Vandyke shooting for Gold at Oaks

Trainer David Vandyke Source: Mitch Cameron Photography.com.au / Supplied

TRAINER David Vandyke rattled off the reasons why Arabian Gold would again stretch out to 2400m in a bid to win Saturday's Queensland Oaks over the distance.

"It's a Group 1,'' Vandyke said. "She's reaching the end of her three-year-old career and as a four-year-old she'll be up against a different level of horse.

"She'll be up against Europeans, so the difference between Saturday's 2400m and any other 2400m she runs in the rest of her career will be fairly significant.

"Her run in the VRC Oaks last spring was fair. She was beaten just over four lengths, and that performance would make her hard to beat in the Queensland Oaks.

"I think on form she'll be hard to beat (on Saturday), despite the fact she can't get a strong 2400m in my opinion.''

Arabian Gold is the even-money Oaks favourite with TAB Fixed Odds, and goes into the $400,000 feature at Eagle Farm on the back of wins in the Adrian Knox Stakes, Frank Packer Plate and a powerhouse effort in the Doomben Roses.

Vandyke said the Doomben Roses was his grey's main winter target, but she had not put a foot wrong since.

"The Roses was the race we set her for, and the Oaks was only a consideration if she won the Roses,'' said Vandyke, who will add the Queensland Derby to the filly's Brisbane hit-list if she wins on Saturday.

Arabian Gold has rumbled with some of the best fillies in the country, something most of her rivals on Saturday haven't done. That fact wasn't lost on Vandyke.

"She has raced against some of the best like Guelph, she beat Solicit in Melbourne, she raced against May's Dream, who came out and won an Australasian Oaks,'' he said.

"She's raced against some fair horses in the Adrian Knox and more so in the Frank Packer Plate. She hasn't sidestepped any of the better three-year-olds. (What beats her) will be luck in running.''

Vandyke has saddled up several horses at skinny odds in big majors, but is yet to win one. There was Constant Flight in the 1994 AJC Oaks, Lamasery in the 2012 The Metropolitan, and Prince Cheri a year later in the same race.

"I can tell you I'm sick of getting beaten in them,'' Vandyke said before he hopped in the car for the Nowra races yesterday. "I don't know what it would mean because I've never won one, but I'm certainly keen to find out.''

Arabian Gold will be a feel-good story should she win a first major for Vandyke because it will also continue the wonderful success of big-time owner Nick Moraitis — whose pink and white colours were made famous by Might And Power — and jockey Blake Shinn, who farewelled good mate Guy Walter on Thursday.

Arabian Gold will work on the Doomben course proper tomorrow morning, with Vandyke pointing out that Eagle Farm was made off-limits.

Meanwhile, Randwick trainer John Sargent said Elusive Runner, a tragedy beaten at Randwick on Saturday, will push on to Saturday week's Queensland Derby. A decision on whether jockey Jason Collett is retained will be made today.

Collett dropped the reins and admitted he feared he had cost himself the Derby ride. Sargent said he would have a better idea once he spoke with connections in Hong Kong.

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Daly set to be next Maroons captain

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TO understand why former Maroons warhorse Petero Civoniceva believes Daly Cherry-Evans is Queensland's captain-in-waiting, you need to spool back to his teenage years.

It is now common knowledge just about every NRL club didn't rate the kid from Mackay.

Fewer know the cutting words from Broncos scouts, who told Cherry-Evans he was "too slow" to play first grade. State of Origin? Tell the kid he's dreaming.

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Even fewer witnessed the work ethic that privately steeled Cherry-Evans to navigate obstacles that impeded peers who possessed superior talent but lacked his hunger.

Cherry-Evans' first senior coach, former Brisbane Wests mentor Craig Ingebrigtsen, recalls the struggle.

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Both Redcliffe and Norths told Cherry-Evans' father Troy his halfback son, then 17 and as skinny as a Kenyan marathoner, had no future in the NRL.

Daly Cherry-Evans. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: News Corp Australia

Then Ingebrigtsen rolled the dice. From that point, Cherry-Evans would be the master of his own destiny, reshaping perceptions via sheer will.

