Jockey Luke Dittman’s belief Rains Aplenty is the best two-year-old in John Zielke’s stable will be put to the test at Doomben. Rains Aplenty will be having his second start in Saturday’s Two-Year-Old Handicap (1100m) in which he has drawn the outside barrier. He was beaten into third place on… Read More »
Fresh from his win in the richest turf race in the world, man-of-the-moment Kerrin McEvoy will be out to continue his golden run in the $3 million Caulfield Cup. McEvoy rode Redzel to win last Saturday’s inaugural $10 million Everest (1200m) at Randwick. Since then he has won the $300,000… Read More »
Jim Jarvis has been gripped by racing since he was a 13-year-old in Victoria, and six decades not much has changed. Jarvis planned to retire in Coffs Harbour. where he bought a small farm, with a view to training horses as a hobby. Instead he finds himself making the journey… Read More »
Echo Effect is ready to live up to his trainer’s high opinion when he lines up in a Group Three race as Kristen Buchanan’s first Melbourne runner. Buchanan, who trains at Wyong on the NSW Central Coast, hand-picked Saturday’s Moonga Stakes (1400m) as the ideal race as a measuring stick… Read More »
A rain-affected Doomben track should help Miss Exfactor when she runs for the first time over 1350 metres. The Tony Gollan-trained filly’s long-term goal is the $2 million Magic Millions Guineas over 1400m in January. With that in mind, Miss Exfactor will be having her first run at further than… Read More »
One-time Caulfield Cup favourite Admire Deus is in a stable condition in a Ballarat veterinary clinic ahead of surgery on his injured leg. The imported Japanese horse suffered the career-ending ligament injury in trackwork at Warrnambool on Tuesday. Trainer Darren Weir said the vets hoped to operate on Admire Deus… Read More »
Victorian trainer Matthew Leek has been hit with three charges including attempted race day treatment. The charges stem from an inspection of Leek’s stables on August 8 this year by Racing Victoria’s compliance assurance team. The Leek-trained High Valley and Cash Sail were entered to race at Pakenham later that… Read More »
Chris Waller is backing Andaz to remedy his first-up jitters in Sydney and push for a start at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup carnival. After winning his first two starts in Victoria the three-year-old was gelded and resumed at Randwick in early September for an error-prone fifth in a Benchmark… Read More »
Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien is one win away from equalling Bobby Frankel’s world record 25 Grade/Group One winners in a calendar year. His next chance to join Frankel comes with Johannes Vermeer in Saturday’s $3 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) in Melbourne. Johannes Vermeer is the favourite for the Caulfield Cup… Read More »
Connections of Irish horse Johannes Vermeer have made their intentions known with the favourite for the $3 million Caulfield Cup. Prominent Australian owner Lloyd Williams is a shareholder in the Aidan O’Brien-trained Johannes Vermeer who stormed into Caulfield Cup favouritism after his fast-finishing second in last Saturday’s Caulfield Stakes (2000m)…. Read More »
Peter Snowden is confident Almighty will cope with the step up in class when he begins his first Melbourne campaign in the Listed Gothic Stakes at Caulfield. The colt returns from a 10-week freshen up in fine fettle for Saturday’s 1400-metre challenge alongside stablemate Icon Of Dubai. “He showed a… Read More »
Imported French stayer Alward might race in Group company during his first Australian campaign after all, providing he wins at Randwick. Sydney’s premier trainer Chris Waller has played down Alward’s prospects since he won a Benchmark 82 Handicap (2000m) at Rosehill in August and was installed, temporarily, as favourite for… Read More »
Everything is in order for Savanna Amour ahead of another Caulfield start, except a woeful barrier. A three-time winner at Caulfield from four starts, Savanna Amour runs in Saturday’s Tristarc Stakes (1400m) from barrier 14. Trainer Chris Meagher couldn’t hide his disappointment at the draw and said it would be… Read More »
Beau Mertens will team up with Abbey Marie in the Caulfield Cup and the apprentice believes the mare trained by his boss is peaking at the right time. Mertens rode the Mick Kent-trained Abbey Marie in her final Cup lead-up last Saturday in the Group One Caulfield Stakes (2000m). Despite… Read More »
Champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller will take his presence in Queensland up a notch with his biggest yet representation from his Gold Coast satellite stable at the Doomben meeting. Waller set up the Gold Coast stable in August and it is being run by experienced kiwi horseman Paul Shailer. The… Read More »
One of Melbourne’s top two-year-olds of last season makes his return at Caulfield against older and more experienced sprinters. The Robert Smerdon-trained Property runs in Saturday’s Group Two Caulfield Sprint (1000m) taking on the well-credentialled Faatinah, Missrock, Badajoz and Super Too. Property won three of his five starts in his… Read More »
Preparing Nancy for her comeback to racing is among the tasks that has meant Peter Snowden has had little time to reflect on conquering the $10 million Everest with Redzel. The veteran trainer was back on the job on Sunday morning, hours after he and son Paul celebrated winning the… Read More »
Single Gaze will have no trouble completing the Caulfield Cup despite never finishing over 2400 metres, regular jockey Kathy O’Hara insists. The inseparable pair will jump from barrier 12 in a field of 17 for the $3 million race on Saturday in an attempt to claim the five-year-old mare’s first… Read More »
Damian Lane has made a flying start to the season and believes he has a great chance to land his biggest career win in the Caulfield Cup on one-time favourite Humidor. Lane leads the Melbourne and Victorian jockeys’ premierships and has two Group One wins already this spring, including the… Read More »
Since making the switch from equestrian sports to horse racing full time, trainer David Brideoake has been a quiet achiever. On Saturday, Brideoake saddles Hardham in the 2017 Caulfield Cup, his first runner in the world’s richest 2400m-handicap. “I’ve had a few just about at the mark before but they… Read More »
