Gary Portelli is as busy as ever training his horses at Warwick Farm amid some uncertainty about their goals. With the Brisbane winter carnival scrapped then reinstated on a lesser scale, plans for several horses are unclear. While racing has continued during the coronavirus pandemic, programs in Sydney and Melbourne… Read More »
Racing Victoria Stewards have issued seven charges against star jockey Ben Melham following an investigation into betting activity between March 2019 and September 2019 that the Stewards allege was in breach of Mr Melham’s obligations under the Rules of Racing. Ben Melham has also been charged with providing false and/or… Read More »
Trainer Tony McEvoy believes star sprinting mare Sunlight has a fourth Group One win at her mercy in the Robert Sangster Stakes at Morphettville. Sunlight was soundly beaten by Lightning Stakes winner Gytrash in the Group Three R N Irwin Stakes (1100m) last Saturday week in Adelaide but McEvoy has… Read More »
Racing Queensland is confident there will be no problems with the newly renovated Ipswich track for coming meetings after jockeys complained about a section of the track. Ipswich hosted its third meeting back on Sunday after closing for five months for a multi-million dollar course-proper upgrade. After race six some… Read More »
A changing of the guard in Australia’s sprinting ranks has trainer Joe Pride dreaming of an Everest berth for Group One-placed mare Fasika. Several of the horses who have dominated the major short-course races in recent seasons have either been retired or sent to stud. Last year’s The Everest winner… Read More »
Victorian jockey Damien Thornton hopes his commitment to self isolate in South Australia for two weeks will be rewarded with Group One glory during the Adelaide carnival. With the lure of some prized rides on offer from the Anthony Freedman stable, 24-year-old Thornton travelled to South Australia and quarantined for… Read More »
New Zealand trainer Stephen Marsh expects to welcome around 50 horses back to his Cambridge stable with the easing of lockdown restrictions. But he is concerned he may be forced across the Tasman if prize money is not sustainable when racing resumes. Under COVID-19 Alert level 4, all training and… Read More »
Progressive sprinter Tambo’s Mate has confirmed a winter stakes race campaign after a strong performance at the Sunshine Coast. Tambo’s Mate resumed from a successful summer campaign when fourth in an open handicap over 1200m at Doomben and followed that with a close second in a similar race at the… Read More »
Southern Legend has ruined Beauty Generation’s bid for a third Champions Mile at Sha Tin with a last-stride victory over Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year. The win on the Caspar Fownes-trained seven-year-old was a first at Group One level for home-grown jockey Vincent Ho who served his apprenticeship with… Read More »
The Caspar Fownes trained Southern Legend has worn down Champion Honk Kong horse Beauty Generation in what could only be disgribed as a cracking finish in the Champions Mile at Sha Tin. Beauty Generation was sent out as the red hot odds on favourite in the G1 Champions Mile at… Read More »
Away Game’s already memorable juvenile season could reach new heights if the bold plan to run her in the weight-for-age Group One Robert Sangster Stakes is successful. After Away Game won the Group Two Percy Sykes Stakes at Randwick on April 11, trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace revealed plans… Read More »
“This Chairman’s catalogue is filled with world-class athletes with some of the best and most commercial bloodlines in the world,” states Inglis’ NSW Bloodstock Manager Chris Russell in announcing The Chairman’s Sale for Friday 8 May. Commencing at 3pm the auction format will follow the Easter Yearling Sale with Virtual… Read More »
Tamworth trainer Cody Morgan has had to celebrate his home town Cup win from his hospital bed after breaking his leg in two places. Morgan was injured in a trackwork fall on Saturday, a day before Ligulate flashed home to beat Zaunkonig in the $160,000 Cup (1400m). The trainer has… Read More »
Plans for the resumption of racing in Britain have met with a positive response from the Professional Jockeys Association, although it admits some participants could be in a for a frustrating time because of rider restrictions. A communication from the Resumption of Racing Group sent to trainers via the British… Read More »
The Group One South Australian Derby shapes as the next likely target for VRC St Leger winner Sacramento. The gelding’s nose victory over Saint Eustace in Saturday’s Listed 2800m race for three-year-olds at Flemington gave co-trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott their third-straight St Leger and Waterhouse her fifth in… Read More »
Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare is heading for a break after disappointing trainer Danny O’Brien at Flemington. Vow And Declare finished fifth in Saturday’s William Newton VC Handicap (2600m), a little over four lengths from the winner Haky. Haky has been knocking on the door and got the job… Read More »
Trainer Joe Pride is calling for changes to the Sydney racing calendar to cater for horses who would otherwise be competing in the Brisbane winter carnival. Queensland has drastically reduced its black-type offering because of the coronavirus pandemic and biosecurity protocols mean travelling horses interstate is logistically complex. Given the… Read More »
The Chris Waller stable has precedence on its side in its attempt to win the Australasian Oaks at Morphettville with Betcha Flying. A winner at Flemington over 1700m on Saturday, Betcha Flying is Adelaide-bound for the Group One Australasian Oaks for three-year-old fillies over 2000m on Saturday. Waller used the… Read More »
The success of the Sydney autumn carnival has sparked a renewed push for a further upgrade of Queensland’s winter racing. Racing Queensland originally scrapped the winter carnival features because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic implications. But it has since issued a revised schedule of 25 black-type races including… Read More »
Alysha Collett and Patrick Moloney are the latest ex-pat jockeys to leave Singapore with heightened restrictions introduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moloney is returning to Victoria while New Zealander Collett will head to Sydney where she rode with success as an apprentice. Racing in Singapore has been put on… Read More »
