Favourite First Seal has been ruled out of the Warwick Stakes with a foot abscess. The John Thompson-trained mare opened at $3.80 for Saturday’s feature at Randwick and was into $2.60 when she was withdrawn. On Thursday night, First Seal was named the NSW Racehorse Owners’ Association Horse of the… Read More »
Max Dynamite has entered the Melbourne Cup picture by beating a host of top-class stayers with consummate ease in the Lonsdale Cup at York. Although taking a more unconventional route to the Group Two contest having chased home Quick Jack in the Galway Hurdle, the five-year-old produced a vintage display… Read More »
Patrick Payne rated Ihtsahymn’s first start for his stable as satisfactory and believes the gelding has improved from it heading into his second-up start at Moonee Valley. A Group One winner in Perth as a three-year-old, Ihtsahymn steps out on Saturday in the Sweeney Estate Agents Handicap (1500m) for his… Read More »
WARWICK STAKES $250,000, Group 2 WFA, 1400m HISTORY The race was originally held at Warwick Farm but in recent years has been shared with Randwick. THE BIGGEST NAMES TO WIN IT Bernborough (1946), Tulloch (1957), Sky High (1961/62), Kingston Town (1980/81/82), Super Impose (1990/91), Sunline 1999, Lonhro (2001/03). THIS YEAR’S… Read More »
A shocked Kevin Moses will fight a 12-month ban for presenting a horse to race with cobalt in its system. Although the trainer was not charged with administering the substance, Racing NSW stewards said on Friday the offence was serious and warranted a period of disqualification. “How, what, where and… Read More »
John O’Shea is convinced the autumn juvenile form will stack up this spring as he prepares a trio of three-year-olds for early-season stakes targets on Saturday. And despite the first-up defeat of Golden Slipper winner Vancouver, O’Shea still regards the Gai Waterhouse-trained colt as the horse to beat in next… Read More »
Barriers can win or lose a race and Craig Williams is hoping they won’t be the determining factor for his mounts in two stakes races at Moonee Valley. First starter Boston Light has drawn the inside barrier in the McKenzie Stakes (1200m) while Gregers has drawn 11 in a field… Read More »
Veteran trainer Pat Duff admits he is still stunned by the ease of Steel Zip’s win two weeks ago. Steel Zip returned to the winners’ list with a three lengths win in an open handicap at Doomben over 1350m. Duff believes he will have to repeat the run if he… Read More »
The next few weeks will be pivotal to Melbourne Cup-winning German trainer Andreas Wohler’s chances of chasing Victorian spring carnival riches this year. Wohler has four horses nominated for spring carnival races but said he was unsure on potential Melbourne visitors who would have to start quarantine next month. “We… Read More »
Trainer John Thompson believes First Seal is now the complete package as she prepares to return against a star-studded Warwick Stakes field boasting 10 Group One winners. There was an air of expectation around the Flight Stakes winner in the autumn but she fell frustratingly short when she was narrowly… Read More »
Champion jockey Damien Oliver has given top sprinter Rich Enuff the thumbs up for his return to racing at Caulfield. Oliver trialled the four-year-old over 800m at Cranbourne on Friday and while the time wasn’t slick he was impressed with his effort. However, Oliver will have to sit out Rich… Read More »
Trainer Kevin Moses has been disqualified for 12 months over a high cobalt level returned by Felix Bay in a race at Hawkesbury in April. Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy said his panel took the trainer’s good record into account but said the offence was a serious one. Moses… Read More »
Alderney kicks off her career over a sprint trip at Moonee Valley but it’s in fillies’ feature races over further that trainer Sam Pritchard-Gordon hopes the three-year-old can make her mark this spring. A sister to stakes winner Ballet Suite who was fourth in last season’s Group One Vinery Stud… Read More »
A lack of suitable lead-up races means the promising Honey Toast will take the step from 1600m to 2200m at Doomben. Trainer Ben Currie believes Honey Toast can make a good stayer and had planned to take on open company over 2200m last Saturday. “In the end I thought that… Read More »
Trainer Kevin Moses has pleaded guilty to a presenting a horse to race with an elevated level of cobalt in its system but says he has no idea how it was reached. A pre-race sample taken from Felix Bay before he ran fifth at Hawkesbury on April 16 showed a… Read More »
If Pinch River can perform against a strong field of sprinters at Doomben on Saturday he will earn a place on trainer Robert Heathcote’s Melbourne spring carnival team. The field for the Country Music Raceday 12th September Plate (1200m) is one Heathcote says will be a true test for Pinch… Read More »
It has been a frustrating start to the season for Hawkes Racing but the training partnership is nothing if not resilient. After a mixture of bad luck and disappointing performances made for a Missile Stakes day they would prefer to forget, the team suffered another blow last week when valuable… Read More »
Warwick Stakes favourite First Seal will have to match Sunline if she is to make a winning return at weight-for-age at Randwick on Saturday. Rated one of the greatest racemares of the modern era, Sunline started her four-year-old season with a Warwick Stakes win in 1999. Sunline went into the… Read More »
German trainer Andreas Wohler is still unsure if he has a horse good enough to race during year’s Melbourne spring carnival. Wohler won the Melbourne Cup last year with Protectionist and has four horses in the mix to compete in feature races in Melbourne this spring. He said a final… Read More »
Dwayne Dunn will replace Damien Oliver on Rich Enuff for the top sprinter’s first-up run in The Heath Stakes at Caulfield. Oliver had been booked for the first-up ride but he suffered an early spring carnival blow when suspended for 11 meetings during the week. Trainer Ken Keys said connections… Read More »
