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Harvey answers the call on Bass Strait

Champion jockey Paul Harvey is likely to ride Bass Strait when he resumes in Saturday’s $150,000 Belmont Sprint (1400m).

Harvey has been one of several riders called on by Bass Strait’s trainer, Neville Parnham, in the absence of his three jockey sons.

Steven and Brad Parnham are out injured and Chris continues to ride successfully in Victoria.

Chris has returned home for a short break from the hectic racing schedule in Victoria and will ride at Belmont Park on Wednesday.

“Chris rang me and said he needed a little break,” Neville Parnham said.

“He rides seven days a week over there and you’ve got to remember he’s only 18.

“He’ll be home for about four days and he was keen to ride on Wednesday.

“He’ll ride Invincible Man, Vital Shotz, Weekend Shadow and maybe Futurism.

“He probably won’t stay for Saturday. He might be riding He Or She (at Moonee Valley).

“The good thing is he can see the weights for that meeting before our weights come out.”

Bass Strait will warm up for the Belmont Sprint when he trials over 1000m at Belmont today.

“He’s come back really well,” Parnham said.

“Paul Harvey will probably ride him.”

Formerly trained by David Hayes in Victoria, Bass Strait impressed at his first WA campaign in top company last spring-summer.

The five-year-old won the RJ Peters Stakes (1500m) second-up and ran sixth in the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) and Kingston Town Classic (1800m).

He also ran a close third in the CB Cox Stakes (2100m) and ended his campaign after running 14th in the Perth Cup (2400m).

Parnham has set Bass Strait for the Belmont Sprint, $150,000 Hyperion Stakes (1600m) on June 13 and $150,000 Strickland Stakes (2000m) on June 27.

Tower Of Lonhro will also tackle the Hyperion and Strickland after claiming a third straight victory at Belmont on Saturday.

The six-year-old continued his winning ways despite lumping another big weight.

He made light work of 61.5kg to win the Ramelius Resources Handicap (2100m) by a length from stablemate Gladstone.

“We can probably look at the Hyperion and Strickland,” trainer Adam Durrant said.

“He might be a little bit out of his depth over the mile against the better-class horses like Luckygray.

“But the 2000 will most likely drop away a bit and we might be able to pinch one before he goes out.”

Durrant said Gladstone could be aimed at the Broome Cup (2200m) or Darwin Cup (2000m) in August.