Spywire looks to cement Millions spot
Trapeze Artist colt Spywire can guarantee his place in Saturday week’s R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic when he lines up in the $150,000 Gold Nugget on the Gold Coast this Saturday.
A winner at Rosehill on debut in November, the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained colt was a beaten favourite in the Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic last month.
Spywire is currently 21st in the ballot order for the $3 million sprint on January 13.
“He’s great, really well, he’s in good order,” Maher told Racing And Sports.
“I’m still very happy with him.
“He’s been ridden forward, but that’s because of the way it’s panned out.
“If he’s able to draw a gate (it will be good). If he finds a bum, he’ll drop his head.”
Stokes eyes Group 1 targets with Stretan Angel
Talented filly Stretan Angel (Harry Angel {Ire}) will be aimed towards two Group 1s in Adelaide this autumn - the G1 Robert Sangster S. on May 11 and the G1 Goodwood H. a fortnight later.
The G2 Danehill S. victress has enjoyed a decent break since finishing unplaced in the G1 Coolmore Stud S., with trainer Phillip Stokes admitting she is physically immature.
“We think she is a Group 1 horse in the making,’’ Stokes told Racing.com.
Phillip Stokes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“She’s had a really good break. She’s been out since she raced in the Coolmore (November 4) and you can see the benefit she’s taken from it.
“She’s furnished nicely and we’re hoping she can take the next step.
“She’s just come back into work and she will be aimed up for the Robert Sangster and the Goodwood.
“I’d say she’ll probably have two lead-up runs – one in Melbourne and one in Adelaide.”
Payne heads to Tassie in search of black type
Victorian-based trainer Patrick Payne will once again take a team of horses to Tasmania for the Summer Carnival, including promising stayer Wings Of Song (Mendelssohn {USA}), who will contest Friday night’s Listed Tasmanian Guineas at Hobart.
“We’ve got a good team heading that way and with Wings Of Song, there aren’t many black-type options down here for her so we thought we’d get there early for the Guineas and hopefully she can stay on for the Strutt Stakes and Tasmanian Oaks,” Payne told Racing.com.
Payne has won the Listed Tasmanian Derby the past two years, with Dunkel (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) victorious last year and The Nephew (Wordsmith) first home in 2022, and he plans to again defend that title, as well as taking aim at the Listed Tasmanian Oaks, G3 Hobart Cup and G3 Launceston Cup.
Kah returns home for Clarken prospect
Star jockey Jamie Kah made a whirlwind return to her home state of South Australia on Thursday, to partner an unraced 2-year-old for Will Clarken and Niki O’Shea in what turned out to be an impressive piece of work.
Kah steered Kuroyanagi (Written Tycoon) in the second heat of the day at Murray Bridge, burning along to defeat three other rivals in impressive fashion.
The promise is undoubtedly exciting for connections, who forked out $390,000 at the 2023 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, from the draft of Yarraman Park.
Schiller confident blueblood can overcome wide draw
Jockey Tyler Schiller believes the outside barrier won’t prevent the James Cummings-trained Shaken (I Am Invincible) from making it back-to-back wins on Saturday.
The 3-year-old filly, a daughter of the 2014 G1 Blue Diamond S. heroine Earthquake (Exceed And Excel), bolted in at Warwick Farm when first-up on December 20.
Shaken will jump from stall 12 in Saturday’s Ranvet H. - a 1100-metre BM72 event - at Randwick on Saturday.
“The only downside is the barrier draw but she’ll also be able to creep across under her own steam instead of firing her up which will do her a world of good,” Schiller told Racing And Sports.
“I think she’s a quality filly so she can probably overcome it.”
Stakes race next for The Victress
Impressive debut winner The Victress (Zousain) will get the chance to earn black type at her second start, with co-trainer Mark Walker revealing the 2-year-old filly will tackle Listed company at her next start.
“Providing she pulls up well, we’ll look at the Wellesley Stakes,” Walker, who trains in partnership with Sam Bergerson, said.
The Victress won at Te Aroha on Wednesday under Opie Bosson.
Forgotten Cup contender set for jump-out return
Brought to Australia to compete in the 2022 G1 Melbourne Cup, the dream didn’t quite go to plan for connections of Loft (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}), but the talented stayer is set to take a step in the right direction on Friday.
Now a 6-year-old, the gelding hasn’t raced since August 2022, but will jump-out at Flemington in an 800-metre heat on Friday, with co-trainer JD Hayes keeping expectations to a minimum.
“A Melbourne Cup horse usually finds 800 metre jump-outs a bit sharp,” Hayes, who trains the import in partnership with his brothers Ben and Will, told Racing.com
Will, Ben and JD Hayes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“We don’t mind where he finishes, just as long as his action’s good and his breathing’s good and he has a nice blow, we’ll be happy.
“We’ll see how he gets through a couple of trials, but we’re hoping that he’s on a Sydney Cup path, so there’s plenty of water to go under the bridge.”
McDonald to target Karaka riches
New Zealand-born jockey James McDonald has recently finished up a fruitful stint in Hong Kong, and now the star rider will make a brief foray to his home country to compete for the riches available at the Karaka Millions meeting on January 27.
The popular hoop will get to test out the new Ellerslie surface, which has undergone a NZ$50 million upgrade when he rides at the meeting, which is one of the highlights of the New Zealand racing calendar.
James McDonald winning aboard Long Leaf in the 2019 Karaka Million 3YO Classic | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
McDonald has enjoyed success at this meeting previously, taking out the Karaka Million 3YO Classic in 2019 aboard Long Leaf for David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig.
