Danny O’Brien’s smart Kiwi expat Callsign Mav has been accepted as a late addition to Saturday’s $5 million The All-Star Mile field at Flemington following the popular South Australian galloper Regalo Di Gaetano due to injury.
Zaaki is favourite to take out the $5 million The All-Star Mile at Flemington this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.
Winner of last November’s Group 3 Eclipse Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield, the Richard Jolly-trained Regalo Di Gaetano was confirmed a non-runner in the 2022 All-Star Mile field by the stable on Tuesday morning.
“Regalo Di Gaetano will not be competing in The All Star Mile. Unfortunately he is not 100% and the welfare of the horse comes first,” @RJollyRacing confirmed on Twitter.
“Devastating for all involved but we wish the other contenders the best of luck in the race.”
Getting the 11th-hour call-up to take his spot in the fourth running of the world’s richest mile race, Callsign Mav gets his chance at atonement after a disappointing run in last weekend’s Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m).
A multiple Group 1 winner across the Tasman, the Atlante five-year-old was competitive fresh this prep when runner-up in the Group 3 TS Carlyon Cup (1600m) before his Super Saturday flop.
O’Brien is confident the horse will be better on the quick back-up dropping back to a mile.
“I think her found the 2000 metres a bridge too far with that tempo there on Saturday,” O’Brien said.
“It was a brutal 2000 and while he’s going well, he just couldn’t run it out the way it panned out.
“It’s worked before with Regal Power doing the back-up and we will be much better suited back to the mile.”
Ciaron Maher & David Eustace’s Australian Guineas winner Hitotsu was a non-acceptor into the 15-horse field on Tuesday, last year’s VRC Derby champ to instead go straight to Sydney’s Group 1 $2 million Australian Derby (2400m) on April 2.
The Shane Nichols-trained Streets Of Avalon replaces Hitotsu in the official line-up, while Foxwedge four-year-old Lunar Fox took the spot of the inured Elephant earlier in piece.
Along with Lunar Fox, the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Capitalist colt Captivant has been confirmed as the other emergency replacement for the withdrawn Group 1 Coolmore Classic winning mare Lighthouse from the Maher/Eustace stable.
Annabel Neasham’s Mackinnon Stakes champion from the spring Zaaki coming off a first-up Group 2 Blamey Stakes second, and the Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr-trained I’m Thunderstruck headline the field.
The only last start winners in the mix meanwhile are in-form mares Tofane and Inspirational Girl coming off victories in the Futurity Stakes and Blamey Stakes respectively.
The mares won the inaugural running of the event with Mystic Journey successful in 2019 at Flemington where the event returns this weekend.
The 2022 All-Star Mile Barrier Draw took place shortly after the final acceptances on Tuesday with the favourite Zaaki drawing the far outside barrier (15 of 15).
Click here for a full run down of how all horses fared in the 2022 The All-Star Mile Barrier Draw.
2022 The All-Star Mile Field & Barrier Draw
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Penalty | H Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1311311×55 | I’M THUNDERSTRUCK (NZ) | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | Jye McNeil | 1 | 59kg | 112 | |
| 2 | 111x1131x2 | ZAAKI (GB) | Annabel Neasham | Ms Jamie Kah | 15 | 59kg | 118 | |
| 3 | 545432×315 | CASCADIAN (GB) | James Cummings | Damien Oliver | 6 | 59kg | 112 | |
| 4 | 2875483×56 | STREETS OF AVALON | Shane Nichols | Zac Spain | 3 | 59kg | 108 | |
| 5 | 40x9560x09 | LUNAR FOX | Paul Preusker | Craig Newitt | 14 | 59kg | 95 | |
| 6 | 1224251×76 | KING MAGNUS | Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock | Lachlan King | 5 | 59kg | 100 | |
| 7 | 223x117x28 | CALLSIGN MAV (NZ) | Danny O’Brien | Ben Allen | 10 | 59kg | 106 | |
| 8 | 1111114×34 | MR BRIGHTSIDE (NZ) | Ben & JD Hayes | Craig Williams | 2 | 59kg | 99 | |
| 9 | x354912x64 | ICEBATH (NZ) | Brad Widdup | Fred Kersley | 9 | 57kg | 107 | |
| 10 | 11x3427x13 | TOFANE (NZ) | Michael Moroney | Jamie Mott | 7 | 57kg | 115 | |
| 11 | 4117100×41 | SIERRA SUE (NZ) | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | John Allen | 13 | 57kg | 114 | |
| 12 | 31112x5x61 | INSPIRATIONAL GIRL (NZ) | Danny O’Brien | Damian Lane | 4 | 57kg | 112 | |
| 13 | x36728x636 | CAPTIVANT | Peter & Paul Snowden | Patrick Moloney | 11 | 56kg | 106 | |
| 14 | 9x6414x402 | LIGHTSABER | Peter G Moody | Luke Nolen | 12 | 56kg | 104 | |
| 15 | 1×115 | PINSTRIPED | Enver Jusufovic | Michael Dee | 8 | 56kg | 90 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
