Almost four decades after watching Kingston Town win one of his three Cox Plates, Japanese trainer Yoshito Yahagi has achieved an ambition to claim Australia’s premier weight-for-age race. Yahagi is the trainer of Lys Gracieux, the winner Saturday’s $5 million Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley, adding another feature win… Read More »
A stunning year for Damian Lane has continued with the Australian jockey adding his first Cox Plate on star Japanese mare Lys Gracieux. Having already won the Golden Slipper on Australian filly Kiamichi in March and last week’s Caulfield Cup on Japanese horse Mer De Glace, Lane added the next… Read More »
The Cox Plate Carnival was the focus for punters this week and there were some brilliant performances across the two days. All that and more in this weeks edition of ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’. KEY NEWS: Loving Gaby Wins Manikato A gamble made by the Maher/Eustace stable… Read More »
Recently retired NRL star Paul Gallen was ruing the poor barrier draw for his horse Te Akau Shark who came from last to finish third in the Cox Plate at The Valley. Te Akau Star ($17) drew the outside barrier in Saturday’s $5 million weight-for-age championship with jockey Opie Bosson… Read More »
Brenton Avdulla has literally had to scrape paint to win the inaugural $1 million Bondi Stakes at Randwick aboard Kubrick. The Chris Waller-trained colt started the $3.70 equal favourite in the 1600m-race on Saturday after being brought back from Melbourne following a disappointing effort in the Caulfield Guineas. Avdulla had… Read More »
Trainer Richard Litt can now look forward to a honeymoon after his three-year-old Castelvecchio finished a gallant second to star Japanese mare Lys Gracieux in the Cox Plate at The Valley. Litt had arrived in Melbourne to prepare Castelvecchio for the Cox Plate after the colt’s last start second in… Read More »
All options remain on the table for up-and-coming stayer Master Of Wine after he produced a dazzling turn of foot to win the City Tattersalls Club Cup at Randwick. His victory came nine years after the Hawkes team last claimed the race with Maluckyday, who went on to win the… Read More »
Irish horse Hunting Horn has firmed for the Melbourne Cup after winning the Moonee Valley Gold Cup in his first spring carnival appearance in Victoria. From the stable of champion Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, Hunting Horn was well supported to start $4.20 in Saturday’s Group… Read More »
Lys Gracieux has brought her best form from Japan to claim the $5 million Cox Plate, Australia’s weight-for-age championship. A week after Mer De Glace won the Caulfield Cup for Japan, Lys Gracieux has given her rivals a start and a beating at The Valley. She came with a surging… Read More »
Chief Ironside has continued the successful invasion of international raiders by taking out the Crystal Mile at The Valley. The victory of Chief Ironside, trained by French-born UK-based David Menuisier, on Saturday followed the success of Hunting Horn in the preceding race, the Moonee Valley Cup. Other winners to come… Read More »
Madam Rouge has added a valuable Group Three win to her record in The Nivison at Randwick where Pretty In Pink has lost all hope of victory before the race started. Stewards agreed with trainer John O’Shea, Pretty In Pink had not been afforded a fair start when her gate… Read More »
Short-priced favourite Greyworm has scored a dominant wire-to-wire win for the Hawkes Racing team in the Filante Handicap at Randwick. Sent out at $2, the five-year-old grey set the pace and dashed to a 1-1/4 length victory over fast-finishing John Sargent-trained mare Luvaluva ($8.50). Luvaluva, returning from a five-month spell,… Read More »
Toowoomba trainer Kevin Kemp has his eyes on an interstate trip for Fighting Teo after the giant gelding continued jockey Luke Tarrant’s successful comeback at Eagle Farm. Tarrant, who rode a double at the Sunshine on Friday night, gave Fighting Teo ($3.90) the run of the race just behind the… Read More »
Trainer Ken Keys is keeping his feet firmly planted after Soul Patch raced his way into Victoria Derby contention with an impressive win at The Valley. Soul Patch won Saturday’s Drummond Golf Vase (2040m) and had his price slashed from $11 into $5 for next Saturday’s Victoria Derby over 2500m… Read More »
The John Sadler-trained Sartorial Splendor has always had a bit of a boom on him and the colt has started to deliver on that potential with his first stakes race win at The Valley. Ridden by Jamie Kah in Saturday’s Group Three 1300 Australia Stakes (1200m) for three-year-olds, Sartorial Splendour… Read More »
Diamond Thunder has continued trainer Mark Newnham’s run of carnival success this spring with a first-up victory in the Brian Crowley Stakes at Randwick. Newnham has won the Gloaming and Spring Champion Stakes with Victoria Derby favourite Shadow Hero and landed a Moonee Valley win on Friday’s night’s Manikato Stakes… Read More »
Trainer Mitchell Freedman wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to watch Winx win a fourth straight Cox Plate at The Valley. That was despite Freedman a year ago having a runner at Victoria’s second TAB country meeting at St Arnaud that finished third. Move forward 12 months and Freedman was… Read More »
Well-bred mare But I Know is headed for the Country Classic in a fortnight after winning her second TAB Highway Handicap at Randwick. Trained by Taree’s Ross Stitt, the four-year-old ($6) shot to the lead at the 200m and held off outsider Lost Command ($16) by a half-neck on Saturday…. Read More »
Promising mare Missed The Alarm confirmed her rating as a future staying prospect when she skipped half a dozen race classes to win at Eagle Farm. Trainer Steve O’Dea had planned to take Missed The Alarm to Grafton on Monday but decided to set the mare for Saturdays race instead…. Read More »
After 1600m in the Fillies Classic at The Valley, Fascino and La Falaise could not be separated in the Group Two race. The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Fascino ($5.50) hit the front inside the final 200m in Saturday’s race but the Henry Dwyer-trained La Falaise ($6.50) was edging closer… Read More »
