While not as universally acclaimed as the illustrious mares Black Caviar and Winx, jockey Brad Rawiller holds Weekend Hussler in equally high esteem and expressed a desire to have pitted him against the two legends. Rawiller, who steered Ross McDonald’s exceptional racehorse to seven Group 1 victories in 2007 and… Read More »
As star mare Imperatriz prepares for her first breeding season this spring, the pedigree experts at G1 Goldmine suggest that a date with champion sire Snitzel or one of his accomplished Group 1-producing sons would be a fitting match. The G1 Goldmine Stallion Match, a widely trusted tool utilised by… Read More »
Ever since Saturday there have been heated debates about the ride of Craig Williams on the red hot favourite Jimmysstar in the Elms Handicap at Flemington. Ciaron Maher expressed frustration and bewilderment at Craig Williams’ tactics aboard the heavily backed Jimmysstar, who succumbed to an upset defeat by $151 outsider… Read More »
Golden Ticket/Win And You Are In races have become more and more popular over time, especially when it comes to races like the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup, and the whole idea of ballot exemption races are in the spotlight this week with news The Gateway, which was a golden… Read More »
Something to ponder in the wake of prize-money for The Everest being lifted from $15 million to $20 million. In the last three years thirty-six horses have contested The Everest from twenty stables. Those thirty-six rides have been taken by nineteen jockeys. Chris Waller and James Cummings have had five… Read More »
It is good to finally see some movement on the jockey’s protective vest issue but, for any true value to come out of the latest rumblings, things do not only have to move in the right direction, they have to move at a pace that the urgency of the matter… Read More »
It has literally been years in the making … ok, we won’t go there … but the fact that The Racing Integrity Amendment Bill 2022 was finally passed into law by the Queensland Parliament on October 25 means that the workings of the Queensland Racing Judiciary system can now hopefully… Read More »
Despite a strong push from Peter V’Landys and Racing NSW to try and encroach, with some levels of success, there is no denying that the Melbourne Spring Carnival is the place to be for the end of the year. The best horses, the best trainers and best jockeys want to… Read More »
What on earth is going on at Racing Australia? Described as the peak National Administration body for the thoroughbred racing industry in Australia, Racing Australia is stuck in an impasse which is putting their profile in negative territory and currently doing nobody any good at all. John Messara has quit… Read More »
The late great Roy Higgins declared Taj Rossi as the best horse he ever sat on. Potentially. The Spring of 1973 from Taj Rossi was something we won’t see ever again. He won an Ascot Vale Stakes (Now Coolmore Stud), then later in the prep won a Cox Plate. Backed… Read More »
Jockey Tiffani Brooker had her fair share of publicity going into her ride on Sneaky Starter in the $2 million Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic … in fact, a lot of publicity if you consider Sneaky Starter started at a price of $201. For the most part though, Brooker’s story, in… Read More »
Star jockey Willie Pike’s future as a rider appears to be very much in his own hands or, if you want to put it another way, he can’t blame others for the predicament he finds himself in at this time. It should be noted at the outset that none of… Read More »
The best track Sydney has to offer is fast becoming one of the more concerning issues for racing in NSW. Randwick sits alone as the best track in Sydney when right, but Chelmsford Stakes Day on Saturday confirmed what a few smart judges have been saying for months, even over… Read More »
The last 10 or so years, Australian racing has been blessed. Firstly with So You Think, then Black Caviar, followed of course by Winx. Three all time greats. But when it comes to popularity, they need to make room for a stayer from England. When you think of longevity and… Read More »
I’ve been mulling over the ‘Airbnb Party’ at Mornington the past few days and what to make of it all. So I’ve put my thoughts into a Q&A format. Three Months Ban: Fair Enough? It had to be three months, minimum. What has alleged to have happened I won’t delve… Read More »
Not happy Jan! That’s some of the feedback that is being received on the back of the changes to the eligibility criteria for the Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Series … changes which significantly reshape the dynamics and the profile of the series. From the launch of the series in 2017… Read More »
The Australian racing industry post the 2018 Spring, as a collective, cried out to give locally trained gallopers a better chance of getting ballot exemption for the Melbourne Cup. So the VRC made the Andrew Ramsden, a 2800m race in May, a golden ticket to the Melbourne Cup for the… Read More »
The figures are impressive and the envy of every other state … and, quite rightly, it is the rollout of the value of the increased prize-money levels announced by Racing New South Wales … and exactly where the additional benefits have been placed and to whose advantage … that has… Read More »
The opening heat of Racing Victoria’s Country Mile Race Series was run and won at Colac today with the first three finishers Jazz Star, Fiorente Lass and Rewarding Ruby all qualifying for the final at Moonee Valley on 13 March. Racing Victoria have amended the conditions for whip use during… Read More »
When the dust settles on the Gr 1 CF Orr Stakes over 1400m this Saturday, former Irish star SIR DRAGONET (Camelot-Sparrow) will be talked about as the best horse in the land. And this just after three starts in…this land. But, before we go further, the horse’s name is Sir… Read More »
