ACCOMPLISHED Wagga jockey Danny Beasley has been left without a ride in the $200,000 Wagga Town Plate after the barrier draw claimed one of the major players on Tuesday.
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Successful Wagga owner Garry Towzell admitted he was 'devastated' after agreeing to scratch Maharba from Thursday's Wagga Town Plate (1200m).
Maharba, winner of the listed Hareeba Stakes at Mornington last start, came up with barrier 18 at the barrier draw on Tuesday morning.
Experienced trainer Grahame Begg made a swift decision and scratched the three-year-old from the Town Plate. He was expected to start favourite.
Towzell, who races the horse with his wife Marianne, said it was a difficult decision to come to.
"Yeah, devastated," Towzell said.
"I was anxious for him to get here.
"He would have had to carry a bit of weight now. His last win he had 54, this time he's got 58 and drawn that barrier, he's got to run 1400.
"It's not an easy decision but you've got to be a realist."
Beasley had earlier been upbeat at the barrier draw after Maharba came up with barrier 18.
But he understood the decision of the Begg camp despite desperately wanting to add a Wagga Town Plate to his collection.
"I fully understand. If I put my trainer's hat on, I probably would have done the same," Beasley said.
"I've been very fortunate enough to win a cup so it would have been nice to put that one on the resume, the Town Plate, but it wasn't meant to be.
"I might have to try and do it as a trainer."
Beasley said the Begg camp thought it was too big of an ask for a three-year-old.
"(Begg) just said that he thought the horse would have to work too much to get across and we'd have to ride him too positive," Beasley explained.
"And being a three-year-old with 58 (kilograms) having to do that work would leave him too vulnerable. He wasn't ready for that, especially having to travel him down the six hours or so."
It leaves Beasley with five rides on Town Plate day as he goes about trying to win back-to-back Tye Angland Medals for the leading jockey over the two big days of the carnival.
"My rides looked really good at nomination time but a lot of the horses that we were riding got heavily handicapped and a couple of them were a bit surprising," Beasley said.
"I had a really good ride in the Queen of the South and she's not coming and there's a couple of others there that have pulled out.
"I did ring (my manager) Hayden (Tuesday) morning and say you better keep an eye on those acceptances. Tim's got a couple of nice runners and I've got a couple of nice rides for Gary (Colvin).
"I love riding the local horses. As I said last year, I felt a real sense of representing the town last year and I feel that as much or more this year."
Beasley won the first four races on Wagga Gold Cup day last year on his way to the medal.
"We set the bar a bit high last year," Beasley laughed.
"That was a dream day, cup day, you don't expect those things again but we'll go out there and do our best and if we got a couple on the day it would be good.
"It was a great highlight and a big thrill to win the Tye Angland Medal so I'll definitely be trying to do that again and I'll be very proud if I can have that around my neck again."