"Daly worked harder than anyone I coached," said Ingebrigtsen, now coach of last year's Intrust Super Cup grand finalists Easts Tigers. "He leaves them all for dead in terms of work ethic.

"That field goal Daly kicked last week against Newcastle to win the game, that was no fluke.

"At Wests, he would place cone markers out. He would kick at them for 30 or 40 minutes religiously after training. He would have to hit the cones a certain number of times. If he had 40 kicks, he would want 35 out of 40 hits before he was satisfied."

What else?

"He did the same with his passing game," Ingebrigtsen said. "His left-to-right pass had to be as good as his right-to-left pass. Daly would get six or seven footballs and run and pass to the left. Run and pass to the right.

"Over and over."

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This is why Cherry-Evans is playing in Origin I on Wednesday night. While critics picked apart his flaws, they missed the competitive beast within.

"I remember people saying he wasn't quick enough," Ingebrigtsen said.

"So Daly decided he would make himself faster. He didn't have a sprint coach, but he worked his arse off to improve his speed. He'd go down on the ground, get up and sprint, go down, get up and sprint.

"All this from a 17-year-old. There was no stone unturned.

"He used to come into my video sessions and pull a game apart. He'd say, 'OK, stop, look here, we can beat them through the ruck there'. Or, 'Get me a quick play-the-ball and we can get them on this edge'. I was amazed a teenager could read the game so well."

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Squeaky-clean, Cherry-Evans, at 25, is being groomed as an NRL statesman.

While Civoniceva isn't pushing Maroons skipper Cameron Smith into retirement, he says Queensland has a ready-made captaincy successor.

"Matt Scott could probably do the job after Cam but it wouldn't surprise me if Cherry-Evans gets it," he said.

"Daly has a level head and the respect of his peers. He would be an excellent captain and he can learn a lot about leadership from Cam Smith."

"He was never a captain of sides I had, but he had leadership traits," he said.

"At Wests, he was the bloke who pushed the side around the field and the players responded to him.

"You see by the way he carries himself, he's an ambassador for the game. The way he speaks to the media, the way he conducts himself, he's an immaculate leader.

"You don't hear about him ever being in strife. There are no airs and graces about him ... he is the perfect example for any young kid out there who aspires to play in the NRL."

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Wally’s king hit on battling Blues

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MAROONS icon Wally Lewis has blasted Paul Gallen as disrespectful and questioned the selection strategy of a NSW team he claims will never understand the meaning of Origin.

Gallen's "two-heads" jibe carried more promotional than malicious intent but it has incensed Maroons pioneers like Lewis, who believes it denigrates Queensland's record dynasty.

The Blues arrived in Brisbane on Sunday night from their Coffs Harbour base and Gallen is set to face a hostile reception from 50,000 Maroons fans in Origin I on Wednesday night.

Wally Lewis has blasted Laurie Daley's (L) choice of halves Josh Reynolds (C) and Trent Hodkinson. Source: Getty Images

The NSW skipper has never won an Origin series since his 2006 debut and Lewis says Gallen's record illustrates why the Blues cannot grasp Queensland's passion.

"I don't think NSW ever did get Origin. If this (run of losses) continues for NSW, they might eventually get it," said The King, a veteran of 31 Origin matches.

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"That (Gallen's comment) was an indication of a long-held disrespect for Queensland.

"For NSW, it was a waste of f***ing time playing Queensland for decades and then I hear Gallen joking about the two-headed people up north.

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"Paul Gallen was obviously trying to make a painful memory amusing, but show me a current Queenslander who has been insulting to NSW and their players.

"Mal Meninga (Queensland coach) is big on respect. When has a Queensland player in this team put s*** on the Blues and ridiculed them?

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"Public humiliation is not a part of this Queensland squad and that's why they have class. Mal's men don't have to resort to ridiculing NSW to enjoy their victories.

"You can quote me on this ... I'd rather be in our position than to be in Gallen's shoes and have to suffer the embarrassment of eight straight Origin losses."

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Lewis is equally dismayed by the Blues' selection methodology.

NSW mentor Laurie Daley has taken the biggest gamble of his embryonic Origin coaching career, pitchforking debutant halves Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson into the Suncorp furnace.

