Stewards refuse Moonee Valley ride

TRAINER Stephen Brown admits he is puzzled by a Moonee Valley decision to prevent his daughter, Darwin apprentice Alana Brown, from riding at the home of the Cox Plate.

Jockey Alana Brown was refused a ride at Moonee Valley tonight Picture: JUSTIN SANSON

TRAINER Stephen Brown admits he is puzzled by a Moonee Valley decision to prevent his daughter, Darwin apprentice Alana Brown, from riding at the home of the Cox Plate tonight.

Brown had booked his daughter to ride Signal Fire in race three, the 955 metre sprint, at Moonee Valley and had bought air tickets for her to fly to Melbourne.

But his plans have gone up in smoke because of a seemingly bizarre rule imposed by stewards.

“I rang the stewards to inform them that Alana would ride Signal Fire,” Brown told the NT News last night from his Flemington stables.

“They told me that because the meeting includes a Group race (the Group 1 Moir Stakes) apprentices cannot ride in the meeting.

“The ruling is that because she had not ridden a metropolitan winner she is not allowed to ride.”

Brown is disappointed with the ruling because Alana has been an apprentice for more than four years.

“She would have served her apprenticeship but she decided to make it a bit longer,” he said.

Signal Fire has been scratched from the race with another Brown-trained galloper Canali (Stephen Baster) carrying the dark green silks with the red star.

It will be Canali’s first start since he finished 13th of 15 at Caulfield in April.

The eight-year-old gelding has a good record at the Valley, having won over 1000m with Baster in the saddle last October.

Two weeks earlier he won at Cranbourne over a similar distance. Both were $100,000 races.

Lightinthenite, which was runner-up behind Pretty Blonde in the Darwin Cup in early August, will also resume at the Valley.

The former Gary Clarke-trained seven-year-old gelding, co-owned by a number of leading NT racing identities including Mick Burns, Justin Coleman and Viv Oldfield, returns in the last race over 1500m.

New trainer Jarrod McLean, who recently returned after a six months suspension for presenting a horse for a race with an elevated bicarb reading, said Lightinthenite had returned from the Top End in good shape.

“He has been freshened up and has been to the beach here in Warrnambool a few times,” McLean said.

“He is definitely a top five chance at Moonee Valley. The long-range target is the Kyneton Cup on November 5,” he said.

Meanwhile, Alice Springs favourite Periduki finished a disappointing second last in a field of nine in his comeback race at Port Lincoln yesterday.

Trainer Mick Whittle brought the 10-year-old gelding out of retirement for his 85th career start but, after being up on the pace at the bend, he struggled to stay with the leaders.