November 7, 2011
Thanks to all the racing fans who have inquired about the health of Pinnacles.
The gallant gelding, who pulled up sore in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes at Flemington on Saturday, has been saved to live out his life in luxury in a paddock.
"He has torn the ligaments away from his sesamoids and chipped a piece of bone off one of them, but his injuries are not life threatening and he should live to a ripe, old age," Rick Hore-Lacy said.
Pinnacles has been a wonderful horse for the stable—he won 11 of his 61 starts and a bit more than $1 million in prizemoney.
He had his first start at Ballarat in December 2006, and only two weeks ago lumped 59kg to win the Sale Cup.
September 28, 2011
From the Herald Sun By Adrian Dunn
TWENTY-five years after he won his first Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, Rick Hore-Lacy added a second with Toorak Toff, who returned to the Group 1 podium when it seemed a throat ailment may curtail his effectiveness at racing's elite level.
And for good measure, Hore-Lacy provided the quinella with Pinnacles.
While some questioned if Toorak Toff would return to the form that saw him start favourite in last year's Caulfield Guineas, Hore-Lacy never lost faith.
"He's always been a good horse and with all the problems that he's had it is wonderful to see him come back and beat a good field the way he did," Hore-Lacy said.
"He had a throat operation and I've had a lot of things go wrong with him, but this preparation everything has gone right."
Toorak Toff is now likely to head towards the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on October 8. Toorak Toff gave jockey Craig Williams his fourth Sir Rupert Clarke success in the past seven years.
Williams said Toorak Toff jumped well, put himself in the box seat and was "always going to win". Toorak Toff ($12) won by 1 1/2 lengths from Pinnacles ($26), with a long head to Master Of Design ($26).
Brett Prebble said heavily backed favourite Smart Missile, who firmed from $3.20 to $2.90, had been cantankerous in the stalls.
He came out flat-footed and settled at the rear. Smart Missile ran into traffic over the final 400m and his 10th is best forgotten. Prebble said the colt was now looking for the 1600m of the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas.
"Halfway through the race I thought, 'I'd like you to be travelling better', and then in the straight there wasn't a lot of room," Prebble said. "The last 150m was the best part of his race. I think he's crying out for the mile. There's no doubt he's a serious horse. " Prebble said he would return from Hong Kong to ride Smart Missile in the Guineas.
Chris Symons said Pinnacles ran his usual honest race: "He had a lovely run, he probably didn't like the hard track, but he tried his hardest."
September 23, 2011
By Andrew Eddy, THE AGE
CAULFIELD trainer Rick Hore-Lacy senses a 20th career group 1 win is not far away, but he won't mind if he has to wait a couple of weeks.
Tomorrow at Caulfield, Hore-Lacy lines up Toorak Toff and Pinnacles in the group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and while the presence of boom colt Smart Missile in the race has dampened his confidence, his group 1 chances this spring do not rest solely on that pair.
Just 40 minutes before the group 1 race, Hore-Lacy will saddle up Chase The Rainbow in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude where the son of Dash For Cash could stake his claim for the $1 million Caulfield Guineas or $1.5 million Victoria Derby next month. ''I've been told he's one of the favourites for the derby [$8 co-favourite with Helmet] and while there's a long, long way to go to the derby, he's showing us good signs,'' Hore-Lacy said. ''He eats everything. He's a great doer and he's an outstanding individual.''
Chase The Rainbow turned in the run of the race when second in listed grade at Flemington two weeks ago when he flashed home late from last.
Hore-Lacy, who purchased the colt for $90,000 at the Melbourne Premier Sale, said it was the run of a horse going places and the first place he will be going is the Caulfield Guineas. ''They don't do that very often,'' he said of the colt's fast-finishing effort last start.
''He's a horse that has interested me from day one and being by Dash For Cash [who won Hore-Lacy an Australian Guineas] out of a Redoute's Choice [who won the trainer a Caulfield Guineas], he's kept interesting me.''
As for Toorak Toff, who last season won the group 1 Golden Rose before being most unlucky when favourite in the Caulfield Guineas, Hore-Lacy said he was satisfied the horse had overcome a throat operation earlier this year.
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