Inglis encouraging early inspections due to weather
On Tuesday, Inglis issued an encouragement for buyers to inspect upcoming lots early. “Noting the inclement weather forecast for Sydney this coming weekend, buyers for the Breeding Stock Sales Series are encouraged to begin their inspections at their earliest convenience.”
Inglis Australian Weanling Sale | Image courtesy of Inglis
The 2024 Australian Weanling Sale will take place on Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th of May. The Chairman’s Sale kicks off on Thursday 9th May, with the Australian Broodmare Sale following on Friday May 10th.
Mr Mozart to stand at Highview Stud
Group 2 winner Mr Mozart (Snitzel) will stand his first season in 2024 at New Zealand’s Highview Stud. “I’ve always been keen to stand a son of Snitzel. He’s a super stallion. When the opportunity arose to purchase a shareholding in Mr Mozart, we jumped at it,” Highview Stud’s Brent Gillovic told Loveracing.nz.
“It is what the Australians know and the best thing about this horse is he has got proper Australian form. He is a multiple Group winner in Sydney and Melbourne so his progeny will have appeal to the Australian buying bench.”
Mr Mozart will stand at NZ$6,000+GST.
Bosson aiming for 99 Group 1 wins
Opie Bosson will ride New Zealand 3-year-old gelding Outovstock (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) in Saturday's G1 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville, and if he wins, it will be his 99th career Group 1 win.
Racenet.com.au reports that Bosson has netted 16 of his 98 Group 1 wins in Australia. Outovstock is trained by Chad Ormsby, and won the G3 Manawatu Classic at Trentham at his most recent start. He has drawn barrier 18 for Saturday's $1 million feature.
Aidan O'Brien inducted into British Hall Of Fame
As Aidan O'Brien prepares for a significant weekend with his Ballydoyle team, he has been confirmed as the newest inductee into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame.
“It is incredible, and a privilege for us, as it is something we would never have expected. The people, and horses, that have gone before us I feel very privileged to have worked with. I can’t say how delighted, and honoured, I feel", O’Brien told Racing TV.
The 54-year-old, has been honoured as the fourth trainer to enter the Hall of Fame since its establishment three years ago by the QIPCO British Champions Series, joining Sir Michael Stoute, Sir Henry Cecil, and Vincent O’Brien.
Press Link definite for Guineas
Press Link (Press Statement) is one of 26 nominations for Saturday’s G2 Queensland Guineas, and last-start Sydney Carnival winners Ducasse (Trapeze Artist), Kintyre (Hallowed Crown) and Panic (NZ) (Time Test {GB}) are potential rivals. Trainer Robert Heathcote has warned punters to ignore his last run, where he was third as favourite in the Listed Daybreak Lover Plate. He won all his three starts prior to that.
“We were back and the two that beat me home were up on the speed, which, I think it was an advantage to be up on the speed in that particular race. I think up over the mile it might be a different story. Hopefully we can be a little bit closer,” Heathcote told Racingqueensland.com.au.
Climbing Star heads to Goodwood
G1 Robert Sangster S winner Climbing Star (NZ) (Zoustar) will head to the G1 Goodwood Handicap on Saturday May 11. She is entered for next month’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale but trainer Phillip Stokes said she will be withdrawn, with connections already deciding to race her for another season.
Climbing Star (NZ) | Image courtesy of Atkins Photography
“We’re going to head that way (Goodwood),” Stokes told Racing.com. “This will be her final run, we’ll give her a break and I think we could target her at something really nice in the spring.”
Karrakatta Plate winner to do it again on Saturday
Trainer Dan Morton’s 2-year-old gelding Bustling (Frosted {USA}) won the G2 Karrakatta Plate ten days ago and is looking to make it three wins in a row in Saturday’s G3 WA Sires’ Produce S. “He’s excellent and has come through the Karrakatta Plate race real nice,” Morton told rwwa.com.au.
“I’ve never seen a softer win in a good race like that, he ran excellent time and it looked like he could have gone quicker if that was needed. It’s hard not to get excited by him.” Morton won both races last year with Super Smink (Super One).
Harperlee wins Gold Strike at Warrnambool
Team Hayes won the Gold Strike at Warrnambool on Tuesday with 2-year-old filly Harperlee (Alabama Express). “With all those runs under the belt she's done a great job,” JD Hayes told Racing.com.
Ridden by Luke Currie, who continued his good form after a winning treble at Caulfield on Victorian Owners and Breeders Race Day on Saturday, she takes her record to two wins from five starts with earnings over $130,000.
Thunderous gives Night of Thunder a juvenile winner
At Grafton on Tuesday, 2-year-old gelding Thunderous (Night of Thunder {Ire}) won for trainer Marcus Wilson to take his record to a win and a second from five starts.
Night of Thunder (Ire) | Standing at Darley
Sunlight full sister to make juvenile debut
The $2.6 million full sister to Group 1 winner Sunlight (Zoustar) will make her debut in race three at Canterbury on Wednesday for trainers Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, who have been having a stellar season with their 2-year-olds this year.
