David Payne’s plan for consecutive Victoria Derby wins has moved a little closer with Tarka’s hard-fought victory in the Stan Fox Stakes at Rosehill. The trainer has mapped out the same program for Tarka and Toulouse as he did last year with Ace High, winner of the 2017 Spring Champion… Read More »
Co-trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young are eyeing Classic success with another son of Tavistock after a tough on-pace win from three-year-old Tavirun at Moonee Valley. The trainers won the 2016 Group One Australian Derby with Tavago, a son of the stallion Tavistock, and they have had this spring’s Victoria… Read More »
Giant-killing filly Invigorating marked herself as a possible Magic Millions Guineas horse with her storming win at Doomben on Saturday. Invigorating won her first start at Ipswich 10 days ago when she came from well back to beat an odds-on favourite from the David Vandyke stable in Frangipani Moon. The… Read More »
Training partners Keith Dryden and Scott Collings have celebrated the return of Canberra horses to the Highway Handicaps with Handle The Truth winning at Rosehill. Canberra was taken out of the series for country-trained horses last year when they were assessed to be provincial class but were reinstated from the… Read More »
New Zealand Group One-winning jockey MIchael McNab showed he will be a force in Queensland with a rails-hugging ride to win on My Giuliano at Doomben. McNab moved to Queensland six weeks ago to ride for Chris Waller’s Gold Coast stable and while he has ridden four winners he failed… Read More »
Frank Salanitri had the feeling as he walked Seductive Miss before her race at Moonee Valley that the mare was set for a good showing. Seductive Miss didn’t let Salanitri down, winning Saturday’s Big Golf Swing Handicap after being backed from $18 into $13. Ridden by Dwayne Dunn, Seductive Miss… Read More »
Beau Arrow, a latecomer to racing, continued to reap benefits of time when he maintained his unbeaten record at Doomben. Sent out favourite, Beau Arrow ($3.30) made it three wins from three starts when he got up by a short half-head to beat Hi Fiver ($3.80) with a head to… Read More »
The first European spring carnival contenders have arrived in Melbourne with three Charlie Appleby-trained Godolphin horses now in quarantine at Werribee. Jungle Cat, Folkswood and Blair House arrived around 5am on Saturday ahead of their assignments this month. Jungle Cat’s initial target is the Group One Rupert Clarke Stakes on… Read More »
Legend Of Condor will take his place in the Run To The Rose despite misgivings about his wide barrier. Trainer Gerald Ryan said the colt would most likely need to be ridden conservatively in Saturday’s 1200m Group Two race after drawing one from the outside. The execution will be left… Read More »
The South Australian duo of Lloyd Kennewell and Joe Bowditch have teamed together for their first winner since moving to Victoria. Kennewell opened a stable at Caulfield last month with his stable rider Bowditch also making the switch. Former Queenslander Arriba broke the ice for the pair at Geelong on… Read More »
Seymour Bloodstock and the Lindsay Park stable have developed a happy knack of going to New Zealand and returning with a Group race performer. Previous acquisitions have included He’s Our Rokkii and Risque while their latest, Spanish Whisper, makes her Australian debut in the Atlantic Jewel Stakes at Moonee Valley… Read More »
Dwayne Dunn has always felt speedster Sunday Escape has the talent to one day be successful at stakes level. On Saturday Sunday Escape runs in the McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley, but unfortunately for the pair it is a tougher than usual Group Two affair. His opponents include Nature… Read More »
Jim Byrne will be reunited with Stella Ombra in a bid to coax another win out of the tough gelding at Doomben. Stella Ombra hasn’t won since August last year but has been racing well without much luck in his nine starts this campaign. At his last start Stella Ombra… Read More »
Trapeze Artist will make his much-anticipated return in the Theo Marks Stakes at Rosehill with trainer Gerald Ryan hoping he can win to give his owners a boost. Gai Vieira, the wife of managing owner Bert Vieira and a shareholder in the horse, remains in a Sydney hospital after suffering… Read More »
Lindsay Park will push its claim for multiple Golden Rose berths when Long Leaf and Smart Elissim run at Rosehill. Saturday’s Run To The Rose (1200m) will give the stable an idea where the pair sits among the 20 three-year-olds they have entered for the Group One Golden Rose on… Read More »
Some strong trackwork and the prospects of a wet track have boosted the chances of well-bred Bowie winning his first middle distance race. Bowie is by boom sire Iffraaj out of Vicky, making him a half-brother to the Hong Kong Derby winner Ping Hai Star. Originally trained in New Zealand… Read More »
Four years after crossing paths with Hartnell, Kate Grimwade continues to be impressed with the Group One winner in her new Australian role. Grimwade was recently appointed trainer James Cummings’ assistant trainer to oversee Godolphin Melbourne base, Carbine Lodge. She previously held the role as Godolphin’s European pre-training manager at… Read More »
The least of trainer Brian Wakefield’s worries is whether he can maintain his amazing strike rate at Doomben. Wakefield has saddled 10 runners in the new racing season for six winners at a strike rate of 60 per cent. One of his best performers has been Hi Fiver who will… Read More »
Enable will go head-to-head with King George runner-up Crystal Ocean when she makes her return at Kempton. The John Gosden-trained Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Enable has not raced this season after suffering a setback in May and now faces a tough task on her return in the Group… Read More »
Lindsay Park trainer David Hayes wants a bigger presence in Sydney with a stable that can accommodate up to 30 horses. With its main base in country Victoria at Euroa, Lindsay Park also has facilities at Flemington and a boutique stable at Randwick that is used for the autumn and… Read More »
