Sam Kavanagh is excited about returning to the scene of his biggest win since his move to Sydney and is looking for the same result. Midsummer Sun heads to the Central Coast on Friday to defend his Gosford Cup crown on the back of a second in the Summer Cup… Read More »
Australia’s placegetter at last month’s Hong Kong International meeting is in good health in quarantine ahead of his autumn campaign. Criterion, who finished third behind Designs On Rome in the Hong Kong Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin on December 14, is undergoing quarantine at the Werribee International Horse Centre. When… Read More »
Gerald Ryan’s hopes of an elusive win in the summer’s richest race could be enhanced by a gear change for Perignon. At least the trainer hopes that’s the case with the filly to wear winkers in the $2 million Magic Millions Classic on Saturday at the Gold Coast. Perignon was… Read More »
Impressive juvenile debut winner Fontiton can cement her favouritism for the Blue Diamond Stakes when she makes her return in the Fillies Preview. The Robert Smerdon-trained two-year-old made a one-act affair of the rich Inglis Banner at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate day in October, winning by six lengths. The… Read More »
Victorian stewards have been forced to adjourn an inquiry after Steven Vella threw in his jockey’s pass and stormed off after being charged with failing to ride his mount out to the line at Moonee Valley. In the final race on Saturday night, Vella finished fifth aboard Ekibuuka who was… Read More »
Multiple Group One winning jockey Gary Palmer has died unexpectedly, aged 53. The retired Queensland rider had a new career as a racing steward and worked on the panel at the Gold Coast races on Saturday, just hours before his death. Racing Queensland’s chief steward Alan Reardon said he had… Read More »
Eleven months after suffering head injuries in a race fall at Kyneton, jockey John Keating has scored a satisfying city win at Moonee Valley on Override. Keating guided the Brent Stanley-trained Override to an all-the-way win in Saturday’s Telstra Phonewords Handicap (1000m) in a rare city opportunity for the jockey…. Read More »
Trainer Wendy Kelly is likely to resist the temptation in the short-term of chasing bigger prizes with impressive first-up Moonee Valley winner Fast Cash. Instead Kelly is likely to go chasing more of the VOBIS Gold prizemoney on offer after Fast Cash’s success in the $150,000 VOBIS Gold Carat over… Read More »
Damian Lane joined Dean Yendall at the top of the Victorian statewide jockeys’ premiership after winning aboard the Darren Weir-trained Priority Road at Moonee Valley. Lane’s success on Priority Road in Saturday’s Eliza Park International Handicap was the jockey’s 60th winner in Victoria so far in the 2014/15 season and… Read More »
A former French mare with form around some of the world’s best thoroughbreds led throughout at Moonee Valley on Saturday. Now in the care of Chris Waller, Orion Love, ridden by Glen Boss, defeated the short-priced favourite Spanish Love by a short half-head over 2040m. Before heading to Australia, Orion… Read More »
The Mark Kavanagh-trained Wild Rain has backed up a runaway maiden win at Kyneton with her first city victory at Moonee Valley. The filly weakened out of a place two starts back at the same track when she went too hard in front with blinkers on, prompting Kavanagh to immediately… Read More »
Premier trainer Tony Gollan wondered about the twists in racing after his soon-to-be-retired gelding Gundy Son won at the Gold Coast on Saturday. Gollan has had a frustrating summer, picking up minor prize money in six feature races before Saturday’s Goldmarket Handicap (1400m). Gundy Son ($13) scored by a long… Read More »
Trainer Jim Jarvis was already looking a year ahead after his gelding Plateau Gold made it back-to-back victories in the Bat Out Of Hell on Saturday. The 900-metre scamper around the Gold Coast is rated the Queensland’s short-course championship and Plateau Gold ($4.80) won it in the manner of a… Read More »
As Craftiness continues to race through his classes in winning style, his trainer is now giving voice to Group One ambitions for the sprinter. After the four-year-old racked up his fourth straight win and his fifth from six starts at Saturday’s Rosehill meeting, Joe Pride nominated Brisbane’s most prestigious race,… Read More »
Although thrilled with a winning double at Rosehill, dual-state trainer Tony McEvoy’s thoughts turned to the people of Adelaide who were battling fires on Saturday. McEvoy operates stables at Hawkesbury on Sydney’s outskirts and also has a training and spelling complex at Kildalton Park, about 15km from the worst of… Read More »
Rosehill winner Gold Seventy Seven looks set to step up to stakes level in the autumn with a 100 per cent winning record. The three-year-old colt passed his biggest test when he scooped his third win from as many starts at Rosehill on Saturday. Trainer Kris Lees says he thinks… Read More »
Vastly improved Le Chef rocketed into calculations for next week’s Magic Millions Classic with an easy win at the Gold Coast on Saturday. Starting favourite, Le Chef ($2.50) had been 24th in order of entry into the $2 million race before tackling the First National Handicap (1200m). The gelding bounced… Read More »
A week after returning to the Sydney riding ranks from Hong Kong, Christian Reith has claimed a welcome win aboard the Gai Waterhouse-trained two-year-old Giulietta. The debut win has qualified the filly for a Magic Millions start but Waterhouse’s representative Mark Newnham says she will not back up in the… Read More »
Racing Victoria will send track specialists to Benalla to do a full review of the circumstances that led to the abandonment of Friday’s final two races. After the sixth race, Linda Meech raised concerns that her mount Jazz Musician had lost her footing near the 1100m mark. A deputation of… Read More »
It will be make or break for Micucci when she lines up at Rosehill to try to force her way into the Magic Millions Classic. The filly earned $4,150 for her debut fourth at Rosehill on December 20 and needs to win Saturday’s 2YO Plate to make the field for… Read More »
