Wandering Eyes

It has been just over a year since Light Up Racing (LUR), inspired by the Australian-based initiative Kick Up for Racing, was launched in an effort to 'illuminate the path to transparency, awareness and accountability in horse racing' in the United States. As Light Up Racing's pilot year has come to a close, it's safe to say the grassroots initiative has not only become a necessary voice in changing the industry narrative, but also in bridging the gap between those within the industry and those outside of it. “As an industry, we're bad for putting our head in the sand and hoping it goes away, rather than transparently addressing things. Phase one of Light Up was just getting a proof of concept up and going and seeing how it resonated and I suppose what parts really connected and worked. I think what I really started to notice was the transparency element and leading with openness,” said Vicky Leonard, founder of Kick Up for Racing, managing director of Kick Collective, and managing director of TTR AusNZ. To that point, Light Up launched a Media & Content Cohort Training Program with the goal of teaching industry members about topics such as personal branding, leveraging social media, media interview techniques, content creation and more. In 2024, the initiative hosted 100 attendees across four sessions held in Lexington, Kentucky; Arcadia, California; Saratoga Springs, New York; and Louisville, Kentucky. “I say media training but it's also social media and beyond that, or [for conversations] with our peers, particularly when somebody is aghast that you work in the horse racing industry. It's an awkward and challenging conversation but we need to be proud, put our shoulders back and use that as an opportunity to talk about the progress that the industry has made,” said Leonard. “The training is very much about teaching those concepts but then the practical tools on how to have those conversations, handle media interviews, and write a press statement. “It'd be good to get more senior stakeholders at those trainings going forward but I think we'll be able to do that.” Light Up has developed a website, now available in both English and Spanish, that hosted 32,000 visitors in its inaugural year. The website houses veterinary-backed resources, public relations tools and social media guides to counter misinformation. Along with creating and curating those resources, the LUR team also spent a lot of time building a presence on social media by sharing content that not only provided the audience with a behind-the-scenes look at the industry, but also a transparent perspective in the face of high-profile situations. Vicky Leonard | Sara Gordon Following the news that Just Steel (Justify) had sustained a condylar fracture of his right front fetlock during the May 18 GI Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, Light Up released a video with an update on the colt following a successful surgery at the Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, narrated by surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage. Bramlage provided details about the fracture the colt sustained and how the surgery went overall, as the video included clips of Just Steel walking back and forth in the barn post-surgery without any visible lameness. Following that video, Light Up released another featuring Dr. Wayne McIlwraith, a pioneer in equine orthopedic surgery, explaining what a condylar fracture is and how it is treated. From there, Light Up followed up with Just Steel in June as he recovered from his surgery at Mulholland Springs, sharing a video of the colt's progress with an update from the farm's owner Martha Jane. Across the social media platforms X, Facebook and Instagram, the video with Bramlage garnered nearly 88,000 views; the video with Mcllwraith received approximately 22,000 views; and the update from Jane collected nearly 21,000 views. “After Just Steel sustained a condylar fracture in the Preakness, we saw comments on social media saying, 'he's going to be put down.' To then create a piece of content with Dr. Bramlage and Dr. Mcllwraith to say, 'actually, this is why he's not going to be put down,' we took that negative and turned it into a positive about the advancement of veterinary medicine,” said Mill Ridge Farm's Price Bell, a co-founder and board member of Light Up Racing. “I think we take for granted that we know a condylar fracture is not a life-threatening injury. However, the general public doesn't know that. So, to address that and then to see opinions change within comments was meaningful and it certainly makes you feel like we're on the right path.” The initiative welcomed 1,500 members to the LUR community, all of which worked together to address negative or false information spread across news outlets or social media with research-based responses in an effort to educate, rather than simply deny. Price Bell | Keeneland During the Triple Crown season alone, the group tackled over 3,000 misinformed comments, while also releasing a unique series of videos catching up with every contender across each of the three races. Following the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, LUR worked with trainers and their staff to gather footage of each horse post-race, all culminating in a trio of videos that provided an inside look at the horses after competing in some of the country's most-watched and attended races. “There's no doubt we need to have an 'always on' messaging, but there's certain times of year where it peaks and troughs. We've doubled down on the Triple Crown because that's when all eyes are on the industry,” said Leonard. “You've got to remember that some of the comments that are made about our industry are absolutely ludicrous. There are comments out there saying, 'if they don't win, they just get shot,' and we have to say 'no, this is the reality.' Being visual is the best way to do it. “When it came to the task of tracking down footage of every horse [that ran in the Triple Crown races], we did have to pester the hell out of the trainers and the grooms, but we got there in the end. One of those videos got half a million views, so it definitely resonated.” Overall, Light Up's social media accounts accrued 2.5 million views across all of their platforms which the team says led to meaningful conversations with members of a non-racing educated audience. “We're bad for an industry about keeping it to ourselves and we've got to blow open the barn doors. That's why what Visit Horse Country and Amplify Horse Racing is doing is absolutely incredible, and we just have to be another cog in that wheel in a different capacity around exposing people in a marketing and media sense,” said Leonard. “Letting people in is just the most important thing and you can do it with the little device in your pocket.” However, the goal for Light Up Racing isn't only to combat the negativity, but to also bring the horses, and therefore the heart of the industry, back to the public. “Just within my lifetime and the generations around me, the horse and agriculture are further away [from the public]. It's incumbent on us who participate in the industry to share what we do to connect more people to the horse,” said Bell. “We can get so bogged down in our day-to-day that it's hard to remember what that first experience was like. Those of us who have access need to share what a horse is doing because the public doesn't have the access and they don't have any experience. It's on us to really push that.” Leonard points out that one of the biggest differences between Australia's industry and the industry stateside is that it's the norm for Australian trainers to have a presence on social media, while for those in the U.S. that's not the case. “In Australia, every trainer is very good on social media. Each trainer has a social media strategy or description, I don't know any that don't, whereas that's not the case in America. In Australia, you wouldn't have a training business and not be very active on social media, so it's been a far bigger jump,” she said. Light Up Racing listeners | Photos by Z “This doesn't just help improve the narrative and the perception, but it also helps their business too. It's about having a really active social media strategy, which is a great return on investment (ROI) to get more clients. That's going to be a big focus moving forward.” For Bell, he sees Light Up Racing as an initiative that not only brings together members of the public and the racing industry, but also as a foundation to further connect the racing community by bringing their experiences, feelings and voices to the surface. “What I'm really proud of with Light Up is that it's helped people who felt voiceless recognize that they have a powerful voice and that we're all in this together. We all need to use our voice for the good of the horse and the industry going forward,” said Bell. With the foundation for Light Up Racing now firmly established in its inaugural year, the team behind the initiative plans to expand training programs, amplify advocacy efforts and expand the innovative tools they can offer to empower the racing community. In order to do that, the nonprofit initiative is seeking donations to support their efforts. “What the funding can do is really let us get our tentacles into all the different parts of