After an encouraging season return in the Quezette Stakes, talented filly Thrillster will be out to further enhance her Thousand Guineas credentials in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes at Moonee Valley. Thrillster was third to Sunlight in the Group Three Quezette (1100m) first-up at Caulfield on August 18. It was… Read More »
Jockey James Orman’s experience riding talented mare Sold For Song is expected to help offset her big weight at Doomben. Trainer Kevin Kemp has elected to use senior jockey Orman instead of a claiming apprentice. Sold For Song has not won since the Daybreak Lover Stakes in June 2016 but… Read More »
Top Queensland jockey Damian Browne’s comeback has been delayed at least a fortnight after doctors warned him to guard against an infection in his reset nose. Browne had planned to resume riding at Doomben on Saturday after a six weeks break. He went to the specialist on Monday who advised… Read More »
The discovery of up to 100 dead horses on a Victorian property is being investigated by Racing Victoria and the RSPCA. The horses are believed to have been brought to the property, north of Romsey, for disposal after being euthanised by their owners or vets, the Macedon Ranges Shire Council… Read More »
New Zealand police have raided the properties of several prominent harness racing identities as part of an investigation into alleged race fixing. A police statement said they had conducted search warrants at eight properties in Christchurch, one in Invercargill and another in Manawatu as part of Operation Inca — an… Read More »
Racing Victoria chief handicapper Greg Carpenter says there will be some surprises for connections with horses entered in the Melbourne Cup. Carpenter will release weights for the Cup, and the Caulfield Cup, next Tuesday and said with no natural topweight nominated it leaves him with a difficult task. He says… Read More »
A lightly raced Japanese-bred stayer who Gai Waterhouse has Melbourne Cup hopes for will begin his campaign to qualify for Australia’s most famous race when he makes his local debut at Moonee Valley. Hush Writer was taken to the Valley for a familiarisation gallop on Tuesday ahead of his first… Read More »
After weighing up his options, trainer Danny Williams will keep Don’t Give A Damn away from Group racing for the time being. Williams is keen to get Don’t Give A Dam to the Epsom Handicap but will give Saturday’s Group Two Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) a miss in favour of… Read More »
Debut winner Alexandra Dreaming is on target for her first attempt at a stakes race at Moonee Valley but trainer Henry Dwyer is likely to delay Group One-placed stablemate Snitty Kitty’s return for a few weeks. Dwyer plans to start three-year-old filly Alexandra Dreaming in Saturday’s Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes… Read More »
Victorian jockey Billy Egan has been suspended for four months after producing a urine sample showing the presence of a banned substance. Egan, who was tested at the Mildura meeting on July 28, has had the beginning of the suspension back-dated to August 20, the day he was stood down… Read More »
The Victoria Racing Club is keen to push for more local representation in the Melbourne Cup which could one day lead to it offering an incentive for a locally bred winner. It comes on top of a record 50 international entries, up from 31, for this year’s $7 million Melbourne… Read More »
For the first spring carnival since Hartnell has raced in Australia, the Melbourne Cup will not feature among the star import’s targets. Hartnell has run in the past three Melbourne Cups with his best result third two years ago, but the eight-year-old has not been entered for either the Caulfield… Read More »
Sunlight’s planned assault on the Golden Rose has hit a hurdle with the filly ruled out of her lead-up run because of a temperature. The Tony McEvoy-trained three-year-old had been entered for Saturday’s Group Two Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill with a view to stretching out to 1400m… Read More »
Star mare Enable is set to make her first appearance for the season in the Group Three September Stakes at Kempton. Trained by John Gosden, Enable has been out of action since winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October and next month’s French showpiece is again the main… Read More »
D’Argento has opened the $6 favourite for the Epsom Handicap in the TAB’s all-in market following the release of entries for the Group One race. Nominations closed on Monday for the $1 million Epsom (1600m) and the two other Group One races at Randwick on September 29, the Metropolitan Handicap… Read More »
Back in Australia after a lengthy and successful Hong Kong stint, star jockey Brett Prebble is still keen for more success in the saddle. Prebble, who won the Melbourne jockeys’ premiership in consecutive seasons in 1999-2000 and 2000-01, has been relicensed in Victoria and rode trackwork on Monday at Flemington… Read More »
Last year’s Australian Derby winner Jon Snow is on track for another Melbourne spring campaign after delighting his connections in his season return in New Zealand. The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Jon Snow finished fourth in Saturday’s Group One Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings, won by Melody Belle, in… Read More »
Osborne Bulls is building a formidable winning strike-rate and will be out to add to it when he races at Moonee Valley for the first time. The Godolphin-owned, James Cummings-trained gelding took his record to eight wins from 11 starts in the Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on… Read More »
Buoyed by Ace High’s return to form in the Chelmsford Stakes, trainer David Payne is looking forward to finding out whether Tarka and Toulouse can emulate their elder stablemate’s three-year-old campaign. The winner of the 2017 Group One Spring Champion Stakes and Victoria Derby, Ace High got his Cups preparation… Read More »
Dual New Zealand Horse of the Year Bonneval is back in Melbourne to launch her spring campaign at Moonee Valley in the same race she won first-up a year ago. Bonneval was last week crowned New Zealand’s champion horse for the second-straight year, courtesy of her Australian Group One win… Read More »