Named Clean Energy, the 2-year-old filly is a trial winner and will be ridden by Adam Hyeronimus. Sunlight won three Group 1 races and was sold for $4.2 million as a broodmare prospect. Her own 2-year-old is an unraced colt named Dawn Service (Justify {USA}) who made $1.4 million as a yearling, while her yearling colt by Wootton Bassett sold for the same figure this year.
Maher wins fifth Brierly
Stern Idol (Ire) (Raven’s Pass {USA}) gave trainer Ciaron Maher his fifth win in the Brierly Steeplechase and a record fifteen feature wins for the Warrnambool carnival. He has won the Brierly on five occasions, the Galleywood Hurdle three times, and the Grand Annual Steeplechase seven times, putting ahead of late carnival legends Jim Houlahan (14) and Kevin Lafferty (13).
“That was deadset … it was like the Cox Plate of jumps racing. The pressure was on right from the start and I actually thought they had him,” Maher told Racenet.com.au
Pencarrow pair head to Queensland Oaks
Pencarrow Stud's homebreds, the Michael Freedman-trained Waikato Girl (NZ) (Savabeel) and the duo of Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino {NZ}), are being aimed at the G1 Queensland Oaks at the Brisbane winter carnival. “Tomodachi was always going to be retained, she’s a lovely type,” Pencarrow Stud Manager Leon Casey told Loveracing.nz.
Waikato Girl was sold through Pencarrow’s 2022 draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale purchased by agent Michael Wallace for $600,000 on behalf of the Boston-based Kuldeep Singh Rajput’s Gandharvi operation. “She made very good money and we kept a piece of her" said Casey.
Emotional Wangoom target for Bowman
If 4-year-old gelding Is It Me (Iffraaj {GB}) wins the Listed Wangoom Handicap on Wednesday, it’ll be an emotional victory for trainer Daniel Bowman. “The late Peter Cox was in the horse and he after last prep asked ‘could we run in the Wangoom’ and I sort of ummed and ahhed,” Bowman told Racing.com.
“Then unfortunately we lost Peter, so I thought it was quite fitting and I said to the other guys let’s target the race Peter wanted to target and see if we can pull it off.” Is It Me has won four of his eleven starts.
Two injured jockeys on Tuesday
Jumps jockey Campbell Rawiller was taken to hospital after falling from Sir Peter (Ustinov) in the first at Warrnambool with some neck pain. It was Rawiller’s first ride over the jumps since he broke his collarbone at Warrnambool on March 12.
In NSW, jockey Andrew Adkins sustained an injury to his left foot at the start of Heat 13 of this morning’s Royal Randwick barrier trials. He will miss 3-6 weeks with a fracture.
Thangool high school student wins on debut
Apprentice jockey Jaimee-Lee Devine may still be a high school student but the 17-year-old rode her first winner on Monday in her first ever raceday ride on Imagine That (Dream Ahead). It was a particuarly special vicotry given the mare is trained by her father Jason and is owned by Jaimee-Lee’s mother Edwina.
Jaimee-Lee Devine | Image courtesy of Thangool Race Club
“It is everything I dreamed it would be,” Jaimee-Lee told racingqueensland.com.au on Tuesday as she headed back to school.
No decision on Golden Sixty retirement
Champion racehorse Golden Sixty (Medaglia d’Oro {USA}) only managed fourth in Sunday’s G1 Champions Mile, but his trainer confirmed on Tuesday that no decision has been made on his future yet. “I think I have to discuss with the owner,” Francis Lui told scmp.com.
“We haven’t decided now whether he’s retired. But it’s not very easy, you can’t just say stop him and send him on the plane and send him overseas to retire. I think you have to keep working him, make him happy, progressively drop him [down in work] and decide to retire, something like that.”
The wet track may have been a factor in his disappointing run. “The weather didn’t help him, as well as the ground. He was OK after the race. Of course he got beaten, so he’s not happy.”
City Of Troy headlines 14 remaining in Guineas
Following Monday's confirmation stage, City Of Troy (USA) (Justify {USA}) remains the standout name among 14 colts who have stood their ground for Saturday's G1 Qipco 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. Unbeaten in three starts as a two-year-old, G1 Dewhurst S. winner City Of Troy is the odds-on favourite to provide trainer Aidan O'Brien with a record-extending 11th success in the first British Classic of the season.
City Of Troy (USA) | Image courtesy of The Champions Series
Trainer Karl Burke’s Group 1-winning juvenile Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) is the favourite for the G1 1,000 Guineas on Sunday.
John Stewart buys Mensa on Fasig Digital
Mensa (USA) (Complexity {USA}), the first 2-year-old winner for his sire, sold on a final bid of US$740,000 ($1,137,437) in the one-horse Mensa Flash Sale, a record-setting sum for the Fasig-Tipton Digital platform. Offered by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for D.J. Stables LLC Graduate, the colt went the way of John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock.
Mensa is entered in Thursday's Kentucky Juvenile S. at Churchill Downs, where he has been installed as the morning-line second favourite.
“We are always looking to add talented runners to our stable and we're thrilled to have such an exciting 2-year-old colt in Mensa,” said Stewart. “We have already bought several horses on Fasig-Tipton Digital, and obviously love the platform. Fasig Digital delivers quality offerings to the market on a year-round basis, and all the information is right at your fingertips."