America and make sure that we're there and proactive when stuff happens, so it's not like we're scrambling as an industry to deal with things reactively,” said Leonard. “There's a lot of terrific initiatives and great marketing strategies. However, getting those into the community and making sure it's distributed, and actually dealing with crises and jumping in when there's misinformation, does require the industry community to help and support us. “We're really hoping to become a very useful tool for the great work that's already done and just helping to amplify it.” To learn more about Light Up Racing, click here. The post A Bright Future Ahead For Light Up Racing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Sunday and Monday running at Chukyo Racecourse: Sunday, January 5, 2025 3rd-CKO, ¥10,600,000 ($67k), Maiden, 3yo, 1900m HUG (JPN) (c, 3, Justify–Fleet Bertie, by Afleet Alex) made a single visit to the races as a 2-year-old, finishing a good second over 1800 meters at Kyoto Dec. 15 and will be tough to beat here with expected improvement. Narvick International acquired the colt's stakes-placed dam at Keeneland November in 2021 for $185,000 and the colt repaid that bill when selling to Yoshizawa Holdings for the equivalent of $312,000 as a foal at the JRHA Select Sale in 2022. Second dam Whirlie Birdie (Stormin Fever) and third dam De Bertie (De Niro) were both successful at the graded stakes level. B-Matsuura Bokujo Monday, January 6, 2025 4th-CKO, ¥15,200,000 ($97k), Allowance, 3yo, 1800m SHIN BELIEVE (c, 3, Constitution–Sand Puce {Arg}, by Footstepsinthesand {GB}) could not have been more impressive in breaking his maiden by five resounding lengths as the 9-5 favorite in a newcomers' test going this distance at Niigata in early August (see below, SC 10), but the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile proved a task too tall, as he faded to finish a distant 10th to Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) after racing prominently in the first half of the contest. A $385,000 buyback as a yearling at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, he was hammered down to Forever Young (Jpn)'s owner Susumu Fujita for $800,000 at last year's OBS March Sale. B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY) The post Constitution’s Shin Believe Returns at Chukyo appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It was inevitable really. Kizuna (Jpn), the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner of 2013 and champion first-season sire in 2019, has now followed the example set by his feted sire Deep Impact (Jpn) to become Japan's champion sire for the first time. The Shadai stallion had finished in the top four in the championship in the three previous years and took the laurels this time from 2023 champion, the late Duramente (Jpn). He in turn had finally ended the 11-year domination of Deep Impact, who was also the champion freshman sire back in 2010. Justin Milano (Jpn) was the star performer for Kizuna during 2024, winning the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas) and finishing runner-up to Danon Decile (Jpn) in the Japanese Derby. His dam is well known to readers in Europe as she is the 2011 Nunthorpe Stakes winner Margot Did (Ire), who provides another feather in the cap for Exceed And Excel (Aus) as a broodmare sire. His daughter Believe'N'Succeed (Aus) is the dam of the ill-fated Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck (Ire). Kizuna, who also won the G2 Prix Niel before finishing fourth in the Arc behind Treve (Fr), is out of the Storm Cat mare Catequil, which means that he is bred on the same cross as one of the rising stars of the European sires' ranks, the Lanwades resident Study Of Man (Ire). Catequil, a daughter of the GI Delaware Oaks winner Pacific Princess, was placed twice for Sheikh Mohammed when trained in England by James Fanshawe. She proved to be a gem of a broodmare and was also the dam of G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas) winner Phalaenopsis (Jpn) (Brian's Time) as well as the G1 Belmont Stakes-placed Sunday Break (Jpn) (Forty Niner), who stood at stud in both Kentucky and France. Kizuna's offspring won 211 races in 2024, and he was represented by 24 juvenile winners, which was down from his personal record tally in the sector of 33 in 2023. His three-year-olds of 2024 emanated from his largest crop to date after he covered 242 mares in 2020. That figure has dropped in subsequent years to below the 200-mark. His 14 stakes winners in 2024 included the Grade 2 winners Queen's Walk (Jpn), Sixpence (Jpn) and June Take (Jpn). Crack sprinter Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) has become the perennial bridesmaid in the Japanese sires' table since 2019 and the 17-year-old son of King Kamehameha was second again last season. Bellagio Opera (Jpn), winner of the Osaka Hai, took his tally of Group/Grade 1 winners to ten, including the brilliant former Horse of the Year, Almond Eye (Jpn). Her first foal, Aaron's Rod (Jpn) is now three and finished second in November in a Tokyo Maiden. Almond Eye has a two-year-old colt by Maurice (Jpn), a yearling filly by Kitasan Black (Jpn) and was covered by the latter's son Equinox in his first book in 2024. Epiphaneia, the Japan Cup winner of 2014 | Emma Berry Aaron's Rod is by Epiphaneia (Jpn), a striking-looking son of Symboli Kris S, who was runner-up to Kizuna in the Japanese Derby and won the following year's Japan Cup. He took third in the 2024 sires' table after a season highlighted by two Classic winners. The aforementioned Danon Decile won the Derby and Stellenbosch (Jpn) landed the Oka Sho. Four of Epiphaneia's seven individual Grade 1 winners came in 2024, and they included Takarazuka Kinen winner Blow The Horn (Jpn) and Victoria Mile winner Ten Happy Rose (Jpn). The death of Duramete (Jpn) in March 2021 at the age of only nine must be considered a huge loss for the Japanese stallion ranks. A dual Classic winner in 2015, he was well supported in his four and a half seasons at Shadai Stallion Station, and had 191 and 203 reported foals in his first two crops. Members of his final abridged crop are three-year-olds this year. Duramente is already the sire of seven Grade 1 winners, with four Classic winners among them, including the brilliant Triple Tiara winner of 2023, Liberty Island (Jpn), who was the top-rated filly in the world that year. With two St Leger winners to his name already in Japan, Duramente posthumously displayed some diversity in 2024 as the sire of the G1 Sprinters Stakes winner Lugal (Jpn), who not only has a Derby winner as his sire, but has another Derby winner from the other side of the world, New Approach (Ire), as his broodmare sire. Completing the top five in Japan was Drefong, a former winner of the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint and G1 Forego Stakes, who posted his highest-placed finish to date. Beyond Japan, his son Warp Speed (Jpn) was a close second in the G1 Melbourne Cup, and Drefong had a pair of Grade 3 winners among his four stakes winners at home. Kitasan Black (Jpn), who now shares the honour of being the most expensive stallion in Japan with his son Equinox (Jpn) ended last season in tenth place but we can expect to see renewed interest in him, including from breeders outside Japan, thanks to the exploits of his aforementioned world champion. First Set to Nadal in Freshman Championship Nadal, who brings more coveted Hail To Reason/Roberto blood to the Japanese ranks through his Breeders' Cup Classic-winning sire Blame, was champion first-season sire in the country for 2024. GI Arkansas Derby winner Nadal | Emma Berry Bought by Kerri Radcliffe for $700,000 as the Fasig-Tipton Florida Two-Year-Old Sale of 2019, the imposing Nadal ran just four times during five months of the following year but was unbeaten, his two Grade II wins in the San Vicente and Rebel Stakes setting up his victory in the GI Arkansas Derby. He was never seen again on the track after that, having fractured a foreleg in his preparation for the Kentucky Derby. His 32 first-crop winners in 2024 put him in pole position among the young stallions recruited to Japan in 2021. He had 103 foals in his first book. Saturnalia (Jpn), like his sire Lord Kanaloa, had to settle for second. The Japanese 2,000 Guineas winner of 2019, he was also a Grade 1 winner at two, and he supplied 26 juvenile winners in 2024. Saturnalia is a half-brother to the hugely successful Epiphaneia and is a stallion to keep eye on as his first three-year-olds take to the track this year. Saturnalia, a Lord Kanaloa half-brother to Epiphaneia | Emma Berry Le Vent Se Leve (Jpn), another Roberto-line stallion who shares his sire Symbol Kris S with Epiphaneia, was third in the table with 25 individual winners, including Listed winner Soldier Field (Jpn). Gold Dream (Jpn), a Grade 1-winning dirt horse by Sunday Silence's son Gold Allure (Jpn), was fourth overall but had the highest tally of winners (33). Look out for the first runners in 2025 by Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn), another sleek, near-black son of Deep Impact, who is the likely favourite to take this year's first-season sire championship. The post Kizuna Emulates Sire Deep Impact with First Championship appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

