The gloves have come off in the battle between NSW and Victoria over the latest spring racing initiatives which include the expansion of the Everest carnival in Sydney. Amanda Elliott, chairman of the Victoria Racing Club which hosts the Melbourne Cup carnival, has labelled Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys… Read More »
Leading jockey Craig Williams will continue pushing to the end of the season chasing an eighth Melbourne jockeys’ premiership. A treble at Mornington on Monday has Williams on 70 winners for the season, a healthy 15-win advantage over 10-time champion Damien Oliver. Mark Zahra is third on 41 just ahead… Read More »
Trainer Phillip Stokes is looking to expand his Pakenham operation as success brings more horses to the stable. Earlier this year, South Australian Stokes set up a new base at Pakenham which has produced a steady stream of winners and the trainer also has a property at nearby Garfield where… Read More »
Three-time winners Kerrin McEvoy and Damien Oliver will both be part of this year’s Melbourne Cup Tour, with the champion jockeys set to accompany the famous Cup to their respective home towns. Sydney-based McEvoy, who won his third Cup last year on Godolphin-owned English horse Cross Counter, will travel to… Read More »
Stud-bound mare Eckstein has shown she still has something to offer on the racetrack with a brilliant trial win at the Gold Coast. Coolmore paid $700,000 for Eckstein as a broodmare proposition at the recent Magic Millions sale. The winner of more than $1 million when trained by Kurt Goldman… Read More »
Prize money for the Melbourne Cup will rise to $8 million with connections of the winner to collect $4.4 million. Victoria Racing Club chairman Amanda Elliott will officially announce the increase on Tuesday and also the 39 destinations for this year’s Melbourne Cup tour. English-trained horses filled the first three… Read More »
North Queensland trainer Roy Chillemi has been fined $1000 and Lord Archer disqualified after jockey Wanderson D’Avila weighed in light. Stewards at Cairns on Monday opened an inquiry after D’Avila came in 0.8kg under Lord Archer’s weight of 59kg. Lord Archer was disqualified and Flying Fero declared the new winner…. Read More »
Milestones keep coming for in-form apprentice Jess Eaton who landed her first metropolitan double with a pair of front running rides at Mornington. Eaton, who is based with Meagher Racing at Mornington, travelled to Swan Hill last Friday to win on Golden Halo, out-riding her country claim with the victory…. Read More »
Jenny Duggan has celebrated victory in the Rising Stars series although her mount came third in the final heat at Randwick. Duggan went to Randwick on Monday with an unassailable lead in the apprentices series and had her first ride for Godolphin aboard Watchdog in the 1400m-final won by Stacey… Read More »
Phillip Stokes has had little opportunity to celebrate Mr Quickie’s Group One Queensland Derby win, flying home to Melbourne to prepare for a big week ahead. It was not long before Stokes was back in the winners’ circle with Sizzlefly in the Mornington Nissan Handicap (1000m) at Mornington on Monday…. Read More »
Trainer John Sadler will study the weights for Asgard Massif in a couple of races before deciding on an attempt at a third straight win at Sandown. Asgard Massif has been nominated for Saturday’s fifth heat of the Silver Bowl Series (1400m) against his own age and heat six of… Read More »
A second horse in two days and 29th in the past few months has died at Santa Anita where management has chosen to continue racing. Truffalino collapsed in the final stages of the third race on turf on Sunday. A track spokesman says the three-year-old filly died of a heart… Read More »
Trainer Desleigh Forster is planning a twin assault on the Listed Eye Liner Stakes to end a frustrating run for her two runners. Forster will have Chapter And Verse and Malvern Estate in the $175,000 Eye Liner Stakes (1350m) on Saturday. Malvern Estate has run eight minor placings and two… Read More »
Fight has lived up to his name to score an emotional win for his trainer Nikki Burke at Mornington. The victory was a celebration of two Cranbourne families with Fight ridden to victory in Monday’s Bentons Square Plate (1200m) by Craig Williams. The Burke and Williams families have had a… Read More »
Queensland jockeys will get a pay increase which will mean their base rate for a ride will rise by $40 over three years. Jockey fees were increased from $180 to $200 per ride in 2018. From July this year they it will go to $205 followed by an increase to… Read More »
Three jumps races scheduled for an upcoming meeting at Ballarat have been transferred to Warrnambool in a bid to protect the turf surface. The three races on the course proper were in addition to synthetic flat races at Ballarat on June 18. Racing Victoria announced on Monday the three jumps… Read More »
All is in readiness for Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter to clash with Stradivarius in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. The Charlie Appleby-trained four-year-old beat Marmelo from the Hughie Morrison stable in a famous finish to the race in November. The Charlie Fellowes-trained A Prince Of Arron ran third… Read More »
Racing Queensland will abolish starters’ fees and increase prize money in selected areas as part of the latest measure in a state government boost for the industry. Key Queensland racing participants went on strike last year which led to a government commitment to help the industry. The government announced it… Read More »
Trekking’s win in the Group One Stradbroke Handicap has highlighted a season to remember for the Goldolphin Australia operation. Godolphin’s head Australian trainer James Cummings decided to target the winter with a strong team after Exhilarates won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in January. He sent foreman Nacim Dilmi to… Read More »
Hours after being surrounded by a stable fire, the Jamie Osborne-trained Constanzia has won a race at Chelmsford. Osborne, a former leading National Hunt jockey turned Flat trainer, said the fire destroyed a tack room at his stables in Upper Lambourn. He was thankful all horses and staff were unhurt… Read More »
