Mr Brightside heads to King Charles next
While tempted to run in Friday nights G2 Feehan Stakes with last start Group 1 winner Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars), Lindsay Park’s Hayes brothers have decided to stick to the plan and head to Sydney for the G1 King Charles III Stakes. “He pulled up great but a couple of years ago we went straight into the King Charles and we just got beaten, so we'll follow that recipe,” co-trainer Ben Hayes told racing.com.
Mr Brightside | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He's got a great record there (Randwick mile) and he's got five weeks to it. He'll trial on the same day in Sydney as Ka Ying Rising on the 7th (of October) and then go to the King Charles ready to turn in his best.”
Sentimental victory in Listed Boulder Cup
Local trainer Peter Fernie won Sunday’s Listed Boulder Cup at Kalgoorlie with 8-year-old gelding Sentimental Hero (Al Maher). Ridden by Lucy Fiore, he won by nearly three lengths from last year’s winner Grant and Alana Williams-trained Starry Heights (Star Turn). The winner’s stablemate Ryewood (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) was third.
Racing in Kalgoorlie was threatened earlier this year by a water shortage, but this has been resolved for now with the Boulder Cup meeting taking place. Back in January, WA Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti told the abc.net.au, “I do believe racing is a great initiative, particularly in regional WA where you get thousands of people coming into town to enjoying a good day at the races.”
Sentimental Hero was sold by Peters Investments at the 2024 July Inglis Digital Sale for $50,000 to Andrew Inglis. He took his record to eight wins from 30 starts with earnings over $520,000, having previously won the 2024 Listed AJ Scahill Cup for his new owners.
His dam, Sentimental Star (More Than Ready {USA}), who died in 2023, also produced Sentimental Hero’s stakes placed full brother Sentimental Friend.
First city win for Hunter
Trainer Rory Hunter enjoyed his first city winner when 3-year-old gelding Autumn Mystery (The Autumn Sun) won at Flemington on Sunday. “What a stage to do it on,” Hunter said.
“It's been an incredible journey with this horse; we've always believed in him and it's just great for it to come off.” He will be aimed at the G1 Victoria Derby. “That would be the ultimate dream, but we'll just see how he pulls up in the next few days. I think he's got a very big future, but I'd say we'd be heading that way at this stage.”
Autumn Mystery was sold by Gilgai Farm for $15,000 to N Thompson at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and is the third winner for Group 3-placed Stop Making Sense (Sebring).
Double for The Autumn Sun on Sunday
With Autumn Mystery winning the Derby Preview at Flemington, The Autumn Sun made it a double when 3-year-old filly After Summer won the Oaks Preview for trainer Dom Sutton.
“We're still a long way out (from the Oaks), so we'll just assess how she comes through today. I'd say it'd be more like having a trial than having a race with the speeds that they went,” Sutton said.
“She doesn't look like she's had a tough run. We'll get her home and plot a path. If she takes us there, then great, if not, then we'll put her away and save her for autumn.” Sutton Racing and Byron Rogers bought her from Arrowfield Stud’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale draft for $170,000. She is a half-sister to stakes-placed Calling The Wind (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}).
Beadman to resume in Heritage Stakes
Peter Snowden-trained 3-year-old colt Beadman (Snitzel) will resume in Saturday’s Listed Heritage Stakes with the aim of running in the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes. “It was his second trial back, he's been in work for quite a while and the preparation we've got, most of his races are not until October, November, so there's been no rush with him,” Snowden told racing.com.
Beadman | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“He's just had a really good, long preparation, two soft trials. The second trial (on Tuesday) we asked a bit more of him. He's a quality horse. Hopefully, we get to the Coolmore at some stage if we're going well enough, it's certainly a race we'd like to be there if we're going well enough.”
Beadman won the G3 Ken Russell Stakes at two and was a $900,000 purchase by China Horse Club, Trilogy Racing, Newgate, and Go Bloodstock.
Go Bloodstock filly wins at Nowra
Beautifully bred 3-year-old filly Miss Fleetwood (Extreme Choice), owned by Go Bloodstock, headed to Nowra for her fourth start. The Michael Freedman-trained filly won easily by 3.3 lengths.
A half-sister to Group 3 winner Rise Of The Masses (Russian Revolution), Miss Fleetwood becomes the fifth winner from five to race for Group 1 winner Ruud Awakening (Bernardini {USA}). Ruud Awakening recently foaled a colt by Ozzmosis.
Contingency wins on debut
Paul Shailer-trained 3-year-old gelding Contingency (NZ) (Savabeel) won on debut at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday. Originally sold by Waikato Stud for NZ$340,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, he was on-sold by his owners at the June 2025 Inglis Digital sale for $70,000 to K Lack.
