By the stable’s own admission, Kulgrinda is a sprinter who needs all the help she can get at the level she has reached in Melbourne racing. In Saturday’s City Jeep Handicap (1000m) at Moonee Valley she got plenty – and duly got the money. Kulgrinda went to the start a… Read More »
A late change of plans paid off for the connections of talented filly Isabella Snowflake who scored her third win form her only four starts in the Sportingbet Handicap (1000m) at Moonee Valley. Trainer Mick Price had intended to spell the filly when she ran third at Flemington during the… Read More »
Champion jockey Damien Oliver has vowed to return to the saddle after serving a 10-month ban for making a “spur-of-the-moment”, $10,000 bet on a rival horse in a race in which he rode two years ago. He has also asked for public forgiveness, declaring he has always given his mounts… Read More »
Damien Oliver’s immediate future will be decided on Tuesday when Victorian stewards rule on a penalty for the champion jockey who has admitted to betting offences. Racing Victoria will also reveal why Oliver was allowed to ride during the spring carnival when it became known he was under investigation for… Read More »
An extraordinary spring ended with more success for Lloyd Williams when Tanby added the race named after one of the owner’s all-time favourite horses at Sandown on Saturday. Tanby ($7.50) proved to be the strongest stayer in the Group Two Zipping Classic (2400), claiming a three-quarter length win that gave… Read More »
Eclair Surprise has the Singapore International Cup in his sights after posting a third straight win at Sandown on Saturday. The five-year-old was guided to victory in the Group Three Eclipse Stakes (1800m) by Dom Tourneur, who eased him across the line 1-1/4 lengths ahead of Tai Tai Tess. Going… Read More »
Imported stayer Ibicenco will go to his new Australian home with a more impressive CV than the one he arrived in Melbourne with following his win in the Listed Sandown Cup (3200m). Ibicenco came to Melbourne as the least performed of English trainer Luca Cumani’s touring quartet, but ended up… Read More »
First starter Bulbula didn’t have a lot going for her coming into the Merson Cooper Stakes at Sandown on Saturday. Her coat was still showing signs of winter, she wasn’t particularly speedy and she still had a bit to learn about racing. But the daughter of Shamardal jumped straight to… Read More »
A prospect as tantalising as any in Australian racing has emerged for the Melbourne autumn with boom stayer Puissance De Lune and world champion sprinter Black Caviar both scheduled to appear at Flemington. Puissance De Lune, arguably the most outstanding winner of the spring and nominal favourite for the 2013… Read More »
Punters around Australia will be scrounging for every available cent while bookmakers rejoice: it’s a typical scenario following a forgettable Melbourne Cup Carnival from a wagering perspective. Data obtained from SuperTAB confirms what every punter already knew – the 2012 Melbourne Cup Carnival was nothing short of lamentable for those having… Read More »
Consistent mare Midnight Martini provided trainer Mark Kavanagh’s spring carnival with a glimpse of life with her win in the Group Two Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington. In a race that proved more notorious for the failure of the favourite Silent Achiever, Midnight Martini ($8) added immensely to her stud… Read More »
Embattled jockey Damien Oliver has collected his second Group One win for the Melbourne Cup carnival after Happy Trails prevailed in a three-way finish to the $1 million Emirates Stakes at Flemington. Oliver has continued to ride amid calls for him to be banned after allegations surfaced in Fairfax Media… Read More »
Darley sprinter Mental has signed off from Australian racing with a Group One win in the $1 million Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington. Mental, trained by Peter Snowden, will be one of seven horses from Australia to join Sheikh Mohammed’s famous Godolphin operation. “This was going to be his swansong,”… Read More »
Trainer Robbie Laing has maintained his impressive strike rate in early-season juvenile races with the win of Direct Charge in the Group Three Maribyrnong Plate (1000m) at Flemington. The most experienced runner in the field, Direct Charge ($18) fought off two challenges, finally outlasting the equal favourite Crack A Roadie… Read More »
Jim Cassidy atoned for a couple of luckless rides aboard the Clarry Conners-trained Dear Demi to guide the filly to a resounding victory in the Victoria Oaks at Flemington. Owned by millionaire adman John Singleton, Dear Demi came from well back to storm down the outside and overhaul favourite Zydeco… Read More »
It’s worth a fraction of the Melbourne Cup but like the big race, only a select band can run in the spectacle that is the greys only race at the Flemington carnival. On Thursday, the Chris Waller-trained Arinosa lived up to her $3.50 favouritism to take out the $100,000 event… Read More »
Trainer Robert Smerdon knew Shamal Wind had class and ability before she ran at Flemington on Thursday, but he wasn’t sure how much. After her win in the Listed Gucci Stakes (1200m) he remains pleasantly uncertain. “I wasn’t quite sure how good she was,” Smerdon said. “This was her class… Read More »
Lloyd Williams has poured his money, his heart and his soul into racing. His reward is a fourth Melbourne Cup thanks to Green Moon. Although it could be claimed as a local victory against the might of the European stayers, Williams had to go to Europe to source his latest… Read More »
Green Moon has upstaged a star international field to win the Melbourne Cup in a race dominated by Irish-bred horses. Punters looked elsewhere after his failure as favourite in the Cox Plate last month but Green Moon ($20), ridden by Hong Kong-based Brett Prebble, stormed home to beat Fiorente ($31)… Read More »
Green Moon won a fourth Melbourne Cup for owner Lloyd Williams when he beat one of the best fields ever assembled for the race. Ridden by Brett Prebble, who flew from Hong Kong for the event, Green Moon dashed to the lead inside the final 200 metres to beat Fiorente… Read More »
