Beadman Cost Miss Finland Win: Hayes

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday September 24, 2007

John Schell

HONG Kong-bound jockey Darren Beadman cost Miss Finland a group 1 success in Saturday's Underwood Stakes at Caulfield, the champion mare's trainer David Hayes said yesterday.

In a mid-race move, Beadman, on Western Australian star Marasco, shoved Craig Williams and Miss Finland to a three-wide position. Miss Finland was then forced to do a power of work when charging to a 1 1/4-length second behind surprise winner Rubiscent.

"I think you'll find Darren was given a severe reprimand for his ride on Marasco but he should have been suspended," Hayes said.

"Craig was sitting outside Darren but then Darren wanted to hold down three different positions in the run. He was all over the place."

Hayes, who declared Miss Finland "the best horse in Australia", did not blame Williams for the defeat of his Cox Plate favourite and the jockey will retain the ride when the four-year-old lines up next in the Yalumba Stakes on October 13.

"We are sticking with the plan that we always had and that means we'll go into the Yalumba and then the Cox Plate," Hayes said. "She'll run in the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington the week after the Cox Plate and then possibly the Melbourne Cup."

Miss Finland had no luck in the Cox Plate last year when ridden by featherweight jockey Lisa Cropp, but Hayes is adamant she can atone this year.

Hayes elected to start Miss Finland in the Underwood in preference to the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes at Moonee Valley the week prior, with El Segundo and Haradasun fighting out the finish in that race.

Haradasun was ridden by Beadman in the Dato Tan Chin Nam, with the jockey replacing Damien Oliver, who was suspended.

Oliver had planned to be reunited with Haradasun in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on Saturday week but he was issued with a 19-meeting suspension at Caulfield at the weekend, when found guilty of a careless riding charge. Oliver said he would appeal against the suspension.

Jockey Michael Rodd's name has been thrown into the mix as a possible rider for Haradasun, and his manager has also approached connections of Marasco as that ride is now available with Beadman heading to Hong Kong today.

Rodd has been riding the Mark Kavanagh-trained Devil Moon in recent starts. The mare, which has won her past two outings, is being aimed at the Turnbull Stakes en route to the Caulfield Cup.

Stablemate Maldivian, which Rodd rode into second place in the Naturalism Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday, is also on the Caulfield Cup trail, for which it is 33rd in the order of entry.

"He'll go around at Moonee Valley this Friday night and he should be hard to beat," Rodd said. "He is getting ready to peak and the Caulfield Cup is a race he'd be competitive in."

The Bill Stutt Stakes will be contested at Moonee Valley on Friday night, with Hayes starting Cecconi in the three-year-olds' event.

Hayes said promising filly Arcadia would run at Sandown on Sunday, while the Ross McDonald-trained Weekend Hussler, which rocketed to the top of betting for the Caulfield Guineas following an eight-length victory last week, will also go around at Sandown.

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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