After a slew of outside barrier draws in big races, John O’Shea is celebrating a welcome change of fortune for his trio of runners in the $3 million The Ingham. Kirwin’s Lane, Lion’s Roar and recent acquisition Dark Destroyer have come up with gates two, five and 10 respectively after all drawing double-figure alleys… Read More »
Hometown trainer Matt Cumani will kick-start the careers of two of his youngsters at Ballarat. Dun Wondering and Shadeelaa are set to run in the Magic Millions Ballarat 2YO Classic (1000m) at Ballarat on Saturday. Cumani expects the pair to find the 1000m journey too short, but being on their home track it… Read More »
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace are relying on race experience to give their trio of Inglis Nursery runners an edge as they hunt for their third win in the $500,000 feature. The training powerhouses, who have taken out the race with Acrobat in 2020 and El Padrino in 2021, saddle-up colts Odinson and Sacred Fort,… Read More »
Spywire will put his Magic Millions credentials to the test at Eagle Farm this Saturday, in the process trying to justify a quote seldom seen in two-year-old racing. The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained speedster will be out to make it two wins from as many starts in the $200,000… Read More »
The extra prize money on offer at Ballarat without the need of interstate travel will keep Foxy Cleopatra in Victoria on Saturday. Foxy Cleopatra was named the fourth emergency in the Group 2 The Ingham (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday and as a back-up is in the field of 11 for… Read More »
What an absolute star Rachel King is! Sure, she is a seasoned, professional jockey and you simply do not get an invitation to the prestigious Longines International Jockey’s Championship (IJC) in Hong Kong without earning the right to join the line-up of twelve of the best riders from all around… Read More »
Australian Racing Hall of Fame Legend Gai Waterhouse has described the potential sale of Rosehill racecourse as the saddest decision ever made. In a radical proposal from the Australian Turf Club being considered by the NSW government, a $5 billion price tag has been put on the land in Western Sydney… Read More »
Such is the aura surrounding veteran Sydney galloper Zaaki, champion jockey William Pike fears rivals maybe running for second spot in Saturday’s G1 Northerly Stakes (1800m) at Ascot. Zaaki, a four-time winner at the elite level with $10.8 million in prizemoney, is clearly the highest-rated runner in Perth’s weight-for-age feature… Read More »
Sandown winner Plenty Of Ammo s like a Christmas present that connections have only just been able to unwrap. The now five-year-old, having her fourth start in the Ladbrokes Odds Surge Handicap (1600m) at Sandown on Wednesday, won in the style of a future Stakes winner. Trainer Symon Wilde said barrier issues had… Read More »
As the trainer of two-time Group One placegetter Spieth, Bryce Heys is well equipped to get the best out of the ill-fated sire’s offspring and he has done exactly that with Warwick Farm winner Tamaroa. Spieth was agonisingly nosed out of victory in both the 2016 Darley Classic and the following… Read More »
The government has formally entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Australian Turf Club (ATC) following their proposal to repurpose Rosehill Gardens Racecourse into a residential enclave comprising up to 25,000 homes and a school, accompanied by a strategically located station. Under the terms of the agreement, the ATC… Read More »
Michael Freedman will start a pair of Group One winners in the $3 million The Ingham, but he is the first to admit their presence in the Sydney summer feature is a leap of faith. Freedman’s Randwick Guineas victor Communist and former Hong Kong galloper Excellent Proposal have both been down on form, albeit… Read More »
That was the case a few seasons ago when he captured the 2021 Sweet Embrace Stakes with Four Moves Ahead, who went on to finish fourth in that year’s Golden Slipper and ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes. On Saturday at Randwick, Sargent will start debutante Tokyo Lady in the $500,000 Inglis Nursery… Read More »
When pouring over the calendar for a suitable contest for Raymond’s Reward, trainer Matthew Williams put a circle around a race at Ballarat. The VOBIS Gold Eureka Stockade (1400m) on Saturday appealed as a nice way to earn a good chunk of prize money ahead of the upcoming yearling sale season. The race… Read More »
Which Foujita San will turn up at Ballarat. That is a question Wayne Hawkes cannot answer before Foujita San runs in the Listed Ballarat Cup (2000m) on Saturday. Hawkes readily admits there are two Foujita Sans. One that can be dominant in his races and another that can be equally as disappointing. Hawkes saw the… Read More »
Giga Kick’s autumn campaign is up in the air after the star sprinter scanned poorly during the week. Trainer Clayton Douglas revealed on Wednesday morning that the four-year-old’s latest check-up showed that his recovery from the issue that forced his early withdrawal from the Spring Carnival had not been as he… Read More »
Top trainer Trevor Andrews is delighted to be hunting for Group 1 glory in Saturday’s Northerly Stakes (1800m) and thinks he has a horse that can achieve it. Trevor Andrews, who saddles up A Lot Of Good Men, triumphed in the Northerly Stakes once before with Modem (2005) and ran… Read More »
Racing is so often about choices and in-form jockey, Steven Parnham, hopes he made the right one as he bids to set a new benchmark in Saturday’s Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800m) at Ascot. Given the option of two horses trained by his father Neville, Steven Parnham plumped for WA Guineas… Read More »
In less than a year’s time he will be back in the Australian training ranks but, right now, Dan Meagher is focussed on the challenge facing his star performer Lim’s Kosciuszko in Sunday’s HK$32 million Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin racecourse. The Meagher family has… Read More »
Last year’s Caulfield Cup champion Durston is gearing up for an autumn return after missing all of 2023 due to tendon and hoof injuries. Currently three weeks into pre-training, the eight-year-old, trained by Chris Waller, hasn’t raced since his 2022 Caulfield Cup victory. Tony Fleiter, Managing Director of Highclere Australia,… Read More »
