Inglis Internship applications open
The latest Inglis internship program is open for applications, with the chosen applicant beginning in the spring to work with Inglis for 12 months, largely in the bloodstock division. “Obviously there’s the Godolphin Flying Start Program, the Silverdale Academy, TBA Fast Track Program etc, all quality avenues for young people to enter the racing industry and the Inglis Internship Program is yet another way they can realise their dreams and join the industry we all love so much,” CEO Sebastian Hutch said.
“This program has proven a successful formula over many years, with alumni the likes of James Price, Peter Twomey, James Mitchell and popular incumbent bloodstock team member Will Gardner and we can’t wait to see who the latest successful applicant will be.
Sebastian Hutch | Image courtesy of Inglis
“We are very open minded as to who a successful candidate might be or whey they might come from, whether you’re already working in the industry in some capacity or studying something equine related or are simply someone who has been passionately interested from afar and wants to take the leap and get paid to work in your dream role at Inglis.”
Applications close on June 30.
Tavistock quinella in Listed Sandown Cup
The Listed Sandown Cup over two miles on Sunday was won by Gavin Bedggood-trained 4-year-old gelding Diwali (Tavistock {NZ}) who enjoyed the quinella with In Irish Eyes (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) in second and Alma Rise (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) in third. “He presented well, he'd (Diwali) been running well… and the race was there,” Bedggood said.
“We thought it was probably going to end up like it was, horses from the Andrew Ramsden, a few jumpers… we were untried at the distance range but we thought with the right run in transit it should work well for him. We came here today with reasonable confidence, obviously a horse with a low benchmark rating but on fresh legs.
“We got six weeks, we'll probably send him to the beach tomorrow and give him a week to freshen up a little bit. Maybe look for a 2500 metres run at Flemington in between time, we might get three weeks, three weeks into that race (Flemington Cup) and use it as our final.”
Diwali has won four of his 15 starts and over $197,000. A homebred, he becomes the 54th stakes winner for Tavistock (NZ) and is a half-brother to Group 3 winner Weissmuller (NZ) (Handsome Ransom) and his Listed winning full brother Travolta (NZ). Diwali’s full sister Harlow Gold (NZ) placed in the G1 Victoria Oaks. Their dam is Belong In Lights (Belong To Me {USA}).
Joliestar likely to miss Stradbroke
Cambridge Stud’s Brendan Lindsay has indicated that their mare Joliestar (Zoustar) will probably head to the paddock, not the G1 Stradbroke, with a spring campaign in mind. Trained by Chris Waller, she will run in the rescheduled G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup. “I think she's 50-50 for the Straddie, I don't think she'll carry on,” Lindsay told racenet.com.au.
“I think she'll get too much weight in the Straddie. He (Waller) said ‘we'll just see how we go'. Obviously we were meant to go last Saturday but I'm pleased we didn't with that (heavy) track. The plan is to go back again next week. I guess after that Chris will make some decisions but I'd think it's unlikely she'll backup in the Stradbroke.
“It's only a week later and we've got to prepare her for the spring. If she can run on a good track on Saturday then it'll tell us where we're going in the spring.”
Listed outing for Half Yours planned
Trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy will keep Half Yours (St Jean {Ire}) in Sydney after his win on Saturday for one more run before he heads to Queensland for the Listed Caloundra Cup. Previously trained by Ciaron Maher for Colin McKenna, he has had three starts, for two wins, for the McEvoy stable. “Unfortunately, after Col’s passing, they had a bit of a dispersal sale online of some of his horses and this was one that myself and Rayan Moore, our racing manager, identified,” Calvin McEvoy told racing.com.
Half Yours winning the Bm78 at Rosehill | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“He’d only had five runs, and he’d won a maiden and a (benchmark) 64. We just felt that he had a lot of upside, he’d returned a decent rating, and for that reason we decided to go after him and we had to pay $310,000, which is a significant amount to pay for a (benchmark) 64-winning gelding by St Jean. But it’s looking like it might’ve been the right decision, and I think he’s a horse that’s going to get to a really good level.”
