Pimpala goes public with giant ability

Craig Young

November 14, 2010

THIRD-GENERATION trainer Marc Conners capped a well-travelled and winning week when Pimpala Secret made right a wrong at Rosehill yesterday.

Pimpala Secret took the tally to three wins from five starts but this should have been more; the gelding was third as an odds-on favourite at Gosford before yesterday's win.

On that occasion Pimpala Secret was carted off at the turn by the winner but on protest the victor was placed behind Conners' galloper, which picked up second prize.

''Just another way to get beaten in racing,'' Conners said. ''It had never happened to me before.''

Conners won a race at Randwick last Saturday with Magnolia Lane while he was at Gundagai on Friday and left with the Snake Gully Cup courtesy of Morosi.

''A nice week,'' Conners said. ''There is a 1400m race here for Pimpala Secret next week and depending on how he goes will determine what we do with him.''

Pimpala Secret weighs in at 590 kilograms and stands at 17 hands.

''Look at him, he is a giant - a gentle giant, though,'' Conners said.

''He wouldn't have a mean bone in his body. He is a great horse to have around and he is doing the job.''

Conners gave plenty of credit to jockey Tim Clark, who was outed for two weeks on a careless riding charge at Canterbury on Friday night, for the winning ride.

While Clark dictated from the front, Corey Brown was posted three wide without cover on Sienna Red, which firmed when starting the $2.25 favourite.

GUNDAGAI: Morosi Raids Country Again for Snake Gully Cup

Friday, 12 November 2010: Marc Conners-trained mare Morosi has maintained her unbeaten record in the NSW Southern Districts by winning the $50,000 Snake Gully Cup (1400m) at Gundagai.

With average form in weekend city grade going into the event, the Warwick Farm-based mare was well supported as she returned to the country for the $50,000 Snake Gully Cup (1400m) where she started as second favourite behind the Nick Olive-trained Voice Commanderﾠ.

Morosiﾠ was positioned midfield by jockey Gerald Ryan as a four horse battle to lead took place which included the well backed favourite Voice Commander.

While Voice Commander endured a tough run being trapped as much as four deep in the middle stages, Ryan's tactful ride aboard Morosi reaped dividends as they straightened where the Grass Wonder mare immediately loomed.

Morosi was too good in the straight where she kicked clear of her rivals to win the $50,000 Snake Gully Cup (1400m) by over a length to Sebonyﾠ.

Cavalaire Bayﾠ finished third while local hope Wyoraﾠ finished fifth.

The favourite Voice Commander after being wide throughout stuck on gamely for fifth.

While Morosi has recorded a number of respectable results in metropolitan grade including a success at Sandown, all but one of her five career wins have been posted in the South East and Southern District regions of NSW.

The Marc Conners-trained mare has won twice and been placed once at Canberra's Thoroughbred Park and is now unbeaten from two starts in Southern District region of NSW.

Morosi previously won the $27,000 Diamond Rose Handicap (1400m) for Fillies and Mares at Wagga during their annual Cup carnival in May.

The mares regular country raids are largely responsible for her prizemoney earnings now rising to in excess of $110,000.

She now has five wins and two minor placings from 20 starts.

Morosi broke the trend of today's Snake Gully Cup program at Gundagai which was dominated by Canberra based trainers who enjoyed success across seven of the meetings eight races.

Conners wins the Coffs Cup

 Coffs Coast Advocate  6th August 2010

 IT'S a stretch calling him "local", but VB Gold Cup-winning trainer Marc Conners is proud of family roots in the Sawtell-Toormina area.

 The son of four-time Golden Slipper winner Clarry Connors, Marc, who won yesterday's race with Mossurmi, recalled many happy family holidays with his grandparents due to mum Maree growing up on the Coffs Coast.

 "Yes, we used to come up here all the time and while the grandparents are now gone, there are many good memories" €� he said.

Winning jockey in Coffs to win Cup

Brad Greenshields | 5th August 2010

 JOCKEY Danny Nikolic may be making a whistlestop visit to Coffs Harbour this week but he's all business while he's here.  Nikolic will be climbing aboard the Marc Conners-trained Mossurmi which is the favourite for today's Coffs Harbour VB Gold Cup.

 The Group 1 winning hoop has never ridden the Mossman gelding before but what he has heard about the six-year-old excites him.

 "All I know is that he's a horse that likes to get back and likes rain-affected going," Nikolic said. "His pattern of racing is to get back and finish hard."€�

 Mossurmi will be having his second crack at the Coffs Harbour Cup after finishing fifth last year as favourite when he was ridden by Craig Agnew.

 Nikolic teamed with Clarry Conners to win a race for the stable at the recent Grafton Cup carnival and Marc Conners was quick to snap up the leading Melbourne rider for the Coffs Harbour Cup when it was confirmed he would be available for rides.

Monica Completes Hat-Trick

Saturday, 26 June 2010

Court Of Jewels filly Alittlebitofmonica has helped lay the foundation for trainer Marc Conners' upcoming season with her third successive victory.  The filly is one of a band of two-year-olds who have performed well this season for Conners who is looking to them to continue on in 2010-11.

