The Spring picture will take greater shape on Tuesday, when entries for the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate close, but Chris Waller has reiterated a warning to punters around the favourite for one of those majors. The Hall of Fame horseman said the 2400-metre Caulfield Cup was an ‘unlikely’ destination for… Read More »
The domination of the big racing stables around the country is obviously no surprise to any racing enthusiast, but just how much they outdistance their rivals in terms of numbers will possibly raise some eyebrows. Before we go there, it must be acknowledged that not only have all of these… Read More »
It has taken Charlie Fellowes a few years to get his hands on a horse to bring him back to Australia, but the English trainer is convinced he has found one in Luther. As such, Fellowes is likely to make return later this year. But he won’t be heading to Melbourne,… Read More »
Ben Thompson is back with a bang! Having returned to the Sunshine State after completing a riding contract in Hong Kong, Thompson could not have announced his arrival in a more compelling fashion, making a clear statement of intent by bringing home five winners over the first weekend of the… Read More »
Shane Jackson said there was ten times the excitement in training his first Grand National Hurdle victory than when successful twice as a jockey. Highland Blaze led throughout to claim Sunday’s Grand National Hurdle (4200m) at Sandown to give Jackson a second feature hurdle win for the season. Jackson won the Grand… Read More »
Scobie Breasley Medal contender Blake Shinn will make the trip to the Top End to ride at Monday’s Darwin Cup meeting. The star jockey has secured three key rides for close friend and former jockey turned trainer Peter Robl. Shinn’s feature mount is Hadouken in the $200,000 Darwin Cup (2050m),… Read More »
The door remains ajar for Stern Idol to have a third attempt at the Grand National Steeplechase at Ballarat after a stroll in the park victory at Sandown. Stern Idol took out a third consecutive Crisp Steeplechase (4200m) when leading throughout and in an ominous warning to his rivals, jockey… Read More »
John O’Shea and Tom Charlton will welcome back several of their carnival horses at a Randwick trial session this week as they bid to parlay a successful season into a lucrative spring. In their first full term as training partners, the pair had a memorable 12-months with three Group 1… Read More »
Michael Dee celebrated his return to Melbourne racing with a ‘dream’ double, including Saturday’s feature event at Flemington. The New Zealand native teamed with the Peter Snowden-trained King Of Roseau to score a third win in Victoria’s first Group race of the season, the $200,000 Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m). The… Read More »
An uncharacteristically below-par run from the usually consistent Headley Grange left Joe Pride scratching his head, but all was explained when he returned to the winner’s list at Rosehill. Pride took the gelding north for last month’s South Grafton Cup (1600m), a qualifying race for the Big Dance, and was disappointed when he… Read More »
He still has some kinks in his racing style to iron out, but Zou Sensation is likely to be directed towards the top level now after winning Saturday’s $150,000 Victorian Jockeys’ Association Trophy at Flemington. The six-year-old Zoustar gelding made it three wins in a row with a gritty on-pace performance… Read More »
The first Sydney meeting of the new season is one Denim Wynen won’t be forgetting any time soon, the young Central Coast trainer celebrating her first metropolitan win with new stable addition Sunshine Law. The 29-year-old had only had a handful of runners in town previously, but she was optimistic Sunshine… Read More »
Progressive country sprinter Without Parallel has ploughed through the heavy conditions at Rosehill to thump her Highway Handicap rivals, putting herself in the frame for a slot in the $2 million The Kosciuszko. Trainer Matt Dunn confirmed earlier this week he was bringing Without Parallel to Sydney with the intention of… Read More »
Some canny placement allowed to Crossbow to break his maiden on the biggest stage of all and have Chris Waller’s name up in lights after Victoria’s first metropolitan race of the season. The son of Better Than Ready proved too good for a small field of rivals in the $150,000 TAB… Read More »
Godolphin’s transition to a public training model got off to the perfect start when its first Sydney runner, Amusing, posted a dominant win in the opening race of the new season at Rosehill. Trainer Chris Waller described it as an honour to count the global operation as a client after… Read More »
A gritty win over the Glorious Goodwood carnival has put UK gelding Seagulls Eleven firmly in the frame to make the trip to Australia for the $10 million Golden Eagle. Trainer Hugo Palmer confirmed his interest in the lucrative feature after his charge fended off all challengers to take out the… Read More »
The Australian Turf Club has confirmed the appointment of seasoned track curator David Anderson as the new Randwick racecourse manager. Anderson joins the ATC from the Illawarra Turf Club, where he held the position of Kembla Grange racecourse manager, bringing with him more than four decades of experience in the… Read More »
Henry Dwyer remains confident Asfoora can crack it for another European win, despite his star sprinter’s unplaced effort at Goodwood overnight. Last year’s King Charles III Stakes winner finished seventh in the Group 2 King George Stakes (1005m) won by $15 chance Jm Jungle. With Oisin Murphy aboard, Asfoora settled towards the… Read More »
Group 1-winning jockey Noel Callow has been stood down from riding after being charged by racing stewards over a racially offensive video in which he mocked an Indigenous man. The video, understood to have been filmed in Darwin last year, came to light this week and prompted an investigation by… Read More »
Ballarat trainer Henry Dwyer and leading jockey Oisin Mullin were both of the opinion that soft ground played against star sprinter Asfoora in her Group 2 King George Stakes run at Goodwood on Saturday morning. The mare finished seventh, not beaten far, in the 1000m feature won narrowly by Jm… Read More »
