Racing is so often about choices and in-form jockey, Steven Parnham, hopes he made the right one as he bids to set a new benchmark in Saturday’s Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800m) at Ascot. Given the option of two horses trained by his father Neville, Steven Parnham plumped for WA Guineas… Read More »
In less than a year’s time he will be back in the Australian training ranks but, right now, Dan Meagher is focussed on the challenge facing his star performer Lim’s Kosciuszko in Sunday’s HK$32 million Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin racecourse. The Meagher family has… Read More »
Last year’s Caulfield Cup champion Durston is gearing up for an autumn return after missing all of 2023 due to tendon and hoof injuries. Currently three weeks into pre-training, the eight-year-old, trained by Chris Waller, hasn’t raced since his 2022 Caulfield Cup victory. Tony Fleiter, Managing Director of Highclere Australia,… Read More »
The Mick Price and Michael Kent stable will attempt to land a nice first-up prize with the speedy Spicy Margs at Ballarat. The Magic Millions Ballarat 3YO & 4YO Classic (1100m) on Saturday is the race the stable has picked out for Spicy Margs to kick start her campaign. Spicy Margs won first-up over 1100m… Read More »
With Group 1 racing all but done and dusted for 2023, attention now turns towards the ever-evolving two-year-old picture. The holy grail for that generation – the $5 million Group 1 Golden Slipper – might still be 3-1/2 months away, with the Blue Diamond four weeks before it, but the… Read More »
The Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m) is firmly on the agenda for unraced two-year-old Amazing Eagle, who won his Rosehill trial on Tuesday morning by 7.5 lengths, in a clear morning-fastest time of 53.61 seconds, the next best being Zoubaby for Richard and Will Freedman at 54.26 seconds. Amazing Eagle showed… Read More »
Swords Drawn is expected to be Mike Moroney’s runner in the Ballarat Cup as the trainer chases back-to-back wins in the Listed race. Moroney won last year’s rain-sodden Ballarat Cup with Bankers Choice and will rely on another veteran in this year’s $500,000 race over 2000m. Swords Drawn will be backing up… Read More »
Things do not go to plan with Modown in Saturday’s Group 2 Sandown Guineas, but Craig Williams has now turned his attention to another promising Charlotte Littlefield-trained three-year-old this Wednesday at Sandown. The star jockey will partner Shooting To Win filly She’s Bulletproof in the Ladbrokes Owner Incentive Scheme 3YO Maiden Plate (1200m)… Read More »
Defibrillate, a notable middle-distance specialist and a million-dollar earner, has been retired from racing. Bred by co-trainer Graham Richardson and the McInteer Family, Defibrillate enjoyed ownership by several close friends, including trainer Lance O’Sullivan and former Black Cap Brendan McCullum. Starting his career in Richardson’s stable, he won two of… Read More »
Racing Victoria is set to convene a strategy meeting with major stakeholders in the sport on Tuesday morning in the Melbourne CBD. The session is aimed at gathering diverse visions for the future of racing from each participant group. Invited to this meeting are the three metropolitan clubs – the… Read More »
Fresh from taking out Saturday’s Group 1 Crown Perth-Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) with Overpass, Darby Racing director Scott Darby wants the syndicator to increase its presence in Perth. Having already won the inaugural Quokka (1200m) earlier this year, Overpass completed the Ascot feature sprint double in Saturday’s $1.5 million event and won… Read More »
Natalie Young understands if punters have dropped off Forgot You, but she’s confident they’ll see an improved version of the five-year-old in Saturday’s G1 Northerly Stakes (1800m) at Ascot. Finishing 14th of 16 in the G1 Railway Stakes wasn’t the ideal way to kick off your interstate campaign and not what… Read More »
Look up the form of Fab’s Cowboy and you might do a double-take. One hundred and forty-seven starts … fifty wins, thirty-one seconds and twelve third placings … that’s right, FIFTY wins. The Bevan Johnson trained ‘legend’ reached the fifty-win milestone at Mt Isa on Saturday, at last putting an… Read More »
Owner-breeder Gary Bowen was certain Baby Paris could not run out 1400m. Trainer Colin Webster and jockey Peter Knuckey had no reservations. Baby Paris had the final say and she responded emphatically. The daughter of boom sire Playing God proved too strong in the Jungle Dawn Classic (1400m), leading all the way. Rusty… Read More »
If nominations are anything to go by, the meeting at the Gold Coast on Saturday … the first on the new turf track, will have full fields … and probably an added race or two … after two-hundred-and-one nominations were received for the scheduled seven-race meeting. Fields will be restricted… Read More »
Trainer Robert Heathcote’s stable star Rothfire might have finished second to Zoustyle in the Group 3 George Moore Stakes at Doomben on Saturday, but Heathcote could not be happier with the nine-time winning son of Rothesay who will now head to the $750,000 King Of The Mountain at Toowoomba on… Read More »
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have four horses entered for this Saturday’s Ballarat Cup, but they will monitor the likely quality of the field before settling on their number of starters. The 2000-metre event will be run in December for the first time and Maher is sensing an opportunity for some… Read More »
Last year’s winner of the G2 The Ingham (1600m) Kirwan’s Lane ($26) is entered to be back to defend the title but faces in form runners across the board. Big Dance winner Attractable ($15), Gong winner Detonator Jack ($5), Cranbourne Cup winner Charterhouse ($15), last week’s Festival Stakes winner Phearson ($26) and the Eclipse winner… Read More »
The manner in which the John and Sheila Laxon trained Knight’s Choice won at Doomben on Saturday has reaffirmed the fact that the door is open to a host of options for the four-year-old son of Extreme Choice over the next twelve months. “That was over 2000m. He was just… Read More »
Coolmore Stud Stakes runner-up I Am Unstoppable will race in new colours in the Black Caviar Lightning after being bought by one of Australia’s leading stud farms. Widden Stud has struck a deal that will see it take control of the Lloyd Kennewell and Lucy Yeomans-trained son of I Am Invincible… Read More »
