Eagle Farm screens come down
The long screen at Eagle Farm set up to prevent horses from shying at the construction site next to the track will come down ahead of the trials on Tuesday with construction in that area completed. “The intention is to have predominantly horses who aren't trained at Eagle Farm involved in the trials,” acting chief steward Geoff Goold told racenet.com.au.
Eagle Farm | Image courtesy of Brisbane Racing Club
“We will have a number of stewards placed around the track to watch and then we will have feedback from the riding group after they come back in from each trial. Representatives of the Queensland Jockeys' Association will also be there.”
The next racemeeting scheduled for Eagle Farm in Saturday July 19. “After some consultation with the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission, Racing Queensland and the Brisbane Racing Club, we look forward to trialling on Tuesday with the hoarding removed now that the building is in its finalised form,” Glen Prentice, general manager of the Queensland Jockeys' Association, said.
“After the trials we will have an in-depth discussion with all parties to work out a way forward where hopefully everything can return to normal. Whether that be that the pre-race sightings remain before a race, or we return to procedures prior to the changes.”
Ferivia heads to Listed Lightning Stakes
Trainer Phillip Stokes will likely set impressive debut winning 2-year-old filly Ferivia (Astern) for the Listed Lightning Stakes in a fortnight. “She was quite professional out of the gates,” jockey Lachlan Niendorf told racingsa.com.au.
Philip Stokes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I didn’t want to push or pull her because I don’t really like telling first starters where to be, and she was happy to take up a bit more of a forward position (than her trial). She’s got a lot of depth, and that’s not the last time we’ll see her in the winner’s stall. She gave me a sensational feeling when she really extended her action, and she’s going to go quite a way this filly, she’s got a fair bit of potential.”
King’s horse set for Melbourne Cup
King Charles III-owned Gilded Water (GB) (Fastnet Rock) will be run on Saturday for trainer Ciaron Maher as a first step towards the G1 Melbourne Cup. “He's a horse that's got to get through his grades first and foremost, but we are just very proud and honoured to be able to have a horse for his Majesty,” Maher told racing.com.
Gilded Water won two of his three starts in Australia over the autumn.
Debutant win for She’s My Ex
Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained 2-year-old filly She’s My Ex (Exceedance) won on debut on Monday at Pakeham over 1000 metres, defeating short favourite 2-year-old colt Wetumpka (Alabama Express) by 0.15l. “We really like this filly, she's been a great pick-up for the stable,” stable foreman Max Keenan said.
“Just took her a little bit to settle into the new routine, but she's been a gem around the stables, nice and quiet. Got a very speedy filly, she's been trialling well. She did exactly what we thought she'd do today.”
Purchased by Winning Ways Racing for $25,000 from Baramul Stud’s Magic Millions National Yearling Sale draft, She’s My Ex is the fourth winner out of Our Affirmative (NZ) (Cape Cross {Ire}) who won four races in New Zealand.
Yeah Right wins at Pakenham
Trainers Lyn Tolson and Leonie Proctor asked 2-year-old gelding Yeah Right (Yes Yes Yes) to take on the older horses in a maiden event at Pakenham on Monday and he won by 1.25l. “He jumped clean, we rolled outside the leader. I was happy we had a horse leading on the rail, it just gave him something to really focus on,” jockey Matthew Cartwright said.
“He quickened up well, he was a bit green in front, but I expected him to come here and do that and I'm proud of him for actually doing that. He's a really big horse, he's still a bit green, he's really playful. His mind's not fully on the job … he'll go out now and he'll come back a nice 3-year-old in the summer.”
Yes Yes Yes moved to Gooree Stud for 2025 and will stand for $16,500 inc GST. Yeah Right was purchased by Winterfold Racing from Coolmore Stud via the February 2024 Inglis Digital Sale for $3500. He is the second foal of Blonde Choice (Choisir) who won three races including one at Mornington.
Big boost in juvenile runners
If you have been thinking there’s been a lot of 2-year-olds winning lately, you’ll be correct. In May, TTR AusNZ reported that only 10 per cent of the current juvenile foal crop had raced.
This has now risen to 2124 runners from the 2022 crop of 13,320 foals, or 16 per cent of the foal crop, which is still down on previous season end figures but gaining traction towards the 20 per cent goal. Amateur statistician Trevor Donaldson reported on X two days ago that by his count 23 per cent of horses who’d gone through the 2024 yearling sales had raced – which is higher than the general population figure – so good news for people who attend the yearling sales.
Billy Bent Ear retires a winner
Trainer Connie Grieg has announced the retirement of 12-year-old gelding Billy Bent Ear (Bon Hoffa). He had start number 170 at the Wean Picnic meeting north east of Gunnedah on Saturday, bowing out a winner, and taking his record to 20 wins, and 51 placings, for earnings over $290,000.
Due to compulsory retirement in NSW when turning 13 on August 1, Billy Bent Ear is unable to contest the Picnic Champion Series Final at Dubbo in September.
