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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
What Kensington Races Where Royal Randwick Racecourse – Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031 When Thursday, March 13, 2025 First Race 1:15pm AEDT Visit Dabble Metro racing returns to Royal Randwick on Thursday afternoon, with a competitive eight-part program lined up on the Kensington circuit. The rail is in the true position the entire circuit for the meeting, and although the track is rated a Soft 6 at the time of acceptances, there is still hope for an upgrade into the Good range courtesy of drying conditions forecast on Tuesday and Wednesday. All the action at Randwick is scheduled to get underway at 1:15pm local time. Best Bet at Kensington: Piastri The Ciaron Maher-trained Piastri returns after a 26-week spell and brings some quality form to this BM78 contest. The son of Choisir was brilliant in his only start in Sydney last preparation, claiming a dominant 1.5-length victory at Rosehill on August 17. He appears to be well weighted with 58kg on his back after the 3kg claim of apprentice hoop Anna Roper, and with any sting out of the ground a major benefit to his chances, expect Piastri to be flashing over the top at a good price with horse racing bookmakers. Best Bet Race 6 – #1 Piastri (6) 4yo Gelding | T: Ciaron Maher | J: Anna Roper (a3kg) (61kg) Next Best at Kensington: Travolta Travolta was a good thing licked on Australian debut, closing all over heels in the concluding stages at Warwick Farm on February 19. The Lope De Vega gelding never came off the bridal, with the four-year-old cruising through the wire under his own steam. Look at that performance at a glorified barrier trial heading into this second-up assignment, and with the booking Nash Rawiller marking serious intent from team Waller, expect Travolta to be fighting out the finish this time around. Next Best Race 7 – #8 Travolta (2) 4yo Gelding | T: Chris Waller | J: Nash Rawiller (57.5kg) Best Value at Kensington: Sigiriya Rock Sigiriya Rock showed plenty of promise in his debut preparation, claiming one victory and four more minor placings across his five starts. The son of Alabama Express showed versatility and steady improvement every time he stepped out, including his latest effort over a staying trip at Flemington on January 1. He may want further than the 1400m first-up in the Randwick finale; however, with more potential upside compared to some key rivals, Sigiriya Rock warrants respect at the price with Dabble. Best Value Race 8 – #8 Sigiriya Rock (12) 3yo Gelding | T: Chris Waller | J: Reece Jones (57.5kg) Thursday quaddie tips for Kensington Kensington quadrella selections March 13, 2025 1-2-6-9-10-11 1-4-6-9 6-7-8-10-11 6-7-8-10-13 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
I Wish I Win winning the Group 1 Kingsford-Smith Cup (1400m). Photo: Grant Peters The curtain has come down on the sensational racing career of I Wish I Win. The unlikely hero, I Wish I Win’s story has been well-documented, from the foal at Waikato Stud with a bent near-fore leg, to a superstar of the fiercely-competitive Australian sprinting ranks. Beginning his career in the care of former Te Akau Racing trainer Jamie Richards, I Wish I Win did just that on debut as a juvenile, before placing in the Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1200m). Returning at three, the gelding added another elite-level placing to his record in the Levin Classic (1600m), his final start in New Zealand before joining Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman’s operation in Victoria. Initially identified as a country cups prospect, I Wish I Win soon changed that narrative, winning first-up before taking out the Listed Testa Rossa Stakes (1400m). In his biggest test yet, the gelding was among the favoured runners in the $10m Golden Eagle (1500m), and taking on glamour mare Fangirl, I Wish I Win shot to prominence, scooping the major spoils and a $5.5 million payday for connections. The following autumn was another unforgettable campaign for I Wish I Win, placing in the $1 million Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) and $1.5 million Newmarket Handicap (1200m), before finally triumphing at the highest level, winning the $3 million Group 1 T.J Smith Stakes (1200m) in front of a roaring crowd at Randwick. ‘Wishy’ captured the hearts of the New Zealand public when representing the Trackside slot in the $20 million The Everest (1200m), finishing a phenomenal second behind Think About It, and went on to add to his Group One tally in Queensland, winning the Kingsford-Smith Cup (1400m). While unable to repeat that performance in last year’s Everest, I Wish I Win returned this autumn with another Group One placing behind Mr Brightside and Tom Kitten in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m), a stellar effort that would end up being his swansong. Amassing more than $12.8 million in stakes over 25 starts, I Wish I Win far exceeded the expectations of his part-owner, Waikato Stud’s principal Mark Chittick. “We’ll always do what’s best for the horse,” he said. “This decision wasn’t easy but on the advice of Peter and Katherine, we all felt the time was right for Wishy to hang up the reins. “You don’t have a horse like this, an experience like this, without so many people helping. “It wouldn’t have happened without our staff here, Jamie and Chanel Beatson who broke him in, Jamie Richards, of course Moods and Katherine and all the jockeys who looked after him so well. And especially to Gio Spiga, his strapper, for his special care and attention. “We have loved it, and I wish it could go on, but the horse comes first. He will come home and have a paddock right outside our house for the rest of his days. He will be looked after like a king, because he is one.” Moody echoed Chittick’s sentiments, having been a part-owner of I Wish I Win since he crossed the Tasman in 2022. “He’s retiring at the top of his game,” he said. “He ran third a margin in weight-for-age and it’s a shame he didn’t win, but he’s been a fabulous horse for the stable and given Katherine, myself and the stable the ride of a lifetime over the last two-and-a-half years.” “Our stable are extremely grateful to the team at Waikato for giving us this opportunity.” Horse racing news View the full article -
Sounds like it's only 12-18 months away. Interesting they have the markers out and didn't work on the inside. Sounds a bit like Ellerslie with the sand profile needing a lot of water and verti-draining. Presumably will leave it a slower surface than it was? -
By Chief Stipe · Posted