While racecourses in Britain and Ireland battle the elements to keep racing going during the cold snap, officials Down Under have been dealing with a more unusual threat to the action on the track after it emerged that the Gold Coast meeting has been relocated to the Sunshine Coast after a 500-metre section of the track was found damaged on Friday. Racing Queensland officials have sent samples for urgent testing to identify the cause and have not ruled out the possibility of foul play by anti-racing campaigners. “Racing Queensland and the Gold Coast Turf Club are concerned about what has happened. We will continue to investigate, including sending samples to the laboratory to see what caused it,” Racing Queensland chief executive Jason Scott told racenet.com.au. The Magic Millions carnival is one of the most eagerly-anticipated meetings in Australia and the hope is that the track will be fit for purpose in time for the meeting next week. Two senior jockeys are understood to have galloped on the Gold Coast course proper on Friday afternoon, with the Queensland Jockeys Association saying they “weren't 100 per cent happy” with the damaged section. “The advice from turf experts was that next Saturday's Magic Millions meeting will be fine to proceed,” Scott said. “They believe the track will be able to be fixed up.” The post Potential Sabotage? Gold Coast Meeting Switches To Sunshine Coast After Track Poisoning appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Magic Millions Carnival’s opening meeting has been relocated to the Sunshine Coast after the Gold Coast’s newly renovated track was found to have been poisoned. The unprecedented decision to move Saturday’s twilight meeting, featuring marquee races such as the $3 million Sunlight slot race and $500,000 The Wave, came after safety concerns were raised by jockeys over a chemically damaged section of the course. Racing Queensland officials discovered the damage on Friday afternoon, with the affected area—measuring approximately 25m x 10m—located near the 500m mark on the home turn. Senior jockeys conducted gallops over the section but expressed dissatisfaction with its safety, leading to a swift decision to relocate the meeting. “The advice from turf experts was that next Saturday’s Magic Millions meeting will be fine to proceed,” said Racing Queensland chief executive Jason Scott. “They believe the track will be able to be fixed up.” Click here for HorseBetting’s full race-by-race of the Sunshine Coast races here. Representatives from a leading New South Wales turf farm have been engaged to oversee urgent repairs to ensure the Gold Coast track is ready for next Saturday’s marquee Magic Millions Raceday. Saturday’s meeting at the Sunshine Coast retains its original race times and includes two crucial two-year-old races, offering horses a final opportunity to qualify for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. However, the move has caused logistical challenges for participants, who now face a two-hour trip from the Gold Coast Turf Club to the Sunshine Coast. Betting markets were left in limbo, with discrepancies among top bookmakers regarding wagers already placed. The meeting’s relocation also disrupted Channel 7’s planned broadcast of the twilight event, which had been heavily promoted as a free-to-air feature. The Brisbane Racing Club offered to host the meeting at Eagle Farm on Saturday, but the Sunshine Coast was ultimately chosen, as Eagle Farm is already scheduled to race on Sunday. This latest incident adds to a tumultuous history for the Gold Coast track, which was closed for much of 2023 following a disastrous meeting in March. Last year’s Magic Millions was also marred by a wet patch caused by a rogue sprinkler, leading to a washout after just 14mm of rainfall. With the Gold Coast track now under urgent repair, attention turns to ensuring the venue is ready to host next Saturday’s prestigious Magic Millions Raceday, the highlight of the summer racing calendar. Horse racing news View the full article

By Brigette Solomon Trainer Michael House and Harrison Orange combined to score a winning double at the North Island’s first race meeting of the New Year at Tauherenikau yesterday. “I rung Harrison three weeks ago to see if we could organise for him to come down and drive at these central districts grass track meetings and I’m really pleased for him that it’s paid off and he’s driven a couple of winners for us,” said House. “He’s grown up watching his Dad (Blair Orange) drive a few hundred winners in these colours and now he’s driven his first double in them which is great.” The pair’s first win for the day was with Son Of Patrick who took out the Hilton Delegat Painting & Decorating Handicap Trot with a somewhat unconventional victory. The Father Patrick gelding was safely away from his 50 metre starting handicap and Orange allowed the gelding time to tack onto the field, moving to sit one out and three back from around the 1200 metre mark. Having to come four wide on the home turn, Son Of Patrick took some time to wind up down the home straight and it looked as though he would run into the placings with King Of Diamonds a run away leader. Just 50 metres shy of the line, King Of Diamonds shied at the winning post, breaking and veering outwards hampering both Cool Phelan and Cosmic Angel while out wide on the track Son Of Patrick had clear running to cross the line second. He was subsequently promoted to first as King Of Diamonds had gone past the post in a gallop. “It was a funny old race but Son Of Patrick got some luck which is what he needs,” said House, “he’s a lovely old horse and we’ve spent some time getting him really sound and happy and now he’s dropped down the grades a bit I’m hoping he’ll become a Central Districts pro as there’s a bit of racing here over the next few months.” “I’m really happy to support Harrison and it’s strategic to put him on the team at these meetings with today being penalty free for Son Of Patrick and any other wins being half rating points.” Megyn Kelly then scored her maiden victory in the Osborne Group Chartered Accountants Mobile Pace giving House and Orange consecutive race wins for the day. The Shadow Play mare started from barrier 10 and Orange allowed her to settle near the tail of the field before the steady tempo prompted him to head off three wide down the back straight to end up parked with around 800 metres to run. The lightly raced mare was somewhat green when she hit the front on rounding the home turn, but when Tres Bonne Fille loomed up alongside her she regained confidence and the pair put a solid distance on the rest of the field with Megyn Kelly doing it better on the line to win by half a length over Tres Bonne Fille with remaining runners 7.5 lengths off the pair. “Megyn Kelly arrived just a couple of weeks ago from Colin Harrison who bred and trained the mare at Timaru prior to her joining us,” said House, “she’s quite a big mare who just lacks a bit of ringcraft yet and is still green but we’re getting her fitter and she found the line well today so she’ll improve yet.” “We’ll see how she pulls up as to if she starts at Otaki on Monday but there’s a chance she will, and Son Of Patrick will be starting there too.” The House stable also had a fourth placing with Fabricate who was beaten just 1.6 lengths. Grass track racing continues in the North Island with the Kapiti Coast meeting at Otaki on Monday. View the full article

