The performance of Desert Jeuney in the Pakenham Cup will convince his trainer Nigel Blackiston whether to keep him to longer races. Blackiston harbours doubts the seven-year-old will run a strong 2500m in Saturday’s Cup, his first shot at a staying trip in more than 2-1/2 years. The trainer said… Read More »
Arrowfield Stud has bought a half-sister to dual Group One winner Hartnell at the Tattersalls December Sale at Newmarket in England. Studmaster Paul Messara outlaid 360,000 guineas (abt $A597,600) for Phyllis Maud on the first day of the broodmare sale on Monday. The winner of last year’s BMW, Hartnell won… Read More »
Female jockeys in NSW will receive paid parental leave after the state’s racing authority moved to plug a legislative loophole. Under safety regulations, jockeys are not allowed ride after their first trimester making them ineligible for the federal government’s parental leave scheme which requires women to have worked at least… Read More »
Winterbottom Stakes winner Takedown has secured an early flight to Hong Kong to contest the International Sprint. The Gary Moore-trained four-year-old was flown to Melbourne on Monday to catch a plane which will arrive in Hong Kong shortly after midnight on Tuesday. Takedown received a late invitation to the Sprint… Read More »
Kawi’s trainer Allan Sharrock believes weight-for-age conditions give him a crucial boost in his quest to take his first Australian Group One trophy back to New Zealand. A field of 16 has been declared for Saturday’s $1 million Kingston Town Classic over 1800m at Ascot, the final Australian Group One… Read More »
After going close to winning the Sandown Cup with Swacadelic, trainer Aaron Purcell has pressed on with the stayer’s preparation, hoping he can go one better at Pakenham. Swacadelic is among 23 nominations for Saturday’s Listed $200,000 Pakenham Cup (2500m) and the Warrnambool trainer has called on Craig Williams to… Read More »
Michelle Payne has claimed another slice of racing history as the first Victorian dual licence holder to win aboard a horse she trains. Last year, Payne became the first woman to ride a Melbourne Cup winner. Duke Of Nottingham may not reach those heights but his win in a 1200m-maiden… Read More »
With the short turnaround from the spring carnival to the late summer/early autumn feature races in Melbourne, Emirates Stakes winner Awesome Rock is already set to get back to work. Awesome Rock broke through for a Group One win in the Emirates (2000m) at Flemington on November 5 and will… Read More »
Good Project will take on local star Scales Of Justice again in Perth but will also have strong opposition from within his own camp when he lines up in the G1 Kingston Town Classic. Scales Of Justice led all the way to deny the Chris Waller-trained Good Project back-to-back wins… Read More »
Tony McEvoy admits he feared the worst after promising stayer Scherzoso pulled up from his second in the Ballarat Cup with an obvious leg injury. The five-year-old suffered a trauma on a leg during the November 19 race when a fast-finishing second to all-the-way winner Pilote D’essai. “He’s a perfectly… Read More »
The handicapper will determine the path trainer Desleigh Forster takes with Cylinder Beach with the options the Villiers Stakes in Sydney or the Brisbane Handicap at home. Both races are scheduled for December 17. Cylinder Beach made a dynamic return to racing when he easily beat a quality field in… Read More »
The Magic Millions might come too soon for impressive Moonee Valley winner Cao Cao with his trainer looking at the Group One Blue Diamond Stakes a few weeks later. Mick Price indicated after the colt’s strong win at Moonee Valley on Saturday he was likely to head to the sales-restricted… Read More »
In-form Boom Time will be on the road to Sydney and the Gold Coast for feature summer races after making it back-to-back wins in Melbourne. A former Perth galloper, Boom Time backed up a fast-finishing win during the Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington with a hard-fought victory stepping up in… Read More »
John Price looks like he has a promising three-year-old on his hands, with Wise Hero giving the former West Australian his first Melbourne city winner. Wise Hero won easily on debut at Moe earlier this month and took the step to city racing on Saturday, winning at Moonee Valley. Price… Read More »
Michelle Payne is not yet guaranteed a licence to ride in Queensland with stewards to decide next week whether she can partner Husson Eagle at the Magic Millions carnival in January. Payne holds a dual jockey-trainer licence in Victoria but that does not transfer to Queensland, or NSW. Racing NSW’s… Read More »
The road from Murwillumbah to Sydney is getting easier every week for trainer Matt Dunn who has racked up his fifth win in a Highway race for country-trained horses. The Dunn-trained Delightful Feeling claimed his second Highway win from his past two starts at Rosehill on Saturday, stepping up from… Read More »
A horse named after a segment on part-owner Ross Stevenson’s popular Melbourne radio show has landed at huge odds. The Rumor File defied his $61 starting price to score a nail-biting win in Saturday’s HQ Insurance Handicap (1800m) at Rosehill. The judge gave The Rumour File the nod over Hunter… Read More »
Cao Cao has pressed his claims for the rich Magic Millions 2YO Classic with a convincing win at Moonee Valley. Giving trainer Mick Price an early winning double from the first two races on Saturday, Cao Cao sprinted to a 2-3/4 length win at his second start. “He looks like… Read More »
Race experience counts for a lot when it comes to two-year-olds and it seems a winning counts for even more with Serena Bay refusing to be beaten at Rosehill. One of only three raced youngsters among the nine starters in Saturday’s Golden Gift (1100m) and the only winner among them,… Read More »
Trainer Chris Waller is seeing shades of top-class mares Red Tracer and Catkins in Zumbelina after she put her third-straight win on the board. The filly shouldered 60kg on her way to winning Saturday’s three-year-old benchmark handicap over 1400m at Rosehill. Waller is plotting a similar path to the three-year-old… Read More »
