Ryan Maloney’s festive fasting could pay big dividends with Isotope and Magic Millions Guineas

Ryan Maloney says Isotope is worth the sacrifices this festive season as he works towards avenging the loss of his biggest payday.

Isotope shot to the top of MM Guineas charts when she waltzed home under Ryan Maloney in Saturday’s Mode Plate. Picture: Grant Peters

Ryan Maloney believes sacrificing the indulgence that comes with the festive season can be the catalyst for him making amends in the race that fleetingly gave him his biggest payday in racing last year.

Maloney has been booked for Black Soil Bloodstock’s exciting filly Isotope right through to the $2 million Magic Millions Guineas.

That means he has to ride the Tony Gollan-trained filly at 55kg in the Vo Rogue Plate on January 2 and at this stage, 54.5kg in the Millions on January 16 (she will carry 55kg if she wins the Vo Rogue).

“I will be sitting down with a dinner plate (for Christmas) and that’s about it. Hopefully the rewards will be there,” he said.

After losing discipline coming back from his Golden Eagle tilt in Sydney and forfeiting winning rides last month, Maloney says his weight is back under control.

Ryan Maloney has high hopes with Isotope. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

“I had my weight really good in Sydney, but when I went through isolation and couldn’t come back to Queensland, I really indulged too much,” he told Radio TAB’s Past The Post.

“It didn’t catch up with me until I got back home. I was pulling off 3kg and my body went into a real spiral with a yoyo effect.

“I’ve got it stabilised now and it’s starting to come down. As long as I don’t do anything stupid, or indulge like I did in iso, I will be right.”

Maloney says the toughest part of missing rides being overweight is letting owners and trainers down.

“When you have to make that call to a trainer in the morning and say ‘I can’t make the weight’ that’s the last thing they need to hear,” he said. “Owners are looking forward to the day and next minute they don’t have a rider, or can’t get the rider they want.

“It’s not a good look to be getting off them.”

Isotope shot to the top of MM Guineas charts when she waltzed home under Maloney in Saturday’s Mode Plate.

The former Victorian rider ‘won’ last year’s Guineas on Alligator Blood, only to later lose the race through the horse’s disqualification for a positive swab.

“It was my biggest payday that one. I didn’t have it spent, but my wife did … at the end of the day, that’s the way it goes,” he said.

“(Isotope) couldn’t have been more impressive. She put away quite good fillies and made them look second rate.

“Her form in the winter carnival around Rothfire and Wild Ruler stands up really well now.

“She’s definitely got a really good race in her. The only question mark is whether she will run a good strong 1400m. I think this time around she will. The sky’s the limit at the moment.”

MONDAY MAIL

SPECIAL K WIN EMBRACED BY GODOLPHIN

Fresh off Kementari’s emotional win in Saturday’s Scahill Stakes at Ascot, Nacim Dilmi and his wife Lauren are packing their bags for Brisbane again as Godolphin opens its summer carnival campaign.

James Cummings will have Gaulois run in Friday’s feature Mile at Doomben, before Exhilarates runs in Saturday’s Just Now at Eagle Farm, with Glen Boss booked to ride.

Dilmi is Cummings’ travelling foreman. He’s done three stints in isolation this year, starting with Adelaide for the May carnival, where Trekking won the Goodwood, Brisbane in the winter and then Perth.

He expects he and Lauren will remain in Queensland until after the Magic Millions, before they eventually return to their Sydney home.

“I looked it up, I’ve been at home for five months out of the 12 (this year),” he said.

Few wins have been more special than Kementari on Saturday, given the horse’s public reputation and the backstory of him coming back as a gelding after proving infertile at stud.

“He’s such a beautiful animal. You kind of feel sorry for him because he won a Group 1 and he’s by Lonhro and you think he’s going to take over from Lonhro as a stallion and things didn’t go his way,” Dilmi said.

“Despite that, he made a comeback to racing, he still had it in him, obviously it took a while to get it back.

