Star filly Yankee Rose has been given an easy barrier trial at the Sunshine Coast ahead of an ambitious spring campaign. Yankee Rose, who won the Group One ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick in the autumn, was beaten about eight lengths into fourth place in Tuesday’s 850m-trial won by… Read More »
Michelle Payne has been reunited with Prince Of Penzance, the horse she rode to a history-making Melbourne Cup win. Payne rode the Darren Weir-trained Prince Of Penzance in trackwork over 800m with stablemate Signoff, fourth in last year’s Cup, at Ballarat on Monday morning. Payne has been back riding work… Read More »
Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Lucia Valentina has finished second in a barrier trial after flashing home from last. Andrew Gibbons eased the Kris Lees-trained Lucia Valentina to the tail of the field before going wide on the turn, allowing her to let down strongly to run second to Sense Of… Read More »
Trainer Gary Portelli has Rebel Dane ready to go to the races but admits his early season targets will not be easy. New jockey Tommy Berry gave Rebel Dane a work-out between races at Rosehill on Saturday to get him ready for his first-up assignment in the Missile Stakes. Saturday’s… Read More »
The Australian racing year has been a tale of two trainers. The largest and most winning stables of season 2015/16 belong to Victorian Darren Weir and Kiwi turned Sydneysider Chris Waller. Weir easily had Waller’s measure in total wins as he broke John Hawkes’ 13-year-old Australasian training record and finished… Read More »
I Am A Star has already made an impression in her juvenile season and trainer Shane Nichols is looking to her to shine during the spring. The filly was beaten on debut at Caulfield in April before winning at Flemington and then heading to Adelaide where she won the Group… Read More »
Robbie Laing left Caulfield racecourse 12 months ago wondering about the career of Lord Of The Sky. Move forward a year and Laing is on top of the world after the sprinter took out the Group Three Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield. Last year Lord Of The Sky was sent… Read More »
Impressive first-up Caulfield winner Derryn could be Sydney bound for the first Group One three-year-old race of the new season. The Lindsay Park colt came from a rewards position before claiming the Brian Reckas Handicap (1000m) at Caulfield on Saturday. Tom Dabernig, who trains in partnership with David Hayes and… Read More »
A filly owned by a Cathay Pacific pilot has made a flying start to her Australian racing career by winning on debut. Hong Kong-based Gary Lui was on the phone to co-trainer Michael Hawkes when Interstellar won a 1200m benchmark race at Rosehill on Saturday. Despite the owner not being… Read More »
Chris Waller has set a new benchmark in Sydney, training his 168th metropolitan winner at Rosehill on the final day of the season. When Pioneering won on Saturday, Waller passed his own mark of 167-1/2 established in 2012/13 as he powered to his sixth premiership. Fittingly, Pioneering was ridden by… Read More »
The five-hour trip from Gunnedah to Rosehill was worth it for Gavin Groth. The trainer brought About Time with him and the five-year-old gelding led all the way to give him his first city winner in the Highway Plate (1500m) on Saturday. The horse – strapped by Groth, owned by… Read More »
Progressive stayer O’lonera has upstaged his older rivals to make it back-to-back city wins with a strong performance at Caulfield at the final city meeting of this season. Trainer Cindy Alderson said Saturday’s $150,000 VOBIS Gold Stayers (2400m) had been the target this preparation for the three-year-old, which went into… Read More »
We take a look at the big bets the online bookmakers have taken on the weekends horse racing around the country with the big money being placed at Caulfield, Rosehill, and Doomben.
Trainer Tony McEvoy is counting on Turbo Street to handle a distance rise at Caulfield when he chases back-to-back city wins in Melbourne. Turbo Street won over 1600m at Moonee Valley last start and McEvoy has chosen Saturday’s Carol Kelly Plate (2000m) at Caulfield in preference to a race over… Read More »
The enigmatic Himalaya Dream must have had the Hawkes racing team wondering whether he would ever turn his form around. Far from consistent, the gelding failed to beat a runner home in two starts before he staged an upset return to the winner’s circle at Rosehill on June 18. While… Read More »
Bletchingly Stakes outsider Charmed Harmony has Craig Williams equally as excited as his rides on five early favourites at Caulfield. With a three-win lead in the Melbourne jockeys’ premiership heading into Saturday’s final metropolitan meeting of the season, Williams is confident he can extend his margin over Dwayne Dunn. “It… Read More »
Trainer Tony Sears has had to work hard to get riders for two of his best horses at Doomben. Sears was able to grab up-and-coming apprentice Josh Oliver for Choice Bro on Saturday but made several phone calls before getting experienced jockey Nozi Tomizawa for promising two-year-old French Jet. Choice… Read More »
As the season draws to a close, the latest chapter in Australian racing’s most iconic dynasty has been written. After the death of his legendary grandfather Bart in August, fourth generation trainer James Cummings took over the famous Randwick stables in his own right. The fittingly named Ruling Dynasty will… Read More »
Brad Rawiller has enjoyed success on the Darren Weir-trained Mahuta in the past 12 months and the pair will be reunited in the final Group race of the season at Caulfield. The Darren Weir-trained Mahuta is the early favourite for Saturday’s Group Three Bletchingly Stakes (1200m), his first start back… Read More »
It will be a fitting reminder of the strength of Sydney’s premier stable when Chris Waller saddles up three chances in the final stakes race of the season. Waller has Tales Of Grimm, Marenostro and Group One placed New Zealander Sacred Master making his Australian debut in the 1500m Listed… Read More »
