Jockeys are the bravest athletes. There is no other sport where the ambulance follows them in the field of play.

About an hour after being involved in a horrific fall in the opener, champion jockey Hugh Bowman, nursing some painful ribs, was back in the saddle riding Senor Toba to an impressive win in the Group 3 $160,000 Frank Packer Plate (2000m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

“I’m a bit tender but it feels better when I’m riding,’’ Bowman said.

“It was pretty nasty, it could have been a lot worse but I’m thankful for that. It took me 15 minutes to regather myself but I’m OK.’’

Bowman’s mount Rothenburg had crashed heavily to the turf in the TAB Highway to start the Randwick program.

Sadly, Rothenburg suffered a catastrophic leg injury in the incident but Bowman was able to walk away with only bumps and bruises.

The Hall of Fame jockey did not have a ride in the second race and was assessed by doctors before being declared fit to continue riding.

Chris Waller, trainer of Senor Toba, marvels at the courage of jockeys like Bowman.

“Jockeys are tough, they are so brave,’’ Waller said.

“It is very sad what happened (to Rothenburg) but jockeys like Hugh get back up after a fall and get on with it.

“I actually said to Hugh before the race that Senor Toba is a lovely, quiet horse, he won’t pull and it will give you a gauge as to how you are. Hugh said I feel pretty good and goes out and gets the job done.’’

Bowman was at his best on the striking grey Senor Toba ($26) who finished powerfully to score by a widening one-and-a-quarter lengths from High Supremacy ($3.20) with early leader Achiever ($26) close up in third.

Favourite Lion’s Roar ($2.15) was coming back in distance from his minor placing in the ATC Australian Derby and didn’t quite have the sprint in his legs as he finished fourth, nearly three lengths behind the winner.

“He had a lovely run but just wasn’t at his best today,’’ said Brenton Avdulla, rider of Lion’s Roar.

“But he’s still ran well and has had a really good preparation.”

With Lion’s Roar’s three-year-old season coming to an end, Senor Toba’s is only just starting with Waller having designs on a Queensland Derby campaign.

“We’ll be heading that way,’’ Waller said.

“We even thought South Australian Derby but that comes around a little bit quicker, that’s only two weeks away. We had in the back of our minds that it would be one of the two.

“He is a lovely type, works with you, does everything right. He won his second start at Moonee Valley and we gave him a bit of a break to get him ready for these races later in the season.

“I thought South Australian Derby but he showed to me he might be able to go the Queensland Derby path with a bit more time.”

Senor Toba, a $180,000 yearling purchase at the Melbourne Premier Sale two years ago, scored his second win from just four starts and is an emerging stayer with a promising future.

Bowman was also impressed by Senor Toba, a three-year-old gelding by Toronado, sire of sprint sensation Masked Crusader.

“He’s a lovely horse with a really good action and attitude,’’ Bowman said.

“He gave me a really good feel and appreciated that tempo. Then when Craig (Williams, Khoekhoe) made a bit of a mid-race move, it injected a bit more pressure into the race which worked into his favour.

“I don’t like to get too far ahead of myself and don’t like to suggest races for horses too much but this horse has Queensland Derby written all over him on what I felt today.”

After the first race, trainer Danny Williams summed up the mood after the opener: “You don’t like winning when that happens.”

Ahead Start, trained by Williams, had just won the TAB Highway at Royal Randwick but the race was marred by a shocking fall halfway down the straight.

Hall of Fame jockey Hugh Bowman, rider of Rothenburg, had clipped the heels of Redicon and crashed heavily directly in front of the grandstand.

Veterinarians and club officials were quickly on the scene but it was very obvious that nothing could be done to save Rothenburg.

Williams, who lost his promising young sprinter Hot ‘N’ Hazy, in a race fall at Rosehill last winter, could understand the emotions being felt by Rothenburg’s trainer Joe Cleary and the gelding’s owners.

“I feel for Joe and the connections of the horse,’’ Williams said.

“I’m a bit upset for them now. I know what trainers and staff go through with their horses and it is not good to see that sort of things.’’

The Rothenburg fall took the gloss off a very competitive TAB Highway where less than a length covered the first four over the line.

Ahead Start ($5), ridden by James McDonald, finished strongly to score by a half-length from Bellastar ($20) with King’s Trust ($26) a close third, just in front of More Sundays.

The previously unbeaten Ceasefire was sent out the $4.40 favourite but after racing on speed he faded under pressure to finish only seventh.

Ahead Start was having only his fourth start, scoring his third win and Williams has designs on setting the young sprinter for the $1.3 million The Kosciuszko on Everest Day at Royal Randwick during the spring.

“We have a long-term plan to get him ready for The Kosciuszko,’’ Williams said.

“I might give him another run and then try to achieve what Brett Cavanough did with It’s Me (Kosciuszko winner) last year.

“Whether this horse has the same scope, he has only won a Highway today, remains to be seen but he is only a three-year-old and has a lot of improvement to come.’’

Williams said Ahead Start had been a very slow learner and showed hardly any ability early in his career.

“I remember two weeks before his first barrier trial we were about to sack him,’’ Williams said.

“He is not a very good trackworker but he has come a long way. He’s a promising young horse.’’

-Ray Thomas, racenet.com.au

Stablemates Dragon Leap and Spring Heat furthered their preparations for a tilt at the Brisbane Winter Carnival with a day out at Te Rapa on Saturday where they completed an exhibition gallop between races.

Neither of the talented duo were asked for a serious effort but pleased their connections with the manner in which they accomplished their tasks.

For the Hermitage Thoroughbreds-owned Dragon Leap the outing was another step on his path to a raceday return having been off the scene due to some ligament issues since finishing towards the rear of the field in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Randwick last September.

The four-year-old son of Pierro has the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) in June as his major assignment with co-trainer Lance O’Sullivan, who prepares him in partnership with Andrew Scott, impressed by how he has progressed over the past month.

“We are yet to finalise a couple of things with both horses, but Dragon Leap is aiming for the Stradbroke,” O’Sullivan said.

“At this stage there is a race for him three weeks before the Stradbroke (Group 3 BRC Sprint, 1350m) that we will use as the lead up, so he will have a trial a week before that, then the lead up race and then hopefully into the Stradbroke.

“Looking at him yesterday (Saturday) at Te Rapa, there wouldn’t have been a quieter horse on the day.

“He is just wonderful to do anything with and could be a hack to teach kids to ride if he wasn’t a racehorse.

“He has had a decent break since tweaking a ligament and his rehab has gone very well.

“He came back to us from the Hermitage property in grand order and we have been delighted with how he has come along.

“We’ve taken every precaution with him, but we’ve had time on our side as the main aim all along was to go to Brisbane.”

Accompanying Dragon Leap to Queensland is multiple Group One placegetter Spring Heat, who will finish off her racing career in the sunshine state before taking her place in the Hermitage Thoroughbreds broodmare band.

“Spring Heat was going to be retired to the Hermitage farm, so we thought why not take her to Brisbane and try and get some more black type with her,” O’Sullivan said.

“She will contest some of those lesser fillies and mares’ races over there, but we haven’t confirmed a programme for her yet as we are waiting to see what sort of weight she will get.

“There are plenty of options for her, so it will just be a matter of placing her to the best advantage when we know how she will be handicapped.

“She may have to carry a bit of weight, but we will line her up and see how she goes.

“She is pretty much race fit, so her gallop on Saturday topped her off nicely and she will be ready to go when we get her over there.”

Spring Heat has won 6 of her 18 career starts, including the Group 3 King’s Plate (1200m) while she has also been placed on two occasions in the Group 1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham.

Dragon Leap, who finished fourth when favourite in the 2020 Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m), has won three of his six starts including the Group 2 Auckland Guineas (1600m) and Group 2 Avondale Guineas (2100m).