By Adam Hamilton Auckland Cup hero Republican Party looks set to join the growing Hunter Cup party. A race that threatened to be a tad thin for star power just a couple of weeks ago, now promises to deliver an explosive start to 2025. Already, Leap To Fame looks certain to defend his crown, newly crowned Inter Dominion champ Don Hugo is a lock, emerging Kiwi talent Tact McLeod is headed towards it and $2 million-earner Catch A Wave also has the Hunter Cup in his sights. More recently, star Kiwis Don’t Stop Dreaming and Republican Party have come on the radar. Following his Group 1 win at Alexandra Park on New Year’s Eve, Republican Party’s trainer Cran Dalgety is exploring all options around an extended Aussie campaign, which will also see Republican Party chase the Miracle Mile. “There’s a lot of options and plenty of weigh-up,” he said. “We’ve decided he’ll race at Cambridge next week and we’ll use that time to map things out, providing he goes well at Cambridge. “There’s a flight on January 15 (Auckland to Melbourne).” That would open the $100,000 Group 2 Ballarat Cup as an option. “The timing works on paper, but I’m not sure racing him three days after arriving is ideal,” Dalgety said. “There’s the Casey Classic a week later. Given he’s had racing and will have run at Cambridge to keep up to the mark, just that run the week before the Hunter Cup could suit better.” The Hunter Cup is at Melton on February 1. The timing also fits Republican Party to stay in Victoria for the $100,000 Cranbourne Cup a week after the Hunter Cup. Looking further ahead to NSW, the options for Republican Party and Don’t Stop Dreaming to chase a Miracle Mile are via the $100,000 Group 2 Newcastle Mile on February 21 or one of the two “qualifiers” worth $100,000 each at Menangle on March 1. The $1 million Miracle Mile is on March 8. Trainer-driver Luke McCarthy confirmed Don Hugo would go “first-up” into the Hunter Cup. “He’ll have a couple of strong (private) workouts and then one trial. He didn’t have long out,” he said. In contrast, Catch A Wave will trial at Melton on Tuesday with a view to a first-up run in the Ballarat Cup. “The plan is Ballarat, then back-up in the Casey Classic a week later and the Hunter Cup to be his third run in as many weeks,” trainer Andy Gath said. In other disappointing stable news, Gath confirmed Callmethebreeze’s Great Southern Star defence was over before it started. “He’s still not where we need him to be and we’ve run out of time,” he said. With doubts still lingering over Just Believe’s racing future, the Mark and Nathan Purdon decision to send Oscar Bonavena to the Great Southern Star looks an inspired move. View the full article

By Jonny Turner After an all-conquering season, Matthew Williamson hopes to keep his momentum going in 2025 with a big Roxburgh Cup day on Saturday. The trainer produced a personal-best 39 wins in 2024, making him the leading trainer both in Otago and south of the Waitaki River. Though he is undoubtedly the public face of his operation, Williamson was quick to credit those behind the scenes for his breakout season. “If you had told me at the start of last year that we would have ended up where we have, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.” “But the horse numbers built over the year. We started off with a smaller team and now we are up over 30. “We have had a heap of owners jump on board with us. They’ve been great.” “You’re only as good as your staff too, so they deserve a lot of the credit. “It is a team effort and a family operation and [wife] Charlotte does a huge amount of work and she is quite good at doing all those things I forget about.” Williamson hopes several of his strong contributors from 2024 can help build his 2025 win tally. Flying Bird steps out in the finale, Race 11 the Bearing Replacements/ Sgt Dan Stockfoods Mobile Pace (5.38pm) after chasing the smart Lakelsa in a strong last-start effort at Ascot Park. “She ran on quite nicely at Invercargill and this looks like quite a suitable race for her.” “Her work seems to be getting better and better, I am quite happy with her.” Feta Go Fernco won her first two career starts last year, and she looks to get her chance to bounce back to her best form in 2025. “She has drawn 11 and 12 in her last two starts in tough grades. “She’s on the second row again but the field looks suitable enough for her and I would expect her to be running on.” Jordan Anne was one of Williamson’s most consistent performers in 2024 and the trainer expects more of the same this year after her fourth yesterday in Race 7, the Ritchie McDonald and Val Whye Memorial Trot (3.24pm). “She’s very honest and it was another great run from her at Omakau.” “Roxburgh doesn’t look any harder, so you’d like to think she would be another pretty handy chance again.” Williamson also starts Sidorova and Shandon Bells at the Roxburgh meeting. The trainer-driver’s brother, Nathan Williamson, starts the favourite in the Peters Genetics Roxburgh Cup in Miraculous. The four-year-old clashed with the impressive Built For Glory in last week’s three-year-old feature at Gore, running second. Miraculous produced a courageous second in his prior outing at Ascot Park on Invercargill Cup Day. Miraculous is the 20m backmarker in the Roxburgh feature, giving key rival Amaretto Franco a 10m head start. The Canterbury mare made two mistakes in her last start in the Gore Cup, but still managed a creditable fourth. View the full article

By Michael Guerin Five years is a long time to wait for redemption. In racing entire careers start, blossom and end much quicker than that all the time. But on Febuary 1, five years after he last raced and finished unplaced in the Great Southern Star, Kiwi speed machine Oscar Bonavena is heading back to Melton for a another shot at the title. The title has of course changed. The Great Southern Star was 2760m mobile back on February 1, 2020 when Oscar Bonavena sat parked and finished a brave fourth to Tornado Valley. He had arrived in Melbourne as trotting’s next big thing but his mind wasn’t as sharp as his sprint and Oscar wasn’t the first New Zealand horse to be caught out by the Australian hustle and bustle. So much has happened since. Unsoundness, wildness years, changing stables, changing back, then a Trotter of the Year season in 2023. Oscar looked to have maybe hit a wall again in the first half of 2024, a wall called Just Believe, but the real Oscar finally downed the little Aussie hero in the NZ Free-For-All on Show Day and has been brilliant since, albeit galloping early in this week’s National Trot before a huge recovery in third. That was enough to convince trainers Mark and Nathan Purdon that Oscar should go back to Melton to try this back to the future Great Southern Star, two mobile sprint heats in one night like it used to be. “He deserves another shot over there,” says Nathan Purdon. “He has never been sounder and is racing so well even after that little gallop this week. “So the plan will be to try and race here (Alex Park) again before he goes over but if he has to go over there for a lead-up race that will be okay too. “The way he is racing these days sprinting seems to really suit him and I think the Great Southern Star format will be good for him. “And obviously Just Believe isn’t going to be there.” With defending champion Callmethebreeze also set to miss the GSS, Oscar Bonavena is at least as good as the locals but will still have to contend with new Interdom champion and natural speedster The Locomotive. Oscar Bonavena will have some big-name company on the trip too with Don’t Stop Dreaming returning for the Hunter Cup, the race he pushed Leap To Fame so close in last year. “He has had no luck but he has also had some hard racing and sometimes I think that has gotten to him. “But he is a very good horse and these good horses have to race in these big races, that is where the money is. “So he will follow the same racing and travels plans as Oscar but after the Hunter Cup we will look at taking him to Sydney.” That will be the extent of the Purdon team in Australia as Chase A Dream is unlikely to head to either venue and the father and son team soon to start their yearling sales work. “All stables need to replenish and we will be definitely doing that this year,” says Nathan. “We have room for horses after a few retirements so we will be buying and are happy to speak to owners to want to get involved with some high end stock. “There has never been a better time to be involved in the game with the huge job Entain are doing and the vibe in harness racing and we will be looking at yearlings soon and going after the ones we think can be big-race horses. “So we will start taking expressions of interest for that this week and then formulate our plan.” View the full article

