Alessandro and Giuseppe Botti are gearing up for a daring Australian trip with talented stayer Presage Nocturne, with both the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup firmly on the agenda. The Italian-born handlers have hatched the daring trip that will see their stable star compete against some of the most talented stayers… Read More »
The Lindsay Park team of Ben, Will and J D Hayes are excited by the progress Mr Brightside is making in preparation for his latest campaign. Mr Brightside is back galloping and is due for a jump-out early next month as he gears towards a first-up run in the Group 1… Read More »
Group One winner Gringotts has continued to improve with each campaign and connections expect that to again be the case as the rising six-year-old closes in on his seasonal return. After capturing the Big Dance (1600m) and The Gong (1600m) at the end of last spring, Gringotts returned in the autumn… Read More »
Tom Prebble has emerged as the overall winner of the RMBL Apprentices Rising Stars Series, edging out Rose Hammond and Sarah Field by two points after the concluding event held at Flemington. Although Prebble’s ride Sound It Out failed to feature prominently in the final â which was claimed by… Read More »
Bjorn Baker hopes to make the most of Robusto’s fitness by taking on some of the early season stakes races after The Ingham winner lumped a record weight to victory in the Listed Winter Challenge at Rosehill. The gelding prevailed in a two-horse war with leader and eventual runner-up Accredited,… Read More »
Former Swedish pony rider Rebecca Bronett Prag has celebrated a significant milestone at Rosehill with country-trained stayer Knights Armour delivering her first Saturday metropolitan win. Indentured to renowned horseman Keith Dryden in Canberra, Bronett Prag was having her 20th ride in town for her second win, the other coming aboard the same galloper in… Read More »
It may not have the status of a Stakes race, but Rose Hammond had been looking forward to riding in an apprentices’ only race at Flemington all week. The RMBL Investments Rising Stars Final (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday was for apprentice riders only after a series of races held throughout… Read More »
The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young stable will chase a second win the Victoria Derby following the win of Arcora at Flemington. Arcora took out the Byerley Handicap (1800m) on Saturday to earn a ballot exemption into the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on November 1. Busuttin and Young took out… Read More »
As James Cummings’ tenure with Godolphin enters its final phase, winning races is still high on the agenda. The Byerley Handicap (1800m) at Flemington is a contest the Godolphin team would like to win and it’s a race that could set up Bayou Music for a tilt at a spring campaign… Read More »
A drying track isn’t expected to bother surprise Winter Stakes winner Estadio Mestalla but it will bring his stablemate right into contention when they clash again at Rosehill. Estadio Mestalla started at $61 when taking out the Listed feature on a soft 7 surface last start, relegating Joe Pride-trained barn mate… Read More »
Former French horse Don Diego De Vega has prevailed in a dramatic Grafton Cup with the pre-post favourite scratched at the barrier and the eventual runner-up all but throwing the race away in the straight. Top fancy Bear On The Loose got his leg over the gate in the starting stalls and… Read More »
Richard Litt is the first to admit it took him a little while to figure out Romeo’s Choice but now that he has, he would happily have a stable full of horses as genuine. The gelding will line up in the Schweppes Sprint (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday chasing back-to-back wins after… Read More »
Phearson hasn’t been able to take a trick with barrier draws this preparation but trainer Brad Widdup is convinced the horse is “flying” and can turn his form around with even luck. The seven-year-old has finished out of the placings in both starts this campaign when he has gone back from awkward… Read More »
Former stunt rider Jeff Dunn has celebrated his biggest victory as a trainer with Sha Of Gomer capturing the Listed Ramornie Handicap at Grafton. Formerly a performer in the Australian Outback Spectacular show at the Gold Coast, Dunn has turned his hand to training in recent years and on Wednesday landed his… Read More »
Jockey Blake Shinn has shrugged off the effects of a virus to open up his lead on Craig Williams in the battle for Melbourne Jockeys’ Premiership honours. Shinn rode the first two winners at Sandown on Wednesday and secured another victory mid-program to move seven clear of Williams with four… Read More »
An early season shot at another stakes race could be on the cards for With Your Blessing if he can return in a similar vein of form to last campaign. The six-year-old resumes in the Schweppes Sprint (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday having turned in a peak performance at his most… Read More »
Plans to give Touristic a shot at going one better in the Grafton Cup could be thwarted by the weather with trainer Peter Snowden lukewarm on running if the track remains firm. The gelding was narrowly beaten by Deny Knowledge in the corresponding race 12 months ago and Snowden was keen to give… Read More »
Trainer Richard Litt believes Barber is well suited to the Listed Ramornie Handicap (1200m) at Grafton on Wednesday, having specifically targeted the $200,000 sprint. Barber won the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) in 2023 but only managed one more victory under the care of James Cummings and Godolphin, with the… Read More »
His trainers held him in high enough regard to throw in a Golden Rose nomination last year and Getafix is finally starting to deliver on that promise. After posting a facile win on the Kensington track last start, the three-year-old made a seamless transition to Saturday company with a barnstorming performance… Read More »
Delayed 50th birthday celebrations for Patrick Payne will involve some extra cheer after a race-to-race double at Caulfield. Brother and sister training partners Patrick and Michelle Payne joined with Billy Egan to score with stable favourite Jimmy The Bear in the VOBIS Gold Heath (2000m) before Stop The Rock took out the Sportsbet Same… Read More »
