The Offer avoids big wet
Sydney's big wet means Melbourne Cup favourite The Offer will resume in the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley.
The Offer was forced to have his second trial before the Randwick meeting last Saturday week when the Friday heats were cancelled because of the state of the track. Tommy Berry guided him to fourth place behind Woodbine in the 1250m trial and will ride him on Saturday.
Trainer Gai Waterhouse said The Offer would run in next month's Caulfield Cup (2400m) and then progress to the Melbourne Cup (3200m).
The TAB opened The Offer at $15, but he has been backed into a $9.75 favourite for the Melbourne Cup. He is equal favourite at $18 for the Caulfield Cup.
"Longma won his trial and The Offer was held together and he ran a nice fourth," WA part- owner Craig Thompson said.
"They were supposed to trial again, but the rain stopped that so Gai sent The Offer to Melbourne."
Thompson has a major share in French import Pornichet, who is at Sydney's Eastern Creek under quarantine, awaiting release for a shot at the Melbourne Cup.
Waterhouse paid $770,000 for the entire after he was passed in at auction at Kensington Palace in June.
"He arrived about two weeks ago," Thompson said. "He is an entire but he travelled really well.
"He is a very good looking horse and he is very relaxed.
"Hopefully he blossoms here."
·Luke Nolen will head a star cast of Victorian jockeys, including the WA-born Damian Lane and Brad Rawiller, to ride over this month's Kalgoorlie racing round.
Nolen and Rawiller, who rode his first Group 1 on Niconero in the 2006 Fruit 'n' Veg Classic, will ride at the Hannan's Handicap meeting, a fortnight from tomorrow. Lane will also ride at that card and the Boulder Cup meeting the previous Sunday.
·Punters pal Paul Harvey makes his long-awaited comeback from a shoulder injury with four rides at Pinjarra on Thursday.
In-form trainer David Harrison has booked Harvey to break the maiden status of Freo Storm and Boy Byrnes over 1200m, while former arch rival Stephen Miller hopes Harvey can do the same on Poet's Prince, who drops back to a 1300m maiden after racing at Belmont last Saturday week.
Kellie Grantham is looking to the Harvey magic to open We Got This' account over 1400m.
·Blackfriars, Trade Fair and Danehill Express head a list of 31 WA stallions entered for the new Westspeed Stallions scheme, in which WA-owned fillies and mares can have their initial service fee of up to $15,000 paid by Racing and Wagering WA for nominated stallions, if they are successful in a Listed or Group race.