There are 13 horse racing meetings set for Australia on Saturday, January 4. Our racing analysts here at horsebetting.com.au have found you the best bets and the quaddie numbers for Gold Coast, Geelong, Randwick, Ascot & Darwin. Saturday’s Free Horse Racing Tips – January 4, 2025 Gold Coast Racing Tips Geelong Racing Tips Randwick Racing Tips Ascot Racing Tips Darwin Racing Tips As always, there are plenty of promotions available for Australian racing fans. Check out all the top online bookmakers to see what daily promotions they have. If you are looking for a new bookmaker for the horse racing taking place on January 4, 2025 check out our guide to the best online racing betting sites. Neds Code GETON 1 Take It To The Neds Level Neds Only orange bookie! Check Out Neds Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit today. “GETON is not a bonus code. Neds does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers. Full terms. BlondeBet Signup Code GETON 2 Punters Prefer Blondes BlondeBet Blonde Boosts – Elevate your prices! Join BlondeBet Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. WHAT ARE YOU REALLY GAMBLING WITH? full terms. 3 Next Gen Racing Betting Picklebet Top 4 Betting. Extra Place. Every Race. Join Picklebet Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? Full terms. Recommended! 4 It Pays To Play PlayUp Aussie-owned horse racing specialists! Check Out PlayUp Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Full terms. Dabble Signup Code AUSRACING 5 Say Hey to the social bet! Dabble You Better Believe It Join Dabble Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE? Full terms. Bet365 Signup Code GETON 6 Never Ordinary Bet365 World Favourite! Visit Bet365 Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. GETON is not a bonus code. bet365 does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers. What’s gambling really costing you? Full terms. Horse racing tips View the full article

A change of scenery has worked wonders for Field Of Gold, who is in line to return to black-type company for the first time in almost two years in Saturday’s Gr.3 Rydges Wellington Airport Phar Lap Trophy (1600m) at Trentham. The son of Starspangledbanner is a half-brother to Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Sherwood Forest, and he showed plenty of talent himself through the early stages of his career. Field Of Gold’s nine-start campaign as a three-year-old produced three wins including the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m), and he was a placegetter in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1600m) and Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1600m). He also took on older horses at weight-for-age and finished a creditable sixth behind Coventina Bay in the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m). But the chestnut’s form fell away in his four-year-old season, and his owner-breeders Matthew Goodson and Dianna Perron elected to transfer him from Tony Pike’s Cambridge stable into the smaller surroundings of Bill Thurlow’s operation at Waverley. Field Of Gold showed promising signs with three consecutive placings in the autumn of his five-year-old season, and he began his new campaign on a winning note with an impressive performance in a 1400m Rating 75 at Trentham on December 15. Thurlow entered Field Of Gold for a 1600m open handicap at Otaki on Boxing Day, but late-scratched him when the track deteriorated through the afternoon. Field Of Gold appears to be well placed in Saturday’s Phar Lap Trophy, with visiting Australian jockey Luke Currie booked to ride him at 55.5kg. But the weather is once again a major factor in Thurlow’s mind. “We took him to Otaki on Boxing Day and the track ended up getting quite wet and tricky,” he said. “He’s a horse that really needs a reasonable surface to show his best, so we decided to late-scratch him and set him for this race at Trentham instead. “Hopefully that rain that’s in the forecast leading into this meeting will stay away. He’s a very good galloper when he gets the right conditions. He showed that when he won first-up. “His work has been excellent. He’s done really well since his win. I’ve been very happy with him. Wherever he ends up racing next, which will hopefully be at Trentham on Saturday, I’m sure he’ll perform well.” Field Of Gold headlines a four-horse Trentham team for Thurlow, who will also saddle Royal Sovereigns in the Vernon and Vazey Truck Parts (1400m), Mister Fletcher in the Happy Hire (1600m) and The Big Picture in the Saddlery Warehouse Cambridge (1200m). “Royal Sovereigns was a very good second on debut,” Thurlow said. “She ran home strongly on a wet track at New Plymouth, and she was beaten by a handy horse of Allan Sharrock’s (Komocean). “She did nothing in her next run after that. We didn’t know what to make of that performance and couldn’t find anything wrong with her afterwards. But I’ve been happy with her work since then. “She’s quite green, so we’ve elected to put a hood on and use a strong senior rider (Craig Grylls). We’re hoping for an improved performance from her. “Mister Fletcher’s had just the one start for a good second placing. He was beaten by a better horse on the day over that 1400m distance. He’s a typical Almanzor, a real staying type of horse that I think will be better over further. “I’m not sure he’ll be winning on Saturday, but the mile will suit him better than 1400m. He’ll get up to 2000m not long after that, and I think that’s when you’ll see the best of him.” The Big Picture will attempt to continue a remarkable run for owner-breeders Humphrey and Fiona O’Leary, whose colours have been carried to black-type successes by Ladies Man, Whangaehu and Kelly Coe in recent weeks. “The Big Picture picked up a little bit of a bug after his last run, so we had to back off him for a bit,” Thurlow said. “He’s through that now and has been working along very well. “Rain-affected ground won’t trouble him at all. I think he should be quite a good chance on Saturday.” View the full article

This week’s Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) winner Real Class has been sold across the Tasman to Australian Bloodstock, but the promising filly may remain with her Byerley Park trainer Jenna Mahoney for a $1 million Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) campaign. Real Class has made a big impression in a career that spans only four starts dating back to early November. She finished eighth on debut at Pukekohe before scoring a stylish come-from-behind win in a 1600m maiden at Te Aroha on December 8. The Vadamos filly went on to be a breakout star of the Christmas Carnival at Ellerslie, flashing home from last to finish third in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) before backing up for a dominant Sir Patrick Hogan victory on New Year’s Day. Those performances caught the attention of Australian Bloodstock, and the syndication powerhouse has now secured the three-year-old in a deal brokered by bloodstock agent Melissa Robinson. “This filly has actually been on my radar since her maiden win,” Australian Bloodstock director Luke Murrell said. “We might have been able to pay a bit less to buy her if we’d managed to do a deal after that race. “But she went on to run well on Boxing Day, possibly against the pattern of the day, and then she won impressively when she stepped up to 2000m on New Year’s Day. They usually get run down when they have to take off that far from home, but she did a very good job to keep finding and win the race quite comfortably in the end. “She appealed to us as one of the better fillies over in New Zealand this year, and she has a bit of size and quality in her physique as well, which always helps with a staying type of three-year-old. “Melissa Robinson helps us with all the horses we purchase from New Zealand. We’ve used her for a few years now and had a bit of success together, and hopefully this filly will be more of the same. We’re only halfway there, but she’s got that black type now and looks like she’s got something to offer.” The New Zealand Oaks will be run at Trentham on March 22, with its stake doubling this season from $500,000 to $1 million. That significant increase could be a deciding factor in how long Real Class remains on New Zealand soil. “She’ll come across to Chris Waller’s stable in time, but we’ll just need to work out a plan around what our next step is going to be,” Murrell said. “We could bring her across to Australia early, or she could stay in New Zealand for a campaign centred around an Oaks. “At this stage, we might be leaning towards staying. The trainer’s done a great job with this filly so far. She paraded beautifully on New Year’s Day and performed accordingly. “With the higher stake that the New Zealand Oaks has now, it’s probably a bit more enticing for us to stay than it would have been previously.” The TAB currently rates Real Class a $10 chance for the New Zealand Oaks. She shares second favouritism with the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) winner Leica Lucy, while the Andrew Forsman-trained Hinekaha holds $8 favouritism. View the full article

