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Self Sense continues to excite over jumps By Ben Triandafillou MORNINGTON-based racehorse trainer David Brideoake topped off the jumps racing season with another dominant performance from his first-season jumper Self Sense on Sunday 8 July. The seven-year-old son of Street Sense has taken all before him in his opening jumps season, moving from a 10-length maiden hurdle romp to breaking the $1 million barrier with a comfortable victory in the Kevin Lafferty Hurdle at Warrnambool, last start. Connections were hoping the exciting flat and hurdle performer could add another jumps feature win to his resume and after a six-length demolition of the Australian Hurdle five weeks prior, Self Sense did just that. Under the hands of rising jockey Clayton Douglas, Self Sense kicked away for an effortless victory over some of the top hurdlers in the country, and provided Douglas with an unsurprising excitement for the future.
“He’s a beauty,” Douglas said. “I’m just thankful that I’ve got a horse like him.” “He just sort of plays with them a little bit, and he has a good look around and does what he has to.” Self Sense is likely to continue to mix his flat racing with jumps racing and return to the flat next start before being targeted towards next month’s Grand National Hurdle (3900m), according to stable representative Alex Woodhams. “We might head back to the flat in a few weeks for a VOBIS Gold staying race at Caulfield and then eight days after that into the National,” he said following Self Sense’s dominant Kevin Lafferty Hurdle victory. “As long as he comes through this well that could be the plan that David may look at following.”
Jumping through grades: First season hurdler Self Sense wins the Australian Hurdle under jockey Clayton Douglas. Picture: Supplied
Title defence: Jayde Mitchell is set to defend his WBC-OPBF and WBA interim Oceania Super Middleweight titles against heavy-hitter Kerry Foley. Picture: Derrick Den Hollander
Mitchell ready to strike back PENINSULA boxer Jayde Mitchell isn’t going to let another injury stand in his way of a world title. Having overcome a recent neck surgery to take out his last fight against Ariel Alejandro Zampedri on Saturday 17 March, and jump into the top 10 world rankings, Mitchell is hoping he can do the same again after suffering an injury to his shoulder. Mitchell has had several weeks off to rest and recover from his injury through over-use but gets back into sparring this week. The Blairgowrie boxer was forced to bypass his match-up against Kerry Foley on Saturday 7 July but has re-scheduled the fight to take place on Friday 7 September at The Melbourne Pavillion. Mitchell is confident he can bring up another return victory but is still expecting the very best from a “very tough opponent”.
“He’s got the power in either hand to potentially knock me out,” he said. “He’s been a professional for about 12 years and he’s always had awesome potential to go further, so it will definitely be a hard fight.” Mitchell said he is stoked to have “finally landed a big fight” after several potential fights continually falling through in the build up to his fight with Foley. “While Kerry Foley wasn’t on our radar, after his most recent outing and a first round KO, he called me out! As Vijender’s (Singh) team have ducked us for an easier option this is something I won’t do,” he said on social media. It could potentially become a Peninsula-heavy card, with the likes of Kane Watts, Jai Alexander, Lochie Higgins and Jason Whateley all looking to take up fights on the night. Ben Triandafillou
Westminster grasps national sailing title By Harry Fisher ADELAIDE’S Westminster School capped off an eventful four-year team journey to take out its first Australian Schools Team Sailing Championship on Sunday 15 July at the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron. The four-day regatta came to an exciting finish, especially for the hundreds of spectators on the Blairgowrie pier, as the top eight teams took to the water in strong winds and sloppy seas in order to decide the champions. The same three skippers from Westminster, made up of Alex Higgins,
Matt Meaney and Angus Higgins, have fallen just short of the national title on a couple of occasions but changed their luck with an emphatic victory in the best of five grand final. They met the renowned Scotch College team with the overall result decided in just four races, with Westminster claiming it 3-1. Brighton Grammar School was the surprise packet of the finals. Scraping into eighth position after the Swiss league, Brighton Grammar School went on to make the semifinals only to fall short to the eventual champions in Westminster.
They then raced off against the Friends School from Tasmania in the petit final that would decide third place and fell just short again, however the local fans were still proud of Brighton, as they finished as the first placed Victorian team. Hobart’s Fahan School clinched an emphatic victory in the all-female final, winning the best of three sail-off against Sydney’s Ascham to clinch the school’s first girls championship. At the conclusion of the Swiss league round-robin, the Friends School from Tasmania sat on top of the table in the outright lead,
and worked hard to make their way through a couple of hurdles, but ended up bowing out in the semis to the eventual runners up, Scotch College. Their cross-town rivals, Hutchins School, had similar issues and bowed out of the finals in straight sets after coming into the finals with a double chance in fourth place. When racing wrapped up, celebrations were had on the shore as coaches and sailors alike were dragged into the freezing Blairgowrie waters. More than 300 people packed the club’s main function room to crown
the champions and extend invitations to the inter-dominion team sailing championship in New Zealand later this year. The Australian Team Sailing Association also recognised some individual performances of sportsmanship through the umpire’s awards which were well received with some great storytelling by chief umpire Simon Irving. Next year’s national event heads to Hobart at the Sandy Bay Sailing Club.
Top sailors: Some of Australia’s best junior sailors descended upon the shores of Blairgowrie for the Australian Schools Team Sailing Championship. Picture: Jennifer Medd
Mornington News
24 July 2018
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