Inside Racing: Warrnambool trainer Simon Ryan praises Police Camp's Grand Annual performance

The father-of-two produced Police Camp, who was having his third run in a Grand Annual Steeplechase, to a gallant second in last Thursday's feature jumps race.

"I'm over the moon with Police Camp's run in the Annual," Ryan said. "It was always going to be hard to beat horses of the calibre of Rockstar Ronnie and Stern Idol. They are trained by Ciaron Maher and his Annual record is outstanding.

"Police Camp is just so brave. It's a tough game trying to get a horse ready to run the 5500 metres of the Annual and take on the big stables like Ciaron's. We've only got the couple in work and Ciaron has big numbers.

"I'm lucky to have my dad Pat and stablehand Georgia McGrath there to help me."

Ryan gave Irish-born jumps jockey Tom Ryan the thumbs up after his Annual ride on Police Camp.

"It was a great ride by Tommy," he said.

Ryan backed Police Camp up for the Annual start after finishing fifth in the Brierly on the opening day. The nine-year-old also ran second in last year's Annual following a third placing in the Brierly, and ran sixth in the 2020 Grand Annual.

A big group of people are in the ownership of Police Camp including Toolong dairy farmer John Gavin, Tim Mahoney, Peter McCarthy and Sue Gavin.

"We're going to spell Police Camp now," Ryan said. "There's just no suitable races on the calendar for him. His best form is in steeplechase races around Warrnambool and Casterton. He'll be weighted out of jumps races around Casterton this season. We'll just send him for a spell and set him for another crack at the Brierly and Grand Annual in 2024. Police Camp has been a great money spinner for his owners winning more than $400,000 in stakemoney and he's given them plenty to cheer about during his career. The $400,000 stakemoney is great considering he's a maiden on the flat."

Police Camp has won four races from his 51 starts.

FORMER top Warrnambool mare Tralee Rose has been sold for $450,000 at the Chairman's Sale in Sydney last week.

The Symon Wilde-trained Tralee Rose won six races during her career including the 2021 Geelong Cup and 2021 Bagot Handicap.

The six-year-old mare ran in two Melbourne Cups for Wilde and was unplaced on each occasion.

The Chairman's Sale was described as staggering with superstar mares Nimalee and Montefilia selling for more than $3 million each.

Amid dramatic theatre in the Riverside auditorium, Coolmore and Colm Santry Bloodstock won a memorable bidding duel to buy the Glenesk Thoroughbreds-offered Nimalee for a sale-high $3.6m while Yulong secured Montefilia - offered by Newgate Consignment - for $3.4m. Both mares set new individual sale price records, eclipsing last year's sale topper Shout The Bar who realised $2.7m.

TRAINER Aaron Purcell is confident Dashing will win more races for the Warrnambool-based trainer.

Dashing notched up his third victory, winning a $150,000 three-year-old at Sandown on Saturday.

Purcell said Dashing had a fierce want to win attitude.

"Dashing just puts in at every start," he said. "Dashing was headed but come back to win. He's a very honest horse. He just wants to win every time he runs. He seems to love tracks with a bit of give in them and he got those conditions on Saturday.

"I wish I had a stable full of horses like Dashing. He just keeps on trying in his races. He's racing in great heart and while he's doing that we'll keep on trying to find suitable races for him over the next few weeks."

Meanwhile, Purcell was excited with the performance of his imported jumper Crosshill running third behind Rockstar Ronnie in the Grand Annual Steeplechase.

"It was a super effort by Crosshill in the Annual," he said. "I'm sure he's going to improve a lot with that run under his belt. We're giving Crosshill a few days off but we'll switch him to hurdle races. There's a couple of nice hurdle races coming up.

"I would say we'll run him in the Grand National Hurdle before switching him back to the Grand National Steeplechase later in the jumps season."

Purcell took time out to praise the Annual ride by Ronan Short on Crosshill.

"It was a great ride by Ronan," he said. "I think he's an underrated jumps jockey who deserves more chances."

Crosshill picked up $36,000 in prizemoney for his third placing in the Grand Annual. Purcell is no stranger to success in the Grand Annual. He won the 2008 Annual with Ginolad.

APPRENTICE jockey Carleen Hefel and Ballarat-based hoop Declan Bates both rode winners at Sandown on Saturday but face time on the sidelines after being suspended at Warrnambool last Thursday.

Hefel's Sandown winners were Unusual Culture and Chassis while Bates was in the winner's stall following his ride on Dashing.

Both jockeys pleaded guilty to the careless riding charges at Warrnambool.

Hefel was outed after her ride on Flash Flood. She will be on the sidelines until midnight on May 22.

Following his ride on Heart Of Puissance in the Warrnambool Cup, Bates will miss 10 meetings. He is out until midnight on May 21.

Stewards deemed both incidents to be in the mid-range before handing down the penalties.

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