Tough gelding Dixie Preacher has landed a betting plunge to further cement the relationship between Melbourne owner/breeder Brian Toohey and Brisbane trainer Chris Anderson. Dixie Preacher was backed from $11 to $4.20 before scoring a dominant win under Ryan Wiggins in the G H Mumm Handicap (2020m) at Doomben on… Read More »
Euphoric Summer has booked herself a ticket to the Gold Coast after a hard- fought victory in Victoria’s only right-handed race at Ballarat. Saturday’s Magic Millions 2YO Clockwise Classic guarantees the winner a start in the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast on January 11…. Read More »
Trainer Robert Heathcote has had the last laugh on those who told him Guntantes would not run a strong 1600 metres, with the gelding handling the distance easily to win at Doomben. Guntantes proved the doubters wrong with a runaway win in Saturday’s $100,000 Eagle Way Prelude Three-Year-Old Handicap. Heathcote… Read More »
Godolphin-owned Destination has staked his claim as a Golden Slipper 2020 contender after breaking his maiden at Kembla Grange. The son of dual Group One winner Exceed And Excel out of unraced mare Heaven, Destination ($3) cruised a 1-1/2 length win in Saturday’s two-year-old handicap (1000m) over Mrs Maisel ($2.30)… Read More »
Trainer Matt Dunn is breathing more easily after Lady Banff confirmed her place in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic with a runaway win at Doomben. Lady Banff won her first start at Doomben but Dunn had been debating how best to get her into the $2 million Magic Millions Classic… Read More »
Tahitian Dancer is Queensland bound for richer summer carnival races after her impressive victory at Ballarat. Coming from a rearwards position on the turn in Saturday’s The Haymarket Ballarat Mares (1200m), Tahitian Dancer stormed down the outside to score by two lengths. Trainer Shane Nichols has picked out one of… Read More »
Renowned bloodstock agent, journalist and long-serving Thoroughbred Breeders’ NSW committee member Les Young has died suddenly, aged 76. A racing industry all-rounder, Young dedicated his time and passion to several racing and breeding pursuits during an extensive career. A foundation member and vice president of the NSW Racehorse Owners’ Association,… Read More »
Before the internet and corporate betting agencies, Bill Waterhouse stood tall as the biggest bookmaker in Australia and at one stage, the world. The racecourse betting rings were full of colourful people and Waterhouse, who has died aged 97, was the most colourful of all. He said he never refused… Read More »
Local trainer Matt Cumani does not expect the reshaped Ballarat track to have an impact on the way the Magic Millions 2YO Clockwise Classic is run, but admits he cannot be certain. First held in 2012, the Clockwise Classic used to be run on the tighter of two turf tracks,… Read More »
Promising three-year-old Rebel Rock is an example of how bad luck can morph into good fortune. Rebel Rock will make his Saturday metropolitan debut in the QTIS Three Year Old (1640m) at Doomben. The colt has more than earned a crack at city class with a win and two seconds… Read More »
Racing authorities have paid tribute to bookmaking giant Bill Waterhouse who has died aged 97. Although he was outed for having prior knowledge of the Fine Cotton ring-in affair in 1984, Waterhouse remained the most famous bookmaker in Australia. “Bill Waterhouse was a true racing character who had presence, charisma… Read More »
David Pfieffer is bullish about the first-up chances of The Party Girl at Kembla Grange and admits he is miffed at the price she has been posted with bookmakers. The mare, who ended her first preparation for Pfieffer with a Saturday-class win, returns in the Pages Event Hire Handicap (1200m)… Read More »
Toowoomba trainer Steve Tregea hopes his decision to try something different with his star performers Prioritise and Niccanova will pay off in the Listed Recognition Stakes at Doomben. Tregea had one of his best seasons in the past year with Prioritise, Bergerac, and Niccanova all performing well. Bergerac is undergoing… Read More »
A brace of wins over staying distances led Joe Pride down the garden path with Tamarack but he has done an about-face on his assessment of the horse this campaign. The six-year-old was earmarked as a stayer after posting two 2400-metre wins last spring but when he failed in three… Read More »
Having made the decision to bypass the big spring races with King Of Hastings, the Anthony Freedman stable is hoping the promising three-year-old can measure up to a Queensland summer campaign. King Of Hastings is set to run in the Magic Millions 3&4YO Classic (1100m) at Ballarat on Saturday as… Read More »
Trainer Chris Munce hopes Skate To Paris and Smartypy can transfer their impressive trial form to the racetrack at Doomben. The mares are chasing black type in Saturday’s Listed Spirit of Boom Classic (1200m), the first of a series of feature races for fillies and mares during the summer carnival…. Read More »
Lightly raced mare Seasons is likely to play only a cameo role over the late spring and summer as trainer Les Bridge looks to give her some match practice ahead of the autumn. The winner of half of her six starts and runner-up in the other three, Seasons will race… Read More »
Queensland racing’s chief of integrity, Ross Barnett, has made it clear the state has no choice but to follow national rules regarding cobalt positives. There are believed to be at least six unresolved cases in Queensland involving cobalt charges. In the past year there have been several leading Queensland-based scientists… Read More »
Family patriarch Bill Waterhouse, once the biggest bookmaker in the world, has died at the age of 97. The father of high profile bookmaker Robbie Waterhouse and father-in-law of leading trainer Gai, Waterhouse’s death was confirmed by his son via Twitter on Friday. “Very sad that we have lost my… Read More »
Suspended trainer Jarrod McLean is appealing a court decision allowing racing authorities to charge him based on evidence seized during a police raid. It comes after the Supreme Court of Victoria in October ruled police had acted lawfully when it gave the state’s racing body information about evidence seized in… Read More »
