Having been banished from Middle Earth for almost a year, jockey Mark Zahra is looking forward to being back with the stayer in the Melbourne Cup. Zahra did a lot of the early work on Middle Earth when he initially arrived at Ciaron Maher’s stable, winning the Australian Cup Prelude… Read More »
Though he has had success over shorter courses, Matt Cumani also has a particular knack with stayers and Autumnheat is testament to that. Ballarat-based Cumani is hoping that the five-year-old can emulate his win with Team Captain in the Australian Heritage Cup (2800m) in 2021, and five years later do the… Read More »
One year ago, Tony and Calvin McEvoy achieved their training dream of winning the Melbourne Cup with Half Yours. Come Cup Day this time, the father-son training duo will be hoping that as much effort and patience towards a Cup winner will be rewarded in a support race with No… Read More »
So You Are isn’t favourite for Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup, but he’d be a popular winner if for no other reason than to see the reaction of his trainer Bjorn Baker. The Warwick Farm horseman is an excitable character who is one of Australia’s most popular trainers, largely due to his… Read More »
A race morning conversation with his manager convinced Tommy Berry he was on the right track in his plan to ride Travolta for luck, and fortunately for the top jockey, he got plenty of it to steer the horse to victory in the Sydney Gold Cup. Berry had ridden Travolta a handful… Read More »
Any thoughts that the best of Lady Shenandoah was behind her has been shattered with the Chris Waller-trained mare winning her second Group 1 win in two weeks. After returning to winning form in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield two weeks ago, Lady Shenandoah added another Group 1… Read More »
The star jockey spring carnival to remember continued when he partnered Skyhook to a thrilling win in the Group 1 $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Royal Randwick today. This triumph came after he rode Tempted to win the Group 1 $20 million The Everest (1200m) two weeks ago. Schofield might… Read More »
Trainer Ciaron Maher put his neck on the line when he went to $2.8 million to purchase The Next Episode on the Gold Coast as a yearling. However, that purchase price has been vindicated following The Next Episode’s victory in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday. Victory… Read More »
Skyhook has claimed the $10 million Golden Eagle at Randwick, delivering a memorable Group 1 victory for trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou and jockey Chad Schofield. The four-year-old capped off an outstanding preparation with a determined performance, holding off a strong challenge from Decorum to secure one of the… Read More »
Lady Shenandoah has continued her outstanding Spring Carnival campaign with another dominant Group 1 victory, taking out the 2026 Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington for trainer Chris Waller and jockey James McDonald. The star mare backed up her Toorak Handicap success with another impressive performance, adding a fifth Group 1… Read More »
Godolphin gelding Pericles has vindicated the decision to bypass a suitable race in Melbourne in favour of a lucrative sprint closer to home with a gripping win in the Russell Balding Stakes. In two-minds over whether to take the horse south for the Damien Oliver (1400m) at Flemington, or roll the dice… Read More »
Stormy Marco has claimed the 2026 Victoria Derby at Flemington, giving champion trainer Chris Waller and star jockey James McDonald another Group 1 victory on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The colt stepped up to the 2500m challenge after finishing fourth in the Spring Champion Stakes just… Read More »
The Next Episode has delivered on his Group 1 promise with an impressive victory in the 2026 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington, handing trainer Ciaron Maher and jockey Mark Zahra another major Spring Carnival success. The highly rated colt showed his class down the Flemington straight, responding strongly when challenged… Read More »
The Chris Waller team has some thinking to do after the imposing victory of De Armas in the traditional VRC Oaks lead-up at Flemington. Prior to the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) on Saturday, Waller was suggesting Your Colour and Tharwa were likely to be his representatives in the Group 1 VRC… Read More »
Concord Connie may be lacking in race experience when she comes up against more seasoned mares in the Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington. But her trainer Charlotte Littlefield is confident Concord Connie, who does not officially turn four until next month, has the ability to be a player in Saturday’s… Read More »
Champion trainer Chris Waller is banking on history repeating when he chases a fourth win in the Victoria Derby at Flemington. Waller has Stormy Marco and True Tone engaged in Saturday’s 2500m Group 1 Classic, with the pair coming through different races. But the races they have run in to… Read More »
The conundrum that punters face is which Paradoxium will turn up for the stallion making sprint contest at Flemington. While it is Victoria Derby Day on Saturday, the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) is the race that is being eagerly awaited, and the winner could be a future $30… Read More »
Japanese entire Stinger Glass is out of next week’s Melbourne Cup after failing to pass Racing Victoria’s pre-race compulsory scans. RV announced on Friday morning that its independent imaging review panel considered the Yasuo Tomomichi-trained entire to be at heightened risk of injury following both CT and Positron Emission Tomography (PET)… Read More »
Being asked to split two of your favourite horses is a little like being asked to pick a favourite child, so when it comes to lining up stablemates Pericles and Caballus in the Russell Balding Stakes, trainer Bjorn Baker is understandably conflicted. “They both look fantastic, and they’ve both got… Read More »
For Joe Pride, the result of this weekend’s Golden Eagle is less important than the experience Godolphin gelding Attica takes out of it. While he would love to collect the $5.25 million first prizemoney cheque as much as the next person, Pride says his job as a trainer is to… Read More »
