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Weir hat-trick continues top Melbourne runBy MICHAEL MANLEY

BALLARAT trainer DarrenWeir continued his rise toprominence with his first citytreble in Melbourne.

Coming just a week afterWeir produced MelbourneCup favourite Puissance DeLune to win first-up in theLawrence Stakes, Weir againtook centre stage with threevirtual homebred winners —nine-year-old gelding Gotta

Take Care ($5.50), six-year-oldgelding Broken ($13) andseven-year-old gelding ClangAnd Bang ($9).

‘‘They are all fit and welland they all had great rides.It’s a big help,’’ Weir said.

Weir has trained seven citywinners for the month and isequal leading trainer in Mel-bourne with Peter Moody butscoffed at suggestions hecould win the Melbournetrainers’ premiership.

‘‘I struggle to train sevencity winners in a season letalone in a month,’’ he mod-estly said.

‘‘I’ve got good staff at Bal-larat and at Warrnambooland have great facilities atboth places so it’s a big help,’’he said.

The first leg of his treblecame with versatile veteranGotta Take Care who won theADAPT Australia Handicap(2500m). The nine-year-old

took his stakes earning toover $600,000 with the victory.

Weir said his jockey BenMelham had rung up for theride during the week andpromised he would win onhim after having made a mis-take on him at his previousrun when he finished fourthat Moonee Valley.

Weir said he was consider-ing running Gotta Take Carein the Australian Hurdle atSportingbet Park next week.

His second leg came withsprinter Broken, ridden byNick Hall, who won the Car-lyon Stakes for the secondyear in a row.

‘‘He galloped over 600m atBurrumbeet last Tuesday ingreat fashion and since thenI’ve been taking him off thelead pony and he’s really beenbouncing out of his skin,’’Weir said.

Weir said Broken’s nextstart will be in the Group 3

Bobbie Lewis Stakes (1200m)at Flemington next month.

‘‘He loves the straight andhe’s fit and in-form so whynot,’’ he said.

Weir said he had no specialplans for Clang And Bangother than to keep win-ning races.

‘‘He’s now won 10 races. To-day all I said to Jye (McNeil)as to have him prominent andthen use his fitness from the600m which he did,’’ he said.

Solid winredeemsBroken’sstatureCARLYONSTAKES

IN-FORM Broken landed asecond Carlyon Stakes winyesterday that was in starkcontrast to his first victoryin the Listed sprint.

The Darren Weir-trainedsprinter stormed home atMoonee Valley, 12 monthsafter a third-party protestworked in his favour.

Broken was promoted torace winner in 2012 when hewas second over the line andthe third placegetter’s con-nections protested againstthe horse first past the post.

This time the result wasnever in doubt as Broken($13) sat back off the strongspeed set by Adamantiumand Adebisi before jockeyNick Hall got him into theclear in the straight and heburst through for victory.

He defeated Chosen ToFly ($21) by three-quartersof a length with a short half-head to Golden Sunshine($5.50) third.

Group 1 winner Com-manding Jewel, who fin-ished sixth, had her chanceafter sitting fourth in therun but did enough in hercomeback race to satisfytrainer Leon Corstens.

A race-fit Broken sprunga minor surprise when hefinished powerfully to winthe Group 3 Aurie’s StarHandicap at Flemington twoweeks ago and Weir wasagain surprised with whathe described as a ‘‘bonus’’win for the seven-year-old.

‘‘We knew he would runwell, but to be honest, that’sa good surprise,’’ Weir said.

‘‘The ride won the race.’’Weir said Broken would

continue with his prep-aration and pinpointedanother race at Flemingtonin two weeks for his nextassignment.

Craig Williams said Com-manding Jewel, making herfirst appearance since win-ning last year’s ThousandGuineas, was forced to raceat her top at parts duringthe race over the shortcourse, which told when shewas asked to sprint.

‘‘But I thought it was agood kick-off for her. She’snot a five-furlong horse,’’Williams said.

Corstens said he was farfrom disappointed and themare was likely to head tothe Let’s Elope Stakes.

