Jockey Michael Rodd and trainer Lindsey Smith are becoming a lethal combination after teaming for another success at Caulfield. Since his return in May following a five-year stint in Singapore, Rodd has combined with Smith on 16 occasions, registering seven wins. Three of those victories have been aboard Mystery Shot… Read More »
Improving filly Varda has put herself in the mix for a spot on Godolphin’s spring carnival team and continued jockey Jason Collett’s sparkling vein of form. The three-year-old was rising to Saturday company after a facile victory against older horses first-up at Canterbury, showing great determination to land the Ranvet… Read More »
Kisukano confirmed her rating as Queensland’s best two-year-old filly when she overcame drama to win the Bruce McLachlan Classic. Kisukano is now likely to head to Sydney and on her win she won’t be out of place. She was always going to face a test at her first start in… Read More »
Jockey Billy Egan has made it two wins on Efflorescence from as many rides on the improving two-year-old colt, with a narrow victory at Caulfield. The Anthony Freedman-trained Efflorescence was beaten in his first two starts at Geelong and Swan Hill but with the addition of blinkers and added race… Read More »
Michael Hawkes has unveiled ambitious plans for North Pacific, who boasts formlines through the Golden Slipper winner, after the colt outclassed his mid-winter rivals at Rosehill. The $800,000 yearling purchase finished third to Farnan at his only other start in the Silver Slipper Stakes, an impressive reference for the Darley… Read More »
Hot favourite Terebellum could finish only third as her stablemate Nazeef stole the show in the Group One Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket. Having gone down narrowly to Circus Maximus in a pulsating renewal of the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, the John Gosden-trained Terebellum was all the… Read More »
A pair of up-and-coming youngsters will bid to continue the Snowden stable’s run of two-year-old success this season when they go head-to-head at Rosehill. Peter and Paul Snowden have had a memorable year with their juveniles, highlighted by a brace of Group One wins to King’s Legacy. While the star… Read More »
With David Hayes leaving the Lindsay Park training partnership, Tom Dabernig and Ben Hayes have been successful with their first runner. The victory of Stormborn at Pakenham on Friday gave Dabernig and Ben Hayes the ideal start. David Hayes left for Hong Kong last month and needed to relinquish his… Read More »
The younger member of the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr training partnership is expecting a better performance from Tavisan with his return to his home track at Caulfield. Tavisan is on the quick back-up from running in the All Victorian Sprint Final at Flemington last Saturday in which the… Read More »
Flamboyant businessman John Singleton would have struggled to argue with the logic of Clarry Conners when the four-time Golden Slipper-winning trainer nagged him for a horse. The old friends have climbed some of Australian racing’s biggest summits together, even taking on the world with Belle Du Jour. Conners never misses… Read More »
Enigmatic galloper Star Of Michelin can confirm a watershed season for trainer Stuart Kendrick if he wins the Group Three Winx Guineas at the Sunshine Coast. Kendrick has been among the top trainers in Queensland since moving from Mackay to the Sunshine Coast eight years ago. He has been in… Read More »
Ballarat trainer Simon Morrish is expecting the use of glue-on shoes to have a positive effect on Never No More when he runs at Caulfield. The Irish-bred Never No More has his first start for Morrish in the Neds Same Race Multi Handicap on Saturday. Never No More started his… Read More »
Promising gelding Soxagon has had an old-style build-up to his first attempt at a stakes race. Soxagon takes on a solid list of rivals in the Listed Glasshouse Handicap (1400m) at the Sunshine Coast after working his way through the classes. The gelding was being mentioned as a possible Group… Read More »
Royal Ascot winners Hello Youmzain and Golden Horde head a classy field of 13 for the Darley July Cup at Newmarket. Traditionally seen as the big midsummer sprinting target, Saturday’s renewal looks well up to scratch. Kevin Ryan’s Hello Youmzain was backing up his victory in last season’s Haydock Sprint… Read More »
Sixties Groove has set a modern-day weight-carrying record to deliver trainer Kris Lees an inaugural win in the Listed Grafton Cup. Making light of his 61kg topweight, Sixties Groove settled among the tailenders in Thursday’s 2350m feature before jockey Jason Collett pinched ground toward the inside around the home turn…. Read More »
Wicklow Town will try to emulate his dam Afterburn when he makes his city debut at Caulfield. The Julie Scott-trained galloper is chasing a fourth straight win when he contests the Neds Price Boost Handicap on Saturday. The corresponding meeting in 2008 provided Scott with one of her proudest moments… Read More »
Annabel Neasham has confirmed she will split with the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable to take out her training licence in the new season. Neasham has steered the Sydney arm of the Maher and Eustace operation for the past two years with outstanding success but says the time is… Read More »
An inquiry into the Alligator Blood positive swab from the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas has been set down for July 23. Sunshine Coast trainer David Vandyke will face Racing Queensland stewards after the sample was confirmed to contain the prohibited substance altrenogest. Altrenogest, more commonly known as Regu-mate, is banned… Read More »
Sam Kavanagh is readying himself to walk onto a Sydney racetrack for the first time in five years, battered and bruised, but a wiser and better man. The trainer’s star was on the rise when he was banned for cobalt offences in 2015 and rubbed out of the sport for… Read More »
Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Danny O’Brien expects a late-season race for three-year-olds at Caulfield will provide a good test for Grand De Flora when the blue-blood filly bids to continue a rise through the grades in Victoria. By champion New Zealand sire Savabeel out of three-time Group One winner Daffodil whose… Read More »
