Three emergencies have made their way into the field for the Magic Millions Classic at the Gold Coast after a busy day for Queensland veterinary stewards. The first horse to come out of the $2 million event on race eve was the Toby Edmonds-trained Sundance with a hoof issue, paving… Read More »
Apprentice Ben Thompson is hoping his introduction to Saturday city racing in Melbourne can coincide with metropolitan success. But the 19-year-old’s riding commitments on Saturday will not start at Caulfield. The apprentice is heading to Kilmore for one ride before driving to the Melbourne track for three rides. “It’s no… Read More »
River’s Lane holds fond memories for Adelaide trainer Ryan Balfour. The rising 10-year-old is one of the last horses in Balfour’s care which he trained in partnership with father his David before his death in 2014. “He’s the last one left of that ilk,” Balfour said. “He’s a very special… Read More »
Magic Millions runners are not the only horses to encounter transport problems this week. West Australian galloper Bass Strait, set to race at Caulfield, was stranded in Perth on Wednesday due to mechanical issues with the plane. Trainer Neville Parnham’s predicament came 24 hours after the Darren Weir-trained stablemates Mahuta… Read More »
Just when life as an apprentice couldn’t get any better, a significant moment in Jess Taylor’s career looms that promises to test her resolve as a jockey. Taylor rode a winner at Warwick Farm on Thursday and she has every chance to parlay that victory into more success with a… Read More »
Terry and Karina O’Sullivan are the latest Victorian trainers to have a horse return an illegal level of cobalt. Stewards have advised the training partners of the confirmatory findings of an elevated reading detected in a pre-race urine sample taken from Darragh at Ballarat on November 21. Racing Analytical Services… Read More »
Having been forced to shelve Magic Millions Classic plans for two-year-old The Seductress, trainer Jason Warren has shifted the focus to races closer to home. The Seductress was bought last year with Saturday’s $2 million sales-restricted Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast in mind. “She was very close… Read More »
Spring Champion Stakes runner-up I’m Belucci will have a summer cameo at the Gold Coast before he returns to Sydney for a Group One campaign. Brisbane trainer Desleigh Forster has carefully planned is hit-and-run raid on Saturday’s $2 million Magic Millions Guineas (1400m). I’m Belucci has been kept ticking over… Read More »
Geelong-based Alan Hunter can be considered a late starter to training ranks but the recently turned 50-year-old has always had a passion for racing. His grandfather, Curly Burns, was a noted trainer around the Mallee districts of Victoria, notching around 600 winners in a 20-year career. Hunter spent weekends and… Read More »
Capitalist might be the overwhelming favourite for the Magic Millions Classic, but that does not deter jockey Michael Cahill who believes Nikitas can give him a run for his money. Cahill rode Real Surreal to win the race in 2013 and says there are similarities between the pair beyond them… Read More »
Melbourne Cup winning jockey Michelle Payne will ride in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic with emergency Rainy Day Woman gaining a start following the scratching of Sundance. The Toby Edmonds-trained Sundance failed to recover from a hoof abscess and was withdrawn on Friday morning from the $2 million race at… Read More »
Damion Flower has paid top price so far at the Magic Millions sale, signing for a $1.6 million colt by Snitzel. Out of 2006 Magic Millions winner Mirror Mirror, the colt will go to Gerald Ryan who also trained Snitzel for Flower. Earlier on the second day of the Gold… Read More »
Joe Pride isn’t about to change the way he trains despite landing a Warwick Farm winner he believes could have set a new benchmark for his stable. Pride mostly leaves the hustle and bustle of two-year-old racing to trainers such as Gai Waterhouse, Peter Snowden and Godolphin’s John O’Shea. But… Read More »
Doubts over the fitness of three Magic Millions Classic runners has prompted Gary Portelli to put Zafina on a float bound for the Gold Coast. The Warwick Farm trainer had given up hope the filly would gain a start in the $2 million race after she finished second in a… Read More »
English apprentice Tom Marquand is wasting no time getting down to business on his four-week stint in Australia. Last season’s champion British apprentice, Marquand will mix up riding trackwork and races for trainers David Hayes and Tom Dabernig. He rides Tashbeeh, the $2.70 favourite, for the stable in the Swettenham… Read More »
Matthew Dale will ignore Kaleidoscope’s poor statistics in rain-affected ground to give the richly bred mare her chance to win a race that will cement her future at stud. The trainer has entered the former New Zealand mare for two races, but he favours running Kaleidoscope at Group Three level… Read More »
Magna Rossa has bounced out of her New Year’s Day win, convincing trainers Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra to back her up eight days later at Caulfield. The three-year-old played her part in a red letter day for her trainers at Flemington on January 1 with her one-length win in… Read More »
Drawing the inside barrier could prove a double blessing for Candika in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast. The filly has won both her starts over 1110m and 1050m, coming from well back in the field and finishing strongly. Trainer Steve O’Dea has been keen to get… Read More »
In contrast to her last trip to Queensland, Peace Force has arrived at the Gold Coast fit and well in preparation for her assignment in the $1 million race for Fillies and Mares. Peace Force was favourite for the Lough Neagh Stakes in early December but injured a leg in… Read More »
While interstate trainers have flocked to the rich Magic Millions races in droves, local Tony Gollan is looking to play a strong hand. Brisbane’s premier trainer, Gollan turns 37 on Sunday and is hoping to celebrate a day earlier with 16 runners at the Gold Coast. “We planned to a… Read More »
