Despite boom filly Sunlight’s reputation, co-trainer Adrian Bott is unfazed ahead of Setsuna’s first clash with the Golden Slipper favourite. Setsuna will attempt to nail down a start in the Golden Slipper through Saturday’s Group Two Magic Night Stakes (1200m), the setting for Sunlight’s final audition. Ideally, Setsuna would have… Read More »
Jeff Lloyd hopes to end his career on a high with another Brisbane premiership after the veteran rider admitted he’s close to retirement. The reigning Brisbane jockeys’ title holder, who feared his riding career was over when he suffered a stroke in 2013, said he wanted to spend more time… Read More »
An appeal by jockey Dale Smith has won him a three-meeting reprieve from an improper riding charge. Smith was banned by Racing Victoria stewards for 25 meetings after riding Second Marriage at Pakenham last Thursday. Stewards said Smith directed Second Marriage out from the behind the heels of Totally Kaptivated,… Read More »
While dual acceptors Radipole and Tribal Wisdom are set to run in Sydney instead of Melbourne, trainer Mike Moroney still has some genuine chances at the Blamey Stakes meeting at Flemington. Moroney has early favourite Top Of The Range in Saturday’s The Curragh Racecourse Handicap (1600m) at Flemington after a… Read More »
Cool Chap could be the latest knockout runner for Lindsay Park in a feature race at Flemington. Last Saturday Harlem won the Australian Cup at $61 to provide Lindsay Park the second leg of a memorable Group One double. Cool Chap won’t be those odds when he runs in the… Read More »
Godolphin filly Alizee’s chances of measuring herself against mares for the first time in the Group One Coolmore Classic is weather dependent. Rosehill was rated in the soft range on Thursday and Godolphin head trainer James Cummings said the track would have to be upgraded for the three-year-old to be… Read More »
Salsamor will continue his path to the ATC Australian Derby via a start in the Sky High Stakes at Rosehill. The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained three-year-old will head to Sydney on Saturday instead on running in the Alister Clark Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday night. While taking on… Read More »
Leading Golden Slipper contender Performer has made amends for his Todman Stakes drama with a flawless barrier trial at Randwick. The Chris Waller-trained colt had to trial on Thursday after Sydney’s leading jockey Hugh Bowman was dislodged in the closing stages of the Todman last Saturday. Performer veered to the… Read More »
A pleasing barrier draw has buoyed trainer Andrew Noblet’s hopes Silent Sedition can go one better in this year’s Group One Coolmore Classic. Silent Sedition endured a tough run in 2017 from barrier 18 before going down by a short half-head to Heavens Above. Noblet considered the performance one of… Read More »
Promising filly Plumaro is ready to tackle the $250,000 2YO Jewel at the Gold Coast for the start of what her trainer Kevin Kemp hopes will be a big four weeks. Kemp has had a tough job placing Plumaro because of the wet weather which has disrupted racing in southeast… Read More »
Sydney apprentice Lee Magorrian gets a chance to turn a working holiday into some racetrack winners at the Gold Coast on Saturday. Magorrian is apprenticed to premier trainer Chris Waller but has ventured to Waller’s Gold Coast stable for the week. The Irish-born apprentice did most of his riding in… Read More »
Trainer Ben Currie is set to rack up another milestone when he takes a strong team to the Gold Coast. At Doomben on Wednesday, Currie brought up his 100th overall winner for the season, 98 in Queensland and two in NSW. He now has the chance to record 100 Queensland… Read More »
Champion jockey Ruby Walsh will miss the remainder of the Cheltenham Festival after aggravating the broken leg injury which had kept him on the sidelines for the previous four months. The most successful rider in Festival history was hurt when he parted company with Al Boum Photo at the penultimate… Read More »
Alta Stella has resumed her injury-plagued career in the best possible fashion with an explosive first-up win at Sandown. The lightly raced four-year-old was having her first start since July when successful in the Sheen Group Handicap (1000m) on Wednesday. Injuries to fetlocks and knees on her forelegs has restricted… Read More »
Former Flemington track manager Mick Goodie has been called in to give his opinion on Brisbane’s troubled Eagle Farm course proper. There have been repeated delays in the remediation work of the track which has been closed since May and has been closed for all but one year in the… Read More »
Racing NSW stewards have launched an investigation to determine how two Jason Coyle-trained horses were incorrectly scratched from a race at Warwick Farm. Coyle had Takewing and Weekend Affair in the Pierro@Coolmore Australian Mile but neither started after Weekend Affair had a pre-race blood test. A haematoma developed where the… Read More »
When Resin launched her career in the Group Three Maribyrnong Plate in late 2016, Godolphin thought they had a handy filly coming through the ranks. John O’Shea made that assessment and current Godolphin head trainer James Cummings held the same view after she belatedly broke her maiden at Warwick Farm…. Read More »
Trainer Clarry Conners praised his gelding Bolero King after beating the might of the Godolphin stable on his home track at Warwick Farm. “It’s good to see the battlers win,” Conners said after Bolero King ($5) took out the Ranvet Neutrolene Handicap by a half-neck from Selita ($9). Favourite Beau… Read More »
Champion sprinter Chautauqua is among nominations at Flemington to have the first of two trials in a bid to be allowed to race again. The Hawkes Racing-trained galloper had a ban placed on him by Racing NSW stewards after refusing to jump with the field in a barrier trial at… Read More »
Champion jockey Damien Oliver has been called up to replace Hugh Bowman on the John Moore-trained Ruthven in the Hong Kong Derby at Sha Tin. Bowman had to relinquish his scheduled rides in Sydney on Saturday and Hong Kong on Sunday as he needs more time to recover from a… Read More »
