Punters have honed in on Aztec Ruler to take out the Tabtouch Stakes (1600m) at Belmont on Saturday and trainer Stefan Vahala is confident his talented gelding can continue his winning ways. Free of any injury concerns that stifled his three-year-old season, Aztec Ruler is living up to the potential and… Read More »
Trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr are not going to let a wide barrier stop them from pressing on with their original plans for Hezashocka. The New Zealand-bred galloper drew the widest gate in a capacity field in the Group 3 MRC Foundation Cup (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday. Under normal… Read More »
In a bid to get Little Brose to concentrate, the Lindsay Park stable has called for a set of blinkers ahead of the colt’s outing at Caulfield. Little Brose steps up to the 1400m for the first time in blinkers when he runs in the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude on Saturday. And… Read More »
âJacquinot had speed, soundness, temperament and genuine Group One ability,â said trainer Mick Price, âand most importantly he had what all good stud colts have â tenacity.â In fact, Widden Stud says he is the only Australian stallion to retire in 2023 as a weight-for-age winning 3YO, being the winner… Read More »
Damien Oliver will be looking to add to his Group 1 tally when he partners Alligator Blood possibly for the last time at Caulfield. Alligator Blood runs in the Underwood Stakes (1800m) on Saturday with Oliver aboard before the champion jockey is expected to hand the reins back to Tim Clark in coming weeks. Clark was… Read More »
The Sydney jockeys’ room is widely regarded as one of the most competitive and the intensity is set to go up a notch with the injection of two global stars for the Golden Rose meeting. Ryan Moore and Joao Moreira are both in town to partner a couple of the autumn’s best… Read More »
Ozzmosis gets his first chance to vindicate the decision of breeding giants Newgate Farm to buy into his ownership when he makes his seasonal return in the Heritage Stakes at Rosehill. The exciting colt captured the attention of the renowned stud after two promising wins during his initial campaign, laying the… Read More »
Everest winner Classique Legend is enjoying retirement on Kerrin Mcevoy’s farm, but the top jockey might have found a stablemate who can provide him with a few racetrack thrills. Like Classique Legend, Celestial Legend is prepared by Les Bridge, owned by Legend Racing’s Bon Ho and races in his white and red… Read More »
Julius Sandhu enhanced his reputation with products of Snitzel and Overreach when Excess made a winning start to her career at Cranbourne on Thursday. The three-year-old filly overcame greenness to score an impressive win with Beau Mertens in the saddle in the 1000-metre maiden. She follows in the footsteps of… Read More »
Just like the AFL Preliminary Finals, there is a lot at stake in the MRC Foundation Cup at Caulfield. A place in the AFL Grand Final at the MCG awaits the winners of games on Friday and Saturday night while victory in the MRC Foundation Cup (2000m) on Saturday affords the winner a ballot exemption… Read More »
Banana Queen strung together a hat-trick of victories last preparation and now that she has another one on the board, her trainers are hoping she can put together a similar winning sequence. The mare had a mixed start to her campaign on paper, running fifth as favourite on resumption at Randwick… Read More »
A resounding last-start win has put Athabascan on a Melbourne Cup path with trainer John O’Shea seeing no reason why the French import can’t go on with the job. The five-year-old has been in Australia for less than a year and after a seasoning campaign in the autumn, which included a Canberra… Read More »
Ken and Kasey Keys have called on a jockey change for Scheelite but resisted a change of gear for their Caulfield Guineas hope. Mark Zahra takes over aboard Scheelite in the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on Saturday, replacing Daniel Stackhouse who had ridden the colt in his previous three starts. Ken Keys said there was ‘no blue’ with… Read More »
A plan that has been months in the making has come to fruition for trainer Bjorn Baker following confirmation Overpass has become the seventh horse to secure a start in the $20 million The Everest. Narrowly edged out by Private Eye first-up in the Shorts (1100m) last Saturday, Overpass’s connections this week closed… Read More »
Sam Freedman has been happy to talk about Without A Fight but he is now more than ready to see the galloper back at the races. That appearance comes in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on Saturday. Without A Fight came to Australia last year with Simon and Ed Crisford for… Read More »
Less than a year after Joao Moreira began what he thought would be a global farewell tour, retirement plans have been put on the backburner as another Australian Group One target beckons. Moreira feared his days of riding were numbered when he struggled with an ongoing hip issue last year, prompting… Read More »
Trainer David Hayes, who is based in Hong Kong, confirmed that his sons Ben, JD, and Will’s leading horse, Mr Brightside, is set to participate in the Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin this coming December. Hayes, who has strong ties to Hong Kong, had previously hinted that Australia’s… Read More »
Giga Kick, the reigning Everest champion, is set to bypass the Group 2 Premiere Stakes and head directly to the $20 million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 14. The decision follows a difficult first-up run in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley, a race marred… Read More »
There were a couple of upward spikes with thirds in the Ngawyni Stakes (1000m) and Blue Spec Stakes (1600m), but aside from those two runs it’s been a barren campaign. Raquel Reid usually goes on the theory you can forgive a horse one bad run, but after two poor efforts, she’s… Read More »
Adding his star power to the midweek meeting at Warwick Farm, celebrated jockey Joao Moreira wasted no time making an impact with a winner at his first ride. Moreira, who has been competing in Japan, is back in town to partner the Chris Waller-trained Militarize in Saturday’s $1 million Golden Rose (1400m),… Read More »
