New Zealand trainer Shaune Ritchie admits he has to tread a fine line dealing with his capricious mare Zurella. The talented four-year-old is the favourite for the Group Three Naturalism Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday with a win giving her direct entry into the Caulfield Cup. While Zurella has… Read More »
Threats made by jockey Danny Nikolic against Victoria’s chief racing steward were all the more serious because they came against a background of a notorious murder, a tribunal has heard. In another explosive day of evidence, lawyer Phillip Priest QC told the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary (RAD) Board Nikolic threatened… Read More »
Hawkesbury trainer Garry Frazer has his fingers crossed Browden can finally get his act together at Orange on Friday. The four-year-old by Starcraft out of the Marscay mare Marples, owned and bred by the late Geoff White and his wife Beryl, has to date proven a major source of frustration…. Read More »
Reckons will be out to reward the extra care and attention given to him by trainer Debbie Trembath with victory at Grafton on Friday. Trembath describes the five-year-old Lonhro gelding as “a big sook”. Reckons, a Darley cast off formerly trained by Trembath’s nephew Daniel Wheeler, tackles the Yellow Tail… Read More »
The past two Melbourne Cup winners Americain and Dunaden head the order of entry for this year’s race with favourite Mount Athos safely in the the 24-horse field. The jostling for positions gets underway in earnest this week with Thursday’s Newcastle Cup and feature races at Randwick and Caulfield on… Read More »
Jockey Christian Reith bounced back from a horror meeting at Rosehill on Saturday to win Wednesday’s Cameron Handicap at Newcastle. Reith tossed the game plan out when dictating from the front to win the 1500m Group Three event on the Gwenda Markwell-trained Rolling Pin. The victory in the $150,000 feature… Read More »
Glencadam Gold gets the chance to boost his prospects of a berth in the major Cups in Melbourne when he lines up in the Newcastle Cup on Thursday. The imported Glencadam Gold has just 50kg in the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups and needs to win or run a place to… Read More »
Gai Waterhouse has another unbeaten three-year-old looking to make a spring carnival impact after Proisir was a contemptuous winner of Wednesday’s Spring Stakes at Newcastle. The champion trainer and stable jockey Nash Rawiller were left stunned by the colt’s 5-3/4 length victory as the short-priced favourite in the Group Three… Read More »
Claims that a senior Victorian racing official declared jockey Danny Nikolic should be run out of the industry have rocked an inquiry into charges against the embattled rider. The bombshell came from Victorian Jockeys’ Association executive officer Des O’Keeffe who said the official from Racing Victoria telephoned him to express… Read More »
Mick Price almost always has his heart in his mouth when it comes to progressive gelding Callanish and it was no different at Sandown on Wednesday. Price has had to work hard to iron out the four-year-old’s dubious barrier manners and still runs scared of upsetting him. Thankfully for Price,… Read More »
Stephen Farley is adamant Sincero has improved since his stunning first-up win but questions how much better he needs to be in Saturday’s Underwood Stakes. Sincero scored a convincing Memsie Stakes victory three weeks ago and is one of the favourites for the Group One Underwood (1800m) at Caulfield where… Read More »
The Newcastle Jockey Club has received a major boost with the announcement of $11 million in upgrades, highlighted by the creation of an inside track. The new turf racing surface will mimic the Kensington track at Randwick and will span 20 metres across to cater for 14 starters. The course… Read More »
Rain Affair’s first-up failure hasn’t stopped the sprinter being installed favourite for the Group Two Shorts at Randwick on Saturday. The Joe Pride-trained gelding turned in arguably the worst performance of his career at Warwick Farm when he was beaten 4-1/4-lengths into fourth as the $1.50 favourite in the Concorde… Read More »
Gary Portelli has Group One aspirations for Somepin Anypin, although he doesn’t expect they will be realised in Saturday’s George Main Stakes. A compact but classy field has been assembled for the 1600m weight-for-age feature, historically an important stepping stone to the Epsom Handicap two weeks later. The Chris Waller-trained… Read More »
Victoria’s chief racing steward Terry Bailey made threats against jockey Danny Nikolic as part of a long-running feud between the two, an inquiry has heard. Nikolic, who is facing career-ending charges, allegedly threatened Bailey and his family at the Seymour race meeting on September 4. But Wednesday’s hearing before the… Read More »
The inquiry into charges against embattled jockey Danny Nikolic has heard that Victorian racing officials want him out of the industry. Nikolic’s lawyer Sandy Robertson has told the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary (RAD) Board panel that his client is being portrayed as the “fall guy” responsible for a decline in… Read More »
Joshua Tree will aim to regain his Canadian International crown following a highly creditable performance at Longchamp on Sunday. The five-year-old was victorious at Woodbine when trained by Aidan O’Brien a couple of years ago and finished second to French raider Sarah Lynx 12 months later after joining Marco Botti…. Read More »
In a spring already plagued by casualties, Mosheen is both a victim and a survivor. The VRC Oaks winner of last spring and triple Group One winner in the autumn, Mosheen’s Cox Plate preparation was well underway when a breathing problem emerged. A relatively straightforward piece of surgery and a… Read More »
Unbeaten gelding Callanish takes another step up in the hope of an imminent graduation to Saturday company in the Cove Hotel Handicap (1600m) at Sandown on Wednesday. Callanish has won impressively at each of his five starts leaving trainer Mick Price with the pleasant dilemma of wondering where to go… Read More »
The prospect of a first Caulfield Cup or Cox Plate has swayed Corey Brown to ride Secret Admirer instead of one of his favourite horses in Saturday’s George Main Stakes. Brown had the choice between Secret Admirer and Rangirangdoo in the Group One weight-for-age contest at Randwick, and said it… Read More »