Sent out at $5 in Saturday's Plenary Group Handicap (1400m) at Randwick, Alittlebitofmonica fought off Bouzy Rouge ($6) in the straight to win by 1-1/2 lengths with a neck to Miss Opulence ($11) third.

"The stable is going great and nearly all of the horses are two-year-olds," Conners said. "It's so good for the future and I'm hoping this filly will be among the ones to step up in the spring. She will go for a short break now and probably go straight to Melbourne because the Sydney spring will come too soon for her.  We will give her a go at black type - she has earned it."

Alittlebitofmonica is out of Political Pet who also produced stablemate Morosi.

"I think we might call the next one Julia," Conners said.

Alittlebitofmonica was ridden by Tommy Berry who went into the meeting on 40 wins for the season, seven ahead of Brenton Avdulla in the race for the apprentices' premiership and well in front of his third-placed twin brother Nathan (19-1/2).

"I'm very competitive which Nathan can tell you," Berry said. "Every time Brenton gets a winner I manage to get another to stay in front.

"This filly has won three in a row now and she's done a great job to do what she's done."

Favourite Extreme Mover ($3.20) weakened to finish fifth after leading while Dinky Mink ($3.60) was an unlucky fourth after finding it difficult to get clear running. (AAP)

Conners Filly Has A Little Bit Of Class

Saturday, 26 June 2010: Trainer Marc Conners is confident his filly Alittlebitofmonica is much more than just a winter star and will get the chance to prove it next season.   The stylish two-year-old ended her first season of racing with another impressive win at Randwick today, her third in succession from just four starts.

By emerging sire Court Of Jewels, Alittlebitofmonica proved far too adept in the heavy going for her rivals, steaming through on the inside of tiring runners in the straight to win by a half length from the Scone-trained Bouzy Rouge in her first attempt in Saturday company.

Alittlebitofmonica had won her previous two starts at Gosford and Canterbury and Conners is now looking ahead to better things next season.

"Every time we put something in front of her she has excelled," Conners said.  "We are very happy with where we are at with her.

"She can go out now for a couple of weeks and come back and have a go at black type.  The stable is going great and I'm hoping this filly will be among the ones to step up in the spring. She will probably go straight to Melbourne because the Sydney spring will come too soon for her."

The favourite Extreme Mover worked keenly in the lead under his big weight and found little when put under pressure, weakening to finish fifth.

Josh Adams Pays For Conners Double

Saturday, 26 June 2010: A remarkable win by Letchworth gave Marc Conners a rare Saturday double at Randwick but also cost top apprentice Josh Adams his second suspension of the week. 

Letchworth missed the start but recovered to win the Inghams Enterprises Handicap (1600m) to go wioth the earlier win of his stablemate Alittlebitofmonica. 

Adams had trouble finding a clear passage on Letchworth until almost too late, but found an opening and went on to beat Sikka by three-quarters of a length.  Buffalo was a short neck away third with favourite All Legal fourth but in the aftermath Adams was suspended after he was found guilty of causing Daytona Beach to be checked in the last 100m. 

Adams, who has now ridden 20 city winners, also to serve has another careless riding suspension incurred at Warwick Farm last Tuesday and will be out of the saddle from June 30 until July 22.

Conners was relieved to see Letchworth win after a couple of recent disappointing defeats when he had been run down after being on the pace.

"He found plenty of trouble, firstly at the start and then he got locked in," Conners said.  "He was getting called a few names in the run but in the end it was a really good effort.  Maybe we should think about riding him back, it seemed to work." 

Conners said the majority of his team could be classed as winter gallopers and he purposely targeted races such as Saturday's Benchmark 80.

"We don't have carnival horses so we bring our horses in a bit later for races like these," he said. "The BOBS bonuses are there and these races suit our horses." 

While Letchworth may not be a carnival horse, Conners does have hopes for Alittlebitofmonica and another two-year-old, the unbeaten Pimpala Secret. 

"Pimpala Secret and the filly have a bit of quality about them and could measure up," he said.

Alittlebitofmonica fought off Bouzy Rouge to win the Plenary Group Handicap (1400m) by 1 1/2 lengths.

 Pimpala Secret Earns Trip North

Written by AAP  Saturday, 12 June 2010 14:15

Imposing two-year-old Pimpala Secret earned a trip to Queensland when he maintained an unbeaten start to his career at Randwick on Saturday.

The gelding worked early to find to the lead in the Ultimate Security Prostate Cancer Institute Handicap (1100m) and then responded over the final 200m when challenged to defeat well-backed filly Forward Love ($4.60) by half a length.

Unflinchingresolve ($8) was three-quarters of a length away third.

Trainer Marc Conners said Pimpala Secret, one of the biggest two-year-olds in Sydney at 16.2 hands and 580kg, would now head to the Bruce McLachlan Classic (1200m) at the Sunshine Coast on Caloundra Cup day in three weeks.

"It was a good effort today, he had to do a fair bit of work from an outside gate and when he got there he wanted to cruise and then found plenty in the straight," Conners said.

