A strong gallop lead-up by Aliferous has boosted jockey Brenton Avdulla’s chance to make a Group One-winning return to Australia at Doomben. Avdulla will ride Aliferous for trainer Kris Lees in Saturday’s $500,000 Queensland Oaks (2200m). Lees has a strong Oaks hand with two in the field and two emergencies…. Read More »
In his quest to find a winnable race for Sun Patch, Ron Quinton has come to the conclusion there is incredible depth in this season’s two-year-old crop. Sydney’s off-season can usually be a happy hunting ground for trainers looking to get some runs on the board with their later maturing… Read More »
Robert Havlin retains the ride Mehdaayih as she faces 13 rivals in the Oaks at Epsom with Frankie Dettori choosing stablemate Anapurna. Havlin partnered the John Gosden-trained Mehdaayih when she ran out an impressive winner of the Cheshire Oaks, with the yard’s No.1 rider Dettori opting for third-placed Fanny Logan… Read More »
Talented mare Winter Bride returns to her favourite track when she tackles the Group Two Moreton Cup at Doomben ahead of a tilt at the Tatts Tiara. Trainer Toby Edmonds and her owners, Segenhoe, have opted not to target the Stradbroke Handicap a week after Saturday’s Moreton Cup (1200m). “We… Read More »
Enable’s long-awaited return has been delayed and she will miss Royal Ascot and make her comeback in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown. The John Gosden-trained dual Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner has been kept in work as a five-year-old, with the chief aim to become the first horse to win… Read More »
Global Glamour has become the latest Group One-winning mare to fetch seven figures at the National Broodmare Sale. The 2016 Flight Stakes and Thousand Guineas winner was knocked down for $1.55 million to Tom Magnier from Coolmore Stud. She was sold in foal to exciting sire prospect Zoustar. Trained by… Read More »
High-profile racehorse owner Damion Flower used coded messages about sport to let a baggage handler know where to find bags of cocaine coming into Sydney Airport, a court has been told. The man best-known for his stake in Australia’s most in-demand stallion Snitzel applied for bail on Wednesday as he… Read More »
Wet weather has forced the transfer of a Ballarat turf meeting to the new synthetic track. Racing Victoria announced on Wednesday that Sunday’s turf meeting would switch to the all-weather track following a stewards inspection. The turf track has received 37mm of rain over the past week and more than… Read More »
The Australian Turf Club has confirmed Nevesh Ramdhani will take over as its general manager of racecourses when the new racing season kicks off in August. Ramdhani, who has been racecourse manager at Randwick since 2010, will replace industry stalwart Lindsay Murphy who is retiring in July after a 42-year… Read More »
Improving three-year-old Mahis Angel could be a late nomination for the Group One Queensland Derby after his strong win at Ipswich. Mahis Angel ($7) was too strong at the finish beating Tiponi ($41) by 2-1/2 lengths with a nose to Guise ($1.90) over 2210m. The gelding is not entered for… Read More »
Mornington horseman Jim Conlan will train his first “Horse of the Year” taking over the preparation of Singapore galloper Debt Collector. Crowned Singapore’s Horse of the Year in 2016, Debt Collector is transferring to Conlan’s care after finishing fourth in the Kranji Mile for Cliff Brown behind Hong Kong galloper… Read More »
Trainer Jim Conlan has spring aspirations for German import Beau Balmain who makes his Australian debut at Caulfield. Beau Balmain runs in Saturday’s Catanach’s Jewellers Handicap with Conlan describing the lightly-raced four-year-old a “proper” horse that shapes as a quality stayer. But Conlan is unsure what he’ll see from Beau… Read More »
Trainer Pat Duff maintained a five decade-old record when his apprentice Miki Nakao rode her first metropolitan winner on Grey Skies at Ipswich. Duff is regarded among the elite of Australian masters of apprentices with some of his stars among his dozen junior riders including Group One winning jockeys Mick… Read More »
Jockey Jason Benbow has been taken to hospital following a race fall at Sale. Benbow fell from Postmistress during a maiden race for three-year-olds on Wednesday. A Victorian Jockeys’ Association statement said Benbow was taken to the local hospital with a possible lower leg fracture. Benbow was injured in a… Read More »
Dozens of co-owners will be affected if high-profile racehorse owner and accused drug smuggler Damion Flower isn’t released from custody, a Sydney court has been told. Flower, whose best-known horse Snitzel now earns $40 million a year at stud, faced Central Local Court on Wednesday to apply for bail. He… Read More »
The Kris Lees-trained Doukhan and Joe Pride’s evergreen veteran Destiny’s Kiss will be in rare company when the pair of 10-year-olds line up in the Listed WJ McKell Cup at Rosehill. Not many racehorses remain in training at the age of 10 and even fewer are up to contesting stakes… Read More »
Gold Coast trainer Toby Edmonds is hoping his horse Tyzone makes the field for the Group One Stradbroke Handicap to save Queensland from not having a runner in its premier race. There were 41 horses left in the Stradbroke Handicap, to be run on Saturday week, when first acceptances were… Read More »
Trainer Daniel Bowman has a spring goal with his talented galloper Begood Toya Mother who will be shooting for a fifth consecutive victory at Caulfield. But a pathway to Bowman’s chosen target of the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes is blurred with some reprogramming of spring dates. Begood Toya Mother, successful… Read More »
The Ipswich Turf Club has already pre-sold 10,000 tickets for its Cup day meeting next month and has put in place contingency plans to overcome problems created by reconstruction work. The refurbishment of the main grandstand has been disrupted by the discovery of asbestos which has set work back by… Read More »
Tough Queensland filly Winning Ways will be the sentimental favourite when she tackles the Group One Queensland Oaks at Doomben. Winning Ways’ owner Paul Makin, 82, died at the weekend but the filly will race in his company’s name. Makin was highly regarded in Australia and internationally and was a… Read More »