Daley is banking on their successful club combination to orchestrate an Origin I boilover, but Lewis is puzzled by the Blues' boom-or-bust strategy.

Paul Gallen arrives in Brisbane on Sunday. Picture: Darren England Source: News Corp Australia

"When did we start choosing blokes in rep sides only because they play alongside their teammate. That seems like a mercy dash to me," he said.

"There seems to be a belief you have to pick club players who understand each other's games well enough and that's why they picked the two Canterbury guys.

"But when you are playing Origin football, you should just pick your best players.

"If the players are good enough, they will perform whether they have played beside each other in the NRL or not."

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I’m simply sick of losing, says Gallen

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PAUL Gallen deserves better. He deserves to win. But he knows time is running out.

While the Blues have had to endure the anguish of Queensland's near decade-long dominance, for Gallen it cuts deeper than the rest.

The NSW captain has played a role in all eight losing series as Queensland's Origin juggernaut has wreaked havoc on the Blues.

Paul Gallen arrives in Brisbane on Sunday. Picture: Darren England Source: News Corp Australia

By his own admission, ­Gallen only has two years left to finally beat the Maroons.

If the unthinkable happens and Queensland continue their record winning streak, Gallen will finish his Origin ­career with 10 consecutive ­series defeats.

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"I concede that," Gallen said. "Next year will be my last year, for sure. But I am only worried about this year. Hopefully we can get the job done."

The most passionate player in rugby league has been left heartbroken by the losses. No player in either side would be happier with a series win.

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The photographs stay with us all in NSW — Gallen dragging himself off the field without any reward.

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"Unfortunately for me, I have had a very checkered (Origin) career," Gallen told The Daily Telegraph.

"Of the eight series, I have only played in all three games three times — 2008, 2011 and 2012.

"The three times I have had a crack in the deciders — those losses have been heartbreaking.

"It's been hard. What do you do? Not turn up. Last year I had to pull out of the decider.

"My Australian career has been great. I have played the last 30-odd Tests straight.

"But I believe I have always played well at this (Origin) level."

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Two of Gallen's Origin games were dead rubbers.

"I don't like losing,'' he said. "But Origin is such a privilege to be a part of. I feel honoured to be here again.

"I want to go out and perform to the level I know I can and if everyone plays to their ability, I am sure we can get the job done."

Gallen and his NSW teammates have looked relaxed and calm during their five-night stay at the Novotel Pacific Bay Resort in Coffs Harbour.

The Blues thrived on being away from the pressure of Sydney.

They flew into Brisbane on Sunday night but no matter where they are, NSW will always hate Queensland.

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"There is genuine hatred between the two states," Gallen said. "They hate us too, believe me.

"That's the way it is. No one can deny it. It's not an evil hatred. It is a hatred that fires the two states up.

"That's why Origin is so great and that's why it is the best spectacle in Australian sport, bar none.

"It is respectful hatred, if there is such a thing. The fans love the brutality of it, how brutal it is.

"They love the speed and skill. It's the pinnacle of rugby league. It's the best of the best. There is no place to hide out there."

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Why Hunt is NRL’s form halfback

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BEN Hunt has surged past Cooper Cronk and Daly Cherry-Evans to become the NRL's best halfback this season, his Broncos teammates say.

Hunt arrived as a premier halfback in Campbelltown on Saturday night, almost single-handedly beating the Wests Tigers.

In his 100th NRL game, 26th in the No.7, Hunt was Michael Jordan-clutch.

Ben Hunt (top) after setting up a try to Corey Oates. Source: Getty Images

With four minutes remaining, a Johnathan Thurston-style show-and-go created a linebreak to set up his own match-winning penalty goal attempt.

"When the game is on the line I want the ball in my hands," Hunt told The Courier-Mail.

"You have to back yourself and have a dig at it.

"That was the biggest kick I have had to do in my career. With a bit of luck it went over."

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That is the confidence and leadership the Broncos have yearned for in a halfback since Allan Langer retired.

Beside his late heroics, Hunt also set up Brisbane's two tries - first with a precise flat-ball that put Corey Oates into a hole, the second with a pin-point bomb that Lachlan Maranta plucked before off-loading to Oates.

