An outstanding book of rides awaits Jason Collett at Randwick but none will be more important than the one on promising sprinter Cradle Mountain. The five-year-old is trained by his partner Clare Cunningham and is the reason he is back in Sydney on Saturday, a week after he came agonisingly… Read More »
Steel Prince will be racing for something more than trying to keep his unbeaten run intact since joining the Anthony Freedman stable at Flemington. A start in November’s Melbourne Cup is up for grabs if successful in The Andrew Ramsden on Saturday. For the first time, the winner of Saturday’s… Read More »
Some outstanding fillies have emerged from the Group Three Fred Best Classic and this year’s edition looks set to continue the trend. Stradbroke Handicap winner La Montagna, multiple Group One winner Gold Edition and Gai Waterhouse’s brilliant but unlucky Najoom are just a few of the fillies to salute in… Read More »
In-form trainer Tony McEvoy has been in Brisbane this week putting the final touches to his winter Group One tilt, starting with Dollar For Dollar. McEvoy won his sixth Group One for the season when Despatch took out the Goodwood in Adelaide last week. A win on Saturday would put… Read More »
Magic Alibi will make the from Sydney to Queensland for the second time this month, only this time trainer Gerald Ryan hopes to get her to the races. The mare was sent north to run at the Gold Coast meeting on May 4 but those plans were abandoned when the… Read More »
Having recently returned from a serious leg injury, Thomas Stockdale is the latest Victorian apprentice chosen to ride in a race in France. Stockdale will represent Australia in the Longines Prix Future Racing Stars which will be held on French Oaks day at Chantilly, June 16. Stockdale spent more than… Read More »
A strong barrier trial win from established stakes performer Endless Drama has given New Zealand trainer Tony Pike an even stronger hand than expected in the Kingsford Smith Cup (1200m). Endless Drama will be chasing his first Group One win after 10 attempts in four countries. Pike stayed in Brisbane… Read More »
Staying filly Savigne has boosted her chances of sneaking into the Queensland Oaks field after beating older horses at Canterbury. Needing a win to improve her precarious place in the ballot order for an Oaks start, Savigne overcame difficulties to claim the Canterbury League Club Handicap. The three-year-old settled in… Read More »
Tony Noonan is hopeful Manolo Blahniq can strike winning form again ahead of a trip north for a Group One assignment in Brisbane. Manolo Blahniq lines up in Saturday’s Listed Straight Six at Flemington as a lead-in to the Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm on June 8. Noonan struggled to… Read More »
Trainer Chris Munce used an old tactic to coax a belated birthday present for himself out of one of his favourite horses Johnny Whitesox at the Gold Coast. Munce, a 43-time Group One winning jockey before taking up training four years ago, turned 50 last Saturday. He failed to get… Read More »
Sprinter Albumin is guilty of giving jockeys the impression he will appreciate a longer distance but trainer Gerald Ryan knows better. At least, he does now. “The jockeys who have been riding him always reckon he needs to go over further so we tried it and it didn’t work –… Read More »
OTI Racing’s Terry Henderson’s passion for the Melbourne Cup will never wane as he chases a golden ticket into the race via The Andrew Ramsden at Flemington. Henderson and his racing partners will have three runners in Saturday’s race – Azuro, Instigator and Fairlight – who, if successful, gain a… Read More »
Gary Portelli has confirmed two-year-old Disruptor will be scratched from Randwick to take his place in the Group Two BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Eagle Farm. The trainer has been frustrated by the colt’s wide barriers at his past two starts, believing they have cost him a winning chance both… Read More »
Eagle Farm trainer Tony Gollan hopes he never again hears the word “unlucky” associated with his filly Outback Barbie. She is aiming to be the second three-year-old filly and the fifth of her age to win the 2019 Kingsford Smith Cup when she tackles older sprinters in the Group One… Read More »
Jockey Nikita Beriman is progressing well in her quest to ride Dubious at 48kg in a bid for history at Eagle Farm on Saturday. Beriman already has a strict regime of workouts and diets which have her riding in peak form this season. “I am walking around at 50kg so… Read More »
A capacity field is set to line up in the Group One Kingsford-Smith Cup at Eagle Farm. The full Kingsford Smith Cup field of 18, with no emergencies, will see last start Doomben 10,000 winner The Bostonian take his place for New Zealand trainer Tony Pike. The Bostonian has drawn… Read More »
The Melbourne Racing Club has announced plans for a $300 million redevelopment of Caulfield racecourse that includes a second turf track. Redevelopment plans also include a new grandstand and raceday stalls and a relocation of the mounting yard. The MRC recently secured a 65-year lease on the crown land that… Read More »
Caulfield trainer Geoff Wheeler has made a return to the winners’ enclosure with the maiden victory of Black Beau Tie at Moe. Wheeler is a throwback to yesteryear when the Caulfield area was dotted with trainers with stables in their backyards. With those houses and stables gradually sold off, Wheeler… Read More »
On the same day as announcing the retirement of Group One winner Music Magnate, trainer Bjorn Baker has revealed plans for his next tilt at the elite level. Irithea and Redouble, who was entered to run at Randwick, will head to Brisbane for Saturday’s Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle… Read More »
A sought-after jumps jockey, Richard Cully could be sitting at home watching the Australian Hurdle and Steeplechase on television when they are run at Sandown. But at Flemington a day earlier, Cully will have his trainer’s hat on when he saddles Celtic Blast in a benchmark 78 grade race on… Read More »
