Rey Magnerio heads to Perth for Winterbottom
Trainer Robbie Griffiths will target the G1 Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot on November 29 with Group 2 winner Rey Magnerio (Magnus). “He leaves today to go to Sydney, and then he flies from Sydney to Perth, and he should be there late Monday night,” Griffiths told racingandsports.com.au on Sunday.
Robbie Griffiths | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
He was third in the Listed Century Stakes last start. “He should have won easily. He just got into awkward spots, and in a 1000-metre race, you can't have anything go wrong. He's ended up sort of zigzagging everywhere, which is a shame. But the horse's performance was very, very good.”
Victorian spring Group 1s spread around
Of the 22 Group 1 races across the Victorian spring, the large stables of Ciaron Maher and Chris Waller won three a-piece, leaving 16 races spread across other stables. Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr scored a pair with two different horses, while Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Sir Delius (GB) (Frankel {GB}) won two, as did Tony and Calvin McEvoy thanks to Half Yours (St Jean {Ire}) winning the Cups double.
Tempted targets Surround Stakes
Godolphin’s 3-year-old filly Tempted (Street Boss {USA}) will return to work this week ahead of an autumn carnival and will target the G1 Surround Stakes. She was second in the G1 The Everest last start. “After the Everest we kept her for an easy week at Bong Bong then she had three weeks there,” trainer Ciaron Maher’s assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord told racingnsw.com.au.
So Tempted | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“They’ve got a good system, they’ve been doing it for a long time, and the horses always come back looking very well. Even though she has a good record, she’s not a Group 1 winner yet and we felt the Surround would be the best target for her. When she’s at her best I think she’s as good as any sprinter in Australia.” The Surround Stakes is held at Randwick on February 28.
Sheza Alibi set for Australian Guineas
Co-trainer Peter Moody will target the G1 Australian Guineas with last start G2 Sandown Guineas winner Sheza Alibi (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}). “I am very mindful she has had a pretty sustained preparation and a very rushed preparation,” Moody told racing.com.
“She went through that Brisbane winter and only had a very short break before she came down here for the spring. She is only going to get a very short break in the autumn, so I wouldn’t think it would be a deep autumn. She’s only had three runs for us, but she has got that good turn of foot, so we really don’t know what the ceiling is.
Peter Moody | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“Ultimately, she is very professional. She eats her head off and, touch wood, she is amazingly sound. So, I thought that if we could keep her in our own backyard, which is Melbourne, for the moment maybe a race like the Australian Guineas is a realistic target against the boys.”
Gringotts to attempt double/double
Last year, Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) won The Big Dance and The Gong, before winning the G1 George Ryder Stakes in the autumn. This year, he won The Big Dance and on Saturday will run in The Gong. “He's come out of The Big Dance super,” trainer Ciaron Maher told racingandsports.com.au.
Brown booked for Light Infantry Man’s Hong Kong Vase run
Trainer Ciaron Maher has booked Ethan Brown to ride Light Infantry Man (Fr) (Fast Company {Ire}) in the G1 Hong Kong Vase on December 14. “They're spread far and wide, all over the world, Light Infantry's owners, so hopefully they all get there,” Maher told racenet.com.au.
“The facilities are second to none, they (Hong Kong Jockey Club) look after you well, there's no real negatives about it, the competition is hot, the tracks are firm, it's great. I'm trying to work out who's going to be in the field, but I'm pretty keen to get him to the mile and a half and he continues to improve.
Ciaron Maher | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“It was a really good run (Champions Stakes), I was pretty upbeat about his chances but they were over after about five metres … we wanted to be leading, not be last. But he still ran very well, now he's a bit older I'm keen to get him to (up in distance).”
Brave One compared to Briasa
After winning at Newcastle on Saturday, co-trainer Michael Hawkes has compared 4-year-old gelding Brave One (Exceedance) to his G1 TJ Smith Stakes winner Briasa (Smart Missile). “We unearthed another star on this day in Briasa and hopefully this bloke might keep going down that path,” Hawkes told racenet.com.au on Sunday.
“He has got a bright future. We've always had a big opinion of him. More importantly, the owners have been very big supporters of us of late. We had to geld him early and paid $300,000 being by Exceedance and he was the highest priced Exceedance at that sale so people don't take that lightly and when we had to geld him, we had to get the job done and now they are going to reap the rewards because there is a lot of prizemoney on offer.
"So hopefully he will get to the highest of heights and we think he will.” Brave One has won four of his nine starts and run second three times for earnings over $470,000.
Nadal needs to improve to defend Meteorite crown
Trainer Ciaron Maher knows Nadal (Xtravagant {NZ}) needs to improve his current form to defend his The Meteorite crown on Saturday. “He just needs to be ridden that little bit quieter, he had no cover. He probably wasn't ready for those (Heavy) conditions, but I did expect more,” Maher told racenet.com.au.
“I'm hopeful rather than confident. We'll see what's in it, he's certainly the right sort of horse, I just need to get him into the right frame of mind.” Injury in the run after his The Meteorite victory meant Nadal was off the scene for nine months, but he’s been disappointing in his two starts back.
