Trainer Phillip Stokes continued his successful rehabilitation of Octane who has finished strongly to win at his Melbourne return. Octane was the highest priced yearling sold in Victoria at $1.4 million but after six starts he had won one race and was sent to Stokes. Since then the half-brother to… Read More »
Champion jockey Damien Oliver has continued his recent domination of the Group Three Aurie’s Star Stakes, making it four wins in the past seven years and his fifth in total on Home Of The Brave. Godolphin’s Melbourne stable foreman Sean Keogh said Oliver’s quick thinking at the start of the… Read More »
Untapped colt Anders has emerged as a wildcard for The Everest with a sustained display of speed to land a facile first-up victory in The Rosebud. The $2.40 favourite took up the running and zipped further clear on straightening to score by 4-3/4 lengths from Ole Kirk ($6.50) with the… Read More »
Promising galloper Tavidance has put an off day behind him, returning to his best with an easy six-length win at Flemington. The triumph gave the Mick Price and Michael Kent Junior stable a race-to-race double following the win of three-year-old filly Cafe Rizu in Saturday’s Grinders Coffee Roasters Plate (1800m)…. Read More »
For the second successive time at Flemington, emerging stayer Exemplar has left his more highly-fancied stablemate South Pacific in his wake, leading throughout to win the TAB Handicap. The 2530m victory has prompted co-trainer David Eustace to aim the seven-year-old son of Galileo at the feature spring staying races. Eustace… Read More »
David Payne is rarely short of a decent horse and the trainer is convinced he has found his next star in Montefilia. The filly was a race day scratching at Randwick a week ago when Payne felt the track conditions became too testing. He was happier to run her on… Read More »
Sunshine Coast trainer Stuart Kendrick isn’t fazed by the prospect of a wet track for Fastnet Cyclone at Doomben. Rain is forecast for Brisbane on Friday night, which Kendrick believes may help the eight-year-old who has a history of hoof ailments. “A bit of rain to take the sting out… Read More »
Patrick Payne is hoping his theory that Widgee Turf won’t be suited by the straight Flemington 1200-metre course will be proved wrong when he lines up in the Aurie’s Star Stakes. “I think he’s always been better suited in races around a corner, mainly because they tend to run along… Read More »
Joe Pride’s recent recruit Eduardo has passed his first test but a bigger challenge awaits when he takes on a rich field in the Missile Stakes at Rosehill. The former Victorian made an immediate impact on debut for the stable to win the July Sprint, his first victory since taking… Read More »
Phillip Stokes knew he virtually needed to start over with Octane when the horse joined his stable as a winner of one of his first six starts. So far, that tactic has been successful in Adelaide and on Saturday, Stokes will test it in Melbourne. The five-year-old, who returns to… Read More »
Ability on the training track does not always convert to results on the racetrack and for a little while, that was the case with Rosebud favourite Anders. The colt underwhelmed at his initial campaign, struggling to handle the pressures of race day. Trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace kept faith,… Read More »
Danny O’Brien is hoping a rain-affected surface can trigger a return to form for VRC Oaks winner Miami Bound when she starts her spring campaign at Flemington. Miami Bound will run in the G H Mumm Plate (1410m) on Saturday and the trainer is keen for her to signal she… Read More »
Gerald Ryan holds the aces with three key runners in The Rosebud and says track conditions will be fundamental to which of them can win. The trainer will start Return With Honour, Kumasi and The Face, the trio among the top five horses in betting for Saturday’s Listed The Rosebud… Read More »
Toowoomba trainer Kevin Kemp is eyeing another hometown feature race success with Mr Marbellouz, who resumes from an injury-enforced break at Doomben. Mr Marbellouz has not raced since finishing eighth in last year’s Eye Liner Stakes at Ipswich but Kemp believes the seven-year-old has retained his competitiveness. “He had a… Read More »
Co-trainer Tom Dabernig acknowledges that entering cult galloper So Si Bon for the Cox Plate is ambitious but if ever he is going to run in the race, this could be the year to do it. “The Cox Plate may not be as strong due to the travel restrictions,” Dabernig… Read More »
Melody Belle’s trainer Jamie Richards is fast becoming an expert on WhatsApp as he prepares Te Akau Racing’s star gallopers remotely from New Zealand. The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented Richards from travelling to Sydney but he is grateful for the foresight of owner David Ellis, who left Melody Belle and… Read More »
Godolphin filly Tiny has earned herself a shot at better races after scoring a fighting win over superbly bred colt Cat D’Oro at Canterbury. The three-year-olds, both having just their second starts, settled down to battle out the finish of Wednesday’s 1100m race with Tiny lifting for Kerrin McEvoy to… Read More »
Former Kiwi three-year-old Wertheimer has kicked off his Australian career in winning style for co-trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young with an impressive performance at Cranbourne. After the victory, Young said Wertheimer would be set for the Victoria Derby at Flemington. Ridden by champion jockey Damien Oliver, Wertheimer was strongly… Read More »
Trainer Julius Sandhu will use the Group Three Aurie’s Star Handicap at Flemington as a litmus test for his enigmatic stable recruit Trope. Sandhu, who has been training for only two years, is hoping the five-year-old can confirm his belief that he is a genuine Group One sprinter. Sandhu trains… Read More »
He broke his maiden in a $2 million race and another lucrative target beckons for Prime Star if he can measure up against the better three-year-olds this spring. The Richard and Michael Freedman-trained gelding holds a nomination for the Group One Golden Rose and will face a serious test of… Read More »
