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    • The Walker horses you CAN'T forget www.racing.com The G1 1600-metre classics of the Caulfield and Thousand Guineas are a little more than a month away but that hasn’t dulled the dream for a number of owners who on Tuesday paid the nomination fees for their still unraced hopefuls. The $3 million Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 11 attracted 119 nominations by the noon deadline on Tuesday with 10 of those entries for horses yet to make their debuts. In the $1.5 million Thousand Guineas (1600m) on October 18, there were 106 nominations with 17 of those yet to have their first start. The clock is certainly ticking for these horses to be ready to run at 1600 metres in four or five weeks’ time, so expect to see a flood of them kicking off shortly. Among those entries for unraced horses are seven from star Cranbourne and New Zealand trainer Mark Walker. You’d expect most of these will start their careers in the next two weeks, so let’s take a closer look at them. MARK WALKER’S UNRACED THOUSAND GUINEAS ENTRIES Sattva (Savabeel – Mawzoona): Been placed in two of her three trials to date. Bred to run as has Black Caviar’s granddam Scandinavia in her pedigree. Merrow (Ancient Spirit – Erin’s Babe): Has not been placed in any of her four trials to date but in her pedigree is Patrick Erin, who won the 2018 G1 Metropolitan (2400m) for Chris Waller. May Be Bubbles (Lonhro – Tracy May): Unplaced in both her trials, she is the first foal of mare Tracy May, who’s granddam Tracey’s Element produced the Australian Horse Of The Year in Typhoon Tracy. Lyrics ‘N’ Song (Written Tycoon – Melody Belle): Has been placed in both her trials so far and will generate any amount of interest as she is the first foal of the 14-time G1 winning mare Melody Belle. Girt By Sea (Ocean Park – Baggy Green): Managed to be placed once in her four trials but is out of a great producing mare who has already had the likes of stakes winners Tofane, No Compromise, Benaud and Bradman. Get Honor (Savabeel – Honor): Unplaced in all three trials, she is bred to get some ground being out of the family of the likes of handy staying type Ecuador. MARK WALKER’S UNRACED CAULFIELD GUINEAS ENTRY Hostility (I Am Invincible – Shillelagh): Hasn’t even been to the trials as yet but bred to be a star as by Australia’s champion sire out of the former Chris Waller-trained mare Shillelagh, who won the G1 Cantala Stakes (1600m) in 2017 and the G1 Empire Rose Stakes over the same course at Flemington 12 months later. First acceptances for both G1 Guineas races are taken on September 23. TO VIEW THE CAULFIELD GUINEAS CONTENDERS CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE THOUSAND GUINEAS CONTENDERS CLICK HERE
    • He signed off his first Hong Kong stint with a flurry of winners and now Richard Kingscote is hoping to pick up where he left off after a golden summer back home in the United Kingdom. Successful with four of the final 11 rides of his stint as injury cover earlier this year – including a Sha Tin dirt treble – Kingscote orchestrated Group One boil-overs aboard Time For Sandals in the Commonwealth Cup and Qirat in the Sussex Stakes – the latter at a record 150-1 – before turning his attention back...View the full article
    • Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) hopeful Wolfgang (NZ) (Puccini) will fly to Melbourne on Wednesday to commence his path towards the A$10 million feature. The Group Three winner was set to start his spring campaign at Wanganui 10 days ago, but inclement weather curtailed those plans and trainers Peter and Shaun McKay have elected to head over to Melbourne with their charge. “He is booked to get on a flight tomorrow (Wednesday) to go to Melbourne and will start on Saturday at Flemington in a 1700m race. There is just nothing here for him,” Peter McKay said. “I would have liked to have had a couple of runs here first before he stepped over there. Roger James has had to do the same (with Mark Twain).” Fellow Melbourne Cup hopeful Mark Twain (NZ) (Shocking) is nominated for the same 1700m race at Flemington this weekend after things went awry at The Valley last Saturday when he was late scratched on veterinary advice after dislodging rider Jamie Mott on his way to the barriers. Wolfgang’s first main target of the spring will be the Gr.3 The Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington on October 4, with the winner earning an automatic berth into the Melbourne Cup. “We will then see whether he needs another one into the 2500m on October 4. If he does, there’s an 1800m at Sandown the week before,” McKay said. “There are plenty of options.” At this stage, Wolfgang will be the McKays only representative in Melbourne over spring, however, he could be joined by stablemate Santa Catalina (NZ) (Puccini) if she impresses in her next start. “Santa Catalina raced the other day, she went a little indifferent, not as well as I was hoping, the track just wasn’t to her liking,” McKay said. “If he (Wolfgang) stays over there long enough and she does something in her next start, she may go over, but he is pretty happy out on his own. “There are some good races here for her. We are thinking more of those summer cups races over Christmas down Central way.” Meanwhile, the Matamata stable will have a strong presence at Cambridge’s synthetic meeting on Wednesday, lining up three favourites on the eight-race card. Rocky Marciano (NZ) (Eminent) has finished runner-up in his last two starts at the track, and veteran hoop Opie Bosson will once again be in the saddle for Wednesday’s Onyx Restaurant Cambridge 2000, for which he is a $2.30 favourite with TAB bookmakers. “I didn’t want to keep running him on the synthetic but there are no grass races around over 2000m for the maideners for about a month, hence he is going back there again and 2000m should bode well for him,” McKay said. Stablemate Don Pauly (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) also placed on the track first-up last month, and McKay is hopeful of a winning performance in the TAB 2000. “He came home late against a weak field (last start),” he said. “He was only beaten a head or so, so hopefully he can put in the same run over ground. “He is a very disappointing horse. Earlier in his career he ran second to Jimmysstar and showed a lot of promise. We are getting him up over