Having secured one Group One prize in Melbourne, Perth trainer Darren Mcauliffe is eyeing off another with Gatting at Caulfield. Gatting runs in Sunday’s Underwood Stakes (1800m), another stepping stone towards his main target, the Cox Plate at The Valley on October 26. A shock $101 winner of the Makybe… Read More »
William Haggas plans to give Raheen House one race in Australia before a shot at the Melbourne Cup at Flemington. The English trainer has earmarked the Caulfield Cup on October 19 as his preferred target for the gelding with the 2019 Geelong Cup four days later an alternative option. The… Read More »
The first two-year-old race of the Australian season has attracted a field of eight at Flemington’s solitary midweek meeting. Introduced this year as a lead-up to the Maribyrnong Trial on October 5, the Darley Spring Preview will be run over the unusual distance of 900m. Wednesday’s race gives connections of… Read More »
After winning the Oaks Trial at Flemington a year ago with Greysful Glamour, Sydney trainer Mark Newnham and jockey Tim Clark are looking to repeat the feat with a sibling of the 2018 winner. Newnham has sent Celestial Falls to Melbourne for Wednesday’s Oaks Trial (1800m) for three-year-old fillies and… Read More »
Favourite Bivouac has drawn barrier six in a field of eight for the $1 million Golden Rose at Rosehill. The Godolphin colt will be tested over 1400 metres for the first time with the stable waiting for confirmation Hugh Bowman will be fit to ride on Saturday after breaking a… Read More »
Brimham Rocks has escaped a Caulfield Cup penalty for his Naturalism Stakes win but the victory has earned him an extra two kilograms for the Metropolitan Handicap. Hush Writer, winner of Friday’s Newcastle Cup, received the same penalty and the two are both on 52.5kg for the Group One Metropolitan… Read More »
Youngsters from the Peter and Paul Snowden stable have won three of the nine official barrier trials for two-year-olds at Randwick. Godolphin juveniles won two heats while Chris Waller, Kris Lees, Richard and Michael Freedman, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and Mark Newnham were the other trainers to post winners… Read More »
Defending titleholder Homesman is the early favourite to make it back-to-back Underwood Stakes victories after the release of nominations for the weight-for-age Group One race at Caulfield. The Lloyd Williams-owned Homesman, who made a winning start to his spring campaign in the Group Two Feehan Stakes earlier this month, was… Read More »
Godolphin will be strongly represented in the Group One Moir Stakes with Trekking and Viridine and trainer James Cummings has not ruled out adding to the fire power by nominating three-year-old filly Exhilarates. Cummings indicated it was more likely last season’s Magic Millions Classic winner would run against her own… Read More »
Loving Gaby has yet to step out at the races this spring but her connections have their sights on a feature race later in the carnival for the dual Group One-placed filly. With races such as the Group One Thousand Guineas (1600m) on October 12 coming up too soon for… Read More »
Bivouac has assumed favouritism from Exceedance for the Group One Golden Rose but trainer James Cummings admits the 1400 metres is an unknown factor. The Godolphin colt finished second to Exceedance from the Hawes Racing stable in the San Domenico (1100m) but was dominant in the Run To The Rose… Read More »
Brisbane trainer Tony Gollan believes his stable’s quartet of young horses is set to turn their luck around and make their mark on the Melbourne spring carnival. Gollan has mapped out programs for Zoustyle, Niedorp, Vincere Volare and Garibaldi in coming weeks. Zoustyle has headed to Melbourne after running last… Read More »
After two unplaced runs off a long injury lay-off, dual Cox Plate placegetter Humidor will be out to show he is on track for another crack at Australasia’s premier weight-for-age race when he runs in the Underwood Stakes. Humidor, now trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, was second in… Read More »
Epsom Handicap favourite Te Akau Shark will have a race day gallop at Canterbury to keep him ticking over for the Group One feature. His Epsom jockey James McDonald will ride the gelding in Wednesday’s work-out. Te Akau Shark finished second in his first Australian start in the Tramway Stakes… Read More »
Having missed a start in The Shorts in Sydney, Everest-bound Sunlight has been re-acquainted with The Valley ahead of the $1 million Moir Stakes. Co-trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy opted to scratch Sunlight from Saturday’s Group Two Shorts (1100m) at Randwick because of a wet track and sent her back… Read More »
Five Group One winners feature among the 18 nominations for the Moir Stakes which has a field limit of 15 plus emergencies. A change of plans because of a wet track in Sydney last weekend has prompted the Tony and Calvin McEvoy stable to bring Sunlight back to Melbourne to… Read More »
Brimham Rocks is set to run in the Group One Caulfield Cup with 52kg after escaping a penalty for his win in the Naturalism Stakes. The Chris Waller-trained Brimham Rocks’ victory in Saturday’s Naturalism at Caulfield carried with it a ballot exemption into the $5 million Caulfield Cup on October… Read More »
With the Cox Plate at The Valley among the spring options for Queensland Derby winner Mr Quickie, trainer Phillip Stokes has given the gelding a familiarisation gallop at the course. Mr Quickie was among several high profile horses to work at The Valley on Monday morning including fellow Group One… Read More »
Godolphin colt Beyliks has won the first of the season’s official two-year-old barrier trials in Sydney. By champion Lonhro out of Group Three winner Ottoman, Beyliks drew away to win over 850 metres on the Kensington track at Randwick on Monday morning. Horses that compete in the officials trials get… Read More »
Queensland Oaks winner Winning Ways has been crowned Horse of the Year at the Queensland Thoroughbred Awards. The Garry Newham-trained Winning Ways, Queensland’s sole Group One winner in 2018/19, was also named the state’s Three-Year-Old of the Year at Sunday night’s function in Brisbane. Her owner Paul Makin died the… Read More »
