Trainer Peter Balzen has been waiting nearly two years for Group Three winner Big Tree to get back to the track. Balzen, who now trains in partnership with Nicole Tanti, will have Big Tree in Saturday’s Matt Dunn Racing Open Handicap (1200m) at the Gold Coast for his first race… Read More »
Melbourne Cup hopeful Torcedor is to join Andreas Wohler in Germany after being sold by Te Akau Racing. Trained by Jessica Harrington to win the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot in May before being placed behind the John Gosden-trained Stradivarius in both the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and the Goodwood… Read More »
A new all-weather synthetic training track is to be built at Mornington Racecourse, replacing a sand training track. The $2.75 million project, expected to be completed by next month, will be jointly funded by the state government, the Victorian Racing Industry Fund, Racing Victoria and the Melbourne Racing Club. The… Read More »
Winx and Chris Waller have collected more accolades with the mare named the NSW Horse of the Year and her trainee claiming his eighth Bart Cummings medal. Winx remained unbeaten during 2017/18 while Waller won his eighth Sydney premiership with a record 189 wins. The NSW Racehorse Owners Association Night… Read More »
As he prepares to farewell She Will Reign from his Warwick Farm stable, Gary Portelli is looking for the next horse to take her place. The winner of the 2017 Golden Slipper and Moir Stakes, She Will Reign has been retired after one unplaced start and slight inflammation in an… Read More »
With a strong band of three-year-olds, Lindsay Park is splitting their teams between Melbourne and Sydney. With five runners in two Melbourne stakes races on Saturday, the stable will also be represented in two Randwick stakes races for three-year-olds. Futooh resumes in the Group Two Silver Shadow Stakes while the… Read More »
THE WINX STAKES – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW * Group One, 1400m, $500,000, weight-for-age. Run at Randwick 9.30pm HISTORY * First held in 1923 and has become a weight-for-age focal point for Sydney-trained horses starting their spring campaigns * Renamed this year from the Warwick Stakes to the Winx… Read More »
Siblings Ryan and Angela Plumb can write themselves into Queensland racing history if Sugar Sizzle wins at the Gold Coast. Angela Plumb is building a name for herself as a trainer on the Gold Coast while Ryan Plumb was the leading jockey at the seaside track last season. Ryan has… Read More »
While many of her seven-year-old contemporaries are headed for the broodmare barn this spring, any such plans for Winx can wait. Everything about her suggests her career is far from over. Winx heads the world rankings and, if her trainer and jockey are right, she is in better racing shape… Read More »
Lightly raced Fidelia has shown Robbie Griffiths enough to suggest she can be a player in the spring but the trainer is concerned about the filly’s wide barrier in the Quezette Stakes at Caulfield. Fidelia won on her home track at Cranbourne on debut last month over 1000m before coming… Read More »
Red Alto is a challenge for trainer Brent Stanley. The stayer has shown his share of ability on the racetrack, winning six races from 39 starts including three in town and he finished fourth in the Victoria Derby as a three-year-old. But the six-year-old gelding is far from straightforward to… Read More »
Mick Bell would like to wind the clock back to late last century for Jungle Edge in the P B Lawrence Stakes. Saturday’s Group Two race was previously the J J Liston Stakes at Sandown but in 2002 was transferred to Caulfield which in turn changed the dynamics of the… Read More »
Apprentice jockey Anthony Boyd is in a Melbourne hospital after a track work fall at Ballarat. Boyd was placed in an induced coma on Thursday morning and airlifted to the Alfred Hospital amid concerns he had suffered a serious head injury. But Victorian Jockeys Association chief executive Matt Hyland provided… Read More »
Toowoomba trainer Kevin Kemp has elected to start Sold For Song’s campaign at the Gold Coast rather than take the talented mare to Sydney for her return to racing. He accepted in the Matt Dunn Racing Open Handicap (1200m) at the Gold Coast and the Show County Quality (1200m) at… Read More »
Osborne Bulls missed out on his chance in one Group One handicap earlier this year but begins his charge towards another when he resumes in the Regal Roller Stakes at Caulfield. The Godolphin-owned gelding has seven wins from 10 starts and was being readied for a crack at the Stradbroke… Read More »
A rare scheduling of a 900m-race on a metropolitan Saturday meeting has given flying mare Darktown Strutter the chance to maintain an outstanding run of success. The Gold Coast has about seven Saturday metropolitan meetings a year and only three of those feature 900m-races. Darktown Strutter is chasing her seventh… Read More »
Hugh Bowman has declared Winx as good as ever ahead of her attempt at a record 26 consecutive wins in the race named in her honour at Randwick. Bowman gave the champion a leisurely work-out at Rosehill on Thursday and reaffirmed the mare was on song for Saturday’s Group One… Read More »
Winx has had her final work-out at Rosehill ahead of her next attempt at history in the race named in her honour. The mare will pass Black Caviar’s Australian record of 25-straight wins if she takes out Saturday’s Group One Winx Stakes (1400m). She already holds the Australian record for… Read More »
Michael Dee will start a 10-meeting suspension after he rides Holy Snow in the Group Two PB Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield. Dee incurred a careless riding ban after guiding Lady Of Flanders to victory in the Ladbrokes Odds Boost Handicap at Sandown on Wednesday. Racing Victoria stewards charged Dee with… Read More »
Connections of Declarationofheart will aim high after the colt returned to racing in impressive fashion in a midweek race at Sandown. Trained by Anthony Freedman, Declarationofheart was having his second start in Wednesday’s Ladbrokes Protest Payout Handicap and first since winning a maiden at Geelong in January. After settling in… Read More »
