Prince Of Penzance is set to return in the Memsie Stakes but it is the Melbourne Cup winner’s stablemates who are the market leaders in the first Group One race of the season. Victoria’s premier trainer Darren Weir has four horses heading to Saturday’s Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield with… Read More »
Victoria Police are making a new bid to ban controversial jockey Danny Nikolic from racetracks. It comes after the Supreme Court ruled in June that bans against the Caulfield Cup-winning jockey were unlawful because he was not given details of the adverse allegations against him. Lawyers for Victoria Police appeared… Read More »
Former leading Sydney trainer Paul Sutherland has died in Queensland, aged 71, after a short illness. Sutherland was at his peak in the 1980s and 1990s with horses such as the champion Red Anchor (later trained by Tommy Smith), the Epsom winner Sound Horizon, weight-for-age star Wong and smart sprinter… Read More »
Group One-winning trainer David Brideoake has high hopes for Thames Court who is set to make her return in the Cockram Stakes at Caulfield. Thames Court won the Group Three Alexandra Stakes at Moonee Valley during autumn before jarring up when last in the Laelia Stakes in Adelaide in April…. Read More »
The Golden Rose is shaping as the preferred lead-up race for Thousand Guineas hopeful Leotie. Trainer Henry Dwyer has nominated the filly for four races across two states on Saturday including the Run To The Rose at Rosehill, but he is likely to choose the 1400m benchmark race for fillies… Read More »
The Hawkes Racing team has claimed two of the three stakes races for the new season’s three-year-olds so far and is well placed to win the next. San Domenico Stakes winner Star Turn heads the opening market for Saturday’s Group Two Run To The Rose at Rosehill while his stablemate,… Read More »
Hawkes Racing-trained colt Star Turn is the early favourite to take out the Group Two Run To The Rose. The San Domenico Stakes winner is rated a $3.80 chance for Saturday’s race over 1200m at Rosehill, ahead of Peter and Paul Snowden-trained colt Mediterranean who is $4.80. Impending is the… Read More »
Veteran jockey Robert Thompson has been concussed in a mounting yard fall at Cessnock. The horse he was to ride in the second race on Monday, bucked when Thompson was legged aboard and the jockey landed on the ground. Thompson, the Australian record holder with more than 4000 winners, was… Read More »
Oaks winner Sofia Rosa begins her Caulfield Cup campaign in the first Australian Group One race of the season and trainer Stephen Marsh believes she can make an immediate impact. This year’s ATC Australian Oaks winner pleased Marsh and race jockey Michael Walker in a jump-out at Flemington on Friday… Read More »
A star-studded field is expected to line up in Australia’s first Group One race of the season with seven elite-level winners among the Memsie Stakes nominations. Saturday’s Memsie Stakes at Caulfield has attracted 18 nominations including Melbourne Cup winner Prince Of Penzance who is one of four entries for Victoria’s… Read More »
The family of Winx has a new addition with Vegas Showgirl delivering a half sister to the champion mare. The Snitzel filly was born late on Saturday night, hours after Winx made a triumphant return to the track in the Group Two Warwick Stakes. Bred by John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds,… Read More »
Former champion jumps jockey Craig Durden has gained deep satisfaction from the victory of Wells in the Grand National Steeplechase at Ballarat. Durden won two Grand National Steeplechases as a jockey and prepared Wells with wife Kathryn to win the race in 2014. Wells missed the 2015 season following surgery… Read More »
Almoonqith will spearhead the Lindsay Park team for the big spring Cups with the imported stayer ready to begin his campaign. The seven-year-old is set to line up in the Listed Heatherlie Handicap (1700m) on Saturday. Tom Dabernig, who trains in partnership with David and Ben Hayes, said Almoonqith was… Read More »
Visiting Irish jumps jockey Katie Walsh has endured a tough day at the office. The sister of last year’s Grand National Steeplechase winner Ruby, Walsh failed to complete the course in three of her four rides at Ballarat on Sunday. Brought out to captain a team of Irish jockeys made… Read More »
Visiting Irish jockey Katie Walsh has escaped unscathed after being dislodged in a steeplechase at Ballarat. Walsh came off the $2.10 favourite Fledged at the third obstacle in the Hygain Steeplechase, taking a harmless tumble. Ex-patriate Irish jockey Martin Kelly fell from Danzadoozie fell at the second fence but was… Read More »
While Winx is now the horse by which all others are measured, several of her stablemates are gearing up for their share of the limelight. Trainer Chris Waller had his first stakes runners of the season at Randwick on Saturday with Omei Sword’s Silver Shadow win stamping her as a… Read More »
Zanteco has taken his jumps career to a new height with a stylish victory at Ballarat. The Darren Weir-trained eight-year-old claimed a third straight feature jumps victory when he took out Sunday’s J J Houlahan Hurdle (3200m). A debut winner over hurdles in May, Zanteco fell at his next start… Read More »
Classy five-year-old Alpine Eagle will kick off his spring campaign at Group One level in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield. After a meeting last week, trainer Tony McEvoy and owner Wolf Blass decided on the starting point for his preparation. Saturday’s Group One Memsie Stakes won out over the Listed… Read More »
Hidden Pearl’s latest Eagle Farm win has given her trainer further encouragement ahead of her upcoming trip to Sydney. The Barry Lockwood-trained mare scored an easy win over 1000 metres on Saturday after a few anxious moments during the race. Hidden Pearl was surprisingly headed by Tibrogargan Miss and then… Read More »
Grahame Begg admits he has been on a learning curve since setting up his new stable in Victoria. The former Randwick trainer is now domiciled at Pinecliff, a private training establishment on the Mornington Peninsula. After 25 years training at Randwick, Begg closed his stables in December 2014. He renewed… Read More »