Bong Bong to celebrate 139 years on Friday
First run in 1886, the Bong Bong races will celebrated 139 years on Friday. “On Friday the unique Bong Bong Racecourse will transform into a vibrant celebration of country racing and timeless style,” Lucinda Murchie, Secretary/Manager of Bong Bong Picnic Race Club, told racingnsw.com.au.
Bong Bong racetrack | Image courtesy of Bong Bong Picnic Race Club
“The event draws thousands of members and guests from across Australia for a day of spirited racing, elegant fashion and warm hospitality. This year’s six-race program promises a full card of picnic races featuring local and regional stables, with the coveted Bong Bong Cup as the centrepiece.”
New winner for Cool Aza Beel
Second season sire Cool Aza Beel (NZ) added winner number 10 when 3-year-old filly Polo won the opening race at Wyong on Sunday for trainer Gary Portelli. She is the fifth winner for Fashion (Encosta De Lago) who is a stakes placed half-sister to Listed winner Villain (Carnegie {Ire}).
King’s Legacy adds another winner
At Donald on Sunday, King’s Legacy’s 3-year-old filly Queen Of The Surf won her maiden for trainer Simon Zahra to become winner number 22 for her second season sire. She was purchased from Sledmere Stud’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale draft for $35,000 by her trainer and J Scully.
The third winner from as many to race for Layne’s Star (Love Conquers All), Queen Of The Surf has a yearling full sister still to come. The Donald Cup was won by Dark Journey (Needs Further).
Dracarys juvenile wins in Cairns
On Sunday at Cairns, Scott Cooper-trained 2-year-old filly Alberta Bound (Dracarys) won at her second start, having placed at Townsville a fortnight ago. The juvenile filly was sold by Oakwood Farm at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $45,000 to Leon Morton.
Alberta Bound is the fourth winner from four runners for Alberta (Magic Albert) who was a winner at her third start as an autumn 3-year-old. She had a Dracarys filly this season.
Invader sired a double at the meeting with 3-year-old gelding Satisfied Mugs and 4-year-old Sowilo Siren who has now won four times. Satisfied Mugs took his record to five wins from 10 starts.
More black type on the cards for Mary Shan
Trainer Andrew Forsman is hoping the rain stays away so he can get some more black type with Group 2-placed Mary Shan (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) after she won on Saturday. “She could potentially back up for the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes at Pukekohe next Saturday, although there’s the prospect of some rain around, so we won’t rush into a decision on that,” Forsman told Loveracing.nz.
“We could wait until the following Saturday, where there’s a nice set weights and penalties race at Ellerslie (G3 Great Northern Challenge Stakes). And then we head into December, where races like the G2 Cal Isuzu might really suit her. So there’s a few races that we can choose from, and we’ll just take things as they come and pick out what suits her best.”
Fionn continues on with another Graded win
Fourth most recently in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes at Keeneland October 11, Fionn (Twirling Candy) turned on the tables on that race's runner up, Laurelin (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}) to win Saturday's G3 Jockey Club Oaks at Aqueduct.
It's been a year of incredible form for the Brad Cox trainee as the 3-year-old filly has won five of seven starts including her first Grade 1 success in the G1 Belmont Oaks Invitational at Saratoga in July. In fact, that fourth in the QEII as the favourite marked her only off-the-board finish in her entire career to date.
Winning co-owner Michel Lee said, “Brad (Cox) will give us the plan. We may have another one in us out in California. We might take a shot at the (G1) American Oaks.” Fionn has won seven of her 10 starts.
Record lot numbers for Tattersalls Digital
The eight-horse Alne Park Dispersal leads a batch of 13 wildcards for the Tattersalls Online November Sale set to begin at 11 am local time on Tuesday, November 18 and end a day later. This brings the total entries to 199, a new record for the platform.
Intello colt tops Arqana November Yearling Sale
The Fairway Consignment's Intello colt (Lot 127) out of La Viette (Oasis Dream) topped the single-day Arqana November Yearling Sale in Deauville on Saturday. MAB Agency paid €45,000 (AU$80,300) for the relative of G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes hero The Revenant (Dubawi).
Lot 127 - Intello (Fr) x La Viette (GB) colt | Image courtesy of Arqana
The second highest price of the day was €30,000 (AU$53,600) for the Sioux Nation filly Cite Bergere, who caught the eye of Pegasus Bloodstock. Offered by Haras de la Croix Sonnet, Lot 83 is kin to the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Irish 1000 Guineas third La Nuit Rose (Rainbow Quest).
Overall, 103 lots sold of 119 offered (86.5%) for a gross of €798,500 (AU$1.4 million) up 33%. The average and median also rose 51% to €7,752 (AU$13,800) and 43% to €5000 (AU$8920), respectively. The Fairway Consignment was the leading vendor with 10 lots sold for €182,000 (AU$325,000), while Nurzhigit Tabyldiyev was the leading buyer, picking up 16 head for €79,000 (AU$141,000).
France welcomes new auction house
New French auction house AKTEM, dedicated to Thoroughbred and Arabian racehorses, