Ruby Armani and Za Za Gabor are to join three stablemates at the Queensland Winter Carnival.

 

The pair are booked on a flight to Brisbane on Sunday and will team up with On The Rocks, Pinmedown and She’s A Thief, who are already in Queensland and set to represent Mike Moroney and Pam Gerard’s Ballymore Stables in black type features.

 

Ruby Armani, a winner of five races, and Za Za Gabor, a last-start third placegetter at Ellerslie, are to be set for the lesser stakes races.

 

“This is the last season for Ruby Armani and it’s a good chance to chase a bit of black-type away from the top ones,’’ Gerard said. ‘’As for Za Za Gabor, she’ll run out of town to start with and if she’s going well she may hang around for the Ipswich Cup (Listed 2150m) later on.’’

 

Meanwhile, Gerard reports On The Rocks, Pinemdown and She’s A Thief have settled in well in Brisbane and are on target for their first-up runs.

 

On The Rocks will start on Saturday week in the Gr.1 Doomben Cup (2000m) and may then contest the Gr.2 Brisbane Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 8.

 

Pinemdown will also make her Australian debut on May 18, in the Gr.2 The Roses (2000m) as a lead-up to the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 1, while She’s A Thief is being considered for the Eagle Farm meeting on Saturday as well as the Listed Bright Shadow Quality (1200m) the following weekend.

 

 

Reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Beauty Generation was all but assured of a trip to Japan to contest the Gr.1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m) after victory in the Gr.1 Champions Mile (1600m) last start, however that assignment has now been taken off the table.

 

Owner Patrick Kwok Ho-chuen confirmed they will not press forward to the Group One feature after completing a perfect season in Hong Kong.

 

The contest loomed as one of the races of the year with star Japanese mare Almond Eye touted to resume her preparation, while also coming up against the talented Danon Premium.

 

Beauty Generation, who saluted in all eight of his starts this term and extended his winning streak to nine, will instead rest and then connections will look to complete back-to-back perfect seasons.

 

Trainer John Moore said he was very happy with the decision made by the Kwok family.

 

“The horse is not going to Japan,” Moore told the South China Morning Post.

 

“He’s had a long season and we want to have a horse for next season to put together the same number of wins and the same programme as we did this time around.”

 

 

New Zealand-bred galloper Frosted Gold landed the Gr.2 South African Nursery (1160m) on Champions Day at Turffontein under a typically powerful ride from Anton Marcus.

 

The Mike de Kock-trained New Zealand import turned the tables on old adversary Twilight Moon (Wylie Hall), who won last time the duo clashed. In their first meeting it was a dead-heat.

 

Bred by Lib Petagna’s JML Bloodstock, Frosted Gold came with a strong run to overhaul his Paul Matchett-trained rival and win the R750,000 (approx. NZ$80,000) contest by 1-1/2 lengths.

 

Marcus said that the son of All Too Hard had won well and would improve.

 

“It’s great to crack a feature race for (owner) Dave MacLean, who messaged me with good wishes in the early hours of this morning,” Marcus said.

 

“Frosted Gold has good gate speed and when I asked, he kicked. He was looking for company late and based on that he has improvement to come.”

 

de Kock said that Frosted Gold would possibly go for the Gr.1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion (1200m) at Scottsville at the end of the month, but that he will stay at home if there is a track bias.

 

“He wants to be ridden quieter, he likes to run at them. He’s still a green horse,” de Kock said.

 

Out of the Verglas mare Mary D'Or, JML Bloodstock sold a Tavistock half-brother to Frosted Gold at the recent New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales through Blandford Bloodstock, the Matamata-based breeding operation owned in conjunction with the Bax family.

 

The Tavistock colt fetched a bid of $50,000 to the bid of Ohukia Lodge and will likely be re-offered at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale later this year.

 

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