Julius Sandhu couldn’t be happier with his stable start Lofty Strike as they chase an elusive win at the highest level in Saturday’s Group 1 Newmarket Handicap at Flemington. This time last year the dream of winning the Blue Diamond was well over for Cranbourne-based trainer Sandhu as injury struck the then… Read More »
The 2023 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) shapes up as a cracking contest with so many elite straight track sprinters entered on a great day of racing. Roch ‘N’ Horse ($21) tries to go back to back but will find some red hot speedsters in his way such as Golden Eagle winner I… Read More »
When apprentice jockey Bailey Wheeler moved to Queensland early in February to further his career, he wasnât shy in his assessment of what he was wanted to achieve moving forward. âI think I can be one of the best apprentices up here and hopefully win the apprenticeâs provincial jockeys title… Read More »
The first race designated for Fillies and Mares that was given Group 1 status in Australia was the Coolmore Classic (1500m) and it is a brilliant betting contest every year. Will it be the older mares who take control such as Annavisto ($4.50), Fangirl ($8) or Hope In Your Heart ($8) or do… Read More »
Annabel Neasham isn’t taking any chances with four-time Group 1 winner Zaaki with a tilt at the Queen Elizabeth Stakes pushed aside in favour of the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on April 15. “He’s just not himself at the moment,” Neasham told Sky Racing. “We’re not really sure… Read More »
Ben Thompson certainly has not been resting on his laurels since striking gold with his breakthrough Group 1 win aboard Uncommon James in the Oakleigh Plate at Sandown on February 25. One weekend later, Thompson registered no less than seven winners in a three-day weekend blitz … from the Friday… Read More »
Strong work over the weekend has co-trainer Mick Price feeling good about Annavisto’s sojourn to Sydney for the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday. While no stranger to racing in the clockwise direction with her best result north of the Victorian border being a second placing in… Read More »
The first of the international horses could step out in feature races at Rosehill as soon as next week, pending their progress in the coming days. Both the William Haggas-trained Purplepay and Joseph O’Brien’s Statement have the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) pencilled in as a likely first-up goal, while the… Read More »
Mornington trainer Jerome Hunter will bypass an autumn campaign in Sydney with Barb Raider to concentrate on gaining a start in the Caulfield Cup. The two worst runs of Barb Raider’s career have been in Sydney, so instead Hunter has his sights on the Listed Mornington Cup (2400m) on April 22, which if the mare… Read More »
Read the latest updates following the nasty fall in today’s Group 1 Australian Guineas at Flemington. Jockey updates: Ethan has internal injuries & undergone surgery tonight to arrest internal bleeding issues. Will require further surgery. Another update to be issued 4pm Sunday. Mark Zahra walked back into the mounting… Read More »
Ethan Brown was involved in a harrowing incident during the $1 million G1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday. The 23-year-old rider fell from tiring leader Maximillius at the 300-metre mark when tightened in an incident involving Holymanz, Elliptical, and Amenable. Brown was subsequently transported to Royal Melbourne Hospital… Read More »
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 »
