After beginning her career with back-to-back wins in NSW, unbeaten filly Katalin is set for her biggest test yet when she makes her Melbourne and stakes debut at Flemington. The James Cummings-trained, Godolphin-owned three-year-old Katalin has tightened from $3.90 to $2.60 favourite with the TAB in an early market for… Read More »
An early-morning track inspection will decide the fate of the Doomben meeting on Thursday. Stewards and course manager Jim Roberts walked the track on Wednesday afternoon and rated it a heavy 10. A further 14mm fell at Doomben on Wednesday bringing the total in the past 10 days to more… Read More »
Despite his outsider status in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington, co-trainer Calvin McEvoy insists Despatch is worthy of his place in the Group One sprint. But McEvoy, who trains in partnership with his father Tony, is under no illusion about the task confronting Despatch on Saturday up against fellow Group… Read More »
Despite one of the potential headline acts taking a different path, the Group Three C S Hayes Stakes at Flemington still has plenty of star power from across Australasia and looms as an exciting entree to the Australian Guineas. Caulfield Guineas winner Super Seth was not an acceptor on Wednesday… Read More »
Brenton Avdulla has enjoyed a welcome change of luck with Godolphin’s Gaulois fighting back to score a tenacious win at Warwick Farm. Avdulla had a testing start to the day when he was narrowly beaten aboard Bella Nipotina in the $2 million Inglis Millennium before his ride in the $1… Read More »
Victorian jockey Billy Egan has guided the Patrick Payne-trained Rubisaki to an impressive win in the $1 million Inglis Sprint-3YOs at Warwick Farm but he won’t be hanging around to celebrate. Just hours after riding at Sydney’s Wednesday meeting, the state-hopping hoop will be on a flight back to Melbourne… Read More »
The race morning scratching of odds-on favourite Cellsabeel has paved the way for in-form jockey Tom Marquand to land his biggest payday, winning the $2 million Inglis Millennium aboard Prime Star. The 1100-metre feature was added to the Wednesday program after its scheduled Saturday timeslot was washed out. The date… Read More »
Pat Webster has been without electricity for four days but he is convinced stable star Happy Clapper has lost none of his power ahead of an Apollo Stakes return at Randwick. Webster has been relying on generators since the electricity supply to his farm on the NSW central coast was… Read More »
Caulfield Guineas winner Super Seth will miss the Group Three C S Hayes Stakes to instead chase a Group One weight-for-age win. The Anthony Freedman-trained Super Seth was nominated for Saturday’s Group Three CS Hayes (1400m) at Flemington and a rematch with Queenslander Alligator Blood, but the colt was not… Read More »
Trainer Robert Heathcote has had his plans for one stable star frustrated and will rely on another at Eagle Farm. Heathcote had nominated in-form Emerald Kingdom for a No Metropolitan Win race over 1000m. The nomination was ruled invalid because he won a Class Three race at a Saturday meeting… Read More »
Short-priced favourite Nature Strip is set to face six rivals in the $750,000 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington where he chases his fourth Group One win. The Chris Waller-trained Nature Strip resumes in Saturday’s 1000m weight-for-age sprint for his first start since his dominant victory in the Group One… Read More »
The fate of the Doomben meeting rests with Queensland stewards with more than 300mm of rain falling over the past 10 days. Stewards will inspect Doomben on Wednesday to see if racing will be possible on Thursday. Last week’s Thursday meeting at the track was abandoned along with racing at… Read More »
Tiger Roll is no better than 50-50 to bid for an historic third victory in the Grand National with part-owner Eddie O’Leary disappointed with his weight of 11 stone 10lb (74kg). The Gordon Elliott-trained 10-year-old became the first horse since Red Rum to claim back-to-back editions of the world’s most… Read More »
Undefeated champion Black Caviar is to return to Flemington on the race day named in her honour. The mare will be paraded in the Flemington mounting yard before the Group One Black Caviar Lightning Stakes on Saturday. Black Caviar will be reunited with her ownership group, Pam and Barry Hawkes,… Read More »
Leading Victorian jockey Craig Williams is taken with the transformation Loving Gaby has made from spring to autumn. Loving Gaby runs first-up in the Group One Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on Saturday with Williams looking forward to the clash with Nature Strip. Williams had his first ride on Loving… Read More »
After racing his way out of handicaps, Dreamforce steps up to a weight-for-age campaign starting with the Apollo Stakes at Randwick. The John Thompson-trained seven-year-old is a consistent quiet achiever, winning more than $1.5 million for his syndicate of owners headed by Tony Crisafi. Like many trainers, Thompson is hoping… Read More »
Racing industry participants in Victoria are calling for an earlier finish to night meetings with jockeys citing fatigue from too much racing. The racing calendar has expanded in the state in recent years to include twilight meetings during summer along with two night meetings a week. Jockeys say they are… Read More »
Respected NSW racehorse owner and breeder Pam Cornish has died after a long illness. She and her husband John, the inaugural chairman of the Australian Turf Club, ran Torryburn Stud in the Hunter Valley, once the home of Dorothea Mackellar and the inspiration for her poem My Country. The Cornish… Read More »
Former Hong Kong champion Werther has been officially retired with hopes of a comeback in New Zealand thwarted by injury. After finishing second in the 2015 Queensland Derby for New Zealand trainer Andrew Campbell, Werther was sold to Hong Kong and sent to the John Moore stable. Werther won six… Read More »
The fate of the $2 million Inglis Millennium remains unresolved with Sydney expecting more serious rainfall. After Warwick Farm was washed out on Saturday, the rich sales-related race and the $1 million Inglis Sprint were added to Wednesday’s program at the same track. The surface had improved from a heavy… Read More »