"In my opinion he's the form halfback in the competition," Brisbane prop Josh McGuire said.

"I have played alongside him since he was 14. We played in Queensland junior teams together.

"I love playing with Benny. He's inspirational and a great halfback.

"We always knew how good he was. It has taken a little bit longer than people expected.

"He's had class halfbacks in front of him in Peter Wallace and Scott Prince, though."

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McGuire's claim that Hunt is the premier halfback right now has merit.

He leads the competition in line breaks with 11, a phenomenal feat for a man who stands just 178cm tall and weighs 85 kilograms.

He is also in the top five for tries scored (seven) and try-assists (nine).

Cronk has 15 try assists and Cherry-Evans has nine but otherwise their attacking statistics are well below Hunt's.

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Horse euthanized at Casterton races

Jumps racing has drawn much controversy. Source: News Limited

JUMPS racing was embroiled in another controversy at Casterton yesterday when a race was and a horse, Elms, put down.

There were farcical scenes at Sportingbet Park Sandown on Wednesday when three horses fell in the steeplechase, including Show Dancer, who was also euthanized down, and the event also being called off.

After jumping the first hurdle yesterday, the Luke Oliver-trained Elms broke down on the flat and was grabbed by barrier attendants.

James Hitchcock, who was chief steward at the meeting, said Racing Victoria head veterinary surgeon Brian Stewart was following the field in a car and got out to attend the injured horse.

The other three runners in the field continued but were stopped as they approached the area where Elms was on their second lap. attendants waved at the jockeys to stop the race

"Dr Brian Stewart was on the spot and declared it was an unacceptable risk for the race to continue," chief steward James Hitchcock said.

Dr Stewart believed that Elms wasn't secure and posed a risk to himself and other participants.

Champion Jockey Steve Pateman, who rode Elms, said jumps riders with the view being that the wrong decision was made.

"Elms jumped the first beautifully but then 150m later he broke down on the flat which horses do in track-work every day," Pateman said.

"I was upset for Elms but I was stunned when the race was called off. If anything, on pulling up the horses got closer to Elms than if they had continued racing. It made the situation more dangerous."

Pateman had a bird's eye view of the situation down the back straight at Casterton as he was standing next to Dr Stewart when he made the decision.

"I know Dr Stewart is a professional but we're also professionals and it was the wrong call. If it was the Melbourne Cup they wouldn't be calling the race off in a horse had broken down after 400m," Pateman said.

"I've been riding for 12 years and never been in a no race and now I've been in two. It was the right call on Wednesday but yesterday's was just a bad look for the sport."

Pateman pointed out that the three jockeys left riding had a cumulative 10,000 races worth of experience and knew how to handle the situation.

Veterinary surgeons later reported that Elms had severely fractured his right fore cannon while racing on the flat.

Ward Young from the Coalition for Protection Of Racehorses said his group will stage a demonstration in the Bourke Street Mall at midday today.

"Basically it's another day of jumps racing in this state with yet another horse losing its life," Young said.

Elms is the third horse to be put down after a jumps race this season. After a successful start to the season two horses have lost their life in the past week.

The Jumps Review Panel will look into the incident. A post mortem will be performed at the University of Melbourne Veterinary Clinic as is standard practice.

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NSW hone skills against country battlers

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IF NSW can pull off rugby league's greatest upset on Wednesday night, Laurie Daley owes Hastings Hotel publican Robbie Trembath a phone call.

"They can thank us later, we'll be claiming it for sure if they win,'' Trembath said.

"All that pressure I put on Josh Reynolds out there, it's sharpened him up for the match.''

Trent Merrin attacks during the opposed session. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: News Corp Australia

It was difficult to gauge who got more out of Sunday morning's opposed training session in Coffs Harbour; Daley's Blues or the best of the Group 3 Country Rugby League ­competition.

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A collection of plumbers, electricians, cement renderers and part-time footballers, some of who drove three hours even after "playing yesterday and a few beers last night'', to act as sparring partners for Daley's heavyweights.

James Tamou against the Group 3 repesentive team. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: News Corp Australia

The 65-minute hit-out before the Blues left Coffs for Brisbane was never about the scoreline. It was about NSW finding their rhythm against 17 moving targets.

