Redzel has made a triumphant return to Randwick by laying down the gauntlet to his TJ Smith Stakes rivals. Racing in Sydney for the first time since winning the $10 million Everest last October, Redzel surged past the $8 million prize money barrier with an ominous performance in the Group… Read More »
Three-year-old filly Bella Martini has capped her campaign with an important Group Two win in the Kewney Stakes at Flemington. The Hawkes Racing-trained Bella Martini claimed a Listed race win in the Gosford Guineas two starts ago before not having the best of luck when sixth in the Typhoon Tracy… Read More »
Happy Clapper has returned to racing in Group One-winning form, claiming the $500,000 Canterbury Stakes at Randwick. Ridden by Blake Shinn, Happy Clapper came from sixth on the turn to run down the leader Global Glamour in the 1300m race run under weight-for-age conditions. The victory is Happy Clapper’s second… Read More »
Homebred gelding Hang took another step towards a start in the Group One Queensland Derby with his win at Doomben on Saturday. Hang ($4.80) was resuming but made it four wins on end when he held on to beat Don’t Leave Me Out ($3.60) by a half head. The gelding… Read More »
A calculated decision to bypass shorter races with Not A Single Cent has landed the two-year-old an important victory at Flemington. Having his second race start, Not A Single Cent finished powerfully over the final 100m to claim victory in Saturday’s Group Two VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes. Ridden by Mark… Read More »
Winning her final Golden Slipper audition in race record time couldn’t save Estijaab from drifting in the market for the world’s richest race for two-year-olds. The Snitzel filly claimed the Group Two Reisling Stakes (1200m) at Randwick and although she beat English’s 2015 time benchmark, Sunlight firmed as favourite for… Read More »
Trainer Les Ross paid tribute to the QTIS bonus scheme after his two-year-old filly Miss Sara picked up nearly $80,000 for her win at Doomben. Sent out favourite, Miss Sara ($1.60) led all the way to hold on and beat Mystic Mist ($5) by a neck in the Sofitel Central… Read More »
David Pfieffer’s decision to revert to sprint racing with I Am Excited has continued to pay dividends with the filly claiming her first stakes success at Randwick with the promise of more to come. I Am Excited backed up her 1100m win at Rosehill two weeks ago with victory in… Read More »
Kings Will Dream has maintained an unbeaten start to his Australian racing career and will now chase a ticket into one of Melbourne’s big spring features. The Darren Weir-trained import made it four wins from as many Australian starts in Saturday’s Club Stand Handicap (1800m) at Flemington. In doing so,… Read More »
Trainer Kris Lees will approach the Group Three Epona Stakes with confidence after Karavali won at black-type level at the first attempt. And Newcastle Lees expects the four-year-old mare to pose an even greater threat at Rosehill March 24 after she got the bob in to pip $3 favourite The… Read More »
The Williams family is celebrating a milestone Flemington win with former Godolphin galloper Demonstrate. While Craig Williams and his father Allan, a former jockey and now a successful trainer, are no strangers to success at Flemington, it was the first win for Jason Williams at headquarters. A $100,000 purchase at… Read More »
Four years after winning the Canberra Cup, veteran galloper Jacquinot Bay will be back in the nation’s capital for another crack at the Listed race. The 10-year-old gelding is one of three feature race entrants for the Lindsay Park stable at Sunday’s meeting, with two-year-old filly Qafila in the Black… Read More »
James Cummings is upbeat about gun Godolphin colt Viridine taking on a host of experienced sprinters at Randwick, including Everest winner Redzel. Godolphin’s head trainer has chosen the aptly named Group Two weight-for-age Challenge Stakes (1000m) to begin the three-year-old’s autumn campaign. Viridine has won four of his five starts,… Read More »
Sully will be back at the scene of one of his Group One placings when he makes his first Sydney appearance of the autumn in the Randwick Guineas. Co-trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young opted for Saturday’s Group One 1600m-race in Sydney for Sully’s second-up run rather than last week’s… Read More »
Todman Stakes favourite Performer will be out to prove the Golden Slipper successor to She Will Reign is not guaranteed to be a filly. The leading colt in the market for the $3.5 million Slipper on March 24 at Rosehill, Performer has the opportunity on Saturday to indicate Sunlight and… Read More »
Lanciato has staged a dramatic last-to-first performance to win the Newcastle Newmarket and set himself up for a tilt at the Group One Doncaster Mile. His trainer Mark Newnham admitted he was a hard horse to watch because of his racing pattern and his supporters who sent him out the… Read More »
Trainer Ken Keys doesn’t set the bar too high for his horses and all he wants for talented mare Spanish Reef is some black-type. A first-up winner at Flemington last month, Spanish Reef runs in the Group Three Schweppervescence Trophy (1400m) at Flemington on Saturday. Her performance will determine how… Read More »
If Pierata can halt Kementari’s winning streak in the Randwick Guineas, a long-range plan will reach fruition for trainer Greg Hickman. Pierata came to prominence with his three wins in Queensland during the summer including the Magic Millions Guineas at the Gold Coast but it was his previous trip north… Read More »
Kris Lees is confident Sugar Bella can handle the challenge of Group company for the first time at Randwick as she aims for her fourth successive win. Sugar Bella returns from a let-up for the Group Three Wenona Girl Quality (1200m) and Newcastle trainer Lees is looking forward to using… Read More »
A week can be a long time in racing but this time for trainer Les Ross it has been a good one. Ross was experiencing one of the worst runs of his career until last week when he had five runners for three winners, a third and a fourth. Great… Read More »
