Stakes performer Blue Lion will need to reproduce some of his best form at Doomben to ward off retirement. Blue Lion steps up to 2000 metres for the first time in three years when he races in the Open Hcp (2030m) on Saturday. The gelding did his early racing in… Read More »
Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes is confident Chautauqua is back to his best after a lacklustre spring campaign. But the hulking grey doesn’t have to win Saturday’s Rubiton Stakes at Caulfield to convince Hawkes he has returned to form. “Of course we want to win,” Hawkes said. “Every time you see this… Read More »
Two Shoes has won three short-course races but her trainer Tony Sears has always believed the filly can stretch out to a middle distance. She gets that chance at Doomben on Saturday when she steps up to 1630 metres in the QTIS Three-Year-Old. By Group Two-winning sprinter Jet Spur, Two… Read More »
Trainer Matt Dunn has made a habit of winning Highway races in Sydney for country-trained horses and will be looking to another big prize at Grafton. The Murwillumbah trainer has four runners who are the market leaders in the first regional heat of the Country Championship on Sunday headed by… Read More »
Jockey Blake Spriggs remains under observation in hospital with doctors monitoring a head injury after he fell at Hawkesbury. Racing NSW said Spriggs also has a relatively undisplaced fracture to his patella which is unlikely to need surgery but will be further assessed with scans. Spriggs was injured in the… Read More »
Injured Sydney apprentice Deanne Panya will spend an extra month on the sidelines after being found guilty of an offence related to a banned diuretic. After an inquiry on Thursday into the fall on January 28 in which Panya suffered a broken collarbone and facial laceration, Racing NSW stewards held… Read More »
Apprentice Jack Martin will be sidelined for several weeks with a shoulder injury suffered in a fall at Ballarat. Martin was kept in hospital for observation following his fall from Ocean Magic in the opening race on Tuesday. Scans revealed a shoulder tear with doctors giving Martin the all-clear to… Read More »
After going within a short head of claiming a Sandown Guineas in his first preparation, lightly raced Ruthven kicks off his latest campaign aimed towards Classic races in two states. Ruthven stepped up from provincial wins at his first two starts during the spring to the Group Two Sandown Guineas… Read More »
Bridget Grylls hopes the confidence shown her by trainer Robert Heathcote can help reignite her senior riding career on veteran Jopa. Grylls has retained the ride on topweight Jopa in the Open Hcp (1350m) at Doomben on Saturday with Heathcote opting against a claiming apprentice. Jopa is one of Grylls’… Read More »
Jockey Nick Hall faces the possibility of a year on the sidelines with a hip injury which requires surgery. Hall has previously had surgery on his left hip but his right one is now the problem. The surgery may not take place until May and with recovery and rehabilitation it… Read More »
Darren Weir admits he’s learning a bit more about two-year-old racing through the deeds of Limestone. The youngster runs in the Group Two Blue Diamond Prelude for fillies at Caulfield on Saturday and will need to win for connections to pay a $55,000 late entry fee into the 2017 Blue… Read More »
Trainer Chris Waller and jockey Hugh Bowman are keeping their cool ahead of Winx’s return at Randwick where temperatures are expected to reach record highs for February. The Australian Turf Club will have measures in place on Saturday for the comfort of racegoers as well as the horses as the… Read More »
Katelyn Mallyon has played her part at the launch of Melbourne’s Festival of Racing, riding former star sprinter Apache Cat on the sand at St Kilda Beach. On Saturday the jockey is also hoping to make an impact on the track on the opening day of the carnival when she… Read More »
On the same day champion Winx takes centre stage in her return to racing at Randwick, her younger half-brother El Divino could also chase a feature race win in Melbourne. El Divino is entered for Saturday’s Group Two Rubiton Stakes at Caulfield which will be run 15 minutes after Winx… Read More »
Already training on a stay of proceedings over two disqualifications, Con Karakatsanis has been banned for a third offence. The Warwick Farm trainer was outed for 12 months after an inquiry on Thursday when he was found guilty of giving a raceday treatment to Howmuchdoyouloveme. The sprinter was withdrawn from… Read More »
Promising apprentice Michael Murphy is set to make his Saturday Brisbane riding debut at Doomben. The 19-year-old is indentured to former champion jockey Chris Munce and rated one of the best prospects among Queensland’s provincial standard apprentices. He will ride the Paul Facoory-trained Uno Best who is one of the… Read More »
Divine Prophet kicks off his autumn campaign at Caulfield with his co-trainer declaring him a bigger and stronger version than the one seen in the spring. Wayne Hawkes, who trains in partnership with his father John and brother Michael, says Divine Prophet has grown 15cm since winning the Group One… Read More »
Brisbane’s hot conditions will determine whether Banda Spice gets the chance to continue trainer Stuart Kendrick’s outstanding season. The forecast is for a top of 35 in Brisbane on Saturday and Kendrick is one of several trainers who have expressed worries should the mercury go higher.. Banda Spice is scheduled… Read More »
Queensland jockey Luke Rolls’ ride on American Diva at Eagle Farm has come under scrutiny from stewards. The mare was last coming to the turn in a 1000m-race on Wednesday but ran on strongly to finish fourth. Chairman of stewards Martin Knibbs said his panel had concerns about Rolls’ ride… Read More »
Jockey Nick Hall faces a year on the sidelines with a recurring hip injury which needs further surgery. After receiving the news this week, Hall was forced to relinquish the ride on his Caulfield Cup-winning mount Jameka in Saturday’s Group One Orr Stakes. Hall’s manager Reece Murphy told RSN 927,… Read More »
