Clark to replace Morgan on Private Harry
Co-owners Kurrinda Bloodstock announced on Monday that jockey Tim Clark would ride Private Harry (Harry Angel {Ire}) in his next start, the G2 Premiere Stakes, replacing Ash Morgan who rode the 4-year-old entire to win five of his six starts. “It's a Yulong decision to get a second opinion for the Premiere Stakes to see how the horse is progressing,” trainer Nathan Doyle told racenet.com.au.
Tim Clark | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“With so much money at stake these are the tough decisions that sometimes need to be made. It's disappointing for Ash but he is still very much a part of our stable.”
Cox Plate for Sir Delius
Co-trainer Adrian Bott wants to test the class of last Saturday’s G1 Underwood Stakes winner Sir Delius (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 Cox Plate ahead of his G1 Melbourne Cup assignment. “He certainly impressed us on the weekend,” Bott told racing.com.
Adrian Bott | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“There is a fair bit of class there with the acceleration, speed and turn of foot that he has got. That is the reason we have put him on the path he is on and gave us the confidence to head towards a Cox Plate.
“I think he can be competitive there. The Cox Plate has always been a pretty good guide for horses heading on to the Cup.”
Ka Ying Rising arrives in Sydney
Hong Kong Horse Of The Year and current The Everest favourite Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) arrived at Sydney’s quarantine facility, Canterbury racecourse, on Monday. “We only have a small pool of horses in Hong Kong and the people here become quite parochial about their champions as every country does,” jockey Zac Purton told racenet.com.au.
“Racing is the biggest sport in the city so the followers really get behind their great horses like they have with Romantic Warrior and Golden Sixty. With Ka Ying Rising going to The Everest, the race is creating a lot of interest in Hong Kong. It continues to build as we get closer to the race and I think that is great for racing in Sydney and Australia, and great for racing globally as well.
“Ka Ying Rising is the new superstar of Hong Kong racing and a lot of his followers are excited to be travelling to Sydney to watch him race. I was very conscious of booking my flight early to get a seat on the plane!”
Charm Stone gallops well ahead of Manikato
Co-trainer Mick Price was pleased with the way Charm Stone (I Am Invincible) galloped on Monday ahead of Friday’s nights G1 Manikato Stakes. A 10% share in the mare is currently available on Inglis Digital with the auction closing on Wednesday September 24.
“She was good. We’ve had a nice, long run up with her. She sat off Leongatha, who’s a 3-year-old filly in the Scarborough, it was a little bit of a mismatch there but that’s fair enough. I was very happy with her,” Price told racing.com.
“Her trials have been good, she’s had a preparation where nothing’s gone wrong, so she’s sailing in. I said to Sheamus (Mills, co-owner) if it was just an average race anywhere, she’d go there and win of course, but it’s the Manikato. A bit like what happened in the Moir there, it’s a real argy bargy race isn’t it, plenty of traffic, plenty of shifting, plenty of desperation.”
Half Yours given Caulfield Cup penalty
Saturday’s G3 Naturalism Stakes winner Half Yours (St Jean {Ire}) has been given a 1.5kg penalty and will carry 52.5kg in the G1 Caulfield Cup. “Half Yours won the Naturalism Stakes in effortless style, and the dominant nature of his performance by an expanding margin is worthy of a reassessment in both cups,” Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper David Hegan told racing.com.
“In the Caulfield Cup, he takes a 1.5kg penalty from his previous minimum weight of 51kg, which was the same penalty handed to the 2022 Naturalism winner Smokin’ Romans when he was also on the minimum weight in the Caulfield Cup.
Half Yours | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“In the Melbourne Cup, his true weight based on his handicap form would now be 50.5kg, however with the minimum lifted to 51kg this year he was already handicapped on the limit weight and thus his weight won’t change. This takes into account the fact that Caulfield Cup weights are 2kg higher than Melbourne Cup weights this year due to the topweights.
“As Half Yours is now 9kg below the weight-for-age benchmark for an older male in the Melbourne Cup, he moves up the order of entry to 47th. To guarantee a start in the Melbourne Cup, he will likely need to gain a further penalty or win a golden ticket race.”
Pride Of Jenni to resume in Feehan on Friday
Former Horse Of The Year Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) will resume in Friday night’s G2 Feehan Stakes. She hasn’t raced since running 10th in the G1 Doomben Cup in May. “She's improving with each gallop and jump-out. Her first one (jump-out), she was a bit soft and her second one, she trialled a lot better,” trainer Ciaron Maher told racenet.com.au.
Pride Of Jenni | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“She's come on nicely from that and Dec (Bates) was pretty happy with her this morning. She's heading in the right direction. When she runs first-up over 14, she generally gets beaten so a mile is more to her liking. She probably cops 14 (00m) harder because she's at her top basically all the way.
“All the signs are pretty good. But, I suppose with an older mare, you always want to see it on the track.”
Cavanough training partnership announced
Scone trainer Brett Cavanough began a training partnership with his daughter Georgie on Monday. Cavanough, who has won over 1173 races, has won the NSW Country trainer title five times. “She’s reared with horses in the back yard and always had a keen interest. When she left school, she went to England and worked for William Haggas, and came home and got the Hunter Valley scholarship to do the Irish National Stud course,” Cavanough told TTR on Monday.
“I offered her the partnership once before but she went and got a nursing degree and played a bit of union while at university. She’s been running the farm for us, we have 15 broodmares and she did the foaling down and looks after the spellers. This time she said yes (to the partnership)! She knows all our clients, and is a keen horse woman.”
