Kelly Schweida strengthened his hand in the Magic Millions in dramatic circumstances at Doomben. Gala Miss gave Schweida the second leg of the two-year-old double, after scoring one race earlier with Pocket Pistol, but only after an incident involving runner-up Button Pusher. Ridden by apprentice Carly Frater-Hill, Button Pusher was… Read More »
Shillelagh has added to her Flemington Group One record over the mile course after taking an inside run to win the Empire Rose Stakes. A winner of the 2017 Kennedy Mile, Shillelagh was kept for the weight-for-age race for fillies and mares this year and she delivered in spectacular style… Read More »
Victorian race day officials are threatening to take industrial action that could lead to races being delayed or cancelled, although the Melbourne Cup will not be affected. Australian Workers Union members have voted to take action during the spring racing carnival, amid stalled negotiations with Racing Victoria over a new… Read More »
English stayer A Prince Of Arran has won his way into the 2018 Melbourne Cup with a stirring victory in the Lexus Stakes at Flemington. His trainer Charlie Fellowes would have preferred not to run A Prince Of Arran on Saturday but with the six-year-old just outside the 24-horse limit… Read More »
The Tony McEvoy-trained Sunlight has upstaged her male rivals to win the Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes. Sunlight was the only filly in the race and she made her own luck to claim the Group One sprint run run over the famous Flemington straight course. She defeated the Chris Waller-trained… Read More »
James Cummings has become a third generation-winning trainer of the Linlithgow Stakes after Osborne Bulls won the Group Two race on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington. Now run as the TAB Stakes on Saturday, the race was won by Cummings’ grandfather Bart in 2007 with… Read More »
The margin might have been slender but sectional times confirm the merit of Femme Fireball’s win at Doomben. Starting the $1.70 favourite, Femme Fireball had only a short neck to spare when she overhauled Hingus Rose ($5.50) to win the Orthochick Handicap. Femme Fireball clocked 1 min 18.88 secs for… Read More »
Aristia has broken through for her first win in the Wakeful Stakes at Flemington to stamp herself as a leading VRC Oaks contender. The Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained filly had been winless in her first nine starts but connections had not lost faith and were convinced she could come… Read More »
Veteran stayer Estikhraaj broke a long run of outs and foiled a betting plunge on runner-up Stanley when he scored a runaway win at Doomben. Ridden by Larry Cassidy, Estikhraaj ($5) scored easily by 2-1/4 lengths from Stanley who was backed from $11 into $5 but had to settle for… Read More »
James Cummings has Group One aspirations for Ranier after the Godolphin-owned colt landed a second stakes victory at Flemington. After breaking his maiden status at Caulfield, Ranier returned to Flemington to claim the Group Three Carbine Club Stakes on Saturday. Ridden by Hugh Bowman, Ranier was sent off the $5… Read More »
English stayer Red Verdon will have to undergo another veterinary inspection to be cleared to run in the 2018 Melbourne Cup after showing further signs of soreness in a heel. The Ed Dunlop-trained Red Verdon was found to have a bruised heel on Thursday but passed a Racing Victoria inspection… Read More »
Four of the 35 top-ranked horses in the Melbourne Cup entries will be re-examined before acceptance time to determine their fitness. Racing Victoria veterinarians on Friday completed their inspection of the 35 horses with acceptances for the 24-horse Melbourne Cup field taken at 4.30pm on Saturday. The horse to be… Read More »
Trainer Grahame Begg has been single-minded in targeting the Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes with Written By this spring and jockey Jordan Childs expects the colt to be peaking for the big day. Childs has ridden Written By in all seven of the colt’s starts for six wins including his… Read More »
Trainer Chris Waller has lost the battle to get Patrick Erin into the Melbourne Cup via the Lexus Stakes with Group One Metropolitan Handicap winner succumbing to an elevated temperature. Patrick Erin needed to win Saturday’s Lexus Stakes to be assured of a Cup start three days later. He was… Read More »
Mark Zahra is yet to ride Victoria Derby contender Savvy Oak in a race but the jockey is hoping he is getting on the gelding at the right time. Zahra is chasing a calendar year Derby double on Saturday at Flemington having won this year’s Group One ATC Australian Derby… Read More »
Patrick Erin’s last-ditch attempt to make the Melbourne Cup 2018 remains in doubt with the Chris Waller-trained stayer still displaying an elevated temperature. The Group One Metropolitan Handicap winner needs to win Saturday’s Lexus Stakes to be assured of a Cup start three days later. He was withdrawn from Wednesday’s… Read More »
A host of prized colts will be running for much more than the $1 million purse in the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington. Victory in Saturday’s Group One sprint for three-year-olds, which has become an important stallion-making race, would significantly enhance any of the nine colts’ future value. But there… Read More »
Brisbane trainer Steve O’Dea has had Group One runners before but none with the ability of Sesar and the potential to be better than he is now. The colt runs in Saturday’s Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington as a leading chance and victory would make him the first Queensland-trained horse… Read More »
John Sadler’s association with Sircconi has been short but so far fruitful and goes to another level in the Group One Kennedy Mile at Flemington. Sircconi made his way to Sadler’s Caulfield stable when the property his former trainer Peter Morgan was operating from was put on the market. That… Read More »
Charlie Fellowes would prefer not to run A Prince Of Arran in the Lexus Stakes at Flemington. But the English trainer concedes he has no other option as he tries to secure a 2018 Melbourne Cup start for the stayer. A Prince Of Arran is 28th in the latest ballot… Read More »
