Four jockeys avoid serious injury in fall
A fall in race five at Ipswich on Thursday brought down four horses with all four jockeys, Mark Du Plessis, Nikita Beriman, Tiffani Brooker and Emily Lang, escaping serious injury. Sadly, 3-year-old filly Fast Fun (Better Than Ready) had to be euthanised, while the other fallers Haz Styles (Spirit Of Boom), Zouchase (Zousain), and Shaque d’Amour (Harry Angel {Ire}) all returned to scale and were treated by veterinarians with no serious injuries reported.
Beriman, Lang and Brooker all walked back to the change rooms with Beriman later reporting neck pain. Du Plessis was conscious but treated on track for a rib injury, a possible broken hand and possible concussion. He was taken to hospital for further testing.
Yes Yes Yes relocates to Gooree Park Stud
The Everest winner Yes Yes Yes will stand at Gooree Park Stud in 2025 for a fee of $16,500. The son of Rubick’s oldest crop are 3-year-olds, and has sired 44 winners led by G1 Australian Derby-second Firm Agreement, and stakes placed Flattered, Yes Lulu, Yes Queen, Maili, Nymphadora, and Let’s Go Barbie.
“All of his shareholders are on board and committed to supporting Yes Yes Yes at his new home of Gooree Park Stud and we know he will get the very best of care with the Gooree team at Mudgee,” shareholder Julia Ritchie said.
Yes Yes Yes | Image courtesy of Coolmore
“A week doesn’t go by that he doesn’t sire winners and he’s had some nice stakes horses, but what he really needs is that one seriously good horse to come along and when it does, he will go straight back up the food chain.
“Coolmore is an elite stallion business and realistically they give them three or four seasons to make it and some stallions take a little longer, so as a group of shareholders, we are giving him the opportunity of time as we all own mares to send to him. The mares can agist at Gooree for the season and we look forward to building a good relationship going forward.”
Group 1 colt El Castello moves to Joe Pride
Trainer Joe Pride announced that he had taken over the training of G1 Spring Champion Stakes-winning 3-year-old colt El Castello (Castelvecchio) with a simple social media post, showing a screenshot of the horse’s page from Racing Australia.
Previously trained by Anthony Cummings, the colt has won four of his eight starts and over $1.6 million, and hasn’t raced since the G1 Victoria Derby.
First stakes rides for Bates
Victorian apprentice jockey Logan Bates will ride Gavin Bedggood-trained Hughes (Russian Revolution) in the Listed Winter Final and Lloyd Kennwell and Lucy Yeomans-trained Madame Maserati (I Am Invincible) in the Listed A.R Creswick Stakes on Saturday at Flemington. “Many thanks to Gavin and the Roll The Dice (owners of Hughes) crew for sticking by me and giving me the opportunity to have one of my first stakes rides on Saturday,” Bates told racenet.com.au.
Logan Bates | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“It will be my first day riding in stakes races, I'll try not to dwell too much into it, ride like any other race and take the accolades after (hopefully). I've had a great season and the three people I'm riding for in stakes races Saturday have been my main supporters, Bedggy (and) Lloyd (Kennewell) and Lucy (Yeomans). It would be amazing to get one for them.”
Flash Aah aimed a rare double
Toowoomba trainer Troy Pascoe thinks last start Listed Ipswich Cup winner Flash Aah (Lucas Cranach {Ger}) can do a rare double and win Saturday’s Listed Caloundra Cup at the Sunshine Coast. The double was last achieved in 2012 by the late Michael Moroney-trained Shenzhou Steeds (NZ) (Ishiguru {USA}). “I think he’s a great chance again. He pulled up better after the Ipswich Cup than when he went into the race,” Pascoe told racingqueensland.com.au.
“He came to me after he hurt his back leg in the Shoot Out in 2023. They (vets) couldn’t find anything wrong with him, but he was very lame at the time and had a long time off. He then strained a ligament in the other hind leg and had another three months off when he came to me in June last year. I think the time he’s had off has been a blessing in disguise.”
Roper and Thunderlips set for Winter Stakes
Apprentice jockey Anna Roper won her 200th race this week, and she rides Bjorn Baker-trained Thunderlips (Zoustar) in Saturday’s Listed Winter Stakes at Rosehill. Thunderlips has won his last two in succession. “We were giggling before the race saying if only I could put it in the one-one and the race was over,” Roper told racingnsw.com.au.
Bjorn Baker | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“When we landed there I had a giggle to myself, thinking ‘how have I managed to pull that off’. The race did pan out perfectly for him. He was quite explosive late, which he hadn’t really shown much of but he showed it again last start. If it does work out how two starts ago did he’d be very hard to beat. With Whinchat in the race it’s always going to be a genuinely run race.”
