The Melbourne Cup dream is still flickering for connections of Carif and they will roll the dice one final time in a last-ditch bid to get him into the race. The stayer, who sports the black and white checked silks with yellow sleeves made famous by the late Dato Tan… Read More »
James Cummings is aiming to convert silver into gold when Godolphin’s high-class trio tackle the $7.5 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill. Cummings already possesses the Silver Eagle trophy courtesy of talented mare Flit, who is joined in Saturday’s race by Australian Oaks winner Colette and emerging star Criaderas. After a… Read More »
It was only four months ago former AFL coach Denis Pagan was granted a trainers’ licence and since then he has made an extraordinary transition to his late-career passion. Pagan has already trained a city winner and on Saturday at Flemington, he finds himself with a runner in the Group… Read More »
John O’Shea will be making sure he is wearing his lucky purple tie when All Saints’ Eve competes for a slice of the $7.5 million Golden Eagle pie on Halloween. The Randwick horseman might be a no-nonsense trainer but he has a superstitious streak. A talented rugby league player in… Read More »
Aidan O’Brien’s travelling foreman T J Comerford believes the stable is in a good position to land its first Melbourne Cup with Anthony Van Dyck and Tiger Moth. O’Brien is keen to win the race and the closest he has come was when Johannes Vermeer finished second to Rekindling ,… Read More »
The impressive rate of improvement Olympic Class has made in his first preparation has convinced trainer Michael Costa to chase city success. Bought at the Inglis Classic sale for only $18,000, Olympic Class was backed from $14 into $9.50 and won like an odds-on pop at his first start in… Read More »
Adam Trinder believes Mystic Journey is back to her best but her stumbling block in the Empire Rose Stakes could be a horse the trainer sees as a younger version of his star mare. “I keep looking at Odeum’s form as a three-year-old filly and it’s almost the same as… Read More »
Ballarat trainer Matt Cumani is a fan of the Victoria Derby and believes it should remain at 2500 metres and not be reduced in distance. The annual debate regarding the Derby journey is again in play and Cumani regards the race as a test of a young horse’s staying ability…. Read More »
A more mature Wild Ruler will face his moment of truth when he lines up against a top-class field in the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington. The colt showed promise as a juvenile but had a tendency to over-race and was at times his own worst enemy. But as a… Read More »
Gordon Richards will cherish his Everest experience with Gytrash for a long time to come, but a consolation victory in the Yes Yes Yes Stakes will make it even sweeter. While Gytrash could not match the finishing burst of winner Classique Legend in the $15 million Everest show-stopper, he did… Read More »
Victoria Racing Club chairman Amanda Elliott says they are bitterly disappointed with the state government’s decision not to allow owners at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup carnival. Racing Minister Martin Pakula confirmed on Wednesday that it was too soon for connections to be permitted to gather on course, a decision… Read More »
Kembla Grange trainer Kerry Parker only ever has 20 or so horses in work and one of them, Think It Over, is a live chance in the $500,000 Rosehill Gold Cup. The horse was a strong last-start winner of the Group Three Craven Plate on October 17 and Parker is… Read More »
A last-ditch attempt to get Pondus a start in the Melbourne Cup has been narrowly thwarted by Princess Jenni, who has held off the Irish raider in the Bendigo Cup. The Joseph O’Brien trained-Pondus was number 39 in the Melbourne Cup order of entry and desperately needed to win on… Read More »
Track conditions will determine whether Dame Giselle gets a chance to take on the older horses in the $1 million Yes Yes Yes Stakes at Rosehill. The filly has enjoyed a superb campaign, claiming the first three legs of the Princess Series and finishing fourth to subsequent Spring Champion Stakes… Read More »
Although international raider Prince Of Arran already has two Melbourne Cup placings to his credit, the Charlie Fellowes camp believe he is going into this year’s race in even better shape. Fellowes’ travelling foreman and track rider, Aled Beech, said Prince Of Arran’s last-start fourth in the Caulfield Cup was… Read More »
The Golden Eagle is still in its infancy but the $7.5 million purse is already making it a race that is hard to resist. The second edition of the Sydney feature will be run at Rosehill on Saturday and Queensland trainer David Vandyke has had it as a target for… Read More »
Danny O’Brien doesn’t adhere to the norms of Australian training and that is why he’s happy to try to win the Victoria Derby with Young Werther at the horse’s third start. Earlier this year, O’Brien showed he was capable of producing a similar feat when Russian Camelot claimed the South… Read More »
Chris Waller mare Funstar remains favourite for the $7.5 million Golden Eagle despite drawing the outside barrier for the big race at Rosehill. The Epsom Handicap runner-up eased slightly from $4.20 to $4.40 in TAB fixed odds markets but is still a clear favourite over $6.50 chance Alligator Blood. The… Read More »
Mick Price isn’t sure his Victoria Derby runner Redwood Shadow has the form to win the race but he believes he deserves his opportunity to have a shot at it. Price set eight three-year-olds for the 2500m classic and Redwood Shadow was the last one standing because he had the… Read More »
Troy Corstens finds himself in a rare but coveted position with the stable having two runners in winning form going into the Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington. Corstens said he was pinching himself that he had two live chances, Ranting and Swats That, in Saturday’s $1.5 million Coolmore… Read More »