ground a lot quicker this time around. He is feeling well and is quite bright and happy. He should be hard to beat.” TAB bookmakers agree, installing him a $3.80 for the rating 69 contest. McKay has high hopes for Subiaco (Impending) this spring and is hoping he can get a confidence-boosting maiden victory in the Grey Family 1550, in what will be his first start on a synthetic track. “He won a trial there before he started off racing last season,” McKay said. “He should have won a couple of races by now. He is very capable of winning. If he can win that, it will hopefully give him a bit of confidence and we can have a look at some nicer races a bit later on in the year. “Sam (Collett, jockey) got on well with him last start. He looks like he is a winning chance as long as everything goes right.” The stable will also line-up La Plancha (NZ) (Time Test) in the Saddlery Warehouse 1300. “She is just very nervous among horses,” McKay said. “She has got the ability, so if she can run in the first three or four I will be happy and hopefully she gets some confidence within herself.” View the full article
    • Jockey Jerry Chau returns to Hong Kong racing on Wednesday at Happy Valley hoping some New Zealand bred horses can start his season with the same momentum that resulted in an unlikely stakes win in Korea on Sunday. Chau, 25, who skilfully avoided much of the sand course’s harsh kickback aboard Self Improvement on his way to Korea Sprint victory, is booked for five rides at the city circuit, including Embraces (NZ) (Reliable Man) in the Class 3 Central Handicap (1650m) for trainer Cody Mo.     “Hopefully the outside draw (10) will help Embraces because he always comes from behind. He’s in good form, in good shape and I think he will run good,” Chau said. Happy Valley’s opening meeting of the season marks the start of the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge, worth HK$1.5 million, which runs from tomorrow night until 4 February, 2026. The competition is for horses racing in Class 3 and above, with points awarded for first, second, third and fourth place finishes. Success first-up at Happy Valley for Embraces will secure 15 points in the challenge. Second receives six points, third gets four, while fourth place secures three points. David Hayes’ Soleil Fighter won the 2024/25 edition with an unmatched 65 points accrued, featuring three wins, for owner Sze-To Kin Sun. Chau also partners Flying Wrote (NZ) (Wrote) in the Class 4 Quarry Bay Handicap (1200m) for trainer Tony Cruz. “Last season he ran a good race on the final day (when third). I’ve trialled him this season and he was still a little bit heavy in that trial, but after that he will improve,” Chau said. Chasing a hat-trick, four-year-old Wrote A New Page (NZ) (Wrote) steps away from draw seven for trainer Danny Shum and jockey Harry Bentley in the Central Handicap. The bay has been gelded between seasons. “He finished the season in really good form and it’s great to get back on board and see how he goes. Danny’s certainly good for getting his horses fit at the beginning of the season. I don’t expect this horse to be any different. I sat on him the other morning and he felt really good. He was moving very, very nicely and all is good,” Bentley said. “There was no point keeping him as an entire. It probably just gets his mind focused on the job that bit more, which is going to do no harm.” In preparation for his shot at Japan’s Gr.1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) at Nakayama on 28 September, Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse) finished second to Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) in Sunday’s HK$3.72 million Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap (1200m) with Derek Leung.  “We are very happy. The stable did a very good job and his action was good. His fitness is getting better and better. He’s still not 100 percent fit. It’s step-by-step, he’s older, so he needs a few runs to get his routine back. He’s pulled up good and his movement was good,” Leung said. View the full article
    • Capable synthetic performer Branciforti (NZ) (Belardo) is presented with an opportunity to turn her form around on Wednesday as the clock ticks down on her racing career. The daughter of Belardo will again step out on the polytrack in the Cambridge Equine Hospital Handicap (1550m) and a change of fortune is due to come the six-year-old’s way. “It’s been a really strange preparation because she’s been working great for the last couple of months,” Te Rapa trainer David Greene said. “Nothing seems to have gone right on raceday so hopefully we can turn that all around. “We had targeted the race at Awapuni ($100,000 Polytrack Championship, 1400m) from a long way out and I was really happy with her, but she never really got into the contest at all.” Branciforti finished midfield and was then unplaced in the Polytrack Championship (2000m) at Cambridge and most recently on the all-weather track suffered an interrupted run in the straight. “We’d love to get another win with her as she’ll be served after this race. It’s just been very frustrating, but that’s the way it goes sometimes,” Greene said. Branciforti will be ridden for the first time by apprentice jockey Rihaan Goyaram, whose claim will bring her weight down to 58kg. “She’s a very good synthetic horse (four wins) and with her rating it makes it a bit harder to place her on the grass,” Greene said. Raced by breeder Sir Peter Vela, Branciforti is out of the Pins mare Huluava and is a half-sister to stakes winners Jay Bee Gee and William Wallace and to the dam of the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) winner Pignan. Meanwhile, Greene is looking forward to the return to feature race contender First Five (NZ) (Almanzor). The son of Almanzor has fashioned the tidy record of five wins from 15 starts and hasn’t raced since he finished runner-up in an open sprint on his home track to close out his autumn campaign. “He’s coming up great and will trial at Te Rapa on September 23 and the plan is for a couple of quiet trials and run him in the Legacy Lodge Sprint (Listed, 1200m) at the start of November,” Greene said. “We definitely have Group ambitions with him this preparation and he should be at the top of his game this season now he’s bigger and stronger.” View the full article
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