‘‘I think she’ll improveheaps on the run,’’ he said.

Plenty of heart but gutsy Teronado beaten by headEAGLE FARM

INTERSTATE plans forTeronado are unchanged de-spite his defeat at Eagle Farmyesterday.

Teronado, the $3 favourite,stormed home to finishsecond, beaten a head, in theKendrick Racing Handicap(1200m) won by PrussianHeart but earned a rave re-view from trainer Bruce Hill.

‘‘I think that was his bestever performance,’’ Hill said.

‘‘He carried 59kg andthey’ve run their last 600m in33.91 (seconds) and he was sixlengths off them on the hometurn. What time has he run?’’

Hill said Teronado willhead to Sydney where he willhave his next start in theGroup 3 Ming Dynasty Qual-ity (1400m) at Randwick onSeptember 7.

Jockey Damian Brownesaid the slow tempo in theearly stages proved costly forTeronado.

‘‘They went a bit steadymid-race which didn’t helpand he still does a bit wrong,’’he said.

‘‘It took him 100 to 150yards to get into rhythm andfor him to only be beaten ahead was a very good effort.’’

Prussian Heart’s trainer

Michael Nolan said the coltappreciated the drop back to1200m on Saturday.

‘‘The 1300m last start wasjust 100m too far for him buthe got the job done today,’’ hesaid. ‘‘We might give him onemore run and then turn himout but he’ll make a nicehorse later on.’’

Also heading interstate isListen Son after he ledthroughout to win the

Gympie Southside ShopHandicap (1200m).

Trainer Tony Gollan willaim Listen Son at the Group 3Cameron Handicap (1500m) atNewcastle on September 15.

Gollan has been frustratedin his efforts to place ListenSon in suitable races due to aspate of wet tracks.

‘‘For two seasons wecouldn’t get dry tracks whenwe wanted them’’ he said.

Chad Schofield pilots Gregers to victory in the Mitchelton Wines Plate at Moonee Valley yesterday Picture: GETTY IMAGES

Cauthen,GregersflyingMOONEEVALLEY

ByMICHAELMANLEY

POTENTIAL star three-year-olds Cauthen and Gregersproved they were on track forGroup 1 glory with impres-sive wins at Moonee Valleyyesterday underlining theirgreat potential.

Gregers firmed into out-right favouritism for theThousand Guineas from $6.50into $5.00 after her win in theopening Mitchelton WinesPlate (1200m).

Three races later Cauthenfirmed from $8 into $6 equalfavourite with Prince Haradafor the Caulfield Guineaswith the TAB after his win inthe Listed Mitchell McKenzieStakes (1200m).

They were contrastingwins though with Gregersleading throughout whileCauthen had to come from offthe speed to win.

Cauthen’s jockey JamesMcDonald said it was anamazing win as he thought hewas gone on the corner.

‘‘He then got on his rightleg in the straight and he justput three or four lengths onthem. He’s raw but he’sgot amazing potential,’’McDonald said.

The Kiwi colt’s trainer An-drew Campbell said after therace Cauthen was nowherenear wound-up.

‘‘He’s improved a lot fromhis first-up run but he’s stillgot a long way to go,’’ Camp-bell said. ‘‘It’s pleasing to seethe real Cauthen step up.’’

Campbell said if he was

racing well the Cox Platewould be considered.

Cauthen ($2.60) defeatedShamus Award ($5.50) by alength and a half with LongJohn ($6) three-quarters of alength away third.

Gregers led throughout tomake it two from two thiscampaign.

Hayes said Gregers naturalspeed had him guessingwhether she could run 1600mof the Thousand Guineas.

‘‘I really do think it’s adoubt because she’s got such

speed but in her work athome she works behindhorses and she’s very power-ful,’’ Hayes said.

He said Gregers was a bet-ter when she swooped homerather than when she led.

Her jockey Chad Schofieldsaid he wanted to get coveryesterday with the betterraces in mind but she showedtoo much speed.

‘‘I wasn’t too worried aboutwhere she would travel butshe just slid across and did iteasily,’’ Schofield said.