Bookmakers have reacted swiftly to Cellsabeel’s Rosehill win to promote the filly to $8 favouritism for the Golden Slipper. With the Australian Turf Club recognising the odds-makers on Saturday, they had a bad start when the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Cellsabeel made light work of the Iron Jack Handicap… Read More »
Trainer Les Ross has signalled he will be a major player in two-year-old races as the year rolls on after Mishani Miss won at Eagle Farm. Backed from $31 into $21, Mishani Miss finished strongly on Saturday to beat Uncle Frank ($6.50) by 1-3/4 lengths in the Makers Mark Two-Year-Old… Read More »
The Gold Coast Turf Club has cancelled a phantom meeting with facilities drenched by 275mm of rain overnight. Officials called Saturday’s races off and any hopes of holding a phantom meeting were abandoned because of water inside parts of the infrastructure. The Gold Coast Turf Club was counting its blessings… Read More »
Rain has claimed race meetings on the east coast with three meetings in NSW and one in Queensland called off. After weeks of dry weather and bushfires impacting air quality, the much-needed rain arrived late this week. Saturday’s Kembla Grange TAB meeting on the South Coast and Deepwater and Tuncurry… Read More »
The Kensington Stakes meeting at Flemington is scheduled to go ahead after racing officials received a positive update regarding the forecast smoke haze and air quality levels in Victoria. Three race meetings in the state were abandoned earlier this week, Werribee on Tuesday and Yarra Valley and Caulfield on Wednesday,… Read More »
Australian Turf Club track manager Nevesh Ramdhani is predicting the Rosehill surface to tip into the heavy range with continuing rain forecast for Sydney. Rosehill was rated a slow seven on Friday morning but Ramdhani expected it to be even wetter come race day. “I think that’s going to change… Read More »
The Tony and Maddy Sears training partnership is set to continue its domination of QTIS bonus races with two key runners at Eagle Farm. The team has Dark Son in the Makers Mark QTIS Two-Year-Old Handicap (1000m) and Raging Pole in the TAB QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap (1200m). Last season the… Read More »
The Queensland Racing Integrity Commission has confirmed a registered racehorse has died and another has been euthanised after investigations at a property near Brisbane. QRIC boss Ross Barnett said another two horses were found to be in a serious condition after a visit by Integrity officers to the property at… Read More »
Danny O’Brien admits the Kensington Stakes distance is a query for My Pendant but the trainer will not be surprised to see her finish over the top of her rivals. My Pendant has never raced below 1200m but O’Brien has opted to kick off her campaign in Saturday’s Listed Kensington… Read More »
Most New Zealand horses relish rain-affected ground but trainer Bjorn Baker is not convinced that is the case for former Kiwi Bobby Dee. While the four-year-old is not hopeless in the wet having been placed on a heavy track at Randwick in June, his overall form on tracks rated slow… Read More »
Toowoomba trainer Steve Tregea has a reputation for successfully trying new tactics with his horses and he hopes to do it again with Prioritise at Eagle Farm. Prioritise has run at 1600m, 1800m and 1400m at his past three starts but will drop back to 1200m in Saturday’s Mount Franklin… Read More »
John Camilleri is best known in racing circles as the breeder of champion Winx but to David Payne, Camilleri will always be the man who kick-started his Australian career. A champion jockey and trainer in his native South Africa, Payne had to start from scratch when he moved his family… Read More »
In-form gelding Kalik can continue to prove his bloodlines are not the best guide to his sprinting capabilities when he races at Eagle Farm. Kalik, whose breeding suggests he should be a stayer, will be aiming to make it four wins from his past five starts in Saturday’s TAB Three-Year-Old… Read More »
The shock win of Little Spoon at $101 at Mackay could be a pointer to a change of luck for trainer Tom Button at Eagle Farm. Button trained Little Spoon but transferred her to Rockhampton-based Basil Ryan to continue her racing in central Queensland. Button retained ownership of Little Spoon… Read More »
In-form jockey James Orman is clear to maintain his association with Niccanova despite being suspended at Doomben. Orman rode a treble at Thursday’s meeting on Alderman, Paleontologist and Mountbatten but fell foul of stewards for his ride on the latter. He was suspended for six days after pleading guilty to… Read More »
Flemington on Saturday. It will, as it always is, be spectacular, memorable and hopefully profitable. But for one woman, and her horse, it might be out-of-this-world peaking in all those areas. She saddles up a horse going around in race 6 over 1400m. And it’s pretty hard to put one… Read More »
Melbourne Racing Club chairman Peter Le Grand says he will continue to foster relationships with interstate racing bodies including NSW. He was responding to criticism by Racing Victoria chairman Brian Kruger over the MRC’s decision to buy a slot in the 2019 Everest, Australia’s richest race held at Randwick. The… Read More »
In-form Melbourne jockey Jye McNeil has been successful in an appeal against a suspension for his ride in the Chester Manifold Stakes. McNeil rode four winners at last Saturday’s Flemington meeting, including the feature race on Amadeus. McNeil was later found guilty of careless riding aboard Amadeus near the 1000m… Read More »
The Group One Australian Guineas features prominently in trainer Danny O’Brien’s plans for lightly raced colt Banquo, who is set to kick off his campaign over a sprint distance at Flemington. Banquo began his career with New Zealand trainer Stephen Marsh and raced twice in Melbourne as a late-season two-year-old,… Read More »
The new year has brought a fresh resolve to well-credentialled horseman Brad Widdup, who will rely on two horses to showcase his training skills at Rosehill. Widdup had a tumultuous 2019 after his biggest client, high profile owner Damion Flower, was arrested over alleged drug smuggling charges. The setback happened… Read More »
