El Don has edged out High Bridge to give trainer Peter Gelagotis a second Bagot Handicap at Flemington while winning jockey Beau Mertens has joined his father on the honour roll. Gelagotis won the Listed Bagot (2800m) in 2013 with Module and said he had a similar feeling about the… Read More »
Having been retired with a tendon injury, Julius has capped a remarkable comeback with a hard-fought Group One victory over Australian sprinter Winter Bride in the Railway at Ellerslie. The eight-year-old was retired 12 months ago and spent much of that time roaming the paddocks of a west coast sheep… Read More »
Melbourne-based New Zealander Michael Dee has made sure another ex-pat kiwi, James McDonald, has not taken all the limelight at the Ellerslie carnival. Dee returned to his roots to ride Te Akau Racing’s Prise De Fer in the Group Two Rich Hill Mile (1600m) on Wednesday while McDonald rode four… Read More »
Talented sprinter Halvorsen has delivered again at Flemington to claim his first stakes race success in the Group Three Standish Handicap. The four-year-old Robbie Griffiths-trained gelding’s 1-1/4-length victory in Wednesday’s 1200m feature was his third-straight success at Flemington, having won during the Melbourne Cup carnival over 1100m in November and… Read More »
Veteran jockey Robbie Fradd continued to make the most of the extra workload from trainer Matt Dunn when they combined to win with talented two-year-old Voodoo Crown at Doomben. Fradd booted first starter Voodoo Crown ($3.60) straight to the lead and she led all the way to beat Poupee ($2.30)… Read More »
Vancouver is off the mark as a sire with Vangelic giving the former champion two-year-old his first winner in a race ending in disappointment for another big name. Yumi, a grand-daughter of Black Caviar, was the dominant $1.85 favourite to make a winning debut in Wednesday’s 1100m-race for two-year-old fillies… Read More »
Progressive gelding Yulong January has added to his winning sequence over summer with a determined victory at Flemington. The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained four-year-old was the $1.70 favourite in Wednesday’s Welcome 2020 Handicap (1400m) and after taking a sit under jockey Jye McNeil he was up for the fight… Read More »
A Beautiful Night is likely to progress to the Blue Diamond Preview for fillies after scoring a narrow win in her second start at Flemington. Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, A Beautiful Night finished second to the Anthony Freedman-trained Award Winner on debut at Bendigo last month before… Read More »
Trainer Tony McEvoy will walk the Gold Coast track on Thursday morning as part of decision-making process on whether his filly Grand Scholar will run on Saturday. Grand Scholar has accepted for the $250,000 Magic Millions Rising Stars Fillies and Mares at the Gold Coast. It is pencilled in as… Read More »
The Toby and Trent Edmonds training partnership will have an anxious wait to see whether Wisdom Of Water gets a chance to qualify for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. Wisdom Of Water was favourite for a two-year-old race at Doomben on Wednesday but was scratched to run in the $125,000… Read More »
Trainer Matt Dunn is hoping he made the right decision to skip a Sydney start and keep his promising colt Verbal Assault for the Gold Coast. Verbal Assault will get one chance to qualify for the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic but Dunn is confident he is up to… Read More »
The Gold Coast Turf Club has devised an innovative plan to cater for the huge number of owners expected to support unbeaten Dusty Tycoon in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. Dusty Tycoon is raced by the MiRunners syndicate and 1000 shares were sold in the filly. The idea is backed… Read More »
Former trainer Robert Smerdon has lost his appeal against a life ban for his part in the “Aquanita Eight” scandal. The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal issued the decision late on Tuesday confirming the lifetime ban and $90,000 fine for Smerdon but reducing disqualifications for fellow trainers Tony Vasil and… Read More »
Trainer Tony McEvoy is planning to run Grand Scholar at the Gold Coast in the hope she will clinch a spot in the rich Magic Millions 3YO Guineas at the same track a week later. McEvoy, who trains in partnership with his son Calvin, has nominated Grand Scholar for Saturday’s… Read More »
Phillip Stokes admits Snitzkraft exceeded his expectations in his first start back from an injury lay-off and the trainer believes the sprinter has improved leading into the Standish Handicap. Five-year-old Snitzkraft won a 1200m open handicap on the Pakenham Cup program on December 7, his first start since a third… Read More »
Multiple Group One winner Hey Doc has won a jump-out at Werribee as he continues ticking over towards his next race assignment. Hey Doc returned from a lengthy injury absence and made a late spring cameo in Melbourne when third in the Group Three Kevin Heffernan Stakes at Sandown. He… Read More »
King Tomlola will have to defy a big weight to win at Randwick but trainer Gerald Ryan hopes that is countered by a drop in grade. The gelding has 62.5kg in Wednesday’s Bowerman’s Office Furniture Handicap (1800m) with senior jockey Brenton Avdulla to ride. Ryan was not tempted to to… Read More »
Clerk of the course Leo Dwyer will hang up his boots following todays Warrnambool meeting. Leo Dwyer who has just celebrated his 82nd birthday has been a clerk at Warrnambool racecourse for sixty years which included fifty eight May racing carnivals but he has called time on his long career… Read More »
Racing at Gosford on the NSW Central Coast has been called off after two races because of oppressive heat. The temperature climbed towards 40 degrees on Tuesday and Racing NSW stewards called the meeting off in the interests of human and equine welfare. The Nowra meeting on the South Coast… Read More »
In-form jockey Nash Rawiller will get a chance to avenge one of the most controversial incidents in Magic Millions history when he rides Kavak in the 2YO Classic. Kavak has a win and two seconds from three starts with Jim Byrne his regular jockey. With Byrne out indefinitely with a… Read More »