Apprentice jockey Floor Moerman kicked off the New Year in the best possible fashion at Riverton on Wednesday when recording her first win in the saddle aboard Three Ninety in the Carriers Arms Hotel Summer Cup (2147m) for local trainer Ebony Turner. “It was really cool to get that first win,” the 24-year-old Dutch national said. “I just wanted to jump her out and find a nice spot, and it worked out really well. Coming around the bend, I thought I was going to pop around them, but the gap on the rail opened so we took that and she kept on going.” The win also continued a good day for Turner, with the result completing a winning double for the local horsewoman, and she was rapt to be able to give Moerman her first win. “It was cool to start the year off like that and then get my first double at my home track, which was pretty special,” Turner said. “She (Three Ninety) wasn’t the horse I thought would win it out of my stable, I was pretty confident with Caffeinated, but it was really nice for Three Ninety to get that win on the board because she has been knocking on the door for a while. She just snuck up the inside and it was really special. “It was amazing when she (Moerman) came in and said it (first winner). What a way to get your first win. “Three Ninety is quite a nice raceday ride so I thought she would be a nice ride for her and would give her a wee bit of a confidence boost, and it worked out quite well.” Turner said it is nice to be able to give apprentice jockeys a chance on raceday, and she was rewarded with a winning result. “They (apprentice jockeys) are the future of racing,” she said. “They are not going to get anywhere if we don’t put them on, so we have got to give them a chance. Floor proved that she is more than capable, and I am very excited to continue to support her and follow her through her career.” Hailing from the Netherlands, racing was never in the picture for Moerman when growing up, and she developed her passion for horses when competing in showjumping and dressage. “We don’t have racing at all back home,” Moerman said. “My family are into horses, we grew up with horses. I always used to ride showjumpers and dressage back home in the Netherlands.” Moerman was introduced to racing when she began to work for trainer Kit Brooks in Cambridge, and her interest was piqued to try her hand at riding. “Two years ago, I started travelling and I was on a working holiday visa,” she said. “I started up north with Kit Brooks breaking-in horses. I really liked racing and I wanted to get more into that and see a bit more of the country, so that is why I made the move down south and I ended up with Krystal (Williams in Canterbury).” Moerman is enjoying being based in the South Island and said she is able to take advantage of her location to see more tourist spots. “It is lovely. I can see a bit on my days off, which is good,” she said. Moerman will be hoping to add to her winning tally when she heads to Omoto on Sunday where she has three rides, including The Buffer in the Recreation Hotel Greymouth Cup (2000m) for her employer. She is looking forward to riding The Buffer on raceday once more, and the 60kg topweight will appreciate his rider’s four-kilogram claim. “I am really looking forward to him,” Moerman said. “I have had two rides on him so far and he is a stable favourite here.” Moerman is enjoying her time in the saddle in New Zealand and said she is planning to stick around for a while yet. “I am on a working visa at the moment, which is for four years,” she said. “I will see how it goes but I am not planning on leaving anytime soon.” View the full article

Riot And Rose (NZ) (Pins) gets the chance to add another regional feature to his summer body of work at Geelong this Saturday. The Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained gelding is one of the leading contenders for the day’s feature, the A$300,000 Coastal Classic (1700m). The son of Pins won the A$100,000 Wodonga Cup (1590m) on November 30 and A$150,000 Werribee Cup (1600m) on December 8 before a sixth placing in the Listed Lord Stakes (1600m) at the Caulfield meeting run on the Heath track on Boxing Day. Riot And Rose was noted by Racing Victoria vets to be lame coming out of that A$175,000 event, but Coleman said he had bounced back from that quickly and that performance was not a true indication of the way the horse is going. “I think you put a complete line through that, he had excuses that day way the race played out,” she said. “Asking him to come around the field and make up that much ground around the Caulfield Heath was sort of mission impossible. “But he seems like he’s come through it well.” Although seven years old, Riot And Rose has faced the starter just 16 times, seven of which have been victories. Linda Meech, who has been aboard for the past three runs, retains the ride at Geelong, where Riot And Rose is $4 second favourite in a market headed by last year’s winner Holymanz (NZ) (Almanzor) at $3. View the full article

Cambridge trainer Tony Pike will launch a two-pronged attack on the feature event at Te Aroha on Saturday when he lines up consistent galloper Maldini and promising stayer Harlow Rocks in the Lockwood Coromandel Peninsula Thames Cup (1600m). Pike is pleased with both of his stable runners leading into the event, although he cautions that last season’s Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (2000m) runner-up Harlow Rocks is still in the early stages of her current preparation after recovering well from a knee injury that halted her three-year-old campaign. “I think both of our horses in the Thames Cup will race well as they have been working up nicely and will enjoy the big, roomy track at Te Aroha,” Pike said. “Maldini comes in off a nice run for third over 2100m at Te Rapa before Christmas. He is a horse that has needed time and patience as he can get very keen in his races, and he did at his last start but still made up good ground in the run home. “Dropping him back to the mile will suit and as long as he can relax and not overdo things mid-race then he can be in the finish. “Harlow Rocks is a very promising stayer who has had a decent spell after she suffered a knee injury last season. “She had an operation and has had a long, slow build-up for a return to racing. “Although she ran last of seven first up over 1400m, I was pleased with how she went as she needed to get a race under her belt after such a long layoff. “The mile at Te Aroha will suit her better but she is probably still a race away from her best form. I just want to see her getting home strongly as there are some nice races for her on the horizon in the late summer and autumn. “She has the black type placing to her name so the goal now will be to add a stakes win to her pedigree page.” Pike is looking forward to seeing promising juvenile filly Justice For All step out for her raceday debut in the first race on the card after two nice trial performances that include a win over 800m at Pukekohe last month. “Justice For All is a lovely Turn Me Loose filly that we think has a lot of natural ability,” he said. “She is not really a two-year-old type as she is a big scopey filly, but she has showed us plenty at the trials and it is a good time to get her underway. “I would like to think that the experience we can give her now will stand her in good stead for the autumn and then as a three-year-old next season.” Pike is also keen to see maiden galloper Urlar improve on a strong closing fourth at his last start when he steps out in the fourth race on the card, a maiden 1600m. “Urlar ran on well last time at Te Rapa and is knocking on the door for a win,” he said. “He was a very weak horse that has taken time to strengthen but seems to be coming to it now and if he can get cover from a wide draw (15) we would like to see him running home well again.” Pike also reported that smart three-year-old Poetic Champion had come through his win on New Year’s Day at Ellerslie in an open 1200m well and would now head to Karaka Millions night at Ellerslie on 25 January for the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1200m). View the full article

