The bubble around one-time Golden Slipper favourite Cellsabeel has burst while track bias at Caulfield has put a question mark over the Blue Diamond Stakes form. Just three weeks out from the $3.5 million Golden Slipper, trainer Peter Snowden is not unduly surprised by the ebb and flow of candidates… Read More »
Premier Melbourne jockey Craig Williams is after bragging rights in the Australian Guineas, a race he says has a state of origin feel about it. Runners representing Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and New Zealand line up in the Group One Australian Guineas over 1600m at Flemington on Saturday…. Read More »
A Group One win is missing from Alligator Blood’s growing list of achievements and trainer David Vandyke hopes that is about to change. Alligator Blood’s agonisingly close second to Super Seth in the $2 million Group One Caulfield Guineas last October is the star Queensland three-year-old’s only defeat in 10… Read More »
Hugh Bowman has declared he would not swap Flit for any other filly in the Group One Surround Stakes despite his healthy respect for favourite and chief rival Funstar. The pair is set to clash for the first time at Randwick on Saturday after pursuing different spring paths with Flit… Read More »
Eric The Eel will wear blinkers for the first time when he races at Doomben as a final trial for a trip to Sydney. Eric The Eel steps up to 1600m in the Pines Pacific Ale Plate at Doomben on Saturday and if he races well he will head to… Read More »
Having adopted the philosophy that winning races starts in the sales ring, Te Akau Racing will again be out to make its mark in Australia, led by its latest Group One winner Te Akau Shark. Principal David Ellis is a renowned judge of horses and has enjoyed success and longevity… Read More »
South Australian three-year-old Dalasan will have his fourth rider in as many starts when Jamie Kah takes over the reins in the Australian Guineas . Kah will have her first ride aboard the quirky Dalasan in Saturday’s Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington with Ben Melham, who rode the… Read More »
Despite the Melbourne and Sydney autumn carnivals being in full swing, trainer Ciaron Maher is not going to miss the opportunity to watch his first runner at the Cheltenham Festival in England. Maher, a dual purpose-trainer who is in partnership with David Eustace, has Big Blue nominated for four races… Read More »
Trainer Robert Heathcote has some bad news for rival trainers who may have been hoping star two-year-old Rothfire had started to train off since his last-start win. Rothfire made it three wins from three starts when he strolled home by 4-1/2 lengths to win a two-year-old handicap at Eagle Farm… Read More »
Trainer David Vandyke has not fully committed star three-year-old to the $5m All Star Mile and could instead miss the race with an aim to target the horse to The Everest in the Spring. Vandyke will make a decision on the $5m All Star Mile following Alligator Blood’s run in… Read More »
American trainer Jason Servis is hoping the decision to send Maximum Security on his travels will pay dividends in the inaugural Saudi Cup. The four-year-old has won six of his eight starts including three at the highest level. But he is perhaps best known for passing the post first in… Read More »
Iron horse Prioritise is a strong chance to back up at Doomben, three days after winning at Toowoomba. The gelding claimed his 11th career win and his third from three starts at Toowoomba in an Open Handicap (1300m) on Wednesday. He has been accepted for the Listed Tattersall’s Members Cup… Read More »
All-Star Mile contender Heart Of Puissance has had his colours lowered in a midweek race at Sandown but will press ahead to the $5 million race at his next start. Heart Of Puissance was last week granted a spot in the All-Star Mile at Caulfield as one of the top… Read More »
Hours of patient work have paid off for trainer Steve Tregea when giant gelding Command’n’conquer scored on debut at Toowoomba. There are few bigger racehorses than Command’n’conquer, who stands more than 17 hands and weighs 630kg. Tregea revealed Command’n’conquer had been a handful to train but in an unusual way…. Read More »
Having already won the Group One George Main Stakes this season, Godolphin star Avilius gets the chance to add another feature weight-for-age mile at Randwick in the Chipping Norton Stakes. The James Cummings-trained Avilius is one of 10 individual Group One winners among the field of 14 for Saturday’s Group… Read More »
Xilong’s lead-up to the Surround Stakes has not all gone to plan but co-trainer Calvin McEvoy says they would not be running the talented filly in the Group One race if they did not think she was up to it. Xilong won the Listed Twilight Glow Stakes last spring and… Read More »
A spot in the All-Star Mile is on offer in the Blamey Stakes at Flemington and trainer Aaron Purcell is hopeful Guizot can secure it with victory in the Group Two race. Saturday’s Blamey Stakes (1600m) is one of two “win and you’re in” races for the $5 million All-Star… Read More »
Top filly Gem of Scotland will miss the $125,000 Jewel Prelude at Doomben and is likely to have a trial instead. Trainer Rex Lipp is keen to run Gem Of Scotland in the $300,000 The Jewel at the Gold Coast on March 14. Lipp will then decide whether to head… Read More »
Multiple Group One-winning sprinter Nature Strip will not run in the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington and instead will return to Sydney for his next start in the Group Two Challenge Stakes. Nature Strip was allocated top weight of 58kg for the Group One Newmarket Handicap (1200m) on March 7 when… Read More »
Caloundra’s Natalie McCall has one of the best strike rates this season of any Australian trainer and she would dearly like to add to it with frustrating Spectroscope at Doomben. Spectroscope will attempt to end a run of outs that has stretched nearly three years in the Listed Tattersall’s Members… Read More »
