Trainer Chris Waller has cautiously confirmed plans for Winx to race in the autumn but says if she shows any sign she is not at her best, she will be immediately retired. All going well, the champion will follow the same path as previous years beginning with the Group Two… Read More »
Trainer Mick Price is hoping Grunt’s record at Flemington will help him become one of the popular horses with the voting public and he can gain a start in The All-Star Mile. The inaugural All-Star Mile will be run on March 16 carrying prize money of $5 million with 10… Read More »
An unheralded Australian racehorse who figured in a spring controversy because of his name may yet leave his own mark on racing. A victory in a maiden race in country South Australia is rarely cause for too much scrutiny but Wednesday’s result was different to most. Three-year-old Yucatan broke through… Read More »
Australian racing has lost one of its best staying prospects with the sale of Thinkin’ Big to Hong Kong. In the latest high-profile deal involving an Australian Group One-performed three-year-old, Thinkin’ Big will race out of the leading Hong Kong stable of Frankie Lor. Thinkin’ Big will head to the… Read More »
The $5 million purse for The All-Star Mile has attracted the attention of connections popular Sydney racehorse Happy Clapper. Happy Clapper has been entered for the inaugural running of the 1600m All Star Mile at Flemington on March 16. The three-time Group One winner has returned to training two weeks… Read More »
After winning her fourth-straight Cox Plate last October, Winx will aim to extend another impressive feature race winning streak in the 2019 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Randwick on April 13 and has been priced as a $1.25 favourite by TAB to complete the hat-trick. Her biggest rival according to… Read More »
Stablehand Greg Nelligan “foolishly” thought he would get away with giving a horse an illegal top-up when champion Winx was racing at Flemington, but considered Melbourne Cup day too sacred and risky to try it. The key ‘Aquanita eight’ member has admitted administering race day treatments for trainer Robert Smerdon… Read More »
The Australian Turf Club will again be offering bonuses to the winner and placegetters of the Sydney Cup. Owners and trainers of the winner, second and third placed horses in several key staying races across Australia and New Zealand will be eligible for bonuses on the $2 million Sydney Cup… Read More »
We race at Eagle Farm this Saturday. Yeah, doesn’t look right does it – but it’s true. Doomben is rested as Eagle Farm comes out of cobwebs gathered from 18 months out of action. Queenslanders are rejoicing, and so they should be but what are we to expect of the… Read More »
A key member of the ‘Aquanita eight’ has admitted he bet on horses after giving them illegal race day treatments. Stablehand Greg Nelligan said he gave racehorses top-ups of sodium bicarbonate and Tripart paste because trainer Robert Smerdon asked him to do it. “A friend asked me to do it… Read More »
The Regumate saga is set to drag on as a population study is undertaken on female horses in a racing or training environment to determine its effects. Regumate contains altrenogest which was responsible for horses trained in Victoria by Robbie Laing and father-and-son training team Russell and Scott Cameron returning… Read More »
Dual Group One winner Alizee has signalled she is back and a force to be reckoned with, winning a Randwick barrier trial in stylish fashion. The winner of the 2017 Flight Stakes and the Queen Of The Turf in the autumn, Alizee suffered a bleeding attack at trackwork while being… Read More »
Trainer Grahame Begg has his eyes on one of Australia’s toughest Group One sprint handicaps with three-year-old Written By. Written By returned to training at the beginning of December and Begg said he would be guided by his progress before deciding on the colt’s lead-up race to the 1100m Oakleigh Plate… Read More »
The stablehand at the centre of the ‘Aquanita eight’ doping conspiracy has admitted giving horses illegal race day treatments in agreement with trainer Robert Smerdon. Float driver Greg Nelligan said he and Smerdon had an agreement that a “top-up” would mean more than giving horses extra food and water. “Between… Read More »
Group One winner Aloisia is likely to remain in Sydney following her slashing second in the Group Two Villiers Stakes after again being treated with Regumate. The product altrenogest, marketed as Regumate, is the subject of debate after it was recently been found to produce swabs with traces of the… Read More »
Robbie Laing is eyeing a couple of stakes races over the Christmas holiday period as he tries to overturn Missrock’s losing streak. The mare has not been successful since winning the Norman Carlyon Stakes at Moonee Valley in August last year. Laing had entered Missrock for a race at Flemington… Read More »
Breeders’ Plate winner Dubious is set to complete his Magic Millions build-up at the re-opening of the Eagle Farm track. Brisbane’s premier track has been out of action for most of the past four years but was last week given the go-ahead to race again after a set of barrier… Read More »
A good barrier draw has made all the difference to top NSW country horse Victorem who won the Listed Lough Neagh Stakes at Doomben. Victorem, who won the NSW Country Championship at Randwick in April, has since been dogged by bad barriers and wet tracks. Trainer Jenny Graham was delighted… Read More »
The Sky Boy story is still only half-written with his Villiers Stakes win a stepping stone to much bigger targets including the 2019 Melbourne Cup. Trained by Anthony and Edward Cummings, Sky Boy lived up to his $3.20 favouritism to win his fifth successive race in Sydney’s summer showpiece, the… Read More »
Brilliant Brisbane three-year-old Zoustyle put his critics in their place with a brilliant all-the-way win in the Listed Gold Edition Plate at Doomben. Premier trainer Tony Gollan said he couldn’t remember enjoying a race so much after Zoustyle ($2.40) beat stablemate Outback Barbie ($3.50) by three-quarters of a length. Caloundra… Read More »
