Cao Cao has pressed his claims for the rich Magic Millions 2YO Classic with a convincing win at Moonee Valley. Giving trainer Mick Price an early winning double from the first two races on Saturday, Cao Cao sprinted to a 2-3/4 length win at his second start. “He looks like… Read More »
Gold Coast trainer Gillian Heinrich’s theory on why Zinzi failed in Sydney has been proven right at Eagle Farm. Zinzi ($9) won a three-way slog to beat Bold Kingston ($4) by a long head with a head to another Heinrich filly Cool Mover ($1.85) on Saturday. Heinrich has a good… Read More »
Race experience counts for a lot when it comes to two-year-olds and it seems a winning counts for even more with Serena Bay refusing to be beaten at Rosehill. One of only three raced youngsters among the nine starters in Saturday’s Golden Gift (1100m) and the only winner among them,… Read More »
Trainer Chris Waller is seeing shades of top-class mares Red Tracer and Catkins in Zumbelina after she put her third-straight win on the board. The filly shouldered 60kg on her way to winning Saturday’s three-year-old benchmark handicap over 1400m at Rosehill. Waller is plotting a similar path to the three-year-old… Read More »
Heavenly Descent has defied a tough run at Moonee Valley to win her third race in less than three weeks. The Mick Price-trained filly broke her maiden at her third start at Pakenham on November 10 before adding a second win at Moonee Valley eight days later. The three-year-old was… Read More »
The Mike Moroney-trained Loyalty Man has taken out the $90,000 Wodonga Cup but has had to survive a protest. Loyalty Man ($3) got home by half a length over London Fog in Friday’s 1590m race with favourite Entre Nous ($2.50) another short neck away. But London Fog’s jockey Daniel Moor… Read More »
Nick Harnett isn’t getting too ambitious with consistent mare Chiavari but will give her every chance to add black type to her record. Chiavari makes her reappearance in Saturday’s MSC Signs Handicap (1000m) at Moonee Valley, the scene of her most recent win in June. Chiavari’s 21-start career has so… Read More »
While Winx enjoys a well-deserved rest after her stunning defence of the Cox Plate, her most expensive sibling is taking small steps towards launching a career of his own. The Snitzel colt is out of Winx’s dam Vegas Showgirl and fetched $2.3 million at the Easter Yearling sale with Emirates… Read More »
The path towards the Magic Millions race day at the Gold Coast begins in a familiar place for Sydney sprinter Straturbo who makes his return at Moonee Valley. Straturbo is in Melbourne for Saturday’s Montmorency FC Handicap which will be the third year in a row the gelding has kicked… Read More »
New Zealand stayer Benzini will have a Group Three tune-up at Ellerslie ahead of his unexpected trip to Hong Kong to take on the world. Trainers Adrian and Harry Bull accepted a last minute invitation for the Brisbane Cup winner to join a star-studded field in the Hong Kong Vase… Read More »
Two-year-old Blackwolf Run heads to Moonee Valley for his race debut having already had a look around the Melbourne racetrack. A half-brother to Group Two placegetter So Si Bon, Blackwokf Run was one of three unraced youngsters to gallop at Moonee Valley on Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s Whiteman Property… Read More »
Nervousness and excitement in two-year-old racing is usually the domain of horses but small-time bush trainer Rebecca Dunn admits she is feeling both emotions as she prepares to saddle her first city runner. Keep On Charging is the $251 outsider for Saturday’s $150,000 Golden Gift at Rosehill but the home-bred… Read More »
The Queensland Oaks is a long-term goal for Benfica Princess who takes on older horses when she runs at Eagle Farm. Benfica Princess has won her past two starts with the latest a last-to-first victory at the Sunshine Coast over 1600m. She will drop back slightly in distance to the… Read More »
All the boxes are ticked ahead Kievann’s return to the races at Moonee Valley. He has an in-form apprentice taking 2kg off his burden, a good barrier draw, a good first-up record and importantly a good Moonee Valley record. The Stephen Brown-trained gelding makes his reappearance in the William Hill… Read More »
Queensland wagering giant UBET has stepped into the breach to sponsor the $1.5million Group One Stradbroke Handicap for the next three years. For the past decade Queensland’s richest and most prestigious race has been sponsored by AAMI but the insurance company has not renewed its contract. The Stradbroke will be… Read More »
Ben Looker will make a rare visit to Brisbane to ride Allknight Saint for Brad Herne and the trainer hopes he can entice the jockey from his NSW Northern Rivers base more often. Looker, who spent some time in Brisbane as an apprentice with Lawrie Mayfield-Smith, rides the Herne-trained gelding… Read More »
Newly crowned British champion jockey Jim Crowley has been named first-choice rider to Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum. The sheikh’s racing manager Angus Gold said he expected Crowley to take up his position starting with the Dubai carnival in the new year. “He’ll be going out to Dubai for the carnival,… Read More »
Darren Weir is well ahead of schedule to better his Commonwealth training record of 348 winners. Weir posted the mark last season and a treble at Sandown on Wednesday pushed him past the 150-winner mark with more than two-thirds of the season remaining. He added a winner at Bendigo on… Read More »
All three of Matt Cumani’s stable blocks and one belonging to his Ballarat neighbour James Wardeiner have now been quarantined to contain a case of the infectious disease strangles. A horse trained by Cumani was diagnosed on Wednesday with strangles and the stable block where it was housed was isolated…. Read More »
Injured Queanbeyan trackwork rider James Gibbs is being transferred to a Sydney hospital after suffering a neck injury in a fall. Gibbs lost consciousness after Thursday’ morning’s accident and had no feeling in his limbs at the time. Later in the day, Racing NSW’s Maurice Logue said Dr David Duckworth… Read More »
