Connections of Newmarket Handicap winner Joliestar are delaying their decision on her potential participation in Saturday’s Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick. The Chris Waller-trained mare’s start hinges on Sydney’s unpredictable weather, with no risks being taken on the track conditions. Cambridge Stud’s Henry Plumptre said the team would… Read More »
Racing Victoria stewards are seeking a 20-year disqualification for former jockey Michael Poy, who has pleaded guilty to eight charges related to illegal betting over a period in 2022. The Victorian Racing Tribunal will announce its decision on Thursday morning after Chairman Judge John Bowman acknowledged the complexity of the… Read More »
Fresh off Australian Cup success last weekend, Ciaron Maher will chase another 2000-metre feature this weekend at Caulfield. Like the Australian Cup, which Maher won with Light Infantry Man, Victoria’s leading trainer will have multiple runners in the Group 3 Easter Cup. Future History and Night Endeavour are certain starters, while Normandy… Read More »
Blake Shinn shapes as a key beneficiary of the postponement of Saturday’s Rosehill meeting with the top Melbourne rider snapped up to fill vacancies created by James Mcdonald’s inability to ride at the meeting. McDonald, who was engaged for a number of key chances at Saturday’s fixture, has commitments in Dubai… Read More »
One of this Saturday’s four Group 1s at Randwick has lost a drawcard runner with unbeaten sprinter Private Harry set to bypass the $3 million T J Smith Stakes. The Harry Angel colt’s co-owner Kurrinda Bloodstock announced on Monday morning that the last-start The Galaxy winner had been sent to the… Read More »
Ciaron Maher remains skeptical of the so-called “second-up syndrome,” but he acknowledged that Pride Of Jenni may have felt the toll of her dominant first-up performance after a disappointing run in the Group 1 Australian Cup at Flemington on Saturday. Despite high expectations, the star mare was unable to break… Read More »
Phillip Stokes and OTI Racing and start mapping a campaign aimed at culminating on November 4 after Deakin won Saturday’s Listed Roy Higgins (2600m) at Flemington. The imported gelding not only earned connections $180,000 and a second-straight Stakes success after his runaway win in the Listed Torney Cup, but also a prized… Read More »
Trainer Ciaron Maher collected his first Australian Cup, but it was not with the horse he was expecting. Saddling up three runners in the Group 1 weight-for-age contest over 2000m on Saturday, Light Infantry Man provided Maher with his maiden win, breaking a run of two successive wins in the race by… Read More »
The conditions were not in Steady Ready’s favour, but the father and daughter training team of Tony and Maddysen Sears had the confidence in their enduring trier to win their second King Of The Mountain feature at Toowoomba and for the gelding victory at his third attempt. Steady Ready finished second… Read More »
Godolphin and James Cummings will chase a third straight win in the Australian Cup when Zardozi steps out in the Group 1 contest on Saturday. Cascadian won the 2000m weight-for-age contest in 2023 and again last year, both times with Ben Melham in the saddle. This year Jamie Melham chases her second… Read More »
Atishu may not be mentioned in the same breath as some of Chris Waller’s champions past and present, but the mare is far from a spent force on the racetrack. The seven-year-old will be chasing a third Group 1 win at Flemington and her fourth in total when she lines up… Read More »
The decision to back-up Ceolwulf in the Neville Sellwood Stakes is part of a bigger campaign picture as Joe Pride looks to give his star galloper the best possible grounding for his ultimate goal. Having identified the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) as the race they want to win, Pride says Saturday’s Rosehill… Read More »
Former hurdler Vauban proved surprisingly sharp in his first-up win and that has only fuelled his stable’s confidence as he prepares for a much more suitable assignment at Rosehill. The former European had never raced over a distance less than 2200m but showed another string to his bow when charging late… Read More »
Sunshine In Paris has ramped up preparations for the T J Smith Stakes with a stylish exhibition gallop between races on Randwick’s Kensington track. The Group 1 Champions Sprint winner worked over 1000m with race jockey Chad Schofield in the saddle on Wednesday, shading stablemate Lilac by a nose on the line. The… Read More »
Dubai Honour returns to Sydney for the first time in two years in the Tancred Stakes at Rosehill and handler Isabella Paul is adamant he arrives in the harbour city a more complete racehorse. Where the gelding came of age during the autumn of 2023 with a brace of dominant Group… Read More »
There is still a little over seven months until the running of the Melbourne Cup, but Sydney-based horseman Matthew Smith is already planning for Australia’s great race. Smith has UK-bred Waltham entered in the Listed Roy Higgins (2600m) at Flemington on Saturday in a bid to short-cutting a start in the Melbourne…. Read More »
Racing fans have been blessed since the turn of the century with the number of high-quality mares that have continued their racing careers as they have aged. In years gone by, a mare with a solid race record, would have been whisked off to the breeding barn by the time… Read More »
Ciaron Maher has never possessed as strong an Australian Cup hand as what he holds this year, but the stable is not taking anything for granted ahead of this Saturday’s $2.5 million Group 1 at Flemington. Pride Of Jenni, Middle Earth and Light Infantry Man occupy the top three lines on betting on… Read More »
Michael Kent Jnr fears Warmonger might have picked the wrong year to be heading to the Tancred Stakes, but the Cranbourne trainer is taking solace from the fact the Group 1 winner is returning to something like his best. The four-year-old will look to post his first win since last year’s… Read More »
Now the dust has settled on Schwarz’s maiden Group 1 win, attention turns to how best to utilise his time between now and the start of the breeding season and a trip to England has emerged as a possibility. Co-trainer John O’Shea said on Monday morning that a decision on… Read More »
