One weekend he’s attending one of the world’s biggest race days, and the next a meeting in country Victoria. That’s the contrast for owner Glenn Whittenbury who has Atlantic Express running in the Bendigo Guineas on Saturday. A week earlier, Whittenbury was at the Dubai World Cup meeting to watch… Read More »
Jockey Craig Williams has been given the all-clear to take his rides on the opening day of The Championships at Randwick. Williams suffered concussion in a post-race fall from stricken horse The Gold Trail in the Mornington Cup last Saturday and needed a medical clearance to take his two rides… Read More »
The complexion of the VOBIS Gold Rush has changed with odds-on favourite Limestone a scratching from the $250,000 race for two-year-olds at Bendigo. The Blue Diamond fillies Preview winner and Prelude runner-up was the $1.90 favourite for Saturday’s race before being withdrawn on Friday. It now leaves the Mick Price-trained… Read More »
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy will return to the track after a brief “freshen-up” for more Group One glory during The Championships at Randwick. After copping a suspension for his Group One-winning ride on Russian Revolution in The Galaxy on March 18, McEvoy says he’s excited to be back in… Read More »
The Doomben race meeting remains in limbo ahead of track inspections of the waterlogged surface. Doomben received about 150mm of rain on Thursday and the track was saturated. The rain cleared early on Friday and a strong wind blew across the course which is noted for its drying. Track manager… Read More »
Sportsbet.com.au punters are casting their net far and wide when it comes to finding the winner of the Inglis Sires’ (1400m) this Saturday at Randwick, with a host of runners backed. The one that stands out early is the Team Snowden trained Invader, who was scratched from the Slipper due… Read More »
The Sydney Cup remains a possibility for Tavago after initial fears he would miss the rest of the autumn and possibly the spring. Tavago pulled up lame in his off fore leg when he finished last in the Group One BMW at Rosehill on Saturday and first thoughts were he… Read More »
SIRES’ PRODUCE STAKES 1400m, $1 million, Group One for two-year-olds at Randwick HISTORY * First run in 1867 when won by Glencoe * Some greats of the Australasian turf have won the race including Furious (1921), Hall Mark (1933), Ajax (1937), Shannon (1944), Tulloch (1957), Fine And Dandy (1959), Wenona… Read More »
THE ATC AUSTRALIAN DERBY 2400m, $2 million, set weights HISTORY * First run in 1861 and won by Kyogle, the Derby is firmly established as the No.1 three-year-old Classic in the country. * Past winners include Grand Flaneur (1880), Poseidon (1906), Gloaming (1918), Heroic (1924), Phar Lap (1929), Peter Pan… Read More »
TJ SMITH STAKES 1200m, $2.5 million, Group One weight-for-age at Randwick HISTORY * Named in honour of Randwick’s most famous trainer whose daughter Gai Waterhouse has won the race with Phoenix Park in 2002, Shamekha in 2005 and Bentley Biscuit in 2007 * First run in 1997 when won by… Read More »
An intense downpour has forced a 24-hour delay to the Gosford Guineas meeting. A track inspection by stewards plus senior riders Hugh Bowman and Josh Parr on Thursday determined the track was unsafe. The call was made at 1.20pm, five minutes before an eight-race card highlighted by the $150,000 Gosford… Read More »
The smallest horse in Sydney’s premier stable will be aiming for the biggest prize on the first day of The Championships at Randwick. McCreery is the most favoured of Chris Waller’s four runners as he bids to equal the training performances of TJ Smith and Gai Waterhouse with seven wins… Read More »
The middle distance experiment with Chautauqua didn’t work but Tommy Berry is in no doubt the horse can reclaim his title as Australia’s sprint king. Chautauqua will chase a record third win in the Group One TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday when he reverts to his traditional… Read More »
Murray Baker won’t compare his other Australian Derby winners to current hope Jon Snow, but a consistent thread is emerging as New Zealand mounts a two-pronged assault on a focal point of The Championships’ opening day program. The three-year-old has made significant strides towards Randwick and the Group One staying… Read More »
Injury curtailed Victoria Derby aspirations for lightly raced Mandalay Bay in the spring but trainer Matt Laurie is hoping the gelding can still make an impact in the Queensland equivalent. Mandalay Bay resumes in Saturday’s Listed Bendigo Guineas (1400m) having not raced since his sixth in the Group Two Bill… Read More »
Well-rested stayer Polarisation has been tasked with giving Godolphin’s European contingent a feel-good factor after The Gold Trail’s demise on his Australian debut at Mornington. Polarisation faces his first start since September in Saturday’s Group Two $300,000 Chairman’s Handicap (2600m) at Randwick, the five-year-old’s lead-up to the $2 million Sydney… Read More »
BMW winner Jameka is being treated for travel sickness which will rule her out of a clash with Winx in Sydney and has cast a doubt on international plans. Jameka was a dominant winner of the BMW (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday to set up the prospect of the Queen Elizabeth… Read More »
Show A Star will always hold a special place in the stable of Matt Cumani. Since he began his Australian training career a year ago, Show A Star has given Cumani his only two city victories. Now Cumani, the son of legendary UK horseman Luca, is hoping the gelding can… Read More »
The Peter and Will Hulbert training partnership will break one of its golden rules when brilliant barrier trial winner Cooroi Chase runs at Doomben. Cooroi Chase will make a belated debut in Saturday’s QTIS Two-Year-Old (1050m) against a field of smart youngsters as long as the races go ahead after… Read More »
Fillies have dominated the major two-year-old races this season but Corey Brown reckons Menari is poised to put the males on the Group One scoreboard in the Sires’ Produce Stakes. “I wouldn’t choose another one over him,” Brown said. The Gerald Ryan-trained youngster was the first of the colts and… Read More »
