James McDonald’s confidence in Romantic Warrior ahead of this Saturday’s $5 million Cox Plate is increasing with every track gallop. The champion jockey was at Moonee Valley on Monday morning to partner the Hong Kong star in a 1200-metre workout with Danny Shum stablemate Romantic Charm, six days out from… Read More »
Autumn Angel, one of the top contenders for the VRC Oaks (2500m), won’t be lining up in the Group 1 event to take place at Flemington on November 9. Co-trainer Peter Moody unveiled that after her sterling performance in Caulfield’s Group 3 Ethereal Stakes, she’s slated for a break in… Read More »
Hong Kong’s Romantic Warrior has been the anticipated favourite for this year’s Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m), but an unexpected challenger emerges. Irish horse, Victoria Road, once an outsider at $101 a month ago, has seen his odds drastically slashed to $7.00 with many Australian online bookmakers. Kheir, who recently… Read More »
The Kavanaghs have shifted their focus, selecting the Geelong Cup for their notable stayer, First Immortal, as he vies for a berth in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 7. With Jamie Kah slated to be in the saddle and following First Immortal’s impressive second-place performance… Read More »
Matthew Dunn is confident Big Dance favourite Cepheus can overcome a minor setback in time for the $3 million Melbourne Cup Day feature at Randwick. The in-form gelding was scratched from Saturday’s Filante Handicap (1600m) at Randwick after presenting with mild swelling in his near-fore fetlock three days earlier. However, Dunn said… Read More »
In a bid to claim a fifth Cox Plate champion trainer Chris Waller will give his two representatives extra experience at Moonee Valley ahead of Australasia’s weight-for-age championship. Fangirl and Militarise had their first look at the Moonee Valley circuit on Saturday ahead of the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) and will return on Tuesday morning for Breakfast With The Best. Both horses were not out to break the clock but will be asked to… Read More »
Moonee Valley track staff freely admit that preparing the course for the double-header Cox Plate Carnival is a challenge, and the plan for Friday night’s meeting is for a firmer track. Since the final Moonee Valley meeting of the 2022/23 season back in March, their focus has all been about providing the best surface… Read More »
Following his victory in the Caulfield Cup, jockey Mark Zahra has been granted permission to ride at the upcoming Cox Plate meeting next Saturday. However, he will not be available to ride until Victoria Derby Day, which falls on the following Saturday, due to a seven-meeting suspension imposed by stewards… Read More »
With heavy rain switching the running of the Qipco Champion Stakes to the Inner Flat Course at Ascot, itâs the King Edward winner King of Steel whoâs at $5 with Ladbrokes. News of Frankie Dettori replacing Kevin Stott following the owners unhappy view of the Irish Champion Stakes, the odds… Read More »
Reigning Everest winner Think About It might have been back home in the stable, but Joe Pride only had eyes for his Big Dance Wild Card winner King Of The Castle at Randwick, describing the gelding as his “horse crush”. King Of The Castle ($7) raced his way into the $3 million… Read More »
West Wind Blows, who started a $5.50 favourite in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m), was narrowly denied, by a former stablemate no less, but co-trainer Ed Crisford was upbeat after the race despite the loss. Crisford, who trains in partnership with his father Simon, brought Without A Fight to Australia for… Read More »
Jockey Ben Melham will be putting his hand up to ride whichever horse Mark Zahra rejects in the Melbourne Cup. Ben Melham rode the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Gold Trip into third place in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on Saturday and would like to keep the ride in the Group 1 Melbourne… Read More »
Mark Zahra’s faith in Without A Fight was vindicated when the imported galloper provided the jockey a second Caulfield Cup in four years. In different scenes from his win aboard Verry Elleegant when there were no crowds on course because of COVID, Zahra defeated his close friend Jamie Spencer aboard English galloper West Wind Blows in a race that was… Read More »
With regular jockey Kerrin Mcevoy in Melbourne for the Caulfield Cup, John Sargent had to find a new rider for Palmetto in the Five Diamonds Prelude and his booking of Kathy O’Hara proved a winning one. O’Hara has been a mainstay of the Sydney jockeys’ room for many seasons but is enjoying a career… Read More »
View the comments from all of the jockeys from the Caulfield Cup which was run on Saturday 21st October. Winning Jockey: Mark Zahra On the right horse: âIt is good when you have the results at the end but you have to choose them beforehand. âWhat a moment. Iâm so… Read More »
The Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) is next on the agenda for the Michael Moroney trained Coeur Volante who remained unbeaten this preparation, taking out the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield. Jumping from the widest barrier, Blake Shinn managed to slot Coeur Volante one out, one back after 200… Read More »
With his wife and children watching on, Damien Oliver guided home a winner at his final Caulfield Cup meeting. Oliver announced his retirement from riding at the start of the Spring Carnival and will bow out after competing at the Perth Summer Carnival in November. Unfortunately for Oliver he was unable to add to his… Read More »
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have continued their outstanding start to the juvenile season, producing Shangri La Express for a debut win at Randwick to give them three of the first four two-year-old races of the term. The stable started its run when Espionage led home a Breeders’ Plate trifecta before Sovereign… Read More »
The 2023 Caulfield Cup is the feature race held at Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday afternoon. The race is run over 2400m and is worth $5,000,000 in prize money. Find out all the information on the Caulfield Cup below including how you can live stream the Caulfield Cup 2023, the full… Read More »
Mention to Steve Wolfe that Red Can Man has not won a race for a while and the Albany-based trainer bristles at the remarks. The records show Red Can Man hasn’t been successful since the G3 John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield two years ago. But, delve deeper and those same… Read More »
