Trainer Grahame Begg will have a phone full of congratulatory messages after completing a two-state double on Saturday. Begg was on the 5pm plane from Sydney having been at Randwick to watch Passive Aggressive land a last stride win in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) while it was left to newly appointed assistant-trainer Chris… Read More »
Group l racing was the focus at both Randwick at Flemington on Saturday, with stars of both horse and human on display, the Golden Slipper picture became clearer, while for the remainder of the Sydney Autumn, the New Zealand Derby at Te Rapa might prove to be a key form… Read More »
It was the Zac Purton show at Randwick as the superstar Hong Kong-based jockey made a clean-sweep of the two Group 1 races, both wins coming for the famous Freedman family. Just 40 minutes after teaming with Anthony and Sam Freedman to guide Artorius to an overdue win in the Canterbury Stakes… Read More »
New Zealand trainer Ken and Bev Kelso have landed their first Group 1 win on Australian soil in an action-packed Australian Guineas. A heavy fall near the 300m mark involving Maximillius (Ethan Brown) and Holymanz (Mark Zahra) had racegoers fearing the worst. The Victorian Jockeys’ Association reported Zahra appeared to have escaped injury and walked backed to jockeys’ room while Brown… Read More »
World class jockey Zac Purton has spun his magic aboard Artorius, answering an SOS from the enigmatic entire’s connections to guide him to his first win in two years in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes. A championship winner in Hong Kong many times over, the Australian-born Purton was sought out by… Read More »
Learning To Fly has retained her position at the top of Golden Slipper markets with a hard-fought Reisling Stakes win, but Godolphin colt Cylinder has been the big mover after toppling the previously unbeaten Red Resistance at Randwick. Cylinder firmed from $9 into $4.50 second favourite with Unibet for the world’s richest… Read More »
A week after capturing Melbourne’s premier juvenile contest, Ben and J D Hayes were back in the winner’s circle with another of their two-year-olds. The victory of Princess Duhallow in the Listed Furphy Trophy at Flemington on Saturday was the Lindsay Park trainer’s tenth two-year-old winner for the season. The filly’s… Read More »
Winning $30,000 has been easier than spending it for the top team in the 2023 Own the Dream event series. Stable Mannas team captain Sue Dawe said her group were keen to go to all the events, which gave them a strong chance in the prize draw at the recent… Read More »
Luke Fernie is under no illusion of the challenge that confronts Laced Up Heels in Melbourne on Saturday, but hopes his faith in the three-year-old is not misguided. Laced Up Heels has yet to land a blow in her two Melbourne starts and faces a daunting task at Group 1 level… Read More »
Usually more at home on a wetter track, the firmer going at Newcastle proved to be no obstacle to Cross Talk winning the Group 3 Newcastle Stakes (1400m) on Friday. Formerly run as the Newcastle Newmarket, the five-year-old led all the way to register a fifth win in the race… Read More »
An imported galloper that has contested the past two Prix de l’Arc de Triomphes has been granted the first wildcard into the All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley. Newcomer to the Mike Moroney stable, Alenquer has been afforded the chance to make his Australian debut in the $5 million on March 18. Earlier in the week the Top 10 horses… Read More »
Trainer Jason Warren has no concerns about a drop in distance for Benedetta as the filly chases a fourth straight win. After victories at Cranbourne and two on the Hillside track at Sandown, Benedetta heads to Flemington for the first time to run in the Inglis Sprint (1200m) on Saturday. Benedetta’s last two… Read More »
Graeme Begg has his sights set on races later in the autumn with two of his spring campaigners. Nonconformist and Lunar Flare commence their autumn campaigns in the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday, a nice pipe-opener for the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) three weeks later. “It’s a kick-off… Read More »
Co-trainer Sam Freedman has wiped away concerns of an inside draw being a hindrance to Elliptical in the Group 1 Australian Guineas at Flemington. Elliptical has barrier two in Saturday’s 1600m contest for three-year-olds and there are many who consider it a poor draw for the colt. A first-up winner in… Read More »
Renowned for his development of several leading lights among the next generation of jockeys, Mark Newnham has no hesitation in giving Tom Sherry a genuine Group 1 chance aboard Matcha Latte in the Randwick Guineas. The Irish born Sherry honed his craft under Newnham during his apprenticeship but as is the case for… Read More »
The return of Everest winner Giga Kick can’t come quickly enough for jockey Craig Williams, who has foregone rides at a Group 1 race day in Melbourne to partner the three-year-old in the Challenge Stakes in Sydney. While the top Victorian hoop has also picked up mounts in several other feature… Read More »
Zac Purton, five-time champion jockey in Hong Kong, is looking forward to a return to Australian racing this Saturday. After four-and-a-half years, Purton is booked to ride Artorius in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes and Empire Of Japan in the G2 Todman Stakes at Randwick Racecourse. Purton’s most recent ride… Read More »
Well-bred sprinter Oxley Road will be racing for his career when he steps out at Flemington. The Peter Moody-trained galloper is set to run in the CARM Trophy (1000m) on Saturday in a bid to turn his form around. Oxley Road has raced on 14 occasions, registering three wins and four… Read More »
The Bjorn Baker-trained four-year-old mare will represent Magic Bloodstock in the inaugural edition of Perth’s richest race. Shades Of Rose has won seven of 10 races with a career peak in the Group 2 Sheraco Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill last September. A daughter of Rubick, Shades Of Rose has not raced… Read More »
The prospect of another clash with unbeaten filly Learning To Fly holds no fears for Kundalini’s trainer Ciaron Maher. With four of the top six Golden Slipper fancies set to step out at Randwick, maiden Kundalini has yet to garner much attention. But her trainer Ciaron Maher says he would not swap… Read More »
