Exciting mare Joliestar made a clear Everest statement with her thumping first-up win in the Show County Quality, now her challenge is to back it up. The four-year-old has rocketed into $5 equal favouritism for the $20 million showpiece and could firm further if she repeats her fresh effort in the… Read More »
Group 1 champion Alligator Blood may still have a racing future, showing remarkable progress in his recovery from a pastern injury initially thought to be career-ending. Scheduled scans at the end of the month will determine if a return to the track is possible. Since sustaining the injury, Alligator Blood… Read More »
The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young stable are hoping to rewind the clock 12 months to the last time Mostly Cloudy was successful. That victory over 2500m was at the corresponding Flemington meeting Mostly Cloudy ran at last year when he ran out a comfortable two-length winner. The problem with that… Read More »
Matt Dunn will have at least two starters in The Kosciuszko with Boom Torque and Tribeca Star both selected for slots in the $2 million Everest Day feature. The pair will have what could be their final lead-up runs in separate states on Saturday, dual acceptor Boom Torque to step out at… Read More »
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott had to tread patiently with Bases Loaded last campaign when he was coming off a 12-month stint on the sidelines, but it is a different scenario this time around. The four-year-old will resume in Saturday’s Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday after… Read More »
As a Group 1 winner, Pinstriped is now consigned to tackling Australia’s elite gallopers. Providing trainer Enver Jusufovic with a maiden Group 1 win in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 31, Pinstriped has the chance to go back-to-back at the highest level when he contests the Makybe Diva Stakes… Read More »
Chad Schofield has only sat on the back of Bustling once, but that is all he has needed to be excited at the prospect of linking with the former West Australian for his Sydney debut in The Run To The Rose. The first horse chosen for a slot in this year’s Everest… Read More »
Eight weeks after undergoing hip surgery, jockey Dean Yendall is experiencing significant improvement in his movement. His wife, fellow jockey Christine Puls, noticed a marked difference during a recent golf outing, observing his swing was much more fluid than before. “If he can swing a golf club like that now,… Read More »
Trainers Patrick and Michelle Payne are opting for a quieter spring campaign for four-year-old stayers Wings Of Song and Bold Soul. Both horses have been back in training for a month, with Payne aiming to let them progress through the grades without pushing too hard this season. Wings Of Song… Read More »
Williamsburg will continue his career with Brett Cavanough after being bought by the canny Scone horseman and clients on Inglis Digital this week. The Group 3 winner and Group 1 placegetter topped the Inglis Digital September (Early) Sale, which concluded on Wednesday, when sold for $455,000. That is $15,000 less than what… Read More »
A Group 1 race in Melbourne is on the agenda for Air Assault after the gelding led throughout to score in a Stakes race at Balaklava. Overcoming the widest draw, Air Assault crossed to find the lead in the Listed Balaklava Cup (1600m) on Wednesday and held off the chasing pack… Read More »
Starting at juicy odds in his two races starts and surprising punters both times, Clear Proof is garnering a little more respect for his Ming Dynasty Quality assignment as he bids to put himself on a Golden Rose path. The John Thompson-trained colt was sent out at $101 when he won… Read More »
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will put Johnny The Kid on a traditional Spring Champion Stakes path after he broke his maiden in emphatic fashion at the midweek Kensington track meeting. While the colt boasts solid form references from his two-year-old season, including a sound fifth behind Dublin Down in the… Read More »
The campaign aimed at securing another start in the Melbourne Cup ramps up a gear for Vow And Declare at Flemington. The nine-year-old, a veteran of only 45 starts under the care of Danny O’Brien, runs in a Melbourne Cup qualifier, the Group 3 Archer Stakes (2500m) at Flemington on Saturday…. Read More »
The Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington is a race that can shape the spring. The Group 1 race over 1600m at Flemington on Saturday attained Group 1 status in 2013 with horses of the calibre of Fawkner (2015), Humidor (2017), Incentivise (2021), I’m Thunderstruck (2022) and Mr Brightside last year being… Read More »
A bulked-up Switzerland will bid to open his spring account with a bang when he headlines his stable’s two-pronged attack on The Run To The Rose at Rosehill. After a brief flirtation with stepping him out in last month’s San Domenico Stakes (1100m), trainer Chris Waller opted to stick to his original… Read More »
Australian Derby winner Riff Rocket is out of the spring carnival after undergoing emergency surgery overnight for colic. The four-year-old had been due to contest the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday and was a $9 equal second favourite for the Caulfield Cup (2400m). Trainer Chris Waller reported Riff Rocket… Read More »
The Everest is on the brink of receiving Group 1 status, with racing insiders confident of a successful last-minute push. Reports suggest this upgrade in status is a chance to be confirmed before the October 19 race at Randwick, recognising The Everest as one of the sport’s elite events. Racing… Read More »
Stakes-winning mare Let’sbefrankbaby has left Australia for the United States following a change in ownership. US-based co-owner Gary Barber purchased the mare outright after her recent run at Caulfield on August 31. Let’sbefrankbaby, trained by Robbie Griffiths and Mat de Kock, won the Group 3 SA Fillies Classic and will… Read More »
Willie Mullins has decided to bypass the Caulfield Cup with his stayer Absurde, aiming exclusively for the Melbourne Cup at Flemington. Absurde was not among the 89 first acceptances for the $5 million Caulfield Cup, with connections opting for a later shipment to target the Cup. Among the remaining international… Read More »
