THE Missile Stakes surely left us with more questions than answers in regards to The Everest. Pierata firmed from $26 to $11 for the world’s richest race on turf after his win while Kementari stayed at $6 after his luckless second. Thoughts after the race wouldn’t have been as straightforward as they were after Vega Magic’s win last week.

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IT’S D-Day for Chautauqua at Rosehill’s barrier trials on Tuesday. If he doesn’t jump again, The Everest dream is over. His trial is on at 9am.

THREE star jockeys were hit with penalties from Saturday’s Randwick meeting, and they all occurred in the Missile Stakes.

Tye Angland was fined $600 for excessive whip use on The Monstar. Glyn Schofield and James McDonald were both suspended for four meetings due to careless riding in the Missile Stakes. Both will resume from their suspensions on August 15.

BEST YET TO COME FROM BERRY
BEFORE Tommy Berry left for Hong Kong a year ago, he was a top jockey but he feels he’ll go to another level now that he’s back in Sydney full-time. “I’m fresher,” he said. “I was pretty full on since I started riding but I’ve had a year of riding twice a week and it was like a working holiday.

“Anyone that’s ridden in Hong Kong will tell you that it sharpens you up as a rider and you’ve got to think a bit quicker over there because things happen a lot faster in races than anywhere else I’ve ridden.”

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STEWARDS pulled in young apprentice Michael Murphy after his hairy ride on Prioritise where he got into a very awkward spot on the rail in the straight. “I saw Adam (Hyeronimus on Bella Vella) half roll off and thought he might continue with it so I kept my horse on the fence,” he told chief steward Marc Van Gestel who said he misread the play. “Be careful. We don’t want to see you clipping the heels of other horses,” Van Gestel said. Murphy made up for his error a few races later with a win on Bergerac.

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CHRIS Waller donated his trainer’s prizemoney from the third race at Randwick, where had eight of the nine runners to the NSW Drought Relief Fund. That added up to $4262.50. Unfortunately the only rival he was against, Red Alto, won.

HERE’S CHEERS, SUBBIE
THE 1992 Melbourne Cup winner Subzero is still celebrating that win by the looks of this picture. The 30-year-old continues to put a smile on the faces of many with his regular hospital visits cheering patients up. But he didn’t mind this pub, either.

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FORMER Racing NSW deputy chairman of stewards, and current Hong Kong steward, Steve Railton was at Randwick on Saturday on holidays.

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WHEN we get on a heavy track, the most common excuse is “didn’t handle the track” and on a Good 3 on Saturday at Randwick we heard “too firm” a lot.

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ON the Randwick track, and punters must have full faith in it. Horses came from all parts of the track to win and from all positions and it’s been that way for a long time now so well done to the track staff.

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GARY PORTELLI was searching for some extra cash at Hawkesbury during the week, but it wasn’t to have a bet of buy a feed. “Sometimes there’s a sign that encompasses how you feel sometimes,” he said with a hashtag #wifelovesbags

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THIS is one for the romantics out there. Look at the names of the first three finishers from the fifth at Doomben.

HORSES TO FOLLOW: Lanciato (Tramway Stakes), Nicci’s Gold (luckless), Avilius (do we need to say more?)

ONES TO SACK: Adana (poor return), Cormac (not a Saturday horse)

RIDE OF THE DAY: James McDonald on Pierata (gave him an advantage over Kementari)

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “If he raced against them (Kosciusko horses) today he would have dominated,” said Tye Angland of The Monstar who is now a $7 chance for the race.