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NSW had spent the previous five days in Camp Coffs perfecting their attacking plays, their line speed and goal-line defence.

With the players earning a day off on Monday before a final field session at Suncorp Stadium on Tuesday, Sunday was a crucial opportunity for Daley and his coaching stuff to analyse every player under fatigue.

Aaron Woods takes a hit-up. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: News Corp Australia

The "soft contact" was nothing new for Daley's Blues, having used the same Sunday session last year to run through their Origin I tactics against the best under-20 players available.

And while the standard wasn't of NRL quality, it would be naive to think that despite the drop in class of their opposition that the intensity or motivation wasn't there.

"Smith, Smith, Smith,'' NSW's Trent Merrin barked as Country's hooker took off from dummy-half.

"Let's make this count, maintain the pressure,'' Trent Hodkinson screamed after pouncing on a loose ball.

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NSW tyro Anthony Watmough has been around rugby league long enough to know what works and what doesn't when it comes to preparing for big matches.

And he was in no doubt that the session was invaluable practice just three days out from the all-important State of Origin opener.

"We can run through our plays as much as we want with no defenders, but until you actually run through them with defenders and see what you need to work on, you're just going through the motions,'' Watmough said. "We got a lot out of today."

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Rosberg takes Monaco GP, Ricciardo third

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NICO Rosberg won the Monaco Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday to take the overall championship lead from his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished second to give Mercedes a fifth straight 1-2 finish.

The German driver clinched his second victory of the season and fifth of his career, making a strong start and holding off Hamilton to repeat his maiden GP win from pole here in Monaco last year.

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Infiniti Red Bull Racing finished third. Source: Getty Images

"The pressure was on all the way but I kept it cool and was able to win," said Rosberg, who celebrated by hugging his team engineers.

Rosberg finished 9.2 seconds ahead of Hamilton, who was just 0.4 faster than Daniel Ricciardo. The Red Bull driver was unable to get past Hamilton on a track that is the most difficult to overtake on in Formula One.

Four-time defending champion Sebastian Vettel's frustrating season with Red Bull continued as he abandoned early with a power unit failure.

Mercedes has also taken every pole position so far this season: four for Hamilton and two for Rosberg, who won the season's opening race in Australia.

"I felt I was very strong today," said Hamilton, who complained that his visibility was impaired by some dirt in his left eye.

But Hamilton snapped back at his team when told that Ricciardo was closing the gap on him.

"I don't care about Ricciardo, what's the gap to Nico?" said Hamilton, who earlier complained about the timing of a pit stop to underline what has been a tense weekend within Mercedes.

Hamilton was made to care about Ricciardo by the end and spent the final four laps blocking the Australian. It was a second straight third-place finish for the impressive Ricciardo, who is now ahead of Vettel, his more illustrious teammate.

"It is thrilling to be on the podium here in Monaco," Ricciardo said.

Mercedes' German driver Nico Rosberg celebrates with team members after winning the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. Source: AFP

Hamilton did pressure Rosberg at times, even trimming his lead back to 0.8 seconds and would certainly have attacked more on another track. But Monaco's 78-lap circuit - which has the slowest average speed on the F1 calendar -meant Rosberg's position was relatively safe throughout, unless Hamilton tried a risky move that could have made him crash.

Overtaking is so tough that 10 of the past 11 winners have done so from pole, the exception being Hamilton in 2008, the year he won the title.

Qualifying first for the race came amid controversial circumstances for Rosberg, who was cleared by stewards of any wrongdoing after making a late error that led to a yellow flag and curtailed Hamilton's chances of beating his time with less than one minute remaining in Saturday's session.

It was an incident that fueled the growing rivalry between the two runaway leaders in the overall standings, with Hamilton insinuating afterward that he would get revenge and evoking memories of the bitter rivalry between the late Ayrton Senna of Brazil and Frenchman Alain Prost when they raced for McLaren in the late 1980s.

Hamilton, who three days ago had taken the astonishing step of questioning his own teammate's hunger with somewhat disparaging comments, even intimated that he would "take a page out of his book" when referring to how Senna dealt with his conflict with Prost.

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