In a disappointing blow, quality three-year-old Top Of The Pops has been ruled out of the Ascot Pinnacles carnival after a track work accident last week. Trainer Dan Morton had high hopes for Top Of The Pops and rated him as a leading contender for the Group 2 WA Guineas (1600m)… Read More »
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable is hoping the Cox Plate can turn into a war of attrition and their lone starter Gold Trip will prove the best stayer. Gold Trip is backing up into the Group 1 2040m showpiece at Moonee Valley on Saturday after finishing second to Durston in the Group 1… Read More »
Manikato Stakes favourite Paulele has drawn what James Cummings has described as the ‘perfect’ barrier for Friday night’s $2 million Group 1 Manikato Stakes. The son of Dawn Approach came up with barrier six in the capacity field of 14 plus four emergencies but will start from gate four if… Read More »
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable are looking to Interpretation winning the Geelong Cup and getting a weight penalty to gain a start in the Melbourne Cup. The imported son of Galileo sits as number 33 in the Order of Entry into the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 1 with… Read More »
Annabel Neasham is looking to put away the disappointment of 12 months ago when she saddles three runners in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley. Zaaki, Mo’Unga and Laws Of Indicies gives Neasham three runners in the Group 1 weight-for-age championship over 2040m on Saturday, the only trainer with multiples runners in the race. Neasham was deflated 12 months… Read More »
The Australian Bloodstock team did not have any complaints with Rodrigo Diaz’s time in Australia until Monday morning. That was when the barrier draw for Wednesday’s $500,000 Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m) was conducted. The David Simcock-trained gelding fared terribly, drawing gate 17 – which will become 15 if the… Read More »
Colin Webster will let the dust settle on Trix Of The Trade’s outstanding return win before deciding which road to take ahead of the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) in November. Trix Of The Trade overcame top weight and a challenging run to power home from near last and justify Colin Webster’s… Read More »
Caulfield Cup winner Durston has been penalised 2kg for his win in Saturday’s staying feature. Racing Victoria head of handicapping David Hegan on Monday afternoon announced the penalty, which takes the Chris Waller-trained import’s Melbourne Cup weight to 53.5kg. The seven-year-old son of Sea The Stars carried 51.5kg to a short-neck… Read More »
Ciaron Maher pulled off the rare feat of winning the Manikato Stakes with a three-year-old filly in 2019 and Victoria’s leading trainer is looking to do it again this Friday night. Maher, who trains in partnership with David Eustace, has last-start Moir Stakes winner Coolangatta heading to the $2 million event at… Read More »
Owner Peter Tighe is a late entry in the list of the owners of Cox Plate runners on Saturday after purchasing a ten per cent share in El Bodegon, who is one of two entries from the Chris Waller stable, along with Hinged, for the $5 million contest. The lightly… Read More »
How long can Resortman keep going for? That’s a pleasant conundrum facing trainer Michael Lane after the Helmet’s gelding’s brilliant win in the Eurythmic Stakes (1400m) at Ascot on Saturday. At this point Lane is unsure, but he is daring to dream that he can extend Resortman’s amazing preparation until… Read More »
Ben and J D Hayes are contemplating using winkers on Mr Brightside in the Cox Plate to try and squeeze an extra length out of the gelding. Lindsay Park trainers Ben and Jd Hayes will take Cox Plate contender Mr Brightside to Moonee Valley to gallop at ‘Breakfast With The Best’. Tuesday morning’s workout will also… Read More »
When planning the spring campaign of Roch ‘N’ Horse, trainer Mike Moroney thought the Manikato Stakes might be a winnable Group 1 weight-for-age race race. The New Zealand mare, winner of the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap at Flemington in the autumn, is set to run in Friday night’s Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley. Moroney reasoned with a number of sprinters… Read More »
John O’Shea will redirect Lost And Running towards the $3 million Nature Strip Stakes on Golden Eagle day after his race morning scratching from The Everest. The gelding had been second favourite for the $15 million sprint but developed a skin irritation and was ruled out by vets on Saturday morning. O’Shea… Read More »
Ten races will be run and won at Sha Tin on Sunday, headlined by the Sha Tin Trophy (1600m). Race One: 2 Island Golden Race Two: 2 Star Of Glory Race Three: 3 Fantastic Way Race Four: 1 Big Me Race Five: 7 Stunning Impact Race Six: 10 Looking Cool… Read More »
Champion mare Verry Elleegant may have run her last race following a below bar performance at Ascot overnight. The Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup winner was eased down in the the final 100m by jockey Mickael Barzalona, finishing a well beaten ninth in the G1 British Champions Fillies And Mares… Read More »
A new sprinting star was unearthed, an import provided Chris Waller with his second Caulfield Cup triumph while there was redemption for Front Page in The Kosciuszko. All that and more in this weeks edition of ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’. KEY NEWS: Giga Kick Stuns In Everest… Read More »
The scratching of Maximal from the Caulfield Cup has paved the way for Durston to become the first emergency runner to take out the spring feature. Left outside the cut-off of 18 when the final field was declared on Wednesday, the connections had to wait until Saturday morning to find out whether the gelding had gained a start…. Read More »
Young trainer Clayton Douglas has celebrated a life-changing moment, upstaging racing’s biggest names to win the richest race in the country with Giga Kick. Victorian three-year-old Giga Kick has claimed the scalps of Australia’s best sprinters to win the $15 million The Everest, prompting trainer Clayton Douglas to laud him as the… Read More »
Putting a tough 18-month period behind him, trainer David Pfieffer has engineered a major boilover on The Everest undercard, producing $61 outsider Rocketing By to snare the Group 3 Sydney Stakes. It was Rocketing By’s second significant win after he captured the $1 million Inglis Sprint in 2021 but his… Read More »