Waldron and Fannin return to New Zealand
Trainer Joe Waldron will return to New Zealand along with partner Sarah Fannin who has been an assistant trainer at Lindsay Park. “It's something that we've been thinking about for about 12 months and now is the right time,” Waldron told racing.com.
“We've had a good season here, it's a great season to leave on and hopefully build on the momentum back home. We've still got a handful of horses that we'll run out here, they're sort of mid-prep. They can have another couple of runs before they head for a spell.
Joe Waldron | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“Some will head home to New Zealand with us and some will probably be moved on. We'll just start small, we've sent a couple of horses over already, a couple of solid (Benchmark) 64 horses that we think will slot into the South Island racing scene pretty well.”
Godolphin Flying Start graduate Annabel Adams has taken over from Fannin as assistant trainer at Pakenham for Lindsay Park.
Around the nation: Sunday’s highlights
On Sunday, there were seven meetings after the abandonment of Kilcoy and Murwillumbah. Comic Force added a second crop juvenile winner with 2-year-old gelding Raging Force at Muswellbrook, who was resuming after running mid-field in the G3 ATC Breeders’ Plate on debut for trainer Peter Snowden.
Nicconi sired a double at Moe with debutant 3-year-old filly Spiral Dream and Gator, while War also sired a double at the same meeting with Knuckle and Burton Street. Needs Further sired a double at Devonport with Cornelian Bay and Earendel.
Cool Aza Rene book-ends season
Te Akau Racing’s juvenile filly Cool Aza Rene (Cool Aza Beel {NZ}) won her first two starts at the start of the season, and now she’s added her third career win on Sunday at Riccarton. “It was a good tough effort and obviously she got through the testing ground quite well,” Mark Walker, who trains her in partnership with Sam Bergerson, told Loveracing.nz.
Cool Aza Rene winning at Wingatui | Image courtesy of Race Images
“She showed a lot of heart to get up and win, close to the line. She’s building quite a nice record and we’ll look to run her again on the 21st of June in the 2-year-old race over 1000 metres at Riccarton. We really do like the progeny of Cool Aza Beel, especially as they look as though they’ll keep developing into much better 3-year-olds.”
Dubbo’s Silver Goblet gaining a reputation
Friday will see Dubbo host the Silver Goblet for country trained juveniles, and the race is gaining a reputation for producing quality racehorses, won two years ago by Gallant Star (Zoustar) who went on to win the Western Racing Country Championships at Coonamble before finishing fourth in the $1 million final to Know Thyself (The Autumn Sun).
“The race was first run in the late 1980s under set weights and penalties conditions,” said Sam Fitzgerald, GM-Dubbo Turf Club.
“The first few runnings of the race were supported by several regional stud farms and the starting field was restricted to progeny of certain stallions who stood on those farms. The honour roll for the Silver Goblet contains many very good horses including Conscript (2020) who won a further six race wins including two at Randwick, and one at Rosehill and Canterbury.”
Only nine remain for Epsom Oaks
Following Saturday's confirmation stage, Godolphin's 1,000 Guineas heroine Desert Flower (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) is one of nine possible runners in Friday's G1 Oaks at Epsom. Unbeaten in five career starts, culminating with a comfortable win in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, Desert Flower is the sponsor's 7/4 favourite to complete a Classic double at Epsom, a feat last achieved by the Aidan O'Brien-trained Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) five years ago.
Desert Flower (Ire) | Image courtesy of Godolphin
O'Brien is responsible for three of the remaining nine contenders in Giselle (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), the wide-margin winner of the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial, Minnie Hauk (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who won the Listed Cheshire Oaks on her most recent start, and the G3 Musidora Stakes scorer Whirl (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}).
Mystic Dan back to winning form
Since his upset victory in the GI Kentucky Derby nearly 400 days ago, not a whole lot had gone right for Mystik Dan (USA) (Goldencents {USA}). Yes, he was a meritorious second to a loose-on-the-lead Seize the Grey (USA) (Arrogate {USA}) in the GI Preakness Stakes, but he subsequently failed to shine in the GI Belmont Stakes, the GI Malibu Stakes when racing first off a 6 1/2-month absence and the GI Pegasus World Cup, defeating a total of four horses.
