Trainer Ciaron Maher confident Azkadellia can bounce back to her best in Tatt’s Tiara

CIARON Maher has told punters to put a line through Azkadellia’s Stradbroke flop and is confident the four-year-old can bounce back in Saturday week’s Tatt’s Tiara.

Azkadellia could push on to the Tatt’s Tiara on Saturday week. Picture: Jono Searle

CIARON Maher has told punters to put a line through Azkadellia’s Stradbroke flop as the Victorian trainer remains confident the four-year-old can bounce back in Saturday week’s Tattersall’s Tiara at Eagle Farm.

Azkadellia’s bid to win the final Group 1 of the Queensland Winter Carnival was given a boost on Tuesday with news Ghisoni has been ruled out of the Tattersall’s Tiara.

Azkadellia was defeated a massive 10.5 lengths in Saturday’s Stradbroke, which was the biggest losing margin in her 16-start career.

The first six horses across the line in the Stradbroke all scouted wide on the track in the straight but Azkadellia raced close to the fence and Maher insists this was the reason for the disappointing performance.

“If you look at the two races before her and the race after I don’t think they went anywhere near about 10m off the rail, so it was pretty clear it was inferior ground,” Maher said.

“I think you just have to forget the run and Malaguerra finished back there where Azkadellia did and he was a horse I thought would be hard to beat but he was just on the wrong part of the track as well.”

Maher, who confirmed Azkadellia will run in the Tattersall’s Tiara providing she works well in the lead-up, stopped short of being heavily critical of Damien Oliver’s ride in the Stradbroke but said no decision had been made on who will ride the mare on Saturday week.

“Prior to the race we wanted to be on the outside and clearly we weren’t but I know it doesn’t always go to plan and it is what it is,” he said. “Maybe (Damien) thought he could cut the corner and get to the outside but anyway it didn’t work out.”

Maher was fairly upbeat about Azkadellia’s chances heading into the Stradbroke and said the race had done little to dent his confidence levels heading into the Tattersall’s Tiara.

“She seemed to come through it well and she recovered quickly after the race,” he said. “If she works well between now and then, I would say I would be going into the race (with a similar feeling to the Stradbroke).”

Meanwhile, Godolphin confirmed Ghisoni would not line up in the Tattersall’s Tiara.

“(John O’Shea) just felt she is probably looking for the paddock,” Godolphin’s racing manager Darren Beadman said. “He just felt another couple of weeks going into this race wouldn’t help her out going into the spring.”

The news comes after Ghisoni finished a disappointing fifth as a short-priced favourite in the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The Lonhro filly missed the start and then tracked wide in the run before just plugging home in the straight.

Colless has ban reduced

BRISBANE jockey Glen Colless has lost an appeal against a suspension but has had his ban reduced from 17 days to 12.

Colless was outed after he was found guilty of causing interference in the concluding stages of the Group 1 BTC Cup on May 14, which he won on Malaguerra.

Stewards found Colless had allowed Malaguerra to shift in near the line causing tightening to Two Blue, Delectation and, eventually, Artlee who lost his rider Michael Cahill.

Colless strongly defended the charge at yesterday’s Racing Disciplinary Board hearing in Brisbane, arguing Jason Collett on Delectation had gone for a run inside Two Blue and outside Artlee at the 100m mark.

“He said Two Blue had shifted in which caused Delectation to be checked and move on to Artlee,” Colless said.

“I had no bearing on Two Blue moving in. Paul King on Two Blue kept riding because he didn’t realise there were two horses inside him. The accident started before I even got to it.”

Chief steward on the day, Martin Knibbs, said the panel had found Colless’ mount Malaguerra had shifted in from four horses off the fence at the 150m to one off at the finish.

Originally published as Trainer Ciaron Maher confident Azkadellia can bounce back to her best in Tatt’s Tiara