“Such a kind natured horse, more like a kid’s pony, and could have been ridden by a young child. I think he was able to have such an incredible number of starts because he was so easy care with no need for additional racing gear and only had minimal visits from the vet,” Connie told racingnsw.com.au.
“Billy Bent Ear was no world beater, but an amazing horse in so many ways and I just love him.”
Trainer jockey Wynne hospitalised after stable accident
South Island trainer/jockey Samantha Wynne is in hospital after sustaining a head injury in a stable accident on Saturday. “I’ve been in hospital for the last couple of days and I’m feeling a little bit better this morning,” Wynne told Loveracing.nz on Monday.
“I can’t really remember what happened but the girls filled me in. One of the 2-year-old fillies wouldn’t walk into the tie-ups and she ran backwards and kicked me in the head. It pretty much took my ear off and I’ve got a fractured skull.
Samantha Wynne | Image courtesy of Race Images
“I was knocked out for about five or six minutes and apparently when the ambulance came I was fighting them because I didn’t want to go to the hospital. Once they got me in, they gave me some good painkillers and I went into surgery that night.
“I got my ear sewed back on, they removed fragments out of the fractures and pulled a bone out of my head. They had to make sure I had no brain injuries, and I’m very lucky that I don’t think I have. There is just a lot of swelling, but hopefully that will go down and the fracture will heal. My partner has spoken to a lot of people and I’ve responded to a couple. I’ve been able to use my phone a little bit more today after being a bit too dizzy over the last couple of days.”
“I’m grateful for the support I’ve had. I’d be lost without the girls, I’m so grateful for them. They’re just the best team that you could have. We’re doing okay.”
Emotional G1 Grand Prix de Paris for Rouget
The tears were flowing following a dramatic finale to Sunday's G1 Grand Prix de Paris, with Jean-Claude Rouget pulling off an upset with 3-year-old colt Leffard (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}). Rested since beating only one rival in the Prix du Jockey Club, Gerard Augustin-Normand and Ecurie Antonio Caro's 15-1 shot was able to run down Ballydoyle's favourite Trinity College (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the dying yards under Cristian Demuro for a short-head success.
Rouget, who is in an ongoing battle with lymphoma, said, “Of course this is a very emotional moment for me. I was always high on this horse, but he had a bad draw in the Jockey Club and was bumped badly and was very quickly out of the race so was unable to show his true form. He had been doing great since and I didn't hesitate to supplement him. He was brave and rewarded us for being courageous. We'll see how he comes out of this one and decide on his future.”
This race forms part of the Arc Races series, which grants the winner a direct qualification for the course-and-distance Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October. Rouget is dreaming the impossible dream once again. “It's incredible to win this race after such a difficult year,” he added. “It's wonderful, a rightful reward. Gérard (Augustin-Normand) asked me to supplement him and his workout on Thursday morning was outstanding. For Gérard, this win has a special flavour, since Leffard is a son of Le Havre, his favourite and the horse that started everything.”
Leffard's unraced dam Let's Misbehave (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) is already responsible for War Front (USA)'s Listed winner Sippinsoda (Fr) who was also runner-up in the G3 Prix Chloe. More importantly, she is also a half-sister to the Ballydoyle goliath High Chaparral (Ire) which accounts for the winner's staying power in evidence here.
Pinatubo’s first Group winner heads to Oaks
Leading from the front in Sunday's G2 Prix de Malleret at ParisLongchamp, Qilin Queen (Ire) (Pinatubo {Ire}) put another feather in the cap of TBT Racing with a game career-best. Hunted down all the way to the line by the hot favourite Sunly (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), the 6-1 shot who had beaten only one rival in the Oaks clung on to score by a short neck under Kieran Shoemark.
“We went to Epsom with big hopes, but were so disappointed and felt it was the soft ground,” trainer Ed Walker said. “We knew it would be quick here and she stays well, so we were confident she would stay the mile and a half. She's in the Yorkshire Oaks, so we'll try and get the Group 1 now.”
Qilin Queen, who becomes the first Group winner for her second-crop sire, is a half to the Australian stakes winner Monbaher (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) with the dam Seagull (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) being out of the notable broodmare Caumshinaun (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), who is responsible for the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who in turn produced Dubawi (Ire)'s four-time Group 1-winning sire Ghaiyyath (Ire) and the G1 Man O'War Stakes heroine and stakes producer Zhukova (Ire) (Fastnet Rock).
Vale Ian Boyland
New Zealand administrator Ian Boyland has died aged 81. He was Secretary of the Wanganui Jockey Club from 1971 to 1997. "I first met Ian at a secretaries’ conference at Ellerslie in 1977 and he was representing the Wanganui contingent,” long-time friend and colleague Tony Enting told Loveracing.nz.
“One of the first things Ian said to me was, ‘now listen young fellow, just remember a good secretary always knows his nominations’. Back then, we would take hand-written nominations, we could take 700 to 900 entries for a meeting. They were taken about two and a-half weeks before the race meeting, so stables tended to put in their whole racing team and sort out later where they wanted to go.”
