Tatts Tiara winner Startantes has booked her placed in this year’s edition of the $2 million The Invitation, a race in which she participated last year in its inaugural running. Having been issued with an early invitation by Racing New South Wales after her Group 1 win at Eagle Farm… Read More »
His name wasn’t in the book, but veteran trainer Brian Smith relished the win of Juan Diva in the Group 3 W J Healy Stakes at Eagle Farm on Saturday. For trainers Richard and Will Freedman, the win by the five-year-old daughter of Snitzel rubber stamped the value of two… Read More »
Headline races are just that … they grab most of the attention … but for the majority of people who don’t get to race in the elite Group 1 company, where it is all glitter and glory, the headline act is a title that can be redefined to fit a… Read More »
Which rider, having only her second day of race riding, came out as a 4kg claimer for five rides and brought back five winners? Sounds like a racing trivia quiz question? Well, it might well be in the future … which will make it just another reason to remember the… Read More »
You just never know where an Ipswich Cup winner can take you. Ask Larry Cassidy … who, incidentally, will be looking to land his third Ipswich Cup on Saturday aboard the Chris Waller trained Our Intrigue after having won the race in 2004 and 2009 with Portland Singa and Our… Read More »
While the dust was still settling on Stradbroke Handicap, which was run and won by Alligator Blood, the last race on Stradbroke day at Eagle Farm provided racing enthusiasts with another super ‘comeback’ story. It was ‘Tarrant time’ in the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes and the moment belonged to… Read More »
How good was Alligator Blood in the Stradbroke Handicap! The son of All Too Hard, who has seldom been far from the headlines since he kicked off his career with a five-race winning streak, stunned his opposition into submission with a blistering finishing effort which, with the exception of Private… Read More »
Trainer David Vandyke is a master strategist who stays focussed on particular objectives no matter what hype any particular horse is surrounded with at any time, or what temptations in terms of race scheduling might apply, or what distractions (and aren’t they always there) that might be in play. Vandyke’s… Read More »
Queensland trainers made a statement of their own when stopping the invasion from the southern trainers in its tracks in both the Group 1 Kingsford-Smith Cup (won by the Desleigh Forster trained Apache Chase) and the Group 1 Queensland Oaks (won by the David Vandyke trained Gypsy Goddess). The message… Read More »
It is all systems go for the Queensland Oaks favourite Gypsy Goddess on Saturday. The David Vandyke trained daughter of Tarzino will be looking to make it third time lucky in a Group 1 contest and her previous results at the elite level … when third in the Vinery Stakes… Read More »
The Catch, Dubai-bound Michael Costa’s last runner in Australia, gave the young trainer the perfect send-off when he completed a hat trick of wins at Doomben on Wednesday. The future beckons brightly for Costa who will shortly relocate to Dubai where he will take on the privileged challenge of becoming… Read More »
Michael Walker’s resilience is truly remarkable. The top jockey has had more adversity come his way through a spate of serious injuries than anyone should be asked to deal with … and if he had backed off and cried ‘enough’ nobody would have blamed him one iota. But the man… Read More »
The great Lester Piggott’s passing this week at the age of eighty-six has brought in tributes from just about every jockey of any consequence, all of whom have remained in awe of Piggott’s prowess in the saddle in spite of all of their own high level of achievement. Willie Carson… Read More »
The Peter and Paul Snowden trained Huetor, conqueror of the mighty Zaaki in the Group 1 Doomben Cup, has been marked up as the early favourite at $2.70 for the $1.5 million Q22 to be run at Eagle Farm on Stradbroke day, June 11. The Annabel Neasham trained Zaaki, who… Read More »
Tommy Berry will take over the reins of the Robert Heathcote trained Rothfire in the $1.5 million Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm on June 11. Jimmy Orman, who is leading the Brisbane Jockey’s Premiership, has ridden the son of Rothesay in all three starts this preparation, but the 54.5kg allocated… Read More »
Leith Innes rubber stamped his exit from race riding in the best possible way … on top, winning a Group 1 with a ride that was lauded by all who saw it. That ride came aboard the Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained Pinarello in the Queensland Derby on Saturday and,… Read More »
Sweet Dolly … sweet by name, sweet by the pleasure she gave, sweet by financial return. While the big names runners like Away Game and Tofane, with their big-name players, were hogging the headlines at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale … with those horses changing hands for $4 million… Read More »
There are several possible scenarios at Eagle Farm on Saturday in which certain runners can reimpose their presence in the record books. Zaaki is obviously the prime contender for that as the Annabel Neasham trained star looks to land a second successive Doomben Cup victory. The Robert Heathcote trained Emerald… Read More »
For some, like the connections of wet track horses and mudlarks, the chance of racing being to their advantage on a heavy Doomben track surface disappeared when the meeting was postponed last Saturday. For others, who had an overall preference to race at Doomben … whenever … because it better… Read More »
“Thank God!” That was James McDonald’s response when it was put to him that Zaaki will have firmer footing to race on at Eagle Farm on Saturday in the Doomben Cup than he would have had if the (now postponed) meeting had gone ahead on the heavy surface at Doomben… Read More »