-Kevin Robertson, horsebetting.com.au

Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Rocket Spade and Gr.1 Auckland Cup (3200m) runner-up Sir Charles Road will return home following their exertions in Sydney last Saturday.

The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained pair didn’t trouble the placegetters in their respective Sydney targets, with Rocket Spade finishing eighth in the Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) while Sir Charles Road finished tenth behind Quick Thinker in the Gr.2 Chairman’s Quality (2600m).

“The Derby just wasn’t run to suit for Rocket Spade, that was the first time he’s been up there like that through the first 500m of a race,” O’Sullivan said of the colt, who didn’t relish the stop-start tempo.

“He’s never done that before. He’s always just jumped and then we’ve put him away. It was a funny run race. He was hemmed up in the straight, it was a similar run race to the 2000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m), where he just didn’t get out and get a real crack at them.

“The horse on his outside leaned all over him all the way up the straight and it was just a non-event but he still finished eighth. The first three home all came from back and wide, and swooped.”

Raced by Hermitage Thoroughbreds, a racing and breeding operation headed by Hong Kong businessman Eugene Chuang, O’Sullivan and Scott are yet to learn what the long-term plan is for the Fastnet Rock colt.

“Hong Kong is a consideration they’re giving at the moment,” O’Sullivan said.

“We will just wait and see what transpires. We were corresponding yesterday and its just a matter of  lets just see what happens. We’ve got a bit of time to think it over.

“He’ll come home and have a rest anyway and then a decision will be made. I know he won his Group One over 2400m but I certainly believe he can win a Group One over a far shorter journey.

“He was just trained to win a Derby all the way through. That was their goal and we achieved it. He’s done his job.”

The next step for veteran stayer Sir Charles Road is also to be determined.

“He’s coming home and we’ve still got to have discussions with Diane and David (Archer, owners) and we will take it from there,” O’Sullivan said. – NZ Racing Desk

– New Zealand Racing Desk, racing.com

It was with mixed emotions that Robert Crabtree entered the first foal of Catchy at this year’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.

The daughter of Fastnet Rock was a brilliant filly for Crabtree, winning a Group 1 Blue Diamond at two and a Danehill Stakes and Arrowfield Stakes at G2 level at three, but he is a breeder and is acutely aware that, sometimes, head needs to win out over heart.

Hence, he tested the market with the filly who was the result of a union between Catchy and champion stallion I Am Invincible.

That decision was justified when she sold to Guy Mulcaster for $1.2 million, although Crabtree would have loved to have sacrificed a portion of that to remain involved as a part-owner.

“It’s bittersweet really,” he said minutes after her time in the ring. “You’d love to keep them, but you have to pay the bills and you have to be seen to be a seller.

“I would have loved to have kept a bit of her and when I found out that Guy Mulcaster had bought her for the Chris Waller stable I said, ‘Can I stay in for a little bit’, but it didn’t work out this time.

“I guess that really just says everything is very good business when the vendor would like to stay in and there’s still no room for him.

“But we’re happy.”

Waller’s bloodstock agent Mulcaster bought the filly in a transaction that also includes Hermitage Thoroughbreds.

Catchy’s first foal was Crabtree’s second seven-figure yearling of the season after selling the $1.1m colt by Written Tycoon out of Gybe who topped the Inglis Premier Sale in Melbourne earlier this year.

She went through as Lot 242, followed by a colt who is effectively the filly’s uncle. Lot 243, who was prepared for sale by Coolmore, is a son of Fastnet Rock and Cats Whisker, which makes a brother to Catchy, and he sold to Lotte Bloodstock for $200,000.

The Catchy filly was one of three seven-figure yearlings in the first hour of selling early on Day 2, all of whom were by I Am Invincible.

Coolmore paid $1.4m for a colt out of G1 winner Cosmic Endeavour by the sure sire who will also be trained by Waller, while Andrew Williams went to $1m for a colt with a page that includes Darley/Godolphin stars Sepoy, Bivouac and Guelph.

– Brad Bishop, racing.com