Horse Racing News
How a missed flight delivered a Melbourne Cup win
In the sixteen hours since Without A Fight saluted in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), co-trainer Sam Freedman was yet to have a moment to himself to reflect fully on the achievement. Accepting that chaos of the good kind follows winning Australia’s most famous race, the 27-year-old stood together with the horse...
Ethel to relish G1 VRC Kennedy Oaks trip
Ethel Maude may not have the sexy form lines of some of the other fillies engaged in the Group 1 VRC Oaks at Flemington, but her trainers are confident of one thing, she will stay the 2500m trip. Pat Carey and Harris Walker will saddle Ether Maude in the Group 1 Classic at Flemington on Thursday...
Country colt set for the Golden Gift
Matt Dunn is the first to admit that throwing an unraced country-trained youngster into a $1 million race at its first start is a little audacious. But based on what he has seen from Climactic at home, combined with the feedback from his regular trackworker rider, Dunn is keen to give the...
Jojo Was A Man chasing Ladies Day Cup
John Thompson is looking for sharp improvement from Jojo Was A Man in the Listed Ladies Day Cup at Hawkesbury as the tough gelding takes the next step towards his major campaign goals. The six-year-old finished down the track in an unsuitable Sydney Stakes (1200m) first-up, his performance compounded when he was checked...
Spangler gets a Little Cup day joy
Twelve months after winning the inaugural Big Dance with Rustic Steel, Kris Lees has returned to add the Little Dance to his CV with smart gelding Spangler. While considered a consolation race for horses who don’t make the $3 million Big Dance (1600m) field, the Little Dance (1600m) boats a prizemoney purse...
Kelley full of Beans after the Barn Dance
Bad barriers have thwarted I’ve Bean Tryin’ this preparation and while his run of outside alleys continued at Randwick, he was finally able to overcome it. The gelding jumped from gate 13 of 14 in the $250,000 Barn Dance (1300m) on Tuesday and after settling with the backmarkers, Jason Collett brought him...
Melbourne Cup return on Willie Mullins radar
Irish trainer Willie Mullins vows he will be back for another shot at the Melbourne Cup despite his two runners finishing out of the placings at Flemington on Tuesday. Absurde ($9) was the best finisher of the pair, running seventh, 5-½ lengths from the winner Without A Fight while Vauban, who was...
Sam joins Freedman family’s Melbourne Cup tradition
The Freedman family’s connection with the Melbourne Cup stretches back beyond when Sam Freedman was born in February 1996. The son of Anthony, who was part of the FBI – Freedman Brothers Incorporated – that first tasted Melbourne Cup success with Tawrrific when Anthony’s brother Lee was steering the ship in 1989. The...
Thousand Guineas next stop in winning Roll
Katherine Coleman has always known Roll On High was a filly with above-average ability and now the rest of the world does too after she charged into Thousand Guineas contention at Flemington on Tuesday. The daughter of Shamus Award now occupies a place on the second line of betting on the Group 1 at...
McEvoys double down in Maribyrnong Plate
Race experience was to the fore in Tuesday’s Maribyrnong Plate, when Dublin Down edged out his stablemate Blue Stratum, and trainer Calvin McEvoy is now even more excited about what the future might hold for the pair. The Ballarat horseman, who trains in partnership with his father Tony, is confident both horses...