King’s Legacy adds lucky number 13
Tony Gollan-trained 3-year-old gelding Royal Mover (King’s Legacy) become winner number 13 for his second season sire when winning on debut at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.
Sold at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale for $115,000 by Millbrook to Tasman Bloodstock, he went through Coolmore Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft where he was bought by Australian Bloodstock and Gollan Racing for $100,000.
Listed form around Bubion translates at Mount Gambier
Patrick F Ryan Jnr-trained 3-year-old filly Bubion (All Too Hard) thrashed her rivals at Mount Gambier on Sunday by 3.24 lengths to win her maiden at start number six. It was her first run at three, having had five starts at two, all in Listed company.
She ran second on debut in the Listed Debutant Stakes, and was also fourth in the Listed Inglis Banner Stakes. A graduate of Gilgai Farm, she was bought by Anthony Freedman for $40,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and she took her earnings over $74,000.
Virus affects Macedon Lodge
G1 Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice (Extreme Choice) was scratched from Saturday’s G1 Underwood Stakes with a virus, and now the John Symons and Sheila Laxon stable has advised Racing Victoria stewards that several other horses have elevated temperatures.
Knight’s Choice | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“The John Symons and Sheila Laxon stable advised the Stewards on Friday that several horses in their care, including Knight’s Choice, had presented with elevated temperatures,” Racing Victoria said.
“Samples have been taken from the horses for testing and, as a precautionary measure, Stewards have advised the stable and fellow resident trainer Liam Howley not to move horses from the property until those test results are known in the coming days.”
Lope De Vega’s Words Of Truth wins Group 2
William Buick had missed out on a future Classic prospect at Newmarket on Saturday, but his Newbury visit ultimately paid off as Words Of Truth (Lope De Vega) captured Saturday's feature G2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes run in honour of Geoff Lewis.
“He's gone from strength to strength and that was a tough performance from him on that ground,” Buick said. “The horse who finished second won well on debut and I think is an exciting horse as well, so I think it was an up-to-scratch renewal and he was very professional. He ticks a lot of boxes and should get seven, you would imagine.”
Words Of Truth's dam Beyond Reason (Australia), who was the winner of the G2 Prix du Calvados and G3 Prix Six Perfections at two, has already produced a smart juvenile in the stable's ill-fated G2 Superlative Stakes winner and G1 Dewhurst Stakes third Ancient Truth (Dubawi).
Breeders’ Cup berth for Haulin Ice
Winner of the G3 Vagrancy Stakes at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet in May, Haulin Ice (USA) (Coal Front {USA}) secured her trip to the G1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint with victory in Saturday's G3 Princess Rooney Stakes at Gulfstream Park, a 'Win and You're In' race for the championship in November.
A private purchase for C2 Racing Stable, Paul Braverman, Miller Racing, and Timothy Pinch at Oaklawn in 2024 after she started her career going three for five for trainer Lindsay Schultz, Haulin Ice is conditioned by Saffie Joseph, Jr. Her six black-type wins under his care include five of her six most recent starts.
After spending his first five seasons in Central Kentucky, Coal Front moved to Red River Farms for 2025 and the timing couldn't have been better for his introduction to Louisiana. The Stay Thirsty stallion is having a 2025 to remember with four black-type winners to date this year, including graded winners Coal Battle, Crazy Mason, and Haulin Ice on the national stage. Overall, Coal Front has six black-type winners from his two crops aged three and up.
Runhappy sold to South Korea as owner quits
Racing has a serious integrity problem, Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale believes, and that is why he has pulled the plug and is leaving the game entirely. The Blood-Horse was the first to report the story.
“We couldn't compete with all the drugs and all the injections when we were running on just hay, oats and water,” he said. “It was an uphill battle. Runhappy climbed that hill but the rest of them couldn't. I'm not going to damage my integrity by drugging them and injecting them. I do right by the horses and what was right for the horses didn't allow us to win anymore. It was time to get out.”
“Horse racing has 80 million factions all at war with one another and there's no general direction,” he said. “In the NFL they all head in the same direction and that's why it is so successful.”
Runhappy (Super Saver), who stood at Claiborne Farm, struggled as a sire but he was still McIngvale's most valuable racing asset. According to McIngvale, the horse has been sold and will stand next year in South Korea.
“Horse racing needs to be the most transparent sport in the world, and it will be the greatest sport in the world,” McIngvale said. “We've got to get bigger fields and run on the grass like they do in England and Australia with those great, big grass gallops. They can get 20- or 30-horse fields, and all of a sudden you get some big payoffs, and you get a great bang for your buck.”
