
Agarwood brings spring promise
The Adrian Bott-Gai Waterhouse stable is likely to spell Agarwood and target the spring after the promising filly stamped her potential with a commanding win at Randwick on Saturday.
An odds-on favourite in the 1200m race for two-year-olds, the daughter of Wootton Bassett scored a two-and-a-quarter-length victory from Godolphin’s Matima.
Bott said before the race that Agarwood would be spelled to prepare for a spring campaign.
Jockey Adam Hyeronimus said Agarwood was very professional on Saturday after she was a handful for Tim Clark behind the gates before winning on debut at Warwick Farm on May 7.
“She’s really improved from that mentally, and she was such a professional today,” Hyeronimus said.
Adam Hyeronimus rides Agarwood to victory.Credit: Getty Images
Howlett hope seasoned for cups
Hunter trainer Todd Howlett had his eye on wet-weather country cups for A Pound Of Salt after he burst through the pack late under Zac Lloyd to take out the Highway Handicap on Saturday.
The five-year-old, which came to Howlett from Orange trainer Peter Stanley – the father of Saturday’s Midway-winning apprentice William, raced away with the class 3 1200m event. It was his third win in eight starts for Howlett and the first in Highway grade.
“It was a good turn of foot under heavy conditions,” Howlett said.
Zac Lloyd on A Pound Of Salt.Credit: Getty Images
“He’s a little fella and when I got him, I wouldn’t have expected him to be winning a Highway, so he’s done a great job.
“I’ll just try to find the right races, but maybe he could go into those country cups now. He does [handle heavy tracks]. That was the query today and he’s done well.”
