Will Freedman is hoping well-bred colt Navy Blood can continue to progress through the grades after landing his second win in four starts at Gosford. By Merchant Navy, the three-year-old is out of Platelet, who captured Adelaide’s Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes–The Goodwood double in 2013. After breaking his maiden… Read More »
Preparing to line up for his 73rd start, evergreen gelding Cuban Royale will be chasing a slice of Carrington Stakes history when he bids to become the first horse in more than three decades to capture back-to-back wins. Sunalong Lass in 1989-90 was the last horse to win the Listed sprint… Read More »
The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Veight will sport new race day headgear in a bid to overcome his wayward tendencies in his return run at Moonee Valley. Veight runs in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) on Saturday and will wear a one-eyed blinker and a butterfly bit after working in the combination… Read More »
Matthew Smith is firmly focused on capturing an elusive Group One win with high-class sprinter Buenos Noches, confirming feature sprints in Melbourne and Sydney are on the table. Still an entire, winning a major would secure the four-year-old’s future at stud, and he showed he wasn’t far off arguably the best… Read More »
Trainer Grahame Begg is beginning to see the development in Katsu that could lead the gelding to a Group 1 sprint in the autumn. The Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) next month is in the back of Begg’s mind, but first the Listed W J Adams Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield on Friday needs to… Read More »
Coolmore is on the verge of triumphing in a competitive bidding war to acquire Storm Boy, the nation’s most exciting two-year-old. The impending deal, anticipated to exceed $50 million, could potentially make Storm Boy the most expensive racehorse ever sold in Australia. Several stud farms are vying to secure a… Read More »
The shape and structure of two upcoming Stakes races will determine where a quartet of three-year-olds start the autumn campaigns. The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace -trained King Colorado, Brave Mead, Southern Tycoon and Scentify are entered for the Group 3 Manfred Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Friday along with the Group 2 Australia… Read More »
Ozzmosis gave trainer Bjorn Baker and jockey Rachel King the biggest wins of their careers in the spring, taking out the stallion-making Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) and the colt’s next challenge is tackling the older horses. The son of Zoustar will likely stay in Sydney for the Autumn with two Group… Read More »
Star sprinter Imperatriz will take a step towards a planned racetrack return at Flemington with a jump-out at Mornington. Imperatriz, who is scheduled to make her reappearance in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington next month, had been entered for a jump-out at Cranbourne on Monday, but Ben Gleeson, the… Read More »
Yarraman Park director Harry Mitchell, one of the gelding’s owners, confirmed a deal was poised to be finalised as soon as this week. “We were keen to come last year but it didn’t work out,” Mitchell told The Races WA. “We’ve had three people enquire about him and one proposal… Read More »
Talented horse names making their return to the racebook happens from time to time and should Pendragon find his was to taking on the Australian Guineas at Flemington in March, many punters will quickly recall the Bart Cummings-trained galloper of the mid 2000s. This Pendragon, however, is the Michael Moroney… Read More »
It is being called “the Dance Hero program” and it is the template Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott hope can deliver Tulloch Lodge’s Storm Boy the Magic Millions Classic-Golden Slipper double. Only three horses have won both juvenile features, the Bruce McLachlan-trained Phelan Ready (20009) and Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Capitalist (2016)… Read More »
Racing Victoria has granted All-Star Mile wildcards to star milers, Mr Brightside and Alligator Blood, setting the stage for a thrilling showdown in the March 16 feature at Caulfield. The announcement, made on Monday morning, follows Mr Brightside’s narrow defeat by Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior in the Cox Plate…. Read More »
Bold Bastille, a prominent contender for the Blue Diamond Stakes, has successfully overcome a minor setback, ensuring her continued pursuit of victory in Victoria’s most lucrative two-year-old race, according to co-trainer Ben Hayes. Hayes reassured fans, stating that Bold Bastille has fully recovered and remains on course for the prestigious… Read More »
Tulloch Lodge continues to roll out the two-year-olds with Rosehill winner Fully Lit their eighth individual victor this season, his triumph coming just a week after barn mate and nominal Golden Slipper favourite Storm Boy raced away with the Magic Millions Classic. Off the back of a stable record 37 juvenile winners… Read More »
The Tony and Calvin McEvoy stable are looking forward to the return to racing of Veight who will be among nominations for two races in the coming week. The Group 3 Manfred Stakes (1200m) for three-year-olds at Caulfield on Friday and the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday… Read More »
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have the early Golden Slipper favourite in unbeaten colt Storm Boy, but Bott admits their Breeders’ Plate winner Espionage might just be the forgotten horse. The son of Zoustar was put away after leading home a stable trifecta in the early-season feature, but he is back in… Read More »
Lightly raced European-bred Aramco has relished a step up in distance to secure his first metropolitan success at Flemington. Aramco led throughout to collect the TAB Australian Cup Race Day, 30 March on Saturday at only his sixth start for the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr stable. Ridden by Damian Lane ,… Read More »
It was only an off-season meeting, but Bjorn Baker admitted to feeling a few pre-race nerves before new recruit Caballus backed up his barrier trial performances with a promising win at Rosehill. A $1 million yearling who was formerly raced by an ownership group that included Coolmore, he didn’t measure… Read More »
Brad Widdup originally planned to send Sneaky Paige for a vet check this week, but when he couldn’t get an appointment, he sent her to the races instead. The turn of events proved fortuitous, with the mare breaking through for an important Sydney Saturday win in the Rosehill Bowling Club Handicap (1200m)…. Read More »
