Stablehand dies at Cranbourne
Racing Victoria confirmed that a stablehand had died at Cranbourne on Tuesday morning after being kicked by a horse. “It is with great sadness that Racing Victoria confirms that a female stable employee has tragically passed away following an incident at the Cranbourne Training Centre this morning,” a Racing Victoria statement said.
“Victoria Police and WorkSafe are on-site investigating the circumstances of the incident in which the stable employee is believed to have been kicked by a horse in the stables of her employer.
“Trackwork at the Cranbourne Training Centre was closed following the incident. RV and Southside Racing are offering assistance and support to her employer and the local racing community at this tragic time.” No name will be released until the police has informed the family.
TTR extends our condolences to family, friends, and co-workers.
The Kosciuszko sweepstake tickets on sale
Racing NSW announced that tickets for The Kosciuszko sweepstake were officially on sale from Tuesday. NSW residents can purchase $5 sweepstakes tickets via the TAB App, tab.com.au, local pubs, clubs, TAB agencies and at NSW race meetings.
Fourteen winning tickets will be drawn on 10 September 2025 with each winner then selecting a NSW country or ACT-trained horse to race in their ‘slot’, once they have agreed with the horse’s ownership group as to how they will share prizemoney for the race.
With trainer Mr David McColm moving to Queensland, last year’s winner Far Too Easy (All Too Hard) will be ineligible for this year’s The Kosciusko as he will no longer be trained by a NSW country trainer.
Magnaspin set for Listed final
Malua Racing-trained Magnaspin (Magnus) runs in Saturday’s Listed Winter Championship Series Final at Flemington. “He is at this point in time better ridden with a bit of cover,” co-trainer Will Larkin, who trains in partnership with Leon and Troy Corstens, told racenet.com.au.
Magnaspin | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“He's been asked to do a bit of work early and led at too fast a tempo, which doesn't allow him to finish off. We've got to get things right with him in the early stages and then he'll be the one improving dramatically.” The stable also has He’ll Rip (Hellbent) in the race.
Allen to waste for Oh Too Good
Jockey Ben Allen will be working to get to his lowest weight range to ride last start winning Kevin Daffy-trained Oh Too Good (All Too Hard) in Saturday’s Listed Winter Championships Final. “He's really keen to stay on her, he's that keen, he's been working on his weight for the last couple of weeks,” Daffy told racing.com.
“He even started his suspension early so he could get back in time to ride her, so he did forego a lot of rides a couple of weeks ago just to be able to get back to ride her. He's very keen to ride her and the way that he rode her the other day, how could you change?
Oh Too Good | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“I was very respectful of the field there the other day, particularly Jimmy The Bear. Christine (Daffy's wife) and I, we just love Jimmy The Bear, we thought we'd be no chance to beat him, he's such a great, consistent horse. She just won with a bit of authority, hopefully she can keep up that level of performance and she'd be right in the final, I'd reckon.”
Job Done can stay unbeaten says Price
Co-trainer Mick Price thinks his debutant winning 2-year-old gelding Job Done (Snitzel) can win again on Saturday in Flemington’s Next Generations Sprinters Series Final. “He will turn up and run well at Flemington. Ben Melham rode him in his gallop and he worked like a horse that needs a horse to follow,” Price told racenet.com.au.
“His first win was good and he's a small gelding with a big stride. He's got a motor and a good pedigree and I think he'll run well down the straight.”
Dale looking at second Kosciuszko runner
With Front Page (Magnus) the current early favourite for The Kosciuszko, trainer Matthew Dale is hoping another stable runner can join him. “He’s had a ripping preparation in four runs, a narrow defeat in the Group 1 Galaxy and a solid win in a Group 2 in Brisbane. He’s eight years old but he’s had a really good prep and a good last 12 months and we see no reason why he won’t come up again for the Kosciuszko,” Dale told racingnsw.com.au.
“You just never know who draws the tickets and how it all unfolds but I’ve got a number of horses I’ve put in line for the race.” The other key contender is West Of Dalby (Santos) who resumed at Randwick a fortnight ago.
Front Page | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I thought she returned in great order, she’s a stakes winning 3-year-old filly who lost her way a bit. We purchased her from a breeding sale and gave her one run but she just didn’t come up and needed a longer break.
