It would appear Nature Strip has a stranglehold on the $1.2 million first prize cheque in the Darley Sprint Classic, but the trainers of Bella Nipotina are not conceding so easily. The Group 1 Darley Sprint Classic (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday sees Nature Strip as the $1.33 favourite to collect the $1.2 million… Read More »
Two patrons who attended Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup day at Flemington have tested positive for COVID. One of the cases was a contract worker who worked on Melbourne Cup day and Derby day whilst the other was a person in the crowd which attended Cup day. Victoria Racing Club released a… Read More »
A year in the career of a racehorse can be a long time as trainer Grahame Begg can vouch for. At the corresponding meeting at Flemington 12 months ago, Begg saddled Lunar Flare in the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) and watched the mare finish eighth behind Irish galloper True Self…. Read More »
Lindsay Park has had a big circle around a Group 2 race at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival for two of their mares. That day has arrived for Mimi’s Award and Zayydani in the Matriarch Stakes (2000m) on Saturday. Zayydani holds a special place for Lindsay Park trainers Ben & Jd Hayes. She provided… Read More »
Tommy Berry delivered Annabel Neasham her first Group One win as a trainer and he can provide her with another important success if he claims the $1 million Golden Gift aboard Nobel. The 1100m sprint holds no black-type status but its prizemoney purse will ensure the winner and runner-up book themselves a… Read More »
Kris Lees has got his wish for a wet track ahead of Wandabaa’s quest for a breakthrough stakes-race win at Rosehill. The mare, who has posted four of her seven career wins on rain-affected surfaces, was scratched from the Melbourne Cup day program at Randwick in preference for Saturday’s Group 2… Read More »
Damien Oliver landed his third straight win in the VRC Oaks when Godolphin filly Willowy made a late lunge to claim the Group 1 classic at Flemington. Willowy followed Oliver’s previous wins on Miami Bound (2019) and Personal last year to give him his seventh overall victory in the race and equal the record of Bobbie Lewis. Perseverance won… Read More »
Sent around as the outsider of the Ladies Day Cup field, Blue Soldier has rediscovered his European form, lifting himself off the canvas to post an upset win over favourite Wheelhouse. A Listed winner in Ireland and twice Group placed, the five-year-old had failed to fire in his two first… Read More »
It is either a feast or a famine for the connections of Bermadez who landed a rich restricted race at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The Mike Moroney-trained galloper took out the $500,000 Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Final (1600m) on Thursday, a race for horses that won their way to Flemington via… Read More »
The Chris Waller stable looks to have unearthed another high-class filly after Espiona blew her rivals away at Flemington to remain unbeaten. After a debut win at Warwick Farm over 1200m in maiden grade last month, Espiona jumped straight to stakes level to claim the Listed Desirable Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on Thursday. The depth… Read More »
When Adelaide trainers Richard and Chantelle Jolly send their horses across to Melbourne, they invariably return home empty handed. And the beneficiary is usually leading jockey Craig Williams who has struck up a good association with the pair. The Jolly’s had a double at last year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival, Kemalpasa and Alleboom, that were both… Read More »
While the cat’s away, the mice will play. That will be Tommy Berry’s motto when he heads to Rosehill on Saturday determined to capitalise on the absence of four of his fiercest rivals. With James Mcdonald, Hugh Bowman, Kerrin Mcevoy and Nash Rawiller all riding in Melbourne, Berry is keen to rack… Read More »
Joe Pride is not renowned for having two-year-olds up and running in the early-season races so it is a measure of Shalatin’s precocious talent that the colt will line up in the Golden Gift. Shalatin went to the races for the first time last month, still raw and new off the back… Read More »
Melbourne Cup winning owner Brae Sokolski has been fined $10,000 after he broke COVID protocols at Flemington following the win of Verry Elleegant. Sokolski had watched Verry Elleegant’s win with family and friends but was overcome with emotion after the mare won Tuesday’s race from Incentivise, a horse he also has a share of the ownership in. He said an… Read More »
Wagga horseman Gary Colvin will head to Rosehill with three runners, his biggest representation at a Sydney Saturday metropolitan meeting. After missing out on a start in the Kosciuszko, Another One will head to Rosehill in search of a consolation win, and the chance to earn another shot at next year’s… Read More »
He does not quite occupy top billing in the popularity stakes just yet, Rock Magic has that mantle, but he is not far behind in the pecking order. Sold for $150,000 in an online auction sale, Massimo won eight races and a touch over $700,000 in prizemoney under previous trainer, Adam… Read More »
Popular jockey Chloe Azzopardi will quit Perth racing and relocate to Victoria next week. A winner of 147 races including two black type events, Chloe Azzopardi will team up with up Troy and Leon Corstens at Malua Racing. A decision primarily to maximise her opportunities in racing, the 24-year-old is confident… Read More »
Connections are awaiting results of scans taken on Incentivise following the running of the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday. The race favourite displayed signs of lameness soon after cooling down after the run and it has been confirmed by Incentivise’s Managing Owner Steve Tregea, talking to the Herald-Sun, that … “He… Read More »
Incentivise suffered his first defeat in his last ten starts when going down to Verry Elleegant in the Melbourne Cup, but his courage and ability remains unquestioned after he put in as brave a performance as he has ever done in his career. The hype around the Peter Moody trained… Read More »
Sirileo Miss has recovered from a knock to a leg that forced her out of a Group 1 race and the mare is right to take her place in a lesser contest at Flemington. The Symon Wilde-trained mare was the victim of some bad weather in Warrnambool last week that resulted in her scratching from… Read More »
