Trainer Gavin Bedggood hopes to get a better appreciation as to the capabilities of Yamashita’s Gold when he runs at Flemington. Yamashita’s Gold is down to contest the VRC Member Sarah Hart Trophy (1000m) on Saturday and is bidding to break through for his maiden success. Bedggood did not hesitate with the… Read More »
Gun trainer Stephen Miller has probably heard the phrases before and particularly in the last couple of months. The margins between success and failure are small. Failure and success are flipsides of the same coin. The more times you lose, the closer you are to a win. With half a… Read More »
The Victoria Racing Club prides itself on being the home of the stayer. Flemington runs Australia’s most famous race, the Melbourne Cup, and is the home of the staying test for early season three-year-old’s, the Victoria Derby. As the racing season draws to a close, the VRC will stage a… Read More »
Jockey Jake Noonan will be looking to repay the faith of the Patrick and Michelle Payne stable when he partners Bold Soul at Flemington. Noonan rides the stayer in the Deane Lester Flemington Cup 1849 (2800m) on Saturday and is looking to strike winning form again on the rising five-year-old. Bold Soul and Noonan… Read More »
Richard Litt is the first to admit it took him a little while to figure out Romeo’s Choice but now that he has, he would happily have a stable full of horses as genuine. The gelding will line up in the Schweppes Sprint (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday chasing back-to-back wins after… Read More »
Phearson hasn’t been able to take a trick with barrier draws this preparation but trainer Brad Widdup is convinced the horse is “flying” and can turn his form around with even luck. The seven-year-old has finished out of the placings in both starts this campaign when he has gone back from awkward… Read More »
Former stunt rider Jeff Dunn has celebrated his biggest victory as a trainer with Sha Of Gomer capturing the Listed Ramornie Handicap at Grafton. Formerly a performer in the Australian Outback Spectacular show at the Gold Coast, Dunn has turned his hand to training in recent years and on Wednesday landed his… Read More »
Jockey Blake Shinn has shrugged off the effects of a virus to open up his lead on Craig Williams in the battle for Melbourne Jockeys’ Premiership honours. Shinn rode the first two winners at Sandown on Wednesday and secured another victory mid-program to move seven clear of Williams with four… Read More »
Yulong-owned colt Grand Prairie remains a work in progress but trainer Peter Snowden is optimistic he has a bright future after breaking his maiden on Randwick’s Kensington track. The youngster was put away after kicking off his career with two encouraging runs in March and returned a winner in the TAB Plate (1100m)… Read More »
An early season shot at another stakes race could be on the cards for With Your Blessing if he can return in a similar vein of form to last campaign. The six-year-old resumes in the Schweppes Sprint (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday having turned in a peak performance at his most… Read More »
Pakenham trainer Phillip Stokes has fond memories of the family of Bold Secret who is set to make his debut at Flemington. Bold Secret runs in VRC Member Sarah Hart Trophy on Saturday and enters the race after three jump-out victories at Pakenham, the most recent on July 8. A son of… Read More »
Plans to give Touristic a shot at going one better in the Grafton Cup could be thwarted by the weather with trainer Peter Snowden lukewarm on running if the track remains firm. The gelding was narrowly beaten by Deny Knowledge in the corresponding race 12 months ago and Snowden was keen to give… Read More »
South Australia’s thoroughbred racing industry generates more than $500 million for the state’s economy, the latest IER report has found. The study, which was conducted using data from the 2024 financial year, found that racing’s footprint in the state has grown year-on-year. The $515.4 million in economic contribution to the… Read More »
Man Crush returns for a winter campaign on Saturday and trainer Luke Fernie expects a big performance from the five-year-old in the Listed Bolton Sprint (1200m) at Bunbury. Man Crush struck an early blow at the beginning of the year when he won the Listed Miss Andretti Stakes (1100m) first… Read More »
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr Cranbourne stable would like to see rain, and plenty of it, ahead of the Flemington meeting. The stable has Moby Dick and La Fracas entered in the benchmark 84 handicap down the straight 1200m course on Saturday. Price has described La Fracas as one of the… Read More »
Trainer Richard Litt believes Barber is well suited to the Listed Ramornie Handicap (1200m) at Grafton on Wednesday, having specifically targeted the $200,000 sprint. Barber won the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) in 2023 but only managed one more victory under the care of James Cummings and Godolphin, with the… Read More »
The battle for supremacy on the Melbourne Jockeys’ Premiership is on with only four winners separating Craig Williams and Blake Shinn. Both returned to riding in the metropolitan area at Sandown last week following suspension and injury enforced breaks with Shinn leading Williams by eight. Williams landed a solitary winner at… Read More »
A quick glance at his form and one might not think too much about Pocketing’s eighth placing in the ATC Australian Derby in April, but in a campaign that stretched across nearly five months, there is more than meets the eye as the Richard and Will Freedman galloper heads to the… Read More »
All in all, it was a very good day’s work at the office for champion jockey, William Pike. Pike bagged three winners at Bunbury, took out one of the main features and strengthened his grip on the Australian and Perth Jockey Premiership. Race one went according to plan with exciting… Read More »
Trainer Phillip Stokes is crediting his property at Garfield with getting horses of the calibre of Melbourne Cup hope Deakin. Terry Henderson and the OTI syndicate have entrusted Stokes with the training of a number of stayers, including dual Melbourne Cup runner Daqiansweet Junior and French import Amade. Daqiansweet Junior run sixth… Read More »
