Hartnell remains in the mix for the Melbourne Cup but trainer James Cummings has not committed last year’s third placegetter to a start. After being taken out of several betting markets, Hartnell has been reinstated after Godolphin paid up at the latest acceptance stage on Monday. The stable had indicated… Read More »
A capacity field is set to line up in the $1.5 million Victoria Derby with the leading chances drawing contrasting barriers. The Trent Bussutin and Natalie Young-trained Main Stage is the $4.80 favourite for Saturday’s 2500m-Classic despite drawing barrier 14 in the field of 16 plus one emergency. Spring Champion… Read More »
Champion jockey Damien Oliver will miss Tuesday weeks Melbourne Cup after his appeal to reduce his 20meeting ban was dismissed. Damien Oliver received a 20meeting ban for his ride on Happy Clapper in the Cox Plate in which he appealed against although at the hearing this afternoon stewards dismissed his… Read More »
An International trainer who won the Melbourne Cup three years ago thinks his Cup contender this year is at a very good price and believes the bookmakers have got it wrong. Red Cardinal may be a different type of horse from his 2014 Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist but German trainer… Read More »
Winx once again stole the show on Saturday, winning her third successive Cox Plate and holding off the fast finishing Humidor to win by a long neck. However to the surprise of many, Winx failed to rate on top in the race with the runner up trumping the mighty mare… Read More »
The world should know by the end of this week when and where superstar mare Winx will have her next start. Online bookmaker sportsbet has Winx the $1.20 favourite for the Emirates Stakes at Flemington. Trainer Chris Waller is yet to decide on whether his three-time Cox Plate winner will race again… Read More »
Godolphin’s Hartnell remains in the mix for the Melbourne Cup at the latest acceptance stage for Australia’s most famous race. Hartnell, who represents the Australian arm of Sheikh Mohammed’s operation, ran third last year while Qewy, trained in England by Charlie Appleby and fourth a year ago, is Godolphin’s sole… Read More »
The first Scottish trainer to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup has arrived in Australia to oversee final preparations for the big race. Iain Jardine was at the Werribee racecourse on Sunday where Nakeeta has just completed quarantine. Jardine arrived in Melbourne on Saturday evening and liked what he… Read More »
After the announcement that race favourite Royal Symphony would not back-up in Saturday’s Victoria Derby the new favourite for the race has also been ruled out. Trainer Darren Weir announced that Cliff’s Edge would not back-up in Saturday’s 2500m Derby after finishing second in the Moonee Valley Vase behind VRC… Read More »
Trainer Chris Waller will take no chances when it comes to Winx, no matter how intense the interest in the champion mare’s next challenge after her record-equalling third Cox Plate. Waller says Winx has pulled up remarkably well, with his stable staff reporting she is “fantastic” after enjoying an early… Read More »
Victoria Derby plans for Royal Symphony have been shelved with the colt the worse for wear after a torrid run in the Cox Plate. Damien Oliver was outed for improper riding in Saturday’s Cox Plate with stewards saying he rode Happy Clapper inwards and made contact with Royal Symphony early… Read More »
Her trainer has been preparing for the day Winx gets beaten and for a couple of seconds at Moonee Valley it seemed he might need to steel himself. But such are the champion qualities of Winx, Chris Waller can now breathe easy after she held off the challenge from Humidor… Read More »
Aloisia has tightened her grip on VRC Oaks favouritism with a dominant win in the Group Two Vase at Moonee Valley. The Thousand Guineas winner took on the colts and geldings in Saturday’s 2040m race and strode away from last weekend’s Caulfield Classic winner Cliff’s Edge to win by 3-1/2… Read More »
For a few fleeting strides Darren Weir thought he was going to pull off an improbable Cox Plate victory. As Winx was going to the front at the 600m, Weir was watching closely as Humidor began to make ground. He had noticed Humidor settle at the back of the field,… Read More »
A great day went within a long neck of being a magnificent one for jockey Blake Shinn. With a quartet of winners on the board at Moonee Valley before Saturday’s Cox Plate, Shinn almost spoiled the party of those willing Winx to a record-equalling third Cox Plate success. Shinn rode… Read More »
After escaping injury in a barrier mishap at Canterbury, Blake Shinn has put his abundant talent on show at Moonee Valley with a quartet of winners. Shinn had to forgo rides in later races at Canterbury on Friday night but he wasn’t going to miss being involved in Saturday’s Cox… Read More »
Godolphin filly Banish has capped her spring preparation with a valuable Group Two win in the Fillies Classic at Moonee Valley. Banish had won two benchmark races at Cranbourne in her four starts leading into Saturday’s 1600m race, which trainer James Cummings considered a target for the three-year-old. After settling… Read More »
It’s hard to imagine there is a more popular horse in Chris Waller’s stable than Winx but Who Shot Thebarman is right up there. The nine-year-old has cemented a place in his fourth Melbourne Cup with victory in the Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) over his stablemate Libran who also heads… Read More »
Trainer Bjorn Baker will consider a Group One start for Lubiton after the mare produced a track record-breaking performance at Moonee Valley. The Sydney-trained mare was taken to the front by Blake Shinn in the Group Three Powerflo Solutions Stakes (1600m) on Saturday, comfortably holding her rivals at bay. Backed… Read More »
Blondie has lived up to trainer Brendan McCarthy’s pre-race confidence to deliver a stakes win on Cox Plate day at Moonee Valley. The three-year-old was dropping back in distance in Saturday’s Listed Crockett Stakes (1200m) for fillies after weakening to finish last in the Edward Manifold Stakes at her most… Read More »