Only one part of Skew Wiff’s build-up to the Gr.1 TAB Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham on Saturday has not gone to plan for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, and it is a factor beyond their control. The Trentham track was rated a Soft6 on Friday morning, with MetService predicting heavy rain and possible thunderstorms and hail overnight. Any remaining showers are forecast to ease on the morning of the race. “We couldn’t be any happier with the horse, but we’re just a bit worried about that weather forecast,” Walker said. “She handles soft ground well and has a good record in those conditions, but if the forecast is right, it might end up being heavy. We wouldn’t be as confident in her chances if that happened.” The Telegraph will be Skew Wiff’s second start at Trentham, with both of those appearances coming at Group One level. She lined up in the Levin Classic (1600m) as a three-year-old two seasons ago, finishing a gallant second behind stablemate Romancing The Moon. Skew Wiff went on to prove her big-race quality by winning last season’s Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings and Gr.3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1400m) at Flemington. As a five-year-old this season, she has added a third in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa, a fourth in the Tarzino Trophy and a last-start second in the Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Matamata on October 2. Walker and Bergerson then decided to freshen the Savabeel mare up for a shot at the $550,000 Telegraph, in which she will be ridden by visiting Australian jockey Luke Currie and is rated a $5 chance in the TAB’s Final Field market. She shares second favouritism with Tarzino winner Grail Seeker, while Crocetti just shades them as the $4.50 favourite. “She has a very strong record fresh, so it made sense for us to set her for this race in that state,” Walker said. “We’ve been really happy with the build-up that she’s had. She was very good in her trial at Matamata (on December 20) and has continued to please us since then. That weather forecast is our only concern.” Skew Wiff will attempt to deliver another Telegraph triumph for her owner-breeders Waikato Stud, whose colours were carried to victory in the race in 1997 by their subsequent superstar stallion O’Reilly. Meanwhile, Walker and Bergerson also have two runners entered for Saturday’s Gr.3 Rydges Wellington Airport Phar Lap Trophy (1600m). This race was formerly known as the Anniversary Handicap, and Te Akau Racing has won it with Abidewithme (2014) and Belle En Rouge (2023). Their contingent in this year’s edition of the race is headed by My Lips Are Sealed, who was a $160,000 purchase by David Ellis at Karaka 2022 and has so far recorded three wins and three placings from a 15-race career. The daughter of Ace High recorded back-to-back wins at Matamata and Te Rapa in September, then placed in her next two before finishing fifth in the Listed Matamata Cup (1600m) on December 20. My Lips Are Sealed has won two of her three starts on heavy ground, and she was beaten by a nose by Still Bangon in last season’s Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) on a deteriorating Soft7 track at Trentham. “She’s one that we don’t think will have any problem with the conditions,” Walker said. “She gets through wet ground well and was beaten by a lip in the Eulogy on a very testing Trentham track last season. “I thought she was just okay in the Matamata Cup last start, but the track was quite firm by that point of the day and she does prefer having a bit of cut out of the ground.” Talisker was runner-up in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) last season and has shown promising signs with strong placings in both of his first two starts this season. “He’s come back in good form this time in, which has been really good to see, but he’s one that might be a bit of a doubtful starter with the weather forecast the way it is,” Walker said. View the full article

Wexford Stables are hoping their purple patch of form can continue at Trentham on Saturday where they will line-up three runners in two of the feature events on the card. Sassy Lass will start one of the best backed candidates in the Listed Lincoln Farms Marton Cup (2200m), while Waitak and Grail Seeker will tackle the Gr.1 TAB Telegraph (1200m). Sassy Lass has gone from strength-to-strength in a lengthy campaign that has resulted in four wins from 12 starts since March last year and she heads to Trentham off a fast finishing second in the Gr.3 Waikato Cup (2400m) last month. “Sassy Lass has been up a long time but she has been remarkable in how she has just improved all the way through,” O’Sullivan said. “She has an amazing constitution and has taken everything in her stride without turning a hair. “With a little more luck, her winning record would be even better and last time she was desperately unlucky when held up until late in the piece before flashing home to get beaten a nose. “We have been very careful to take her along a race at a time and we won’t be doing anything different on Saturday. “The Marton Cup looks a very nice race for her and although she does hold a nomination for the Wellington Cup (Gr.3, 3200m) later in the month, we won’t be making any decisions on a start there until we see how she goes on Saturday and crucially, how she pulls up afterwards.” O’Sullivan also believes both of his runners in the Telegraph are winning chances with the right run in transit, however, he cautions that the strength and depth of the field makes winning the race a difficult assignment. “This would be the best Telegraph field we have seen in years, and you do question whether your runners are up to it,” he said. “We believe they are, as both have worked up nicely and deserve to take their places in the race. “Waitak has been getting better and better, his work has been good and is suited by the track and the way the race is normally run with the speed on up front. “Grail Seeker is a mare we have been very patient with, and she is now developing into a very good horse that we hope to get long term rewards from. “We are mindful of not over taxing her as she had a fairly busy season, so we have deliberately spaced her races. “Her last trial was very good where she was finishing off nicely and as she enjoys the Trentham track, we think she can perform to expectations in a fresh state.” View the full article

Holymanz (NZ) (Almanzor) has not won since last year’s Coastal Classic (1700m) and the Ciaron Maher stable is confident the race can again bring out the best in the gelding. The son of Almanzor will defend his title against six rivals in Saturday’s $300,000 event over the Geelong 1700-metre circuit. Despite not having won in 10 starts since his win under 53kg in the inaugural Coastal Classic, Holymanz is 60kg topweight for a race that does not have the depth of last year’s race. “He’s got to carry a bit of weight, but I think it’s pretty well spread in terms of what he’s up against,” Maher’s assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said. “He’s been competing in better races and I would imagine it’s going to be his best opportunity to win this prep.” After winning at Geelong, Holymanz headed to New Zealand, where he ran fourth in the Aotearoa Classic (1600m) before returning to Australia to beat home all bar multiple Group One winner Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel) in the Gr.2 Blamey Stakes (1600m). He has placed just twice in eight starts since, but one of those was last start in the Gr.3 Eclipse Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield, won by stablemate New Energy (New Bay). That was over a month ago, on November 30, but he impressed when winning a 1000m Cranbourne jumpout on December 23. “He won the Coastal Classic and then we took him to Karaka, that bumped up his handicap and that’s made things trickier as well, but we’ve been very happy with the way he’s been racing, albeit not winning,” Turnbull said. Holymanz is one of two Coastal Classic runners for Maher, who also has Night Endeavor (Shalaa) engaged. The imported son of Shalaa finished off well when sixth of eight at his Australian debut, which was his first run since a tendon injury, and Turnbull said the Coastal Classic would bring him on for more suitable assignments down the track. “That was obviously over a trip that well below his best but he showed good sharpness,” Turnbull said of the Aussie debut. “Sometimes those rehabbers can come back pretty one-paced, but he doesn’t seem to have that at all. “Once we get him up to 10 furlongs, that’s when you’ll see him at his best.” Daniel Stackhouse has the ride on Night Endeavour, who has drawn barrier one, while Holymanz will jump from gate six with Saffie Osborne aboard. View the full article

This year has a long way to go to match the thrilling ride of 2024, but the Post has four wishes for the next 12 months.View the full article

Jordan Childs returns to the mounting yard on Cleo Cat after winning at Ballarat. (Photo by Reg Ryan/Racing Photos) Unbeaten mare Cleo Cat will aim to extend her winning streak to six when she steps into black-type company for the first time in the Listed Black Pearl Stakes (1200m) at Geelong on Saturday. Trained by Tom Dabernig, the four-year-old has earned her opportunity to tackle higher company following a determined victory against her own sex in Benchmark 78 grade at Ballarat on December 7. “We’re going to give her her chance to try and get some black type,” Dabernig said. “She looks pretty good, but this might be a different test for her. “But still being against mares, it’s worth a try.” The Warrnambool-based mare will jump from barrier six with Jordan Childs, who has guided her to her last two victories, retaining the ride. Cleo Cat is currently a $9.50 hope with Neds for the Listed Black Pearl Stakes. Horse racing news View the full article

Loch Eagle. Photo: Bradleyphotos.com.au Kris Lees is optimistic about Loch Eagle’s chances in the $500,000 The Wave (1800m) at the Gold Coast this Saturday, with the gelding starting as the race favourite with BlondeBet. The seven-time winner comes into the race on the back of a confidence-boosting victory over the same distance at Eagle Farm on December 14, marking his first win since claiming The Ingham (1600m) in December 2023. “He hadn’t won for 12 months, albeit he had been racing in pretty strong company, so he appreciated that drop in grade and got a bit of confidence,” Lees explained. “He’s probably in pretty well at the weights being a weight-for-age race. “He won that race last start on wet ground, which is probably his preferred surface, and now he’s had that conditioning run at that trip and I think he’ll run well again.” Jason Collett will take the ride, with the pair set to start from barrier four. Horse racing news View the full article

