Godolphin’s Etymology has continued his winning ways to claim his third consecutive win and set up a possible Sydney Cup campaign with victory in the Listed Australia Day Cup at Warwick Farm. Runner-up in the 2015 Victoria Derby and second again in the South Australian Derby the following autumn, Etymology… Read More »
Group One winners Trapeze Artist, Hartnell, Le Roman and Alizee are all expected to line up in the Expressway Stakes at Rosehill with the four among six entries taken for the Group Two sprint. Nominations have been left open with Dothraki and Lanciato the other two among the nominations taken… Read More »
Stakes winning filly Bella Rosa is set to begin her campaign aimed at the Group One Blue Diamond Stakes when she returns in the Chairman’s Stakes at Caulfield. The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Bella Rosa won the Group Three Ottawa Stakes (1000m) at Flemington in November, beating Lankan Star… Read More »
The addition of blinkers has been credited with switching on two-year-old She Shao Fly, a debut winner at Sandown. The Tony McEvoy-trained She Shao Fly ($9) chased down favourite Lady Naturaliste ($3.40) to get home by a half-neck in Monday’s Ladbrokes Plate (1200m) for two-year-old fillies, opening up bigger race… Read More »
Star American jockey Victor Espinoza is hoping to be back riding early next month after recovering from a spinal injury. Espinoza, who has not ridden since July when he hurt his neck in a trackwork incident, was back riding work at Santa Anita at the weekend. After being cleared by… Read More »
Hugh Bowman’s winning ride on Furore in the Hong Kong Classic Mile at Sha Tin has cost him a suspension which keeps him out of Expressway Stakes day. Formerly trained in Australia by Kris Lees, Furore claimed his first Hong Kong win at his third start for Frankie Lor in… Read More »
Group One-winning colt Written By and boom sprinter Nature Strip are among the expected entries for the Listed W J Adams Stakes at Caulfield. Both the Grahame Begg-trained Written By and Darren Weir-trained Nature Strip are scheduled to resume in Saturday’s 1000m-race on their way to Group One sprints later… Read More »
Trapeze Artist is ready for game day with trainer Gerald Ryan declaring him exactly where he wants him ahead of his defence of the Expressway Stakes. Last season’s champion colt courtesy of his three Group One wins, two at weight-for-age, Trapeze Artist will be having his first start since his… Read More »
Racing Queensland is investigating a move from its seaside Deagon headquarters to make way for a state-of-the-art training facility and education centre. RQ’s chief executive Brendan Parnell said investigations had been made about moving the governing body’s office arm to a site nearer the Brisbane city centre. “There are a… Read More »
Trainer Gary Doughty has received a major boost to his recovery from a six-hour operation with Cabeirian’s win at the Sunshine Coast. Doughty had surgery in 2017 for a diverticulitis which had burst and he required follow-up surgery last week. His wife and fellow trainer Kelly said Doughty was on… Read More »
Champion trainer Darren Weir has confirmed Whispering Brook will get her chance at a Group One win in the C F Orr Stakes, with the in-form mare to join a number of her stablemates in the weight-for-age race at Caulfield. Whispering Brook, who started her career in Western Australia with… Read More »
Premier Brisbane trainer Tony Gollan has gone to New Zealand after another successful summer and already has winter on his mind. Gollan joined many other Australian owners and trainers heading to the Karaka sale in Auckland where he bought smart filly Epaumada last year. “She was the only horse I… Read More »
The Lindsay Park stable has scratched one of its two entrants in a juvenile race at Sandown but Fling will still be out to make an impression when she steps out for her debut. Fling is one of five unraced two-year-old fillies among the eight remaining acceptors for Monday’s Labdrokes… Read More »
Long Leaf’s win in the Karaka 3YO Classic has been particularly satisfying for Sydney-based ex-pat New Zealand jockey James McDonald. The Lindsay Park-trained Long Leaf is owned by Coolmore and Sir Peter Vela, the boss of NZ Bloodstock which conducts the Karaka Sake and race day at Ellerslie. McDonald had… Read More »
City Of Light has won the Pegasus World Cup, a race touted as a match-race with Accelerate but one which became a romp for the winner. The two were neck-and-neck on the home turn but City Of Light quickly assumed the lead and drew away on the rain-soaked Gulfstream Park… Read More »
Trainer Mat Ellerton has praised the initiative shown by jockey Damian Lane, who helped eight-year-old gelding Rock ‘n’ Gold to a frontrunning stakes race victory at Caulfield. Lane opted to press forward not long after the start of Saturday’s Listed John Dillon Stakes (1400m) aboard Rock ‘n’ Gold, who assumed… Read More »
One of the longest and most notorious droughts in Australian racing has been broken in spectacular fashion, with Tom Melbourne claiming his first win in almost three years. Saturday’s Randwick crowd was not as big as the ones that greet his stablemate Winx but those who were on hand did… Read More »
Darryl Hansen has trained the winners of a Magic Millions 2YO Classic and several Group races but he admits the shock win of Balboa Rocks gave him one of his greatest moments. Balboa Rocks ($91) was the extreme outsider in the last feature race of the Queensland summer carnival in… Read More »
After an interruption to his apprenticeship, Billy Owen is now fully committed and his first Saturday metropolitan winner signals more to come. Owen began riding professionally in 2010 but took a break to become the constant companion, work rider and sidekick for Single Gaze, trained in Canberra by his boss… Read More »
Speed star Spurcraft has atoned for a shock first-up defeat but it was the run of second-placed Tumbler that had punters talking after the Open at the Sunshine Coast. Spurcraft ($3) was beaten first-up at Ipswich as a $1.50 shot but proved too classy over the 1000m on Saturday, beating… Read More »
