Justine Erkelens holds big ambitions for Own The Queen, she’s hoping to plot a path towards next month’s WA Oaks with her promising filly. That picture becomes clearer on Saturday when Own The Queen goes up against 11 opponents in the Listed Ascot 1000 Guineas (1800m). Own The Queen is… Read More »
Manaal has largely flown under the radar since her Gimcrack Stakes win, but trainer Michael Freedman is looking for her to put her name back up in lights at Randwick. A narrow victor of Sydney’s first two-year-old race of the season, Manaal returned with a closing second to the speedy Lady Of… Read More »
Sydney trainer Bjorn Baker will attempt another raid on a rich Flemington three-year-old sprint when Caballus runs in the Inglis Sprint. Baker collected the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes with Ozzmosis last spring and while the Inglis Sprint (1100m) does not carry the same prestige, it does carry $1 million in prize money…. Read More »
James Cummings predicts VRC Oaks winner Zardozi to belie her early spring form over sprint trips and potentially give her rivals a fright when she resumes in the Group 1 Surround Stakes at Randwick. The filly was beaten more than 12 lengths first-up in the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) in August and… Read More »
Racing beginning on the new inner circuit at Caulfield, named Caulfield Heath, has been given the go ahead by senior jockeys. Six official trials and three jump outs were held on Tuesday and despite continued controversy around the tightness of the turn out of the home straight and the obvious… Read More »
Talented mare Hope In Your Heart has been all but ruled out of the autumn carnival as connections weigh up whether to continue her racing career. A multiple stakes winner and Group 1 placegetter, Hope In Your Heart was due to barrier trial at Warwick Farm in January but was a… Read More »
It has been a long time between celebratory drinks for Lindsay Park in the Australian Guineas. The stable, now run by Ben, Will and J D Hayes, has not tasted success in the Group 1 race over 1600m at Flemington since Miss Finland took out the race for the boys’… Read More »
New Zealand horses making hit-and-run visits to Australia are not uncommon, but there are not many horses that do it in reverse. The Ciaron Maher-trained Holymanz, a New Zealand-bred four-year-old, made a hit-and-run trip to Ellerslie last month for the inaugural running of the Aotearoa Classic (1600m). Holymanz finished fourth… Read More »
The inaugural running of the Verry Elleegant Stakes has taken on a fresh poignancy with the sudden and tragic death of the incredibly talented race mare last week. For her trainer Chris Waller, who will be represented by up to four runners including odds-on favourite Fangirl, a victory would be… Read More »
Mike Moroney is not shocked connections had to tinker with the name of his classy three-year-old who will make his Australian debut this Saturday at Flemington. The son of U S Navy Flag had seven starts in New Zealand as Pendragon, but will race as The Pendragon in the $1… Read More »
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have pinpointed the Skyline Stakes as the logical next step for star two-year-old Storm Boy as they bid to replicate a winning formula heading into the Golden Slipper. The unbeaten colt had three weeks between runs when scoring an emphatic win in the Magic Millions Classic… Read More »
In a recent development in the racing industry’s white powder scandal, stablehand Ruby McIntyre has been handed a three-month suspension by the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) for her involvement in the incident concerning champion jockey Jamie Kah. The tribunal, which includes Judge Bowman, Des Gleeson, and Maree Payne, has agreed… Read More »
Tragically, Grahame Begg’s group winning sprinter Rose Quartz passed away over the weekend due to complications from colic, leaving the racing community in mourning. The six-year-old mare, sired by Written Tycoon, had an impressive career, capturing five victories and accumulating $619,090 in prize money. Among her notable achievements was a… Read More »
Heavily supported with betting sites, Excelleration and jockey Harry Coffey took advantage of a light weight to outstay their rivals in the 160th edition of the Launceston Cup. Bushfires in Ballarat prevented trainer Richard Cully from making the trip across Bass Strait to see the seven-year-old win the Group 3 highlight… Read More »
Spending time at the beach over the past month has made all the difference to seven-year-old mare Megamea and trainer Luke Oliver attributed that change of scene that has returned her to the winners’ list. Craig Williams steered Megamea ($7.50) to victory in the Group 3 Vamos Stakes (1400m) at Launceston with the… Read More »
A gallop at Sandown and a jump-out at Cranbourne will be the final two pieces of serious work for Pride Of Jenni leading into the All-Star Mile at Caulfield. The Ciaron Maher-trained mare galloped with Berkshire Shadow at Sandown on Wednesday in preparation for the $4 million race over 1600m at… Read More »
Gerald Ryan didn’t expect blue-blooded filly Pajanti to take four starts to break her maiden but now that she has, he hopes she can carry that form into black-type grade. The three-year-old hails from an outstanding family, her maternal granddam being dual stakes placegetter Monsoon Wedding, a full sister to champion stallion… Read More »
After two placings in maiden grade in New Zealand, the Lindsay Park stable went looking to purchase Grid Girl for a group of loyal clients. The purchase proved a smart buy for the stable run by Ben, Will and J D Hayes after Grid Girl scored a strong win on her… Read More »
David Payne has stopped short of declaring the Verry Elleegant Stakes a race for second behind brilliant first-up winner Fangirl, but he does think the Chris Waller-trained mare has a stranglehold on the Group One showpiece. Payne will saddle-up Navajo Peak in the Randwick mile, formerly known as the Chipping Norton… Read More »
Michael Freedman has delved into his bag of tricks with three-year-old Moravia, who will sport two key gear adjustments in a bid to put his autumn back on track. While the colt wasn’t disgraced when finishing fourth to Caballus first-up in the Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) at Randwick, Freedman left the track… Read More »