Keats’ fruitful campaign continues in the Coastal Classic
Talented front-running gelding Keats (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will look to build on a successful summer when he lines up in the $300,000 Coastal Classic at Geelong on Saturday.
Trainer Gavin Bedggood is hoping a thinner race than what Keats has been fronting up in so far this campaign can unlock success.
“It definitely didn’t hold up as strongly as I had anticipated it might have, but I’m definitely not complaining because he’s going to be one of the main dangers,” Bedggood told Racing And Sports.
“He’s picked up $150,000 and he’s been competitive in three stakes race from his four runs, so you’d probably have to say he’s going as good as what he ever has.”
Keats is rated a $5 chance to win his second race of the preparation, having taken out the Weribee Cup in December.
Empire to strike back in The Quokka?
Former star galloper Western Empire (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) will return to Western Australian racetracks in the near-future, with a tilt at The Quokka on the radar for trainers Grant and Alana Williams.
The gelding, who took out the G2 WATC Derby and the G1 Railway S. in a dazzling 2021, has struggled for form since, with his best result on the eastern seaboard a 3.6l fifth placing in the G1 Memsie S.
Bought in the 2023 October (Early) rendition of the Inglis Digital Sale, Western Empire will be back in the care of his former trainers, who prepared him to elite-level success.
Racing returns to Mt Barker
After two meetings were abandoned in the last stanza of 2023, the Mt Barker Turf Club got their racing season underway on Thursday, having been given the green light from Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) stewards.
Albany-based trainer Steve Wolfe travelled three horses up the highway in late-December to prove the tracks fitness, which has been plagued by issues over the last three racing seasons.
The opening race on the program was taken out by Tropical Sun (Thronum) for Albany trainer Roy Rogers, courtesy of a well-judged steer by apprentice Madi Derrick.
Pomfrett rushed to hospital after mounting yard incident
Queensland jockey Emily Pomfrett has been rushed to hospital from Gatton Racecourse on Thursday, after an incident in the mounting yard involving her horse Wanta Willow (Wanted).
Pomfrett, an apprentice who has primarily ridden on the non-TAB circuit in Queensland, was sedated before being airlifted to hospital, with suspected injuries to her sternum, lung and brain.
Walters slapped with three-month ban
Jockey Kate Walters was suspended for a period of three months on Thursday, stemming from an incident at Nhill on December 26, 2023.
Walters, who frequently rides across South Australia and Victoria, was found guilty of a charge of improper or insulting behaviour under AR 228 (c) (Conduct detrimental to the interests of racing), in that she engaged in improper and/or insulting behaviour towards a Stipendiary Steward.
Kate Walters | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
The suspension takes immediate effect, meaning Walters’ license to ride will be suspended until April 4.
Well-fancied runners beaten at Yarra Valley
Successive long odds-on favourites tasted defeat at Yarra Valley on Thursday, as wet-weather related scratchings wreaked havoc on field sizes.
Ortega (Rich Enuff) could only manage third in a field of four in the second race on the program, the $1.25 favourite watching Flying Knee (Rubick) race away with a dominant 3.25l victory under jockey Craig Newitt.
In the third race of the program, Lolly Money (Rich Enuff) upset $1.20 favourite Brier (Speith {NZ}), who was slow to begin before putting his best work in late for a fast-finishing second place.
Illicit Dreams to go for the Listed Gore Guineas
Talented filly Illicit Dreams (NZ) (Vancouver), who is already a Listed winner, will look to add more black type to her CV when she contests the Listed Gore Guineas on January 20.
After a mixed spring preparation, Illicit Dreams returned to form with a dominant Rating 75 victory at Omoto on Wednesday, pleasing trainers Ken Rae and Krystal Williams.
Illicit Dreams (NZ) winning at Omoto on Wednesday | Image courtesy of Race Images South
“It was a fresh-up run for her, we brought her up here for a trip away to prepare for what we have in store next,” Williams told loveracing.nz.
“We needed to see her go well (on Wednesday) to warrant carrying on to the Southern Guineas races, so she’ll go to the Gore Guineas now.”
Posthumous first Japanese Sires’ Championship for Duramente
There’s a new king of the Japanese sire ranks and his name is Duramente (Jpn). However, his coronation is bittersweet for the Shadai Stallion Station as the son of King Kamehameha (Jpn) died in September 2021 at the age of nine.
Duramente’s outstanding daughter Liberty Island (Jpn) played a major role in her sire’s first championship. Out of the top-class Australian mare Yankee Rose (All American), whose exploits on the track included Group 1 wins in the ATC Sires’ Produce S. and Spring Champion S., as well as finishing runner-up to Capitalist in the G1 Golden Slipper S., Liberty Island followed up her Grade 1 success as a juvenile by landing the Fillies’ Triple Crown of 2023. She then found only the mighty Equinox (Jpn) too good for her in the G1 Japan Cup.
Cyberknife’s first foal a filly
The G1 Arkansas Derby and G1 Haskell Invitational S. winner Cyberknife (USA) (Gun Runner {USA}) has produced her first foal. The filly was born at Irish Hill Century Farm in Stillwater, New York.
Bred by Clay Scherer, the bay is the first produce of the unraced Hildee John (USA) (Gormley {USA}), a half-sister to the five-time stakes winner and G1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint runner-up Chalon (USA) (Dialed In {USA}).
“This filly has a good rear end and a nice round shoulder, a lot like Cyberknife,” said Irish Hill Century Farm’s Rick Burke. “She has good size, leg and bone. She’s a nice foal especially for a maiden (mare).”