Exciting Repossession set for Beaufine
Trainers Chris and Michael Gangemi have four from six with exciting 3-year-old gelding Repossession (Sessions) and he runs in Saturday’s Listed Beaufine Stakes. “He’s only had the six starts, so he’s got to this level quite quickly,” Chris Gangemi told racingwa.com.au.
“If he happens to win this week, then that would get his rating up nicely for later in the year. We’re pretty confident he will end up in open class. He’s matched it with the good horses and produced the work of a good horse all along.”
Wild Belle to resume in Beaufine
Trainer Luke Fernie’s Listed winning 5-year-old mare Wild Belle (Pride Of Dubai) will resume in Saturday’s Listed Beaufine Stakes. “She wouldn’t be going to the races if she wasn’t where she needed to be,” Fernie told racingwa.com.au.
Wild Belle | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
“We’ve always had the train of thought that she would be a horse that once she gets her toe into the ground, she’d appreciate it. Her work behind the scenes on a soft track and even a heavy track has been much superior to what it was when she was flying before. We trotted her up in front of the vets the other day and they said it was the soundest they’ve seen her moving, so that’s always a positive leading into Saturday as well.”
Weight challenge for Raging Force
Jockey Tommy Berry thinks Peter Snowden-trained 2-year-old gelding Raging Force (Cosmic Force) can cope with the 59kg impost in Saturday’s juvenile race at Rosehill. “I don’t mind him carrying the weight because if he’s going to measure up to better horses over the spring he’s got to beat them carrying a decent weight,” Berry told racingnsw.com.au.
Tommy Berry | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He’s in at the right time, for a horse that’s only lightly raced, and races like the Rosebud aren’t far away now so if he proves himself he could be that fit horse going into races like that. He’s a lovely type, he’s got a very good attitude now and a beautiful action and that was on show last time so hopefully it is again.
“The trips away have settled him down and given him great education and going into that last start he was cherry ripe and was very impressive on the day.” Raging Force was last on debut in October’s G3 Breeders’ Plate, and has won both his starts since then.
Gambler wins at Hawkesbury
Peter Snowden-trained 2-year-old gelding Gambler (Capitalist) won at Thursday’s meeting at Hawkesbury. The second favourite was having his fifth start and won by 0.23l from favourite 2-year-old gelding Melanite (Dirty Work).
Purchased by the James Harron Colts Syndicate for $360,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from Newgate Farm, Gambler is a half-brother to stakes placed Nitrous (Deep Field) and is out of Group 2-placed Flamboyant Lass (Stratum), a full sister to Group 2 winner Attention.
First Empire wins at Ipswich
Kelly Schweida-trained 2-year-old gelding First Empire (Deep Field) won at Ipswich on Thursday with jockey Damien Thornton taking the youngster to an impressive 3.8l victory. Placed in his first two starts, the Ron and Judy Wanless-owned gelding is the second foal and second winner for Angel In Heaven (Redoute’s Choice), a Group 3-placed half-sister to Listed Oaklands Plate winner He’s Heaven (Zoustar).
Angel In Heaven’s first foal, 3-year-old gelding Belmont Park (American Pharoah {USA}) has won two of his last three starts including one last week.
Double for Ayton at Ashburton
Trainer Robyn Ayton enjoyed her first double at Ashburton on Thursday with Lady Bankside (NZ) (Belardo {Ire}) and Tellme You Loveme (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}). “That was my first double, so it was nice to do it on the home track, it was fantastic,” Ayton said.
“They have both been working well, they look great and have done nothing wrong, so I was hopeful heading into today.” The meeting was abandoned after race seven due to poor visibility with the rain coming down strongly.
OTI active again at Arqana
It was ace agent Alex Elliott, working alongside Nicolas Bertran de Balanda (NBB Racing), who purchased Wednesday's sale-topping colt, spending €520,000 (AU$933,000) on Zekret (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) who was last seen in a Group 3 race. “An obvious horse for us. A juvenile hurdle campaign will be his main aim but obviously he has a lofty Flat rating and he could come back and go over both codes. Initially, the main aim is jumping and he will go to Joseph O'Brien.”
Zekret (Fr) as a yearling | Image courtesy of Arqana
OTI purchased 3-year-old colt Boniface (Fr) (Make Believe {GB}) for €250,000 (AU$448,000) to go with their two purchases on the first day. Unbeaten in two starts at two, he added a third victory last start in the Saint-Cloud Prix la Troienne over a mile. He is from the family of Group 1 winner Vadamos (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}) and will be trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr when he arrives in Australia.
Albeit the Wednesday session boasted a beefed-up catalogue compared to 12 months previous [41 more horses sold], the overall figures were impressive. The €6,988,500 (AU$12.4 millions) aggregate was up by 31 per cent on last year while the €47,220 (AU$85,000) average represented a 11 per cent rise and the median climbed €8,000 to €20,000 (AU$35,900). The clearance rate was also up by 8 per cent to 82 per cent.