Trainer Ken McPeek has remained unflappable and unwavering in his belief that Mystik Dan still had more to give as an older horse, and he was well and truly validated on Saturday afternoon when Mystik Dan rolled through the final two furlongs to take the G3 Blame Stakes in a fashion more convincing than the 1.25length margin of victory might suggest.
McPeek indicated that Mystik Dan would more than likely represent the stable in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes, a 'Win and You're In' qualified for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic on June 28.
Caitlinhergrtness resumes with Group 3 win
Unraced since November, last year's King's Plate winner and Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Caitlinhergrtness (Can) (Omaha Beach {USA}) returned in great style to Woodbine Saturday, winning the G3 Belle Mahone Stakes to open her 2025 season.
“I was a little more nervous with her, just because she had been working so fast, and we were making a conscious effort trying to slow her down in the mornings. She came into us early in the year from WinStar, just looking like a different animal. She matured so much, she filled out, she grew and, you know, it all transpired onto the racetrack,” said trainer Kevin Attard.
Second successive stakes win for Estrange
Last seen winning Doncaster's Listed Gillies Fillies' Stakes in November, Cheveley Park Stud's Estrange (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) was back with a bang in Saturday's G3 Lester Piggott Fillies' Stakes at Haydock.
“She handles cut in the ground, she's gone on good ground today. I think we'll stay away from quick conditions, but the G1 Pretty Polly could be considered or there's a race back here, the G2 Lancashire Oaks, and then the G1 Yorkshire Oaks and if she is good enough it would be great to be considering Longchamp. It never looked in doubt at any stage today,” trainer David O'Meara said.
Unbeaten Direct Hit wins Allan Robertson
Unbeaten 2-year-old filly Direct Hit (Saf) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) won the G1 Allan Robertson Stakes on Saturday to become the first Group 1 winner for her sire and for racing operator, Race Coast who launched just 48 hours before. “This is a dream come true. It’s mission accomplished,” reigning SA champion jockey Richard Fourie told sportingpost.co.za.
Race Coast is the new racecourse operator merging the operations of Gold Circle in KwaZulu-Natal with Cape Racing of the Western Cape under the Hollywoodbets umbrella.
Unbeaten in four starts, Direct Hit is one of 29 stakes winners for Canford Cliffs who has been based in South Africa since 2017 and is also responsible for emerging sire Cliffs Edge in Australia. Direct Hit is the second foal of Group 3 winner Wrecking Ball (Saf) (Great Britain {GB}) whose first foal is a winner.
Good For You wins G1 Gold Medallion
Trained by Glen Kotzen and ridden by Chad Little, 2-year-old gelding Good For You (Saf) (Legislate {Saf}) won Saturday’s G1 Gold Medallion, coming off a last start second at Group 3 level. He’s won twice in eight starts.
Good For You became the first Group 1 winner for Legislate, and his 10th stakes winner, and he’s the sixth foal and fourth winner, and only stakes winner, for minor winner Slightly Blonde (Saf) (Indigo Magic {GB}).
Nine G1 SA Fillies Sprints for Tarry
Trainer Sean Tarry won his ninth G1 South African Fillies Sprint, in 19 years, with Mia Moo (Saf) (Vercingetorix {Saf}) in a blanket finish with eight fillies separated by only 2l at the line. She was ridden by Callan Murray who has just returned to South Africa after a stint in Australia. “It’s good to be back — and even better to win a Group 1,” said Murray.
Putting together her third win in succession, she becomes Group 1 winner number 12 for her sire who has 58 stakes winners in total. A daughter of Listed winner Leeward (Saf) (Captain Al {Saf}), whose five foals to race are all winners, Leeward’s dam is a half-sister to Listed winners Yankee Clipper (Saf) (Jallad {USA}) and Melting Moments (Saf) (Captain Al {Saf}).
