Cranbourne trainer Grahame Begg is on weather watch with his two runners at Ballarat. What he does not want is the rain predicted on Friday and Saturday with up to 20mm a possibility on top of a track that was rated a Slow 6 on Thursday. Begg has Miraval Rose down to… Read More »
Daniel Stackhouse will look to parlay his recent good run of form into success in the Ballarat Cup. Stackhouse picks up the ride aboard It’s A Wild Night in the $500,000 Listed contest over 2000m on Saturday, taking over from Blake Shinn who is Hong Kong bound for Sunday’s international meeting at… Read More »
Trainer Dan O’Sullivan has confirmed Berkeley Square will contest Saturday’s $500,000 Ballarat Cup (2000m), backing up just a week after a strong performance in the Group 2 Zipping Classic. The five-year-old gelding impressed with a late surge to finish third in the 2400m Zipping Classic. O’Sullivan said Berkeley Square has… Read More »
Trainer Grahame Begg is optimistic about Maharba’s autumn campaign following a gallant second-place finish in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot. Despite a slow start, the talented four-year-old unleashed a powerful late run but couldn’t reel in Overpass. Begg revealed jockey Jordan Childs reported an issue at the barriers…. Read More »
Professional punter Noah Brash has pleaded guilty to five charges of betting with or on behalf of jockey Michael Poy, breaching Australian Rule of Racing 236. The Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) heard Brash’s case, involving bets placed via encrypted messaging and accounts labelled Brashboy 1 and Brashboy 2. The offences… Read More »
Another chapter in Northerly Stakes history will be written at Ascot on Saturday. Who can add their name to a bevy of stars to win the Group 1 feature since its inception in 1976. More than two decades ago it was the turn of Blevvo to join the likes of… Read More »
With the spotlight of world racing on Hong Kong with their international meeting coming up on Sunday, it was fitting Chosen Legend should score at Caulfield. Chosen Legend is owned by Boniface Ho, a Hong Kong-based owner who has had considerable success in Australia, including taking out The Everest with Classique… Read More »
A first-up winner at double-figure odds last campaign, Fox Fighter will be bidding to repeat the dose when he kicks off his latest preparation at Rosehill. The six-year-old was sent out at $41 when he bloused his rivals late to take out a benchmark 88 race over 1200m in August. On… Read More »
Carrying the colours of Stradbroke Handicap winner Stefi Magnetica, debutante Arriving Home has stamped herself as a filly with a bright future, overcoming her inexperience to post an impressive win. A daughter of I Am Invincible, Arriving Home ($20) didn’t have all the favours, buffeted wide on the corner before… Read More »
Ciaron Maher says Pharari will benefit from any rain before the Ballarat Cup meeting on Saturday. Trainer Ciaron Maher is hopeful the Ballarat Cup meeting will attract the rain just as it has in previous years. Lightly raced four-year-old Pharari heads to the VOBIS Gold Eureka Stockade (1200m) on Saturday, looking to… Read More »
While Lady In Pink snared a long-priced win during the Melbourne Spring Carnival, the Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin-trained mare was always considered to be behind the eight-ball by her training partners. Troy Corstens believes the Listed Ballarat Cup (2000m) on Saturday is where Lady In Pink will… Read More »
Former Melbourne Cup contender Mark Twain is making strong progress in his rehabilitation from a tendon injury, with OTI Racing optimistic about his return to racing. OTI Racing director Terry Henderson confirmed the gelding is nearing the end of a rehabilitation program under the care of Matty Williams, with a… Read More »
Stakes placegetter August Bloom is set to make a low key return in a benchmark race at Rosehill as trainer Peter Snowden looks to get her racing career back on track. Placed in the Magic Night Stakes (1200m) at two, August Bloom battled muscle issues during her three-year-old season, restricting her to… Read More »
Leading Victorian trainer Patrick Payne is under investigation after his horse, Hard To Cross, returned two positive swabs for the banned substance Formestane following wins at Sandown in May. Racing Victoria stewards confirmed that post-race urine samples contained Formestane, a steroidal aromatase inhibitor, along with its metabolites 4-Hydroxytestosterone and 6a-Hydroxyandrost-4-Ene3,… Read More »
Persian Caviar, the three-year-old daughter of legendary racehorse Black Caviar, continues to show promise under the watchful eye of trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman. The filly ran second in her first jumpout this preparation on Tuesday at Pakenham’s synthetic track. “She wasn’t asked for an effort, it was just… Read More »
Barrier one has provided the past two winners of the Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800m) and Storyville has just edged into favouritism after drawing the inside gate in Saturday’s $1.5 million feature. Three-year-old fillies have dominated the race in recent years with Perfect Reflection, Arcadia Queen, Kay Cee and Amelia’s Jewel… Read More »
Group 1 winner Attrition is on target for more success at the top level in Saturday’s TABtouch-Northerly Stakes (1800m) at Ascot, according to trainer Mitchell Freedman. The five-year-old enters the $1.5 million event off the back of a last start fourth in the Five Diamonds (1800m) at Rosehill last month…. Read More »
Neville Parnham considered Zipaway and Bustler big winning hopes in the Railway Stakes, but was left lamenting after his two-pronged attack fell well short of the mark. Zipaway ran ninth while defending champion, Bustler, fared worse, finishing 13th behind Port Lockroy, but didn’t enjoy the best of runs when caught wide. After the… Read More »
Vin Cox knows it would be ambitious to think Caught U Looking could become the next Via Sistina, but Yulong is set to give its most recent high-profile purchase the chance to follow in the footsteps of this year’s Cox Plate winner. The emerging superpower, bidding under the name Willingham,… Read More »
Ciaron Maher and hometown Cups have not been a happy mix for the trainer. With his major Victorian bases at Cranbourne and Ballarat, to date only the Cranbourne Cup has gone his way with Dr Drill and Charterhouse being successful when in a training partnership with David Eustace. At Ballarat he is… Read More »