Skew Wiff will contest Saturday’s Group 1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) Only one part of Skew Wiff’s build-up to the Group 1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham on Saturday has not gone to plan for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, and it is a factor beyond their control. The Trentham track was rated a Soft 6 on Friday morning, with MetService predicting heavy rain and possible thunderstorms and hail overnight. Any remaining showers are forecast to ease on the morning of the race. “We couldn’t be any happier with the horse, but we’re just a bit worried about that weather forecast,” Walker said. “She handles soft ground well and has a good record in those conditions, but if the forecast is right, it might end up being heavy. We wouldn’t be as confident in her chances if that happened.” The Telegraph will be Skew Wiff’s second start at Trentham, with both of those appearances coming at Group One level. She lined up in the Levin Classic (1600m) as a three-year-old two seasons ago, finishing a gallant second behind stablemate Romancing The Moon. Skew Wiff went on to prove her big-race quality by winning last season’s Group 1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings and Group 3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1400m) at Flemington. As a five-year-old this season, she has added a third in the Group 2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa, a fourth in the Tarzino Trophy and a last-start second in the Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Matamata on October 2. Walker and Bergerson then decided to freshen the Savabeel mare up for a shot at the $550,000 Telegraph, in which she will be ridden by visiting Australian jockey Luke Currie and is rated a $5 chance in the market with horse racing bookmakers. She shares second favouritism with Tarzino winner Grail Seeker, while Crocetti just shades them as the $4.50 favourite with Neds. “She has a very strong record fresh, so it made sense for us to set her for this race in that state,” Walker said. “We’ve been really happy with the build-up that she’s had. She was very good in her trial at Matamata (on December 20) and has continued to please us since then. That weather forecast is our only concern.” Horse racing news View the full article

Expatriate New Zealander Simon Dunderdale has claimed his maiden Malaysian trainers’ premiership, celebrating his most successful year based in Kuala Lumpur. The well-travelled Dunderdale, who trained in Turkiye for a decade prior to relocating to the Selangor Turf Club in the Malaysia capital eight years ago, prepared 73 winners in 2024, 26 ahead of his nearest rival HY Cheng. Nick Selvan finished third with 42 winners at a time where the trainers’ line-up at Selangor has an influx of former Kranji-based trainers following the closure of racing in Singapore in October. Dunderdale, who hails from Manawatu, won a Selangor Gold Cup, a Sports Toto and the four-year-old championship as well as training five winners in a day at one meeting and twice preparing a quartet of winners to cement his place at the top of the trainers’ table. Antipodean, a New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale graduate, was a revelation for Dunderdale in 2024, winning nine of his 10 starts to emerge as arguably Malaysia’s most exciting horse, while his stablemate Military Flag, another NZB graduate, won five races for the calendar year. Antipodean and jockey Benardo Pinheiro after winning the Selangor Gold Cup. Photo: supplied As well as training the most winners in 2024, Dunderdale also had the highest winning strike rate of any trainer in Malaysia inside the top 20, running at 20.8 per cent with his stable of 60 horses, the maximum allowed at Selangor. Dunderdale, who also worked for four years in Macau before heading to Europe for an extended period, has a wide base of owners from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia and Hong Kong with his stable banking more than 1.6 million ringgit in prize money last year, almost double the amount won by any other trainer in the country. “I’ve had great support from my owners over the past couple of years which has enabled me to grow my stable and also consistently invest in new horses at live sales in Australia and New Zealand as well as at the regular online auctions,” Dunderdale said. “The prize money at Selangor is doubling in 2025, which makes racing in Malaysia a far more attractive option for owners, and I’m excited about what the future holds for the sport here after going through a difficult period during Covid.” Among Dunderdale’s recent haul of six at November’s NZB Ready to Run Sale was the $70,000 US Navy Flag half-brother to Group One-winning stallion Turn Me Loose. Premiership runner-up Cheng, who worked for John and Karen Parsons and Stephen Blair-Edie over a nine-year period, closed out 2024 by winning the local Gr.1 Penang Gold Cup (2000m) on Sunday with Lucky Magic, also an NZB Ready to Run graduate. Dunderdale’s compatriot Sharee Hamilton trained 35 winners for the year to finish seventh in the Malaysia trainers’ title. In an effort to raise the profile of the sport in Malaysia, meanwhile, the Selangor Turf Club will host a new 1 million ringgit Mile Championship for four-year-olds for the first time on July 20 this year, an aspirational race aimed at encouraging new owners to invest in young horses. Malaysia is a jurisdiction that has previously largely relied on a steady supply of aging tried stock from Singapore. View the full article

The Gary Clarke-trained Shakattak, with Jarrod Todd in the saddle, takes out the $40,000 Dabble Cup (1300m). Leading Darwin trainer Gary Clarke doesn’t necessarily enjoy seeing stablemates go head to head. With a condensed program during the wet season, which is basically the off-season in the Top End, there are occasions where he has no choice. That’s applicable on Saturday when Clarke’s Doc O’Connor, Patriotic King, Shakattak and Pharoah Magic clash in heat one of the Darwin Turf Club’s Summer Sprint Series over 1100m at BM76 level. All four horses have the form, class and credentials to claim victory, but Clarke’s preference would be to see the stablemates line up in a separate race. There have been occasions when Clarke has started numerous horses in the same race at this time of year. For the first Fannie Bay feature of 2025, Clarke has elected to start his quartet in the six-horse field and predicting the outcome is now the big question. “Splitting Gary’s runners isn’t easy as they’re all capable of winning, they’re good horses,” Thoroughbred Racing NT chief executive officer Andrew O’Toole said. “Over the years, Gary has had plenty of top sprinters such as The Captain, Captain Punch and Syncline, but those facing the starter this weekend boast plenty of quality. “Doc O’Connor has an excellent first up record and is a former winner of the Simone Montgomerie Lightning over 1000m on Darwin Cup Day. “Patriotic King has won three of his past five starts and once held the 1100m track record. “Shakattak won two races during Cup Carnival in July, and returned in September to overcome Jason Manning’s impressive Bon’s Pride. “Second behind Tubthumper on Melbourne Cup Day, Shakattak was less than half a length behind Bon’s Pride and Mr Cashman in third place over 1200m in late November. “Pharoah Magic continues to get better and better since arriving from NSW and in eight starts he has four wins. “The start is the key on Saturday in what should be an interesting betting race – I settled on Shakattak with no real confidence.” Clarke’s No.1 stable rider Jarrod Todd will partner Doc O’Connor, while Patriotic King was the early $1.70 favourite with horse racing bookmakers. “It’s no secret that Gary has a large stable,” O’Toole added. “Subsequently, he has won the Top End and Country trainers’ premiership for the past 12 years. “To be fair, Clarke’s nous, guile, talent and experience has contributed to his success – he has also won a plethora of feature races in the Territory.” Horse racing news View the full article

Races like the Jerome Stakes are considered preps for the Kentucky Derby (G1). But they are actually more of a test to see if a newly turned 3-year-old has what it takes to be a successful runner in longer and richer races in the new year.View the full article