Leading trainers Gai Waterhouse and Mike Moroney have announced that several of their premier horses will not be participating in this year’s Melbourne Cup. Moroney has made the call to send Emissary for a spell. The 2022 Melbourne Cup runner-up recently finished 26 lengths behind the winner in the Caulfield… Read More »
Group 1-winning jockey Ethan Brown will take an indefinite break from race riding, stemming from the severe injuries he sustained during a harrowing fall at the Australian Guineas in March. The accident left Brown with major internal injuries, marking a challenging path to recovery. In an emotional post on social… Read More »
Ryan Maloney has been booked to ride the Tony and Maddysen Sears trained Yellow Brick in The Golden Eagle at Rosehill on November 4. Maloney has just returned to Queensland after basing himself in Sydney for the first couple of months of the new season, but he will be eyeing… Read More »
The two days at Moonee Valley come to a crescendo on Saturday afternoon but there are so many highlights. It shapes as another intriguing G1 WS Cox Plate (2040m) with international interest aplenty. Romantic Warrior, the $4.00 favourite with online bookies, is the hope of Hong Kong but he will… Read More »
Grahame Begg is confident Magic Time has what it takes to secure a big pay-day in Saturday’s The Invitation at Randwick after she won her fourth race and second at Group 3 level from just six starts last time out. Sent forward by Nash Rawiller second up in the Group 3 The… Read More »
Without A Fight has been issued a 1kg penalty for his Caulfield Cup win with the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained gelding to now carry 56.5kg in the Melbourne Cup. Racing Victoria’s head of handicapping David Hegan announced the penalty on Monday afternoon, two days after his win under 55.5kg in the… Read More »
The G1 Spring Champions Stakes (2000m) has often been a good horse’s race as the boys get to the 2000m for the first time and may well press on to the Victoria Derby. Tom Kitten ($2.50) looks like he is really striving for that ground so has to run favourite… Read More »
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, it’s the King Edward winner King of Steel who’s 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 »
