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Railway hopes diminish; Cropp facing two charges; Hayes happy ahead of cup; Positive signs from jockey.

Railway hopes diminish

John Bell has all but given up on a start in the Gr.1 Sistema Railway Stakes start for his rejuvenated sprinter Mosse.

He has been more than satisfied with the progress of the O’Reilly gelding, who was a last-start third in the Gr.3 Concorde Handicap, but is unsure of the sprinter’s immediate future.

“That silenced a few critics, who were a bit damning of him after his first run,” Bell said. “It was a magnificent effort after two years off and it was a race that showed he’s an athlete and still wants to compete.”

However, Mosse gained only one rating point for his performance and is anchored in 20th spot in order of entry to the Railway. “It’s back to square one,” Bell said.

Cropp facing two charges

The Racing Integrity Unit has laid two charges against Lisa Cropp relating to a drug test at Te Awamutu last month.

The former champion jockey was stood down from riding after she returned a ‘non negative’ sample and she will face charges of hindering a New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing investigation and deliberately failing to comply with an order from a "tribunal, NZTR, stipendiary steward or Investigator.”

Cropp has since issued an apology for her actions and has indicated she will plead guilty with the hearing expected before Christmas.

Hayes happy ahead of cup

Criterion has come through his final gallop ahead of Sunday’s Gr.1 Hong Kong Cup with flying colours.

The New Zealand-bred and owned son of Sebring worked over 1200 metres in 1:25.2 and came home the final 400 in 23.4 seconds.

Co-trainer David Hayes is pleased with Criterion’s condition, but is hoping for some rain to ease the track at Sha Tin.

Criterion’s Group One wins in the Rosehill Guineas and ATC Australian Derby were on soft and heavy tracks.

Positive signs from jockey

Friends and family are taking positives from initial assessments of Injured jockey Chris Dell.

Dell, 22, was airlifted to Auckland Hospital on Tuesday after he fell at the Ruakaka trials.

Medics attended to Dell for more than an hour at the track before he was taken to hospital by helicopter in an induced coma.

Dell's family have revealed that initial scans have shown that the jockey had no bleeding and swelling of his brain and he had movement in all his limbs.

“We’ll know more later today but at this stage they’re keeping him sedated and on a ventilator,” Dell's mother Birdie told theinformant.co.nz.

“Apparently it was a very heavy fall and he took quite a knock. The CT scan showed his brain isn’t swollen, so that’s a relief, and he’s got full movement of his limbs. Now it’s a matter of waiting until they think is the best time to bring him out of sedation and taking it from there, but we’re hoping that he’s going to be all right.”

Dell is apprenticed to his father Kevin and has won 89 races, including success aboard Biologist in September's Listed Karaka Classic at Te Aroha.

The fall led to the abandonment of the remainder of the Ruakaka trials meeting with several of the other jockeys too shaken by the incident to ride.