Trainer Grahame Begg revealed a sad postscript to the exciting return victory of Royal Insignia in a Stakes race at Sandown. The colt’s dam Yau Chin was humanely euthanised 24 hours before Royal Insignia took out the Group 3 Manfred Stakes (1200m) on Saturday. Yan Chin also produced Written By,… Read More »
The Red, Purple Sash, White Sleeves, Purple Cap of the Freedman clan have been carried to success in many big races in Australia and overseas. They were the colours when Lee Freedman and his brothers Anthony, Richard and Michael were the FBI and a force to be reckoned with during… Read More »
Superbly bred mare Clear Thinking has taken her unbeaten run to four with a gallant victory at Randwick, earning herself a stakes race opportunity. A daughter of top European sire Dubawi out of Australian Group 1 winner Sweet Idea, Clear Thinking was purchased by Arrowfield Stud supremo John Messara during a… Read More »
After a stint on the sidelines with injury, jockey Michael Dee has made a return to the winner’s circle at Sandown. Dee partnered with the Enver Jusufovic-trained Philosopher to claim the Listed W J Adams Stakes (1000m) on Saturday. A fall at the Flemington jump-outs in November left Dee with separation to… Read More »
John Thompson brought debutante Open Secret to Randwick hoping to bank enough prizemoney for an Inglis Millennium start and instead came away with a bonus win, the filly claiming the scalp of $1.75 million colt Unites States in the process. Thompson typically likes to trial his two-year-olds twice, but with the $2… Read More »
My Gladiola did not let her trainer or the large contingent of owners down with a stunning debut win at Sandown. The victory in the filly’s division of the Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) on Saturday, saw the John Mcardle-trained two-year-old leap to the top of betting for the Group 1… Read More »
Tony Gollan’s dominance of the Goldmarket Handicap continued under lights at Gold Coast on Friday as Golden Boom landed the listed feature by a narrow margin. Challenged late by the Natalie McCall-trained Tiger Shark ($4.60), Golden Boom ($3.50 favourite) won the $160,000 event and notched his seventh win in 18 starts… Read More »
The Danny Shum-trained Romantic Warrior delivered a stunning performance on his Dubai debut, clinching the Group 1 Jebel Hatta (1800m) at Meydan with an emphatic 4.51-length victory on Saturday morning (AEDT). Jockey James McDonald admitted to some pre-race nerves as the 2023 Cox Plate winner appeared a little edgy under… Read More »
An example of ‘owning’ a sprint race was just what Blake Shinn and Schwarz displayed in winning the Group 2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley in a prelude to a long weekend of racing. The John O’Shea & Tom Charlton-trained sprinter followed-up two sharp trials in Sydney with a dominant… Read More »
The Lindsay Park stable of Ben, Will and J D Hayes held high hopes for Carbonados when he burst on the scene with an Australian debut win at Geelong. That was a little over 12 months ago and at the corresponding Australia Day meeting at Caulfield last year, Carbonados progressed straight… Read More »
Jockey Jess Taylor was involved in a dramatic incident during the running of Race 3 at Queanbeyan, where her mount fell near the 250-metre mark. The fall saw Taylor dislodged from her horse, prompting immediate attention from medical staff on site. Witnesses described the moment as shocking, but thankfully Taylor… Read More »
Time has been the best friend for Royal Insignia who makes his return after a short break in Stakes company at Sandown. After wins at Kyneton and Caulfield Heath back in November, Royal Insignia heads to the Group 3 Manfred Stakes (1200m) on Saturday. Trainer Grahame Begg has a lot of time… Read More »
That man David Ellis certainly has the ‘mojo’ to win the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO, as his 2yo colt To Bravery Born is the $3.20 race favourite with Australian wide wagering agencies. As head of the mighty Te Akau Racing, the David Ellis partners have won eight of the… Read More »
Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett is eagerly anticipating the return of promising import Don Diego De Vega to the racetrack in Sydney this Saturday. It will mark just the third Australian start for the gelding, now under the care of trainers Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald. The son of Lope De… Read More »
Racing Queensland is on the search for a new chief executive following the resignation of Jason Scott. The man who has led the organisation for the past two years revealed on Friday morning that he resigned earlier this week. Scott said he was not moving to a new role but… Read More »
The fire in the Norman Robinson Grandstand at Caulfield has resulted in the transfer of another meeting to Sandown. Saturday’s Blue Diamond Preview card was moved to Sandown last week while the meeting scheduled for Caulfield on February 1 was on Thursday also moved to be run at Sandown. The… Read More »
John Thompson has already produced one impressive two-year-old winner this season in Bel Merci, and he will be hoping to unveil another when stablemate Open Secret makes her debut at Randwick Open Secret is set to step out in Saturday’s The Agency Real Estate Handicap (1000m) after edging out her… Read More »
Having spent most of his adult life combining a teaching career with training the odd racehorse, John Steinmetz figured life would get easier once he retired from the education department a decade ago. Then along came a horse to turn that theory on its head. Steinmetz purchased a Casino Prince yearling… Read More »
Warrnambool Trainer Tom Dabernig is treating a trip to Morphetteville with Romantic Choice as a dress rehearsal for something over the Adelaide Carnival towards the backend of autumn. Romantic Choice gained ‘Black Type’ with her last start win in the Listed Black Pearl Stakes (1200m) at Geelong on January 4 and heads… Read More »
Yes, it’s a dead-heat for the 12th Longines World’s Best Racehorse awards with Laurel River, the Dubai World Cup hero, dead-heating with City of Troy in the hands of Ryan Moore. With both horses being rated 128, the first since 2019, it was Laurel River who has held that same… Read More »
