Racing
Hickmott's Update on Party Crasher: 12th June 2025
Leading trainer Michael Hickmott has his eyes on the spring with rising four-year-old Party Crasher following a disappointing end to his first Australian campaign in Brisbane last weekend.
The former New Zealand galloper was scratched at the gates prior to last weekend's $1m Group 1 Queensland Derby after making contact with rival runner and was ruled out by Racing Queensland Stewards.
"I've only been informed of what happened from Craig (Williams, jockey),'' Hickmott said on RadioTAB.
"I haven't heard anything officially from anyone at Queensland Racing, the horse didn't even get vetted after the race back at the stalls.
"The horse went around to the start in good order, but I'm led to believe The Muffin Man backed into him and gave him a bit of a kick, and they erred on the side of caution and scratched him.
"We went back to the stalls and waited around for half an hour or 45 mins, we went right over the horse, thought he was OK, (we) understood why they scratched him.
"But the horse was fantastic the next day and he'll have a spell in the beautiful Queensland weather,'' he said.
Hickmott said there were ample opportunities for the progressive galloper going forward, who boasts three wins and two seconds from five starts and will be targeted towards the Melbourne Spring Carnival.
"We'll choose to look at the positives,'' Hickmott added.
"He has had a very good trip away, he paraded the best he ever had at the races, we'll have a lot of fun with the horse over the next 12 months to two years.
"He'll have a month or six weeks off, and we'll make a plan to get him to a nice race at the end of spring.
"Maybe to a race like the Murray Bridge Cup second up, that would lead him to a race over Cup week at Flemington,'' he said.
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