The enigma that is Kementari won his first race in over 1000 days when winning the Group 3 A.J. Scahill Stakes at Ascot. Picture: Supplied

“To prove everyone wrong, the way everyone’s been talking about the horse, it’s just like, you know what, you don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. It’s easy for them to see on raceday but he’s never run a bad race.

“The way he won as well was great.”

It’s possible Kementari will now be retired — again — although Dilmi is hoping the decision makers at Godolphin have a change of heart.

“Hopefully after (Saturday) the guys will change their mind, but if it was his last run, it’s good to finish on a win,” he said.

Godolphin’s Australian manager Vin Cox said a decision will be made shortly on Kementari’s future, where retirement is still an option.

“It was a huge thrill for the whole organisation to see him win,” Cox said. “He’s been very much maligned. We knew he had it in him, but it’s just been a matter of fleshing it out of him.”

LADBROKES WEEKEND REPORT

Best result: Hard Stride, Race 2: A rare positive result for the book on a day punters had the upper hand.

Worst result: So You Win, Race 6: Got the job done again for his backers.

Best backed: Isotope, Race 9: Backed as if unbeatable and that proved to be the case.

LATEST MARKET

BLACKS A FAKE (HARNESS), SATURDAY

$2.50 King Of Swing

$4 Colt Thirty One

$5 Turn It Up

$8 Balraj

$9 Alta Orlando

$15 One Change

$26 Cruz

$34+ Others

Odds: Ladbrokes

THIS WEEK

Tuesday: Dalby, Ballina, Dubbo, Ararat

Wednesday: Ipswich, Warwick Farm, Sandown Hillside, Terang, Balaklava, Ascot, Launceston (night)

Thursday: Mackay, Wyong, Queanbeyan, Wodonga, Geraldton

Friday: Doomben, Canterbury (night), The Valley (night), Murwillumbah, Scone, Warren, Geelong, Moe, Port Lincoln, Albany

Saturday: Eagle Farm, Randwick, Flemington, Morphettville, Ascot, Gold Coast, Toowoomba (night), Townsville, Bundaberg, Roma, Warra, Kembla Grange, Wangaratta, Launceston, Darwin

Sunday: Sunshine Coast, Hawkesbury, Canberra, Bendigo, Cranbourne, Bordertown, Bunbury

THE QUOTE

“I hope the bar staff have their sand shoes on, because they will be running tonight.”

— Alex Malliff after Paniagua made it eight in a row to win the Country Cups Challenge Final.

THE TALKING POINT

Magic Millions 3YO Guineas. While two-year-olds putting their hand up for the $2 million Classic seem to be thin on the ground, the Guineas is shaping up as a cracker. Away Game went up favourite last week, but was deposed by Isotope after her Mode win. The locals seemingly have a strong hand. In addition to Isotope, Gotta Kiss was terrific in the Mode and behind Shooting For Gold in the Winning Rupert, Thunder Mania and Safework turned in eye-catchers.

Ryan Maloney partners Great Keppell to victory on Saturday.

THE RIDE

Hard to go past Ryan Maloney on Great Keppell. Odds of victory were significantly shorter when Maloney found the fence midfield, then tracked into it, saving energy for the killer blow at the end.

THREE TO BACK

Rogue Rocker, Race 5: Ripper effort at start number two.

Apache Chase, Race 5: Best of the on-pacers.

Full Nelson, Race 3: Deserved a better fate.

RISK

Goldsborough, Race 5: Battled on well enough in a race where those that settled back dominated, but failed to finish off after once again finding strong market support.

THE FLOP

All To Quick, Race 1: Bookies were guarded and stayed hard in the market, but was never a factor.

SHARP SHOOTERS

It looked a deep Mode Plate, but punters were having none of that. The betting suggested it was a one-horse race and Isotope lived up to the billing.

Originally published as Ryan Maloney’s festive fasting could pay big dividends with Isotope and Magic Millions Guineas