Donovan Dillon had a perfect double in two rides in Australia on Sunday, while Warren Kennedy had a double in New Zealand today and Barend Vorster’s double in Australia today included one for Gary And Dean Alexander.
Dillon has only had eight rides since arriving in Australia, but he has already had three winners, including winning on both of the mounts he had on Sunday.
All of his rides have been for trainer Paul Messara, the son of Australian racing legend John Messara.
John Messara, in partnership with Ireland’s Coolmore Stud, purchased a top class sprinter called Danehill in England in around 1990 from Khalid Abdullah and hence the practice of shuttle stallions began.
Danehill went on to become probably the greatest sire in Australian history and put Messara’s Arrowfield stud, which he founded in 1985, on the map.
Since then Arrowfield have stood a number of leading sires like Snippets, Danzero, Flying Spur, Redoute’s Choice and Snitzel at their stud farm, which comprises 2,500 acres in the fertile Segenhoe Valley, near Scone in the Upper Hunter Valley in New South Wales.
Paul Messara is the trainer at Arrowfield’s private training centre and Dillon has landed the position as one of his jockeys.
Warren Kennedy had four rides today at Pukekohe Park in New Zealand and won the second race for Peter And Dawn Williams on a 92/1 shot (!) and the fourth race on a Lance Noble-trained 9/2 shot.
He has had 20 rides for three wins so far in NZ, a 15% strike rate.
Gary and Dean Alexanader won the first race yesterday at their home course Morphettville with Playboycharlie (Myboycharlie), converting 3/1 odds under Barend Vorster.
Vorster scored a double at the meeting.
The Alexanders have had 51 runners in Australia to date for five winners (10%) and 13 places (35%).
Vorster has had 1107 wins in Australia at around 13%, including three Group 1s, three Group 2s, eight Group 3s and 14 Listed wins.
