Adelaide trainer Ryan Balfour is still coming to terms with his haul of five winners at Morphettville. Balfour saddled eight runners at Saturday’s meeting, walking away with five winners and two close seconds. “Thinking about it now, it’s still a little bit surreal,” Balfour said. “The day didn’t start that… Read More »
Trainer Gerald Ryan is likely to have just one runner in the Listed Starlight Stakes at Rosehill from a possible three. Group Three winner Diddums has developed a foot problem while the strength of the 20 nominations will rule Tango Rain out, leaving Samantha to fly the flag for the… Read More »
Trainer Mick Bell is planning to extend Jungle Edge’s campaign to Sandown, provided he gets the right conditions. Jungle Edge is one of 21 nominations for Saturday’s 1000m-sprint for which he is topweight with 62kg. Bell intends to start the seven-year-old provided the track is rated in soft range, or… Read More »
Gary Portelli admits to being disappointed with Testashadow’s first-up run and will alter the gelding’s routine in an attempt to spark him up ahead of the Festival Stakes. Testashadow will run in a 1050m-barrier trial at Randwick on Tuesday morning ahead of Saturday’s Group Three race at Rosehill. “It’s unconventional… Read More »
Lindsay Park has decided to keep talented mare Fuhryk to sprinting after her two failures over further than 1200 metres. After she flopped over 1400m at Flemington during Melbourne Cup week, the stable sent the mare to Perth in search of a Group One win in Saturday’s Winterbottom Stakes at… Read More »
Gingernuts has left the Werribee Veterinary Clinic to continue his rehabilitation at a nearby farm after an operation to repair a broken pastern. A Group One winner on both sides of the Tasman, the popular New Zealander suffered the injury on the way to the barriers for the Emirates Stakes… Read More »
Lightly raced gelding Niccanova will have a heavy workload this summer after he resumes in the Group Three George Moore Stakes at Doomben. Niccanova has had only six starts but has won four of them and was an unlucky third in the Group Two Queensland Guineas in another. He beat… Read More »
Jockey Noel Callow has withdrawn his appeal before the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board over a careless riding suspension. The RAD Board was to hear Callow’s appeal against both the decision to suspend him and the severity of the 12-meeting ban on Monday. Callow incurred the ban for his winning… Read More »
The increase in night racing in Queensland has created an increasing problem with a lack of trackwork riders the next day. The Sunshine Coast Coast hosts regular Friday night meetings in the summer and the Gold Coast is also set to have night racing from next year. Under current rules… Read More »
Gerald Ryan has implemented a more relaxed training regime for Red Excitement and believes it is doing the trick. At his most wound-up, Red Excitement put Winx to the sword in the Group Two Chelmsford Stakes in September, only to have the great mare show him who was boss late… Read More »
Star kiwi Mark Du Plessis has been confirmed as the final rider in the Origin Jockey Series in Queensland next month. Du Plessis was born in Zimbabwe and has done most of his riding in New Zealand but he is well known in Queensalnd for his winter carnival visits. He… Read More »
Ocean Jewel’s victory in the Listed Placid Ark Stakes has given her sire Ocean Park his first stakes winner at Ascot in Perth. The 2012 Cox Plate winner, Ocean Park stands at Waikato Stud in New Zealand. The Simon Miller-trained three-year-old filly also gave Sydney jockey Josh Parr his first… Read More »
Group One winning sprinters Redkirk Warrior and Vega Magic are enjoying a well-earned spell after a campaign that didn’t quite live up to expectations for Lindsay Park. But co-trainer Tom Dabernig expects the pair to bounce back in the autumn and is already looking forward to their return. Redkirk Warrior… Read More »
Premier Brisbane trainer Tony Gollan is charging towards many milestones this season but Notonyourlife’s win at Doomben is one that stands out. Gollan should bring up his 1000th career win this season as he sits on 938 after a double at Doomben on Saturday. He is also well on the… Read More »
Queensland stewards have warned trainers run high risks if they use unlicensed staff following several cases around the state. In one a strapper returned a positive test to cannabis during a random inspection of stables at Innisfail, in north Queensland, and it was discovered he was also unlicensed. The strapper… Read More »
Apprentice Tahlia Hope has been suspended after weighing in overweight on a second placegetter at Ballarat. Hope rode Proud Wolf in the City Of Ballarat Tonks Plate on Saturday with the gelding beaten a long neck by Got The Goss. Weighing out at 52.4kg, Hope returned 53.2kg, more than the… Read More »
Josephine Gordon has become just the second woman to ride 100 winners in Britain in a calendar year, following in the footprints of Hayley Turner. The 2016 champion apprentice brought up No.100 at Wolverhampton on Saturday night (Sunday AEDT) on the Hugo Palmer-trained Thunderbolt Rocks. “It’s huge for me,” Gordon… Read More »
Local hope Great Shot has repelled the eastern invaders to lead all the way and cause an upset in Perth’s prestigious Railway Stakes at Ascot. Trained by Rhys Radford, Great Shot ($31) was taken straight to the front by Craig Staples and had a kick at the end of the… Read More »
Don’t Tease Me has put an end to Bon Amis’ winning streak at Rosehill courtesy of a perfectly timed front-running ride by apprentice Rachel Hunt. The Stephen Gleeson-trained Don’t Tease Me ($20) went straight to the front in the Goldners Horse Transport Handicap (1100m) and held on to beat $2.30… Read More »
One person happy to see the rain falling early in the program at Ballarat was trainer Robert Smerdon. Starting Saturday in the good range, the Ballarat track was downgraded to heavy by the time the Ballarat Cup was run. Smerdon saddled superior wet-tracker Grand Dreamer, who prevailed in the 2200m… Read More »
