Horse Racing News
First Immortal out to stamp 2024 Melbourne Cup claims
The Caulfield and Melbourne Cups are still six months away, but those two races are clearly in the focus of father-and-son training duo Mark and Levi Kavanagh. First Immortal was bound for those races last year, but with a less than satisfactory rating he was forced to try and win his way...
Austin, Lees secure Final spots via Wildcard
Kris Lees will have five runners in the Provincial-Midway Championships Final after Willinga Freefall and Baltic Coast filled the placings behind the Jarrod Austin-trained Terra Mater in the Wildcard at Newcastle. All three placegetters have secured their spot in the $1 million finale on Saturday week, along with the qualifiers from six selected heats. The Lees duo...
Jockey Stefano Cherchi dies following injuries suffered in fall
Italian-born jockey Stefano Cherchi had died, two weeks after suffering head and internal injuries in a race fall at Canberra. The NSW Jockeys’ Association announced the devastating news on Wednesday on behalf of the 23-year-old’s family. “With deep sadness, the Cherchi family have announced their beloved son Stefano passed away peacefully today,”...
Kah and Hickmott fire at Ballarat
South Australian trainer Michael Hickmott could not have asked for a better trip across the Victorian border, landing a treble at Ballarat. Hickmott took a team of three horses from his base at Murray Bridge – Togetherforever, Spirit Of Camelot and High Five – who were all successful in maiden class races on Wednesday’s...
Japanese raider on song for the Doncaster Mile
Having collected the Golden Eagle in the spring, Japan’s Obamburumai is back in Sydney looking to add some more prize money to the coffers. Obamburumai banked $5.25 million for his win in the Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill last November and is in line for another $2.3 million if successful in the...
The wetter the better for Maher’s Bella in TJ Smith Stakes
Connections of Bella Nipotina have welcomed the forecast for heavy rain in Sydney ahead of her rematch with benchmark sprinter Imperatriz in the TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick. Bella Nipotina has finished behind the Te Akau Racing star in all three starts this preparation but significantly, the runs have all been...
Shaiyhar ready to shine at Caulfield
The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young stable held out high hopes for Shaiyhar ahead of last year’s Spring Carnival. The Irish-bred galloper who did his early racing in France, won twice over 2000m at Flemington in his first Australian campaign, but each time he when exposed to a longer distance he flopped when...
Joe Pride keeping faith in one-time 2024 Doncaster Mile favourite
Having successfully converted Private Eye from a Group One-winning miler into one of Australia’s best sprinters, Joe Pride will attempt the reverse with his Everest hero Think About It. Private Eye won the 2021 Epsom Handicap over the famous Randwick mile and wasn’t disgraced when stretched out to 2000m two starts later to...
G1 winner Attrition back after setback
TTrainer Mitchell Freedman had hoped to be in Sydney for the opening day of The Championships at Randwick rather than chasing another Stakes race at Caulfield. The Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) had been the target for the Freedman-trained Attrition when the entire commenced his autumn campaign, but a setback after his first-up...
Orchestral bypassing Australian Derby for the Australian Oaks
An extra seven days between racing and the hope of a better weather forecast has led co-trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood to look to the Australian Oaks on the second day of The Championships rather than backing up in the ATC Australian Derby this Saturday. The three-year-old filly by Cox Plate-winning...