Numbers jumping in southern states as South Australian hurdle reflects growing interest

THE RIGHT TRACK: NUMBERS continue to rise in South Australian jumps racing, with a full field set to tackle tomorrow's Leslie Short Hurdle.

Gotta Take Care

NUMBERS continue to rise in South Australian jumps racing, with a full field plus two emergencies set to tackle tomorrow's Leslie Short Hurdle (3200m) at Morphettville.

Field sizes have been steadily rising since the small early season fields that competed at Oakbank over Easter and follow a similar trend in Victoria.

One notable absence on Saturday will be champion rider Stephen Pateman who received a five-meeting suspension (later reduced by a day) at Bendigo last weekend aboard Black And Bent, who had his 10-race winning sequence ended by Gotta Take Care.

It was a vastly different Gotta Take Care at Bendigo who put in a a huge leap at the last jump, in contrast to his Oakbank feature win this season when jockey John Allen was lucky to stay aboard.

Pateman missed a winning ride on Chaparo at Sandown midweek and will return to riding at Hamilton on Sunday.

Saturday's Hurdle is a heat of the of the Over The Rainbow Series and is one of the most competitive jumps races seen in SA for a long time with Zaman forced to carry 70.5kg in his first run back over the hurdles after failing at Bendigo last weekend.

Ready2Race in Sydney
WILLIAM Inglis will break new ground later this year when they hold a Ready2Race Sale in Sydney.

The sale will feature a top catalogue of two and three-year-old horses targeting the South-East Asian market along with Australian buyers.

The sale will feature three Breeze Up days at Canterbury, Benella and Avondale in New Zealand in early September with footage set to be available online before the Ready2Race Sale at Newmarket in Sydney on October 3.

Kent charge changed
VICTORIAN trainer Mick Kent has had one charge overturned on appeal and penalties varied on four others in relation to shockwave therapy on horses.

Kent was fined $7000 on five charges but that penalty has been varied to $4000 after appeals to the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board on Wednesday.

The trainer's appeal against the severity of three $1000 fines in relation to three horses barrier-trialling within seven days of having shockwave therapy in 2011 resulted in a cut to $750 for each offence.

Rogerson scales down
TRANS-Tasman trainer Graeme Rogerson has no plans to exit Sydney racing but admits he has scaled down his team.

Rogerson has had just 56 starters this season for five winners, numbers that are well down on his statistics from five years ago when he saddled up more than 1000 runners and led in 107 winners.

Now based primarily in New Zealand where he has a training partnership with his wife Debbie and around 100 gallopers, Rogerson appeared to be rebuilding his stable 12 months ago when he announced a surprise training partnership with Hall of Famer Lee Freedman.

Campbell's Quorn Cup
RON Campbell and Pelekunu Valley claimed last Saturday's Quorn Cup. Ridden by former leading apprentice Libby Hopwood, Pelekunu Valley was an impressive 4 1/2 length winner over race favourite The Catcher and former New South Wales galloper Noble Romp.