Although Entirely Platinum hasn’t won a race for more than two years, his co-trainer insists he is in career-best form. Wayne Hawkes, who prepares the gelding in partnership with his father John and brother Michael, says the seven-year-old has held his form since his last-start third in the Group Two… Read More »
It’s been a decade since Toowoomba trainer Kevin Kemp has won a race in Sydney, but he has had limited opportunities. He now has a horse he thinks is good enough and he is looking forward to testing the talented Sold For Song in Saturday’s Group Three Sheraco Stakes (1200m)… Read More »
Racing Victoria’s head vet says the “overwhelming” science shows cobalt can act as a doping agent and is performance enhancing. Dr Brian Stewart was the driver behind Victoria’s cobalt threshold and told the regulator’s board cobalt salts had the effect of a doping agent in horses. Stewart said that had… Read More »
Craig Williams will front the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board in a bid to have a careless riding suspension overturned. Williams’ appeal against a 10-meeting ban from last Saturday’s Moonee Valley meeting will be heard on Friday morning. As it stands, Williams’ is due to start his suspension after Saturday’s… Read More »
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne will make her comeback to the saddle in a race at Sale in country Victoria. Payne, who hasn’t ridden competitively since she underwent pancreatic surgery after a race fall at Mildura in May, is booked to ride the Henry Dwyer-trained Lucky Liberty on Sunday. The… Read More »
Caulfield Cup runner-up Trip To Paris has been taken out of the Doncaster Cup and will run instead in the Irish St Leger. Last year’s Ascot Gold Cup winner has been steadily brought back to top form by trainer Ed Dunlop after missing the first half of the season through… Read More »
Racing authorities will hold an investigation into the safety of the Sandown Lakeside course with a second meeting called off in less than two months. Wednesday’s meeting was abandoned after three races when jockeys said some horses were losing their footing near the home turn. Racing Victoria and the Melbourne… Read More »
A rank outsider has given Canberra trainer Philip Courtney his first city winner. Maryore ($21) swooped late to defeat $1.80 favourite Kent in the Ranvet’s Salkavite Handicap at Canterbury on Wednesday. Courtney said he would never forget training his first city winner. “It’s exciting for the stable,” Courtney said. “We’ve… Read More »
Sydney jockey Josh Parr has earned a long-awaited first city win since returning from hip surgery, riding Oculist to win at Canterbury. The 29-year-old didn’t ride for more than seven months and had surgery on his hip in March. Parr said he was relieved to return to the Sydney winner’s… Read More »
The driver of Racing Victoria’s cobalt rule believed there was no issue over the testing despite the racing labs lacking specific accreditation covering horse urine. Testing of urine was straightforward whether it was from a person or a horse, Racing Victoria head vet Dr Brian Stewart said. Trainers Danny O’Brien… Read More »
A Sandown meeting has been called off for the second time in two months with jockeys voting not to ride at the city course. The July 20 meeting was abandoned after one race while three races were run on Wednesday before racing was abandoned. Both meetings were held on Sandown’s… Read More »
Craig Williams has immediately signalled he will appeal a 10-meeting suspension for careless riding in a race at Moonee Valley. Racing Victoria stewards issued the penalty from Saturday’s Moonee Valley meeting at a reconvened inquiry at Sandown on Wednesday, determining he had shifted out on Sebring Sun at the 200m… Read More »
Hong Kong’s loss could be Queensland’s gain after four-year-old Mr Wind’s outstanding debut at Doomben. Mr Wind ($2.50) opened up a big margin at the 200 metres before jockey Jeff Lloyd eased him down to beat Scrabble ($15) by 1-3/4 lengths in a 1200m-maiden on Wednesday. The win continued the… Read More »
Damian Lane’s association with Rising Romance has yet to reap a big race reward despite a couple of near misses, but the jockey is hoping their day will come in the Makybe Diva Stakes. Lane has finished second in three Group One races on the mare in the past year,… Read More »
Robbie Griffiths admits it’s not ideal to have two of the stable’s fillies running against each other in a stakes race at Flemington. Ariaz and Selenia contest the Listed Cap D’Antibes Stakes on Saturday after which they head on different paths. Griffiths says later in the spring they may meet… Read More »
Dwayne Dunn will be reunited with Stradbroke Handicap winner Under The Louvre when the sprinter chases his first Flemington straight-track victory in the Bobbie Lewis Quality. Dunn won the Group One Stradbroke on Under The Louvre in June but was aboard rival runner Santa Ana Lane when the horse made… Read More »
Jockey Damian Browne has a word of warning for his southern rivals following star sprinter Buffering’s scintillating win in a barrier trial at Doomben. Browne was quick to declare while he was happy with Buffering’s effort he believed the gelding had improvement in him. It was a startling statement because… Read More »
Racing at Sandown in Melbourne has been called off after three races because of safety concerns. After two races a section of the track was aerated after jockeys said their mounts were losing their footing rounding the home turn. They agreed to ride in the third race but decided the… Read More »
Chris Waller is confident Omei Sword has the strength to match it with the colts in the $1 million Golden Rose. The lure of the rich Group One purse in Omei Sword’s backyard at Rosehill on Saturday was enough to convince the trainer to take on the strong line-up of… Read More »
Concerns over a section of the Sandown racetrack has caused a delay to the meeting. Jockeys reported to stewards following the first two races on Wednesday their mounts were losing their footing on the point of the home turn. Remedial work between the 800m and 400m marks to loosen the… Read More »