The pair enjoyed a second placing with Hibiki Harmony (Showtime) at Narromine on the first day of their partnership. Cavanough’s website includes the interesting snippet that he became the first Australian to hold an official World Shearing Record when he shore 427 in eight hours at Widgeiwa Station in the Riverina in September 1997.
Injured rider update: McDonnell
Jockey Georgina McDonnell injured her foot in a fall at Narromine on Monday from Bush Letter (Stratum Star). “Georgina reported her foot has since become swollen and is taking herself to hospital for precautionary scans,” said racingnsw.com.au.
Tagaloa adds winner number nine
At Grafton on Monday, second season sire Tagaloa enjoyed his ninth winner when Jordan Lee-trained 3-year-old filly Prestige Ice won. She was having her third start and her first as a 3-year-old.
Prestige Ice was sold by Yulong for $28,000 to Eric Leung at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and is a half-sister to stakes-placed 3-year-old gelding Kalkallo (Alabama Express). Their dam, Written Era (Written Tycoon) was Group 3-placed.
Indiana Turner-trained 3-year-old colt Need For Spieth (Spieth {NZ}) also won at the meeting.
Proven sires add 3-year-old winners at Warrnambool
Monday’s Warrnambool meeting saw three 3-year-old maiden winners and all by proven sires. Mitchell Freedman-trained filly Savitri (So You Think {NZ}) impressed with a debut victory winning by 2.5 lengths.
It was Henry Dwyer-trained colt Crack A Deel (Dundeel {NZ}) who showed plenty with a thumping 4.25-length win over 2000 metres. Crack A Deel was having his second start at three having placed at two. Tom Dabernig-trained filly Nighttime Star (Star Turn) won the second on the card.
Callow loses appeal on ban
Jockey Noel Callow has lost an appeal to have his 10-month disqualification overturned. “The comments made by the Applicant were derogatory and humiliating and they had undoubted racist overtones,” the decision by the Queensland Racing Appeals Panel (QRAP) read.
“By its very nature, such conduct is to be deprecated and must be denounced. Alcohol was no doubt an influencing factor, particularly in relation to the second incident in time. That may go some way to explaining, though not excusing, the conduct. As the stewards properly recognised, it is a feature of aggravation that the events were recorded and 'published' by the applicant.
“Thoroughbred racing relies heavily on the confidence of the public and industry stakeholders. When racist or other offensive behaviour is recorded and widely circulated, it has the capacity to undermine that confidence.”
Treble for visiting rider in Tasmania
Japanese rider Shogo Nakano, who is currently riding in Tasmania on a three-month visa, rode a treble at Devonport on Sunday. “He gets them going pretty good, this bloke doesn’t he?” trainer John Blacker told tasracing.com.au.
Blacker trained all three winners, Tizsa Nice Drop (Vino Rosso {USA}), Warica (War) and Power Magnum (Magnus). Jockey Erica Byrne Burke also rode a treble on the card on Respite (Alpine Eagle), Cherokee Dancer (Harry Angel {Ire}), and Blonde Star (Starcraft {NZ}).
No Nay Never filly wins Group 3
Becoming the latest Pattern-race winner in the silks of Richard and Roisin Henry on Saturday, Catching The Moon (No Nay Never) came out on top in Ayr's G3 Firth of Clyde Stakes. “On pedigree she could go up in trip, but I'll just get her home for now and see how she is,” trainer Richard Fahey said.
“There are not that many races for them at this time of year and no easy races, especially after winning a Group 3. I'll speak to the owners and make a decision from there, but she's an exciting filly with a great mind and a great set of ears on her as well.”
Catching The Moon is the first foal out of Riches And Rubies (Uncle Mo), a daughter of 2015 Pretty Polly heroine Diamondsandrubies (Fastnet Rock) whose best progeny was No Nay Never's Cheveley Park Stakes runner-up Pearls And Rubies.
Samangan wins maiden in Group 3
Aga Khan Studs representative 2-year-old colt Samangan (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) shed maiden status with an impressive wide-margin triumph at Deauville towards the end of last month and continued on the upgrade with a black-type breakthrough in Saturday's G3 Prix Eclipse Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage at Chantilly.
“He was never really travelling smoothly and didn't look like a winner at halfway. Maybe the [soft] ground is the reason, but I don't know. When he started finding his best stride, the way he quickened was quite interesting and in the end it was a good performance. I will now put him away until next year, start over six again and see. At this stage I would not to be too keen to run him over further than six furlongs,” said trainer Francis Graffard.
Samangan, who becomes the eighth pattern-race winner for his sire, is the seventh of eight foals and one of three scorers out of a winning half to multiple Group 1-winning European champion Sarafina (Refuse To Bend), dual stakes-winning G1 Prix Saint-Alary runner-up Sanaya (Barathea), G3 Firebreak Stakes victor Sandagiyr (Dr Fong) and the multiple Group 3-placed Sanjida (Polish Precedent).
Racing returns to Saudi Arabia from October
Racing begins at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on October 16, the first of 50 meetings before the February 14, 2026 $20-million G1 Saudi Cup concludes the season, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday.
The schedule change was made to accommodate the Holy Month of Ramadan, which falls around February 28. The seventh running of the Saudi Cup coincides with the 41st Asian Racing Conference, titled 'Honouring Tradition – Shaping The Future', which takes place in the country from February 9 and closes at The Saudi Cup. The International Jockeys' Challenge (IJC) is set for February 13.
Nine races will be held the following day as the Saudi Cup enters its seventh year with the G2 Neom Turf Cup, G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint and the G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap offering a host of opportunities. Racing will take place Thursday-Saturday with 12-race cards each day until the finale.
