Central Victoria: Curtain call as Sircconi atones
By Paul Egan, October 23, 2018 - 10:04 AM

Only seven days after saddling up his last runner at Caulfield, Whittlesea’s Peter Morgan was back in the winner’s stall at the same track on Saturday.
After a luckless run the previous week, Sircconi ($12-$7.50) was an impressive winner of the $150,000 Ladbrokes Moonga Stakes (1400m), with Morgan deputising for new trainer John Sadler.
With Linda Meech having a bit more luck this time, the gelding defeated Sydneysider Dreamforce ($6) by 1¾ lengths.
“I told John (Sadler) to stay home, that I’ll be handling it for him,” Morgan said. “He had a late night last night at Pakenham.
“(Sircconi) should’ve won last week and if he had’ve won he would’ve been about 4/1 today. Instead they all dropped off. I thought he’d run well. He’s up to that class. 
“There’s a race at Flemington on Derby day for four-year-olds and up. He’ll still get in with his rating, I hope.”
Asked about his own future, Morgan, who was scheduled for another course of chemotherapy this week, said: “I’ll give myself a couple of months and see how I feel, but I’ll probably be back.”
Sircconi, an $80,000 purchase by Morgan at the 2016 Inglis Classic sale, has three wins, six placings and $407,750 from 16 starts. 
Viva Vivi
Seymour co-trainer Shannon Hope and his wife and strapper, Dee, made the long trip home from Racing.com Park last Friday night a little more pleasant with a win and two seconds from their three runners.
At the first night turf meeting at the Pakenham venue for the new season, the Hopes won with newly acquired Exceed And Excel filly Vivi Valentina ($5.50).
The three-year-old, ridden by apprentice Ethan Brown, was a narrow but impressive winner of the $27,000 Allen Family Three-Years-Old Fillies Maiden Plate (1200m).
The filly defeated Princess Jenni ($7)  by a half-head.
“She’s a nice filly going forward. She just probably has to learn to race a bit,” Shannon Hope said after the race.
“We took the blinkers off her today and Ethan rode her very well and very patiently.
“It’s about timing her runs and racing through her grades. She’ll improve and she’ll come better in the coat and racing manners, and hopefully she’ll measure up in a fillies’ race in the city around about Christmas time,” he said.
Having her first start since April, Vivi Valentina was bred and is raced by South  Australian stud Alpara Lodge. The filly was previously trained by Paul Beshara.
She was having her sixth start and has had two minor placings prior to her win.
Later on the program, Supre ($5.50), raced in the same interests, was a length second to the Tony Noonan-trained Accelerato ($14).
Ultra-consistent stablemate Indiana Wolf ($21) came from last in the final race on the card to go down by three-quarters of a length to the $3.50 favourite, Won Ball.
Glory for Honour
Seymour trainer Gordon Strang and apprentice Tahlia Hope combined for a nice win at Wodonga on Caulfield Cup day with Mathew’s Honour.
Sent out a $2.90 favourite on the strength of a second placing at Echuca at his previous start, the seven-year-old Shaft gelding got up in a photo to take out the Dysons Bus Service BM52 Handicap (1100m).
The gelding defeated Doctor Force ($10) by a half-head with Little Capri ($8) a further three-quarters of a length away in third place.
There was a touch of sadness with the win as the gelding was trained by former Seymour trainer, the late Ray Plant prior to his passing. His family still retains a share in the ownership.
The gelding has now won four races with 12 minor placings from his 38 starts.
Raiders rewarded
Over the border at the Deniliquin Cup non-TAB meeting on Saturday, Kyneton trainers George Osborne and Robert Linnell had winners.
Osborne won with Magic Pegasus ($4), completing a riding double for Brooke Sweeney.
Linnell made it back-to-back wins with Asquillion ($2.50 favourite), who’d won at Manangatang the previous Saturday. The Good Journey eight-year-old gelding was ridden by apprentice Alexandra Bryan.  

Third time lucky for Test
Kilmore’s Jody Thompson carried the flag for local trainers at Kilmore Racing Club’s eight-race card on Tuesday.
Aided by a plum ride from Jye McNeil, Test a Day ($5.50) was most impressive in taking out the Beraldo Coffee BM58 Handicap (2112m).
The seven-year-old Testafiable mare defeated Da Deputy ($31) by 2¾ lengths.
It was a change of luck for Thompson. The mare had been an acceptor at Wagga last Saturday but was scratched due to the lack of a rider. 
The following day at Cranbourne, the trainer made the long trip with the mare only to see the meeting abandoned halfway through due to a serious fall.
Bred and raced by the trainer’s parents, Norm and Faye Thompson, Test a Day has now won six races with 10 minor placings from her 41 starts, accruing $100,571 in prizemoney.
The next meeting at bet365 Park Kilmore is next Friday, November 2. 

 

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