After aborting Plan A for Santa Ana Lane’s Everest preparation, connections of the star sprinter remain optimistic it will not negatively impact on his chance to win the $14 million sprint. Santa Ana Lane was scheduled to head to Sydney to run first-up in Saturday’s Group Two Shorts (1100m), won… Read More »
Some of Queensland’s best known racing names have joined the Kilcoy Race Club committee. Kilcoy, 80km north of Brisbane, was a foundation Friday TAB circuit club in Queensland before being bumped back to country status about 20 years ago. In recent years it has made a resurgence with nine TAB… Read More »
The lightly raced Yao Dash, the only horse to beat Funstar, is now set to take his place in the Group One Golden Rose. The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained three-year-old won his midweek debut at Canterbury last month and backed it up with victory at Rosehill on September 7… Read More »
Caulfield Cup aspirations for The Chosen One will get another examination when the four-year-old strives to give champion New Zealand trainer Murray Baker his fifth win in the Group One Underwood Stakes at Caulfield. The Chosen One began his Melbourne spring campaign in the Group Two Feehan Stakes at The… Read More »
New Zealand champion Melody Belle has won her eighth Group One race to keep the 2019 Cox Plate in the mix. First the mare will try to win the triple crown at home having taken the first two legs, the Tarzino Trophy and Saturday’s Windsor Park Plate at Hastings. The… Read More »
Two years of planning has trainer Danny O’Brien finally reaping the rewards with his team of staying three-year-olds. Skiddaw added to O’Brien’s three-year-old haul of recent weeks winning the 4Cyte For Living Legends Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday and is on a path to the Victoria Derby (2500m) at… Read More »
Trainer Barry Baldwin believes it is a long shot that The Candy Man can make the field for the Group One Epsom Handicap and he is looking for other options in Sydney. The Candy Man needed to win Friday’s Cameron Handicap at Newcastle to assure a place in the field… Read More »
Former apprentice Stephen Brown Jr remains in intensive care in a Melbourne hospital after a fall in a jump-out at Wangaratta. Brown was was placed in an induced coma and flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital on Wednesday after the fall. “Stephen Brown Jr remains under observation in the Intensive… Read More »
Pat Smullen has thanked everyone for donations to cancer research raised which reached more than E2.5 million ($A4 millon. The nine-time Irish champion jockey was at the centre of a fund-raising drive which culminated in the Pat Smullen Champions Race For Cancer Trials Ireland at the Curragh last week. The… Read More »
I Am Eloquent is likely to head straight to the Group One Thousand Guineas after taking a leap in grade to win at Caulfield. Success in Saturday’s Listed Jim Moloney Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield came after the filly had won a restricted race at Geelong at her previous start. But… Read More »
He didn’t win the major race on the program, but Chris Waller has taken out training honours on George Main Stakes day at Randwick with a quartet of winners. Three of those came in stakes races with Funstar a narrow winner of the Group Two Tea Rose Stakes (1400m), Kolding… Read More »
A horse racing in the colours made famous by Frankel and Enable is now the equal Melbourne Cup favourite following his Group Three win at Randwick. The Chris Waller-trained former French stayer Finche won Saturday’s Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) by a long neck from Stampede who led for most of… Read More »
Begood Toya Mother has delivered on a long-range plan in the Group One Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield in a dream result for young Warrnambool trainer Daniel Bowman. Saturday’s $500,000 handicap over 1400m had been Bowman’s target for several months with Begood Toya Mother and the exciting gelding did… Read More »
Trainer Brian Dais’ decision to stay in Brisbane with Looks Like Elvis paid off when the gelding won the Makers Mark Handicap at Eagle Farm. Dais had at various stages been looking at the Newcastle Cup or a race at Caulfield this week but was worried the gelding wouldn’t get… Read More »
Avilius has reaffirmed his status as one of the country’s premier weight-for-age stars and put himself back in the Cox Plate frame with a devastating win in the Group One George Main Stakes at Randwick. Godolphin head trainer James Cummings admitted it was a relief to see the horse return… Read More »
The Chris Waller-trained Brimham Rocks has earned a ticket into the Caulfield Cup with his first Australian victory in the MRC Foundation Cup. Saturday’s win in the Group Three race over 2000m erased last year’s spring disappointment where he notched six consecutive placings. Ridden by Michael Walker, Brimham Rocks ($21)… Read More »
The wet Randwick track might have scared a few runners out of The Shorts but trainer Greg Hickman is more than happy he decided to run Pierata. The field for Saturday’s Group Two 1100m-sprint was reduced to five from 11 original acceptors including high profile horses Santa Ana Lane, Osborne… Read More »
Chris Waller believes there is a sense of timing surrounding Kolding this spring after the progressive gelding booked himself a spot in the Group One Epsom Handicap with a gallant win in the Bill Ritchie Handicap at Randwick. Fierce Impact ($10) looked to have the 1400-metre race in his keeping… Read More »
Group One-winning Sydney jockey Rachel King has delivered a feature race victory aboard Manicure in her first ride at Caulfield. King has competed in Melbourne at a couple of feature meetings at Flemington last season but was riding at Caulfield for the first time on Saturday and produced the goods… Read More »
Libertini has had her colours lowered for the first time as a three-year-old but has gone down fighting in a three-way finish to the Tea Rose Stakes with Funstar on top. Splitting the pair in Saturday’s Group Two race was New Zealand filly Probabeel. The margins were a nose and… Read More »
