Australian horse Bill The Bastard won a desert race staged to distract from a military offensive that brought down a 400-year-old empire. It sounds like the opening to a play but a century later the Jericho Cup has been revived at Warrnambool to become Australia’s longest flat race. The 4600m-event… Read More »
Co-trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have big race aims for juveniles Dubious and Bella Rosa, both stakes winners early in their two-year-old seasons. Dubious won the Group Three Breeders’ Plate at Randwick on debut on September 29 and the talented colt is on a path towards the Magic Millions… Read More »
Veteran trainer Pat Duff will return to his origins when Fasta Than Light contests the Country Cups Challenge Final at Doomben. Saturday’s $75,000 final over 1600 metres is the culmination of 16 heats over several months at country tracks around Queensland. Racing Queensland chief executive Brendan Parnell said the series… Read More »
Racing Queensland and the Brisbane Racing Club hope to this week finalise the lead-up tests of the Eagle Farm track before racing resumes. Queensland’s former premier track has been out of operation for most of the past four years because of a redevelopment. A December 22 race date has been… Read More »
They call William Pike the King of the West and the jockey has lived up to it with a masterful ride on Galaxy Star to get the favourite home in the Group One Railway Stakes at Ascot in Perth. The mare was back in the field early in Saturday’s 1600m-race… Read More »
Popular sprinter Jungle Edge has capped his campaign with a front-running win in soft conditions at Ballarat, giving apprentice Michael Poy his first metropolitan victory. Dropping back in class in Saturday’s No Fuss Event Hire Tonks Plate (1200m), proven wet-track specialist Jungle Edge started $3.20 favourite and was too strong… Read More »
Four-year-old Bel Sonic has returned in style with a last-to-first victory in the Magic Millions 3&4YO Classic at Ballarat. Having his first start since July in Saturday’s $100,000 race over 1100m, Bel Sonic ($9), ridden by Regan Bayliss, tracked $2.90 favourite Platinum Angel before overhauling the mare late to win… Read More »
Jim Orman has produced the ride of the day to land Niccanova a winner and confirm trainer Steve Tregea’s patience in the Listed Recognition Stakes at Doomben. Orman got a needle eye run on Niccanova ($2.25) to beat Coldstone ($31) by a half length with a similar margin to Sold… Read More »
Victoria’s premier trainer Darren Weir has ended a 14-year wait for another win in his home-track feature, with Kiwia storming to victory in the $350,000 Listed Ballarat Cup. Weir has been based at Ballarat for about 15 years but Just The Part’s win in 2004 had been his only victory… Read More »
Rapture Miss has shown the benefit of life on the beach to win the Country Classic at Rosehill. Trainer Matt Dale operates a satellite stable at Moruya on the NSW south coast in addition to his main base at Canberra. He decided Rapture Miss was better off at Moruya because… Read More »
Robert Heathcote has been predicting for months his mare Stella Victoria would win a stakes race in the summer carnival but he wasn’t on hand to see it come true. The five-time Brisbane premier trainer has become an avid golfer late in life and was in Tasmania on a tour… Read More »
Co-trainer David Eustace believes lightly-raced The Closer is destined to contest better races later in the season after running away with the $150,000 VOBIS Gold Eureka Stockade at Ballarat. The Closer won on debut at Geelong in July and then returned from a spell and was unplaced in the Group… Read More »
Sky Boy has further strengthened his claims for the Group Two Villiers Stakes with victory at Rosehill giving him a fourth successive win this campaign. Trained by Anthony and Edward Cummings, Sky Boy, the $3.40 favourite in Saturday’s 1800m benchmark 88-race, travelled well just behind the leaders until the turn…. Read More »
Veteran galloper Irish Constabulary has joined a elite group of 10-year-olds to claim city races by coming from last to win at Doomben. Irish Constabulary ($19) gave apprentice Jackson Murphy a welcome change of luck when he stormed home to beat Tarzan ($9.50) by three quarters of a length in… Read More »
Mike Moroney-trained Hawker Hurricane has pressed his claims for the rich Magic Millions Classic at the Gold Coast with a strong win on debut in the Magic Millions 2YO Clockwise Classic at Ballarat. Hawker Hurricane ($6.50) was one of eight juveniles debuting in the nine-horse field in Saturday’s 1000m race… Read More »
Trainer Chris Munce has been quick to praise the new Eagle Way Three-Year-Old series in Queensland following a win for his filly Ceol Na Mara at Doomben. The Eagle Way is run over three heats with a final over 2000m next month to help find stayers among Queensland’s young horses…. Read More »
Carillon has proven he can master a big city track, claiming his first metropolitan win by two lengths. The Craig Martin-trained gelding has redeemed his middling performance at Randwick two weeks ago when he came sixth in his city debut. Guided by Rachel King, the four-year-old took a comfortable position… Read More »
Pat Carey-trained Khartoum is likely to get his chance to try to go one better in the $300,000 Listed Pakenham Cup after winning a staying race on the undercard to the Ballarat Cup. Khartoum finished a close second in last year’s Pakenham Cup (2500m) and Carey said the five-year-old gelding… Read More »
Impressive filly Vincere Volare has given trainer Tony Gollan his first juvenile triumph of the season and set him a poser with a Doomben win. Jockey Jim Byrne jumped Vincere Volare ($3.50) straight to the lead and she went on to win by 4-3/4 lengths from So You Beauty ($19)… Read More »
A sibling to Godolphin’s Group One winners Astern and Alizee, Tassort has given his sire Brazen Beau his first racetrack success in the Golden Gift at Rosehill. His dominant win on debut in Saturday’s $150,000 race over 1100m also elevated him to the top of the TAB’s early Golden Slipper… Read More »