Tax hike would hurt English racing
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has urged the sport to collectively lobby the Government to back British racing and axe a proposal from the Treasury which could hit racing's finances to the tune of £66m (AU$137 million) in lost income.
Those figures were published by the BHA for the first time on Wednesday, highlighting the potentially catastrophic consequences of the proposal to hike tax on horserace betting by bringing existing online betting duties into one single rate.
At a time when affordability checks and the lack of a sustainable central funding model are already posing a significant threat to racing's finances, it is feared by the BHA that a tax hike for bookmakers in the Autumn Budget would further jeopardise the future of the sport in Britain.
British Horseracing Authority | Image courtesy of British Horseracing Authority
“Economic analysis commissioned by the BHA shows that aligning the current 15% tax rate paid by bookmakers on racing with that of online games of chance – currently taxed at 21% – by harmonising all remote gambling duties, could hit racing's finances to the tune of £66m in lost income via the Levy, media rights and sponsorship,” read a press release issued by the BHA.
“This is because operators are likely to seek to mitigate significant tax rises through cutting bonuses, reducing advertising and marketing budgets and increasing prices.
“Should the Treasury seek to raise the proposed single duty rate further to help balance the books, the impact on racing's finances would be devastating, with a projected £97m loss at a tax rate of 25%, a £126m loss at 30% and a £160m loss at 40%. This would put thousands of jobs at risk and severely impact towns and rural communities across the country. It would also hamper British racing's world-leading work on equine welfare.”
Trump tax bill to affect punters
The version of President Donald Trump's “Big Beautiful Bill” passed by the Senate earlier this week contains a tax provision that could prove prohibitive to gamblers, with ramifications for horse racing's bottom line.
In the Senate's version of the bill, deductions for gambling winnings will be limited to 90% of annual losses. Currently, gamblers can deduct 100 per cent of wagering losses (below a net profit) for any given year. As NBC Sports describes it, “$100,000 in winnings against $100,000 in losses will be treated for tax purposes as if the losses were only $90,000.”
The specific language in the bill can be found at section 70114, “Extension and modification of limitation on wagering losses.”
The House is currently voting to concur their version of the bill with the Senate.
Tom Rooney | Image courtesy of National Thoroughbred Racing Association
“It is a big deal,” said Tom Rooney, CEO and president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), who pointed to the possible impacts on horse racing revenues through gambling dollars throughout the sport, and especially those jurisdictions with no supplemental revenues.
Rooney said he's working with representatives from other key gaming entities to petition lawmakers on the issue, including the American Gaming Association. “We've let it be known to our friends on the Hill that our sport is generated by the people that play the horses. And, if they're dissuaded in any way to do that, it's going to hurt our sport,” said Rooney.
140k Flawless Fusion tops Tattersalls Online
Promising 2-year-old filly Flawless Fusion (Ire) took top billing at the Tattersalls Online July Sale when selling for 140,000gns (AU$305,000) to Blandford Bloodstock from Jim Bolger's Glebe House Stables.
A daughter of Dawn Approach (Ire) and the dual Listed-placed mare French Fusion (Ire) (Harzand {Ire}), from the family of the G1 Melbourne Cup hero Twilight Payment (Ire), Flawless Fusion made an encouraging start to her career when filling the runner-up spot on last month's debut. “She caught the eye at Leopardstown,” Blandford Bloodstock's Stuart Boman said of that performance.
Stuart Boman | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
“Irish maidens are so competitive and she closed very well. When you are buying from Jim Bolger, you know these horses have not only been produced well but they have also been bred with meticulous care. It can be hard to find horses that are lightly raced that have exhibited a high level of ability. Ultimately, she looks to be good value when compared to the breeze-up or yearling prices. She has already shown potential and hopefully she goes on for new connections.”
Elsewhere in the sale, the complete dispersal of the estate of legendary Irish trainer Kevin Prendergast attracted great interest, with all 10 lots offered selling for an aggregate of 241,800gns (AU$527,000). Of the 102 lots offered, 62 sold for a total of 677,000gns (AU$1.47 million) and at an average of 10,919gns (AU$23,600).
Fasig-Tipton to offer D. Wayne Lukas horses
Fasig-Tipton has added 11 supplemental entries to its July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale, including five from the Estate of D. Wayne Lukas, according to a Wednesday release.
Mulholland Springs will consign the Lukas entries, which feature two unraced 2-year-olds by Essential Quality (USA) and Liam's Map (USA), both selected and purchased by Lukas.
The sale takes place Tuesday, July 8, in Lexington, Kentucky.
