In-form gelding The Harrovian has put his connections in line for a big bonus after a runaway win in the $150,000 Cairns Cup. The Harrovian added Saturday’s Cup to his win in the Townsville Cup two weeks earlier meaning if he can win the Far North Queensland Amateur Cup in… Read More »
Melbourne’s Mark Zahra has ridden a winner at Ascot to help the Rest of the World team to victory in the Shergar Cup jockeys’ challenge. Hayley Turner, the captain of the Girls team, took individual riding honours with two winners and a second for 40 points, five more than Zahra,… Read More »
Nash Rawiller has continued to notch milestones on his return to riding after serving a lengthy ban. Rawiller spent 15 months on the sidelines after being outed by Hong Kong stewards for accepting gifts in exchange for tips. He spent several anxious months under virtual house arrest with his passport… Read More »
So Si Bon may be ready to live up to lofty expectations after his first-up win in the Group Three Aurie’s Star Handicap at Flemington. High hopes were held for So Si Bon when trained by Robbie Laing where the now gelding contested the Caulfield Guineas, Victoria Derby, Australian Guineas,… Read More »
Premier trainer Tony Gollan has equalled his best training performance at a metropolitan meeting with four winners at Doomben. Gollan has trained a quartet winners in a day on four previous occasions and his winners on Saturday were all well backed. His winners were Just Orm ($8), Unlikely Story ($4.60),… Read More »
Gai Waterhouse’s chances for a first win in the Golden Rose have been strengthened by Dawn Passage’s win in the Listed Rosebud at Rosehill. Dawn Passage is on the third line of betting for next month’s Group One race alongside Castelvecchio and behind Exceedance and Yes Yes Yes. Those three… Read More »
Under the urgings of jockey Damien Oliver, progressive mare My Pendant has got the job done as a short-priced favourite at Flemington. But only just. The Danny O’Brien-trained My Pendant was the $1.80 favourite in Saturday’s VRC Member Peter Cosgriff Handicap (1400m) and needed all of the Flemington straight to… Read More »
A change of plans to swap straight-track races at Flemington has led to Tasmanian galloper The Inevitable recording a first-up win. Trainer Scott Brunton was aiming at Saturday’s Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m), but a gallop at Cranbourne last week forced the trainer to rethink plans. Instead the VRC Member Brenda… Read More »
Gordon Richards is making a habit of winning at Flemington this winter, with Charossa giving the Adelaide trainer his third straight success at the Melbourne track. Richards sent promising sprinter Gytrash to Melbourne to win twice in June, including the Listed Creswick Stakes, and Charossa was the trainer’s first Flemington… Read More »
Short-priced favourite Alizee has duly won the Group Two Missile Stakes but not quite as easily as might have been expected. Sent out at $1.30 in Saturday’s five-horse field, Alizee strode to the lead rounding the turn and looked to be cruising to a comprehensive victory in the 1200m-race. Invincible… Read More »
Trainer Tony McEvoy doubts Vinland will be a major spring player despite recording a convincing victory at Flemington. McEvoy said the heavy track conditions in Saturday’s VRC Member Emma Duffy Handicap had suited Vinland, but the first sign of a firm track will see the gelding head to the paddock…. Read More »
Caloundra trainer David Vandyke had a warning for his spring carnival rivals after his unbeaten gelding Alligator Blood scored a runaway win at Doomben. Alligator Blood ($4.20) made it three wins from three starts when he raced away to beat Scathing ($4) by three lengths in the AQWA Construction Handicap… Read More »
Spring plans are still to be decided for promising three-year-old Heirborn who has remained unbeaten from two starts with a hard-fought victory at Flemington. The Anthony Freedman-trained gelding raced to a convincing win in a 1300m maiden on debut at Bendigo late last month before getting home by a head… Read More »
Well-bred but slow maturing three-year-old Subedar has translated his winning provincial form to Rosehill with a strong victory over 1400 metres. Subedar is by four-time Group One winner Sepoy out of Virage de Fortune who fetched a then-record $3.4 million in 2007 for a horse sold at public auction in… Read More »
Rockhampton galloper The Tax Accountant achieved a series of firsts with his exciting win in the Country Highway Plate at Doomben. The Tax Accountant ($2.70) charged home off a fast early pace to catch the leader Bobby Axelrod ($12) at the 150m mark and go on to record a 2-1/4… Read More »
Apprentice Teo Nugent is quickly rising through the ranks and has recorded a milestone victory aboard Jinda at Flemington. The win on the Chris and Pat Hyland-trained stayer in Saturday’s VRC Member Paul Barnard Handicap was the apprentice’s 20th metropolitan, reducing Nugent’s city claim to 2kg. Backed from $31 to… Read More »
Mackay trainer John Manzelmann’s decision to put some stayers on the float to Brisbane to accompany his runner in a Highway race paid off when one of them caused a huge upset at Doomben. Calypso Bay ($81) stormed home late to beat Harper’s Choice ($10) by a neck with a… Read More »
Trainer Tim Martin has been disqualified for six months on an improper action charge relating to the purchase of a filly. Racing NSW stewards found that Martin, who pleaded guilty to the charge on Friday, failed to pay New Zealand Bloodstock all funds received from shareholders who bought a 55… Read More »
Champion English horse Roaring Lion has returned to New Zealand’s Cambridge Stud to continue his recovery from two colic surgeries. Roaring Lion, a four-time Group One winner and champion three-year-old of 2018, was sent to New Zealand to serve the southern hemisphere breeding season but developed colic immediately after leaving… Read More »
One trainer not unhappy with the cold snap and associated rain sweeping Victoria is Tony McEvoy who has a number of quality contenders engaged at Flemington. The track is already in the soft range for Saturday’s meeting and with rain forecast for race-day, it may deteriorate. McEvoy sees the conditions… Read More »