“It was just wanted I wanted to see, I didn’t expect her to win but I wanted to see she wanted to be back at the races. She’s effective on wet tracks and it possibly even assists her. So I was rapt with her first-up, she couldn’t have gone any better. If she can continue on that, and we’ll get an idea on Saturday, then she can be thrown in the mix.”
Racing WA partners with National Jockeys Trust
On Tuesday, Racing WA announced a three-year partnership with the National Jockeys Trust (NJT). “The NJT provides essential support to jockeys and their families when injury or illness leads to financial hardship,” Racing WA Chief Racing Officer David Hunter told racingwa.com.au.
“This partnership is one of the ways we can show our appreciation for the dedication and professionalism of WA jockeys and help ensure they’re supported both on and off the track.”
National Jockeys Trust | Image courtesy of National Jockeys Trust
The move was supported by the WA Jockeys Association. “The NJT is an organisation close to the heart of all WA jockeys, and I know they’ll be thrilled with this news. I’m delighted that Racing WA has strengthened its support of our riding ranks through this partnership,” WAJA President Craig Staples said.
Warwick Farm inspection tomorrow
The meeting planned for Warwick Farm on Wednesday is uncertain after the track received 25.8mm of rain in the 24 hours leading up to 3pm on Tuesday with more forecast at wild winds and rain lash Sydney. An inspection is planned for Wednesday morning with the surface currently rated Heavy 9.
Robb fined for mobile irregularities
Racing NSW stewards announced on Tuesday that trainer Brett Robb would be fined $1000 for communicating with apprentice jockey Shayleigh Ingelse’s mobile telephone when he knew she would be in the jockey’s room. Ingelse was suspended for four weeks and will return on August 27.
Vale Joe Yorke
Manawatu horseman Joe Yorke died on Sunday aged 77, just two days after being inducted into the Equestrian Sports New Zealand Hall of Fame. The Olympic showjumper also worked as a racehorse educator and bloodstock agent. “We rode a lot together in the early days,” fellow Olympic rider Harvey Wilson told Loveracing.nz on Tuesday.
“We went to England in a team in ‘76 to go to Montreal - Joe Yorke, myself and John Cottle. John and my horses suffered a bit from travel sickness, so we didn’t get there, so Joe was the only representative when riding for New Zealand at Montreal.
“He retired after Montreal and he set-up his own business up where he used to break-in and pretrain, and he then became a bloodstock agent.”
Ombudsman headlines Eclipse Stakes nominations
Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown is shaping up to be the race of the season so far after a plethora of Group 1 winners were confirmed on Monday, headed by the John and Thady Gosden-trained Ombudsman (Ire). The son of Night Of Thunder (Ire) came of age at Royal Ascot when winning the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes and only has one defeat on his record from six career starts.
Ombudsman (Ire) | Image courtesy of Godolphin
Andre Fabre has had this race as a target for some time with Sosie (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who is set to bid for a third consecutive win at the top level, having already won the Prix Ganay and Prix d'Ispahan in two previous starts this season.
HISA cases sent back to appeals courts
The three lawsuits that have been simmering in the federal court system for several years and were all vying for the attention of the United States Supreme Court to decide the constitutionality of the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) are all headed back to their originating appeals courts, likely adding several more years to an already drawn-out adjudication process.
The Supreme Court on Monday morning issued nearly identical “summary dispositions” for all three of the active petitions before the court involving the constitutionality of HISA.
“We are encouraged by the Supreme Court's orders, which preserve the status quo and leave the Act undisturbed,” a HISA press release stated. “HISA remains fully operational and will continue to be the national regulatory body overseeing safety and integrity in Thoroughbred racing while legal proceedings continue.”
The HISA Authority's statement spelled out how it interpreted the June 30 decision, “In (Monday's) orders, the Supreme Court vacated the judgments of the appellate courts and returned the cases to those courts for further consideration. As a result, the sole adverse decision from the Fifth Circuit (which the Supreme Court had previously paused) is now off the books, and the opinions of the federal district courts-all of which upheld the Act's constitutionality in full-remain valid and operative.”