Horses Return to RACE Awapuni Course Proper This week marked an important step at RACE Awapuni, with horses returning to the course proper following it’s reconstruction. Australian track experts, Flemington Track Manager Liam O’Keeffe and On Track’s Callum Brown, visited RACE Awapuni this week for a final inspection. Following their evaluation, it was agreed the track was ready for horses to return to it. The first group of horses worked on the surface on Monday afternoon, followed by another session on Tuesday morning. Feedback from trainers and riders has been positive, and with just over seven weeks until the first scheduled race meeting on Friday, April 25, further improvements are expected as the track continues to settle. In preparation for racing, gallops will be held in the coming weeks, followed by a set of jump outs on April 1 and official trials on April 8. RACE CEO Tim Savell acknowledged the collective effort behind the track’s return, stating, “It’s great to see that all the hard work from so many people over the last 18 months is coming to fruition. “While we are particularly grateful to Callum Brown and Liam O’Keeffe for coming on course earlier this week, the dedicated efforts of our track manager Daniel Amies over the past 18 months and the assistance of Regional Track Advisor Bryce Mildon have ensured the revised return to racing timelines have been met.” “While there is still plenty to achieve over the next few weeks, the team and everyone within the wider RACE Group is looking forward to the resumption of racing at Awapuni when the track is ready.” NZTR COO Darin Balcombe applauded those involved in bringing the course to this stage. “While there is still work to be done, it is pleasing to hear the positive feedback from senior riders and trainers after the gallops this week. We were lucky to have the expert advice of Liam O Keefe and Callum Brown to ensure everything was on the right track and the Club has worked hard to get to this point. We are excited to see the surface continue to improve in the coming weeks prior to their return to racing in April” Jayne Ivil also visited RACE Awapuni to gather insights from Liam O’Keeffe, Callum Brown, and RACE Awapuni Track Manager Daniel Amies. -
By Chief Stipe · Posted
Horse racing - I Wish I Win retires: New Zealand sprinter’s remarkable career ends By Michael Guerin NZ Herald· 12 Mar, 2025 04:00 PM4 mins to read Save Share I Wish I Win winning Golden Eagle (2022). Photo / Supplied I Wish I Win has come to the end of a road he probably had no right ever to be on. The brave New Zealand sprinter was retired on Wednesday, ending a remarkable career that very nearly wasn’t. Born with the worst legs imaginable, I Wish I Win went on to win over $12.8 million in stakes and become the most surprising sprinting star of his generation after transferring from New Zealand to Victorian trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman. The one-time Group 1-placed miler won the A$10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) before downing the reigning Everest champion Giga Kick in the TJ Smith over 1200m at Randwick. He almost went one better in the richest race of them all, The Everest itself, when in 2023, representing New Zealand in the Entain/TAB slot, he finished a close second to Think About It. But now one of racing’s fairytales has ended. Not the way owners Mark Chittick and Moody would have chosen, but without one regret. “Moods and Katherine were getting him ready [for the] Ryder Stakes in Sydney, and he galloped well enough on Tuesday, but they thought he was a bit off after,” Waikato Stud boss Chittick said. “They brought him out of his box around 4pm on Tuesday, and he wasn’t right. Moods termed it 3 out of 5 lame, so the decision was made straight away. “He has been too special, too brave, for us to take any risks with. “He will come home and have a paddock right outside our house for the rest of his days. He will be looked after like a king, because he is one.” Everybody who loves racehorses has marvelled at the pictures of I Wish I Win as a foal, the son of Waikato Stud’s other king in Savabeel looking more like a kid’s drawing of a horse than one who would become one of the best sprinters in the world. Chittick and his staff deal with hundreds of horses a year and the hardened horseman believes, with a slight quiver in his voice, what I Wish I Win was as a foal helped him become I Wish I Win the superstar. “When a foal is born like that, it is a big effort just to survive, and that is when we knew he had heart. “I think that is what made him special later. That will to live became will to win. “Before the race, he would give you that look like he was going to go out there and give it his best. “You end up loving horses like that. It is not about the money they win, it is because they are brave.” But the mega-money races are also occasions, and I Wish I Win has taken Chittick and his family on the journey of a lifetime. “Races like the Golden Eagle and the Everest haven’t been around for that long, so to be part of them, it is a real privilege. “For the Golden Eagle, we were partnered with the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation of NSW, which was incredibly special. “Then, when he won the TJ Smith, plenty of my family were there and Savabeel sired the ATC Derby winner [Major Beel] the same day. “They are the days people like us dream of, and he made them come true. “To represent your country and the New Zealand industry with him in the Everest, to know so many people here were behind him, that was amazing and hard to put into words.” Now the career of one of the greats has come to an end, Chittick’s gratitude overflows. “You don’t have a horse like this, an experience like this without so many people helping,” he says. “It wouldn’t have happened without our staff here, Jamie and Chanel Beatson who broke him in, Jamie Richards [first trainer], of course Moods and Katherine and all the jockeys who looked after him so well. “We have loved it, and I wish I could go on, but the horse comes first. So he is coming home.” I WISH I WIN Breeding: Savabeel-Make A Wish Age: 6-year-old gelding. Breeder: Mark Chittick. Owners: Mark Chittick, Peter Moody. Trainers: Jamie Richards (NZ), Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman (Australia). Career record: 25 starts, 7 wins, 14 placings. Stake earnings: $12,844,300. Career highlights: Major wins: Golden Eagle, T J Smith (2023), Kingsford Smith Cup. Placings: 2nd in Everest, Doomben 10,000, Lightning Stakes; 3rd in Newmarket Hcp, Memsie, T J Smith (2024), Manikato Stakes, Futurity Stakes.
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