Pimpala Secret, who started at $3.80, has now won two from two after defeating older horses in a 1000m maiden at Hawkesbury on debut last month.

"He's just got gears, this horse," Conners said.

"He showed that today and he's a very nice horse."

Sydney's leading apprentice Tommy Berry brought up his 40th city winner of the season on Pimpala Secret and also expects the youngster to continue to develop and get better as he matures.

"He's a big kid and that's nothing compared to what he's got in him," Berry said.

"He had to do a bit of work to cross and then he got a couple of easy sectionals but in the run he wasn't even handling the (slow) track that well.

"He dipped a couple of times but once I put him under the bat he kept finding and when Glyn (Schofield on Forward Love) came up to him he found even more."

Forward Love, who was backed in from $7 to $4.60 on track, loomed up in the straight but when she got to Pimpala Secret he found another gear and was getting away on the line.

"It was a good effort from her up against good, strong colts," Schofield said of the runner-up.

The disappointment of the race was the $2.60 favourite Polar Eclipse who settled in behind the speed before finishing sixth, 2-1/2 lengths from the winner.

Conners set for a repeat double

By Brent Zerafa       From:The Daily Telegraph       June 03, 201012:00AM

 MARC Conners would not be surprised if his winning run continues at Rosehill Gardens this Saturday following a double at Canterbury yesterday.

The Warwick Farm horseman was all smiles after his only two runners at the meeting - Miss Shamardal and Letchworth - both got the cash in fine style.

"Bloody oath it's been a good day," Conners said after Letchworth stole an inside run to defeat well supported favourite Sikka.

And while delighted with the performances of his handy pair, Conners believes Morosi and Mossurmi are both solid chances of continuing the stable success at Rosehill.

"The 5kg weight drop will help her [Morosi], I think," Conners said.  "She just got bogged down a bit with 58.5kg on the heavy track the other day. She has done well since last Saturday and I don't think the back up will be an issue."

"As for Mossurmi I could have run him today. He just needs about another inch of rain on Friday afternoon and the conditions will be perfect for him.

Peter Robl sat last on Miss Shamardal before bringing the talented three-year-old filly down the centre of the track to reel in favourite Grandma's Fault in the opening race of the day.

"I made a mistake with her when I put the blinkers on causing her to over race," Conners said.  "With them off today, she relaxed beautifully and hit the line like I know she can."

Conners aims for a big week
Clinton Payne        Wednesday, 2 June 2010

Warwick Farm trainer Marc Conners could be in for a big week after a winning double at Canterbury on Wednesday.  On Saturday, Conners will head to Rosehill with what he believes are two winning prospects, Morosi and Mossurmi.

Morosi will be on the seven-day back-up in the Benchmark 85 F&M Handicap (1400m) after finishing a solid third behind Mascareri at Randwick over the mile last Saturday.

"The 5kg weight drop will really help her I think," Conners said. "She just got bogged down a bit with 58.5kg on the heavy track the other day.  She's done well since last Saturday and I don't think the back up will be an issue"€�

Conners also doesn't think the back-up will pose a problem for his tough wet tracker Mossurmi who heads into Saturday's Benchmark 80 Handicap (1900m) off a solid second behind Delago Star last weekend at Randwick.

"I could have run him today,"  Conners said.  "He just needs about another inch of rain on Friday afternoon and the conditions will be perfect for him"€�

Meanwhile, Conners said he would now look for a suitable Saturday race for Miss Shamardal after she came from last to win the Rosehill Gardens Event Centre Handicap (1580m) at Canterbury on Wednesday.

"I made a mistake with her when I put the blinkers on causing her to over race," he said.  "With them off today she relaxed beautifully and hit the line like I know she can. Hopefully there is something suitable in town on a Saturday over the next couple of weeks"€�

Two races later, Letchworth broke through for his first city win in the Winning Post Restaurant Handicap (1580m).

"This horse loves the wet and today he showed it," he said.

Jockey Peter Robl steered both gallopers to victory

Alittlebitofmonica In My Life

Swettenham Stud   Thursday 27 May 2010

Alittlebitofmonica by Court of Jewels from Political Pet won the Gosford 2YO A$16K 1100m from 12 other 2YOs.  This extremely well named filly is a half-sister to Morosi who is similarly well named.

The 2YO Bay filly had a first and a second at the Metropolitan trials before she put the writing on the wall with a close debut fourth at Hawkesbury in an Open Maiden.  In this debut race she was tardy away and hung in significantly so the experience should have done her the world of good.

Alas, the confidence of Marc Conners was sorely tested when the filly again missed the start this time by about 3L.  However, her class told and despite the heavy track she rounded up the field in good style although still quite green.  She went onto a 1.25L win that was full of promise and looking at the very strong bodied filly you would think she would be better suited on a dry track.

The Court of Jewels filly was bred by Jan Lonie who had success with her great Bianconi galloper and now sire Mr Martini when he was trained by this filly's trainer Marc Conners.  Alittlebitofmonica in my life was also welcomed into this world by her co-breeder and still owner Mark Geraghty from Geraghty Bloodstock in Qld.