Tony McEvoy’s head says Royal Symphony is racing for second in the Cox Plate. His heart says otherwise. McEvoy, who won the 2003 Cox Plate with Fields Of Omagh, has the three-year-old colt on target to line up against champion Winx in Saturday’s weight-for-age feature at Moonee Valley. Winx is… Read More »
Michelle Payne has trained and ridden the winner of a maiden race in country Victoria in the colours she hopes to wear aboard Kaspersky in the $3 million Cox Plate. The 2015 Melbourne Cup-winning jockey won a 1600m-maiden at Stawell on Monday aboard lightly raced three-year-old Jukila. The gelding races… Read More »
A record-equalling third Cox Plate is not the only milestone on the radar for Winx in the country’s premier weight-for-age race. If she can win at Moonee Valley on Saturday. Winx will become the first horse in Australian racing history to amass more than $15 million prize money. Triple Melbourne… Read More »
For the past six years, Brisbane trainer Robert Heathcote has spent this week in Melbourne preparing Buffering for the Manikato Stakes. But with the champion sprinter now retired, Heathcote is free on Friday night and will turn his attention to Hopfgarten who runs at Randwick the following day. An eight-time… Read More »
Convicted con man Peter Foster was the mastermind behind an elaborate conspiracy to hide his ongoing ownership of Group One-winning mare Azkadellia and four other horses trained by Ciaron Maher. When the horses were first banned in 2015 amid questions over their ownership bona fides, Foster’s plan B was to… Read More »
Wheal Leisure could continue a successful spring carnival for the Archie Alexander stable in the Geelong Cup. Alexander snared his biggest win since opening his stable at Ballarat three years ago when Lord Fandango claimed the Group Two Herbert Power Stakes. Lord Fandango backed up seven days later in Saturday’s… Read More »
Brad Rawiller has failed to get a 14-meeting careless riding ban reduced on appeal. Rawiller was suspended after pleading guilty to careless riding aboard Articus in last Thursday’s Moe Cup. The Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board on Monday dismissed his appeal against the severity of the ban. Rawiller’s suspension began… Read More »
Trainer Andrew Noblet and jockey Katelyn Mallyon will team up again in pursuit of more feature sprint race success with Super Cash in the Manikato Stakes. Super Cash is set to line up in Friday night’s $1 million Manikato (1200m) at Moonee Valley, the venue where Mallyon rode the Noblet-trained… Read More »
Suspended trainer Ciaron Maher’s former racing manager has been disqualified for more than two years over his part in an elaborate conspiracy to hide convicted con man Peter Foster’s ownership of five racehorses. The Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board also disqualified Group One-winner Azkadellia and the other four horses from… Read More »
Ciaron Maher’s former racing manager now says he thought the trainer knew about an elaborate conspiracy to hide convicted con man Peter Foster’s ownership of five racehorses, a tribunal has heard. Foster was the mastermind of a sophisticated plan to have Group One-winning mare Azkadellia and four other horses race… Read More »
Convicted con man Peter Foster masterminded a sophisticated scheme involving the ownership of five racehorses in trainer Ciaron Maher’s stable. Maher’s former racing manager Ben Connolly claimed to own Group One-winning mare Azkadellia and four other horses that were really owned by Foster, Victoria’s Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board heard… Read More »
Highland Reel has set himself up for the defence of his Breeders’ Cup Turf crown with a meritorious run in the Champion Stakes at Ascot. The Aidan O’Brien-trained globetrotter finished third to Cracksman on unsuitably soft ground on Saturday but conditions are expected to be far more in his favour… Read More »
Suspended trainer Ciaron Maher’s former racing manager faces a penalty hearing over the ownership bona fides of five horses actually owned by convicted con man Peter Foster. Ben Connolly will plead guilty to two charges over the ownership of Group One-winning mare Azkadellia, Little Bubulu, Loveable Rogue, Hart and Mr… Read More »
Chris Waller admits the build-up to Winx’s bid for a Cox Plate treble will not match the intrigue of last year as rivals shy away from the challenge. At Moonee Valley 12 months ago the rivalry between Winx and Godolphin’s Hartnell was built up as a match-race before the champion… Read More »
International visitor Marmelo has stormed into equal favouritism for the Melbourne Cup after an eye-catching Caulfield Cup run. The Hughie Morrison-trained horse ran home strongly from back in the field to finish equal sixth in Saturday’s 2400m handicap, won by Boom TIme. Winner of the Prix Kergorlay (3000m) in France… Read More »
John Sargent has had a long-range plan to get Luvaluva to the VRC Oaks and sees no reason to change the formula. While many of her potential Oaks rivals ran in Saturday’s Group Three Ethereal Stakes at Caulfield over 2000 metres, Sargent was happy to keep Luvaluva to a 1600m-benchmark… Read More »
In a normal year after victory in the Caulfield Stakes, Gailo Chop would be vying for favouritism in the Cox Plate. But this year he has to deal with Winx who is aiming for her third consecutive win in Saturday’s Group One Cox Plate at Moonee Valley. Saturday will be… Read More »
As a member of the Lindsay Park training operation, Tom Dabernig is usually reserved when it comes to discussing stable stars. So when Dabernig, who trains in partnership with David and Ben Hayes, says Vega Magic is the best horse he’s been associated with at Lindsay Park, it pays to… Read More »
Trainer Natalie Young is happy to ride on Richmond star Dustin Martin’s coat-tails as Main Stage heads for his “grand final” in the $1.5 million Group One Victoria Derby. The three-year-old gelding has been displaced as Derby favourite by Cliff’s Edge after the Darren Weir-trained colt’s win in Saturday’s Group… Read More »
Order Of St George has pulled off an unlikely victory to get up in the final strides of the Group Two Long Distance Cup at Ascot. Part-owned by Australian Lloyd Williams and trained by Aidan O’Brien, the original Melbourne Cup topweight was sent off the 4-5 market leader, but with… Read More »
