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 »
Peter Moody and syndicator Wylie Dalziel put their necks on the line when they purchased Gates at a Magic Millions Yearling Sale. The son of Frankel, a close relation to stayer Mirage Dancer that third in the 2019 Caulfield Cup, and won The Metropolitan in Sydney, was a $950,000 purchase by the pair in 2022. Gates had his third start on… Read More »
Trainer Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr will await the final fields of Flemington before deciding on where to start Snow Patrol. The three-year-old is an acceptor for the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on Saturday but also holds a nomination for the Three-Year-Old Benchmark 64 (1400m) at Flemington on Sunday. Snow Patrol… Read More »
While the Melbourne Cup isn’t a specific goal for dour stayer True Marvel, trainer Matthew Smith hasn’t ruled out giving him a shot at Australia’s most famous race. Placed in the Sydney and Brisbane Cups earlier this year, Smith says the eight-year-old is a genuine two-miler who could find himself in… Read More »
Trainer Mike Moroney is looking to Alenquer showing the form that earned him equal second top-weight in the Melbourne Cup when he resumes at Caulfield. Alenquer lines up in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) on Saturday, his first run as a gelding. The French-bred galloper was gelded after two moderate runs… Read More »
Sticking to campaign templates that have worked in the past is Chris Waller’s usual formula for big race success. But the champion trainer is stepping outside the box in his attempt to win the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) first-up with Shinzo. No horse has captured the $1 million spring… Read More »
Romantic Warrior has successfully navigated a series of challenges, including a disruptive pre-export quarantine in Hong Kong and the impact of Super Typhoon Saola. Now settled in Australia, the horse is adjusting well, says Ben So, travelling foreman for trainer Danny Shum. Previously plagued by feed import issues, the team… Read More »
Sharp ‘N’ Smart, trained by Graeme and Debbie Rogerson, faces uncertainty ahead of the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) after being assigned a weight of 53.5kg. This puts the booked jockey, Hugh Bowman, in doubt as he was hoping for 54.5kg. Graeme Rogerson stated, “At this stage it is Hugh’s ride… Read More »
Ripcord is set to be one of the star attractions at the final Saturday meeting at Belmont Park for the season, which also features the Black Heart Bart Stakes (1200m). The son of Written By made a promising start to his racing career, taking out the Listed Perth Stakes (1100m), before… Read More »
Ben Pearce, along with co-trainer and brother, Dan, said there were a couple of choices on the table for Acromantula, but they settled on Friday week’s G1 Moir Stakes (1000m) as the best option. Moonee Valley’s unique track has proven to be a happy hunting ground for Acromantula, who landed… Read More »
Trainer Michael Freedman will look to send Ducasse to Melbourne for a lead-up to the Caulfield Guineas. But a start in the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on Saturday will be dependent on Ducasse drawing a decent barrier. The Prelude is the traditional lead-up to the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October… Read More »
