Peter Snowden once achieved the feat of training the winners of all five Australian Group One races for two-year-olds in a season. While he cannot match that in 2019-20, Snowden believes Saturday’s JJ Atkins contender Wild Ruler is a chance to give the stable its third juvenile Group One for… Read More »
Responsible for producing Frankel’s first Australian juvenile stakes winner, Chris Waller will try to add to the stallion’s two-year-old tally at Randwick with Yangtze Rapids. The Waller-trained Hungry Heart got Frankel on the board with her Sweet Embrace Stakes victory during the autumn, going on to finish fifth in the… Read More »
Trainer Grahame Begg thought he had ticked all the boxes before sending Beauty Bolt to Adelaide for a Group One assignment. Unable to travel to South Australia, or send one of his staff, Begg loaded up the truck with all the required feed to make Beauty Bolt’s trip to the… Read More »
The prize money for this month’s Royal Ascot, which will be run without spectators from June 16-20, has been more than halved due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organisers had said in December that more than STG8 million ($A14.5 million) would be offered with the meeting hosting million pound races for… Read More »
Champion mare Winx’s little sister is set to make her debut on Monday at Warwick Farm. Winx’s little sister Covent Garden who is also trained by Chris Waller will be making her long awaited debut in a maiden over 1200m at Warwick Farm on Monday. Covent Garden who is a… Read More »
The Brisbane Racing Club will be allowed to have a select number of patrons on-course under strict biosecurity conditions for its Stradbroke Handicap meeting. Queensland race clubs can now have up to 20 patrons on-course but they must comply government COVID-19 checklists. “Further patrons may be able to return upon… Read More »
Superare started at short odds before narrowly winning his last start but trainer Stuart Kendrick believes it was not a true indication of the colt’s ability. The two-year-old is one of three runners Kendrick has in the Group One JJ Atkins at Eagle Farm on Saturday. It is testament to… Read More »
Joe Pride has turned to Nash Rawiller in the hope he can deliver a win aboard Archedemus at Randwick and put the horse on a path to the spring. A recent stable recruit, Archedemus put the writing on the wall with a solid fourth to Amingiri on return in the… Read More »
THE JJ ATKINS Group One, 2YOs set weights, Eagle Farm HISTORY * First run in 1976 when won by Romantic Dream * Group One since 1985 * Set weights since 2007, handicap 1976-2006 * Known as the JJ Atkins since 2013 * Traditionally run over 1600m, this year the race… Read More »
STRADBROKE HANDICAP Group One, 1400m handicap, Eagle Farm HISTORY * First run in 1890 (winner Pyrrhus) * 1890-1953 run over six furlongs (1200m) * Winners include Wiggle (1958), Persian Lyric (1961), Kilshery (1962), Winfreux (1965), Divide And Rule (1970), Triton (1972), Daybreak Lover (1984, 1986), Campaign King (1988), Rough Habit… Read More »
In almost any other year, Hugh Bowman would be preparing to ride at Brisbane’s flagship winter carnival meeting. But against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, he instead finds himself heading to Randwick on Saturday for a motley crew of winter rides. Among them is multiple stakes winner Tactical Advantage,… Read More »
Stuart Webb, who was embroiled in the Aquanita scandal that rocked Australian, racing has had his application for a trainers’ licence knocked back by Racing Victoria. Webb was disqualified for four years by the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board in 2018 but had that reduced to an 18-month ban on… Read More »
Ventura Storm will be racing for his career on the Flat when he runs over a staying trip at Flemington. The Moonee Valley Gold Cup winner is one of four stayers Lindsay Park contesting the Paddock Plate on Saturday. Ventura Storm, who will be joined by Neufbosc, Valac and Sin… Read More »
A winner in the final race on the program at Happy Valley has edged Australian Zac Purton further ahead of Joao Moreira in this season’s Hong Kong Jockeys’ premiership. Purton started Wednesday night’s meeting with a four-win lead in the standings and with Moreira going winless on the night, Purton… Read More »
More than three decades after his father won a Stradbroke Handicap for Bart Cummings, jockey Taylor Marshall will bid to repeat the feat for the next generation of the famed racing family. Lightly weighted filly Exhilarates’ ability to back up in a week sees her rated a top chance to… Read More »
Dual-licence holder Jade Darose is hoping history can repeat when Parwan Prince runs in a sprint race at Flemington. Parwan Prince, who runs in the Jim Beam Hill Plate on Saturday, provided Darose with her first Flemington win as both a jockey and trainer when successful in the corresponding race… Read More »
One of the motivations driving jockey Jim Byrne during an injury-enforced absence was to get back in the saddle in time to ride Rothfire during the winter carnival. Hard work will see Byrne partner Rothfire in the JJ Atkins at Eagle Farm on Saturday and the gelding looks a strong… Read More »
Gerald Ryan originally had stakes race ambitions in Queensland for two-year-old filly Zoumist but with the carnival there truncated, he would settle for a Sydney metropolitan win. The youngster was on the small side when she first arrived at the stables yet showed ability on the track, prompting Ryan to… Read More »
The resumption of racing in New Zealand has been brought forward after trainers indicated they will have horses ready to race earlier than anticipated. A race meeting at Pukekohe on June 20 has been announced by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing as the new start date, two weeks earlier than intended…. Read More »
Jockey Michael Cahill has taken a sensible approach to his return to riding and has been rewarded with a chance at history in the Group One Stradbroke Handicap. Cahill will ride Godolphin galloper Trekking who is aiming to become the eighth horse to win Queensland’s greatest race two years in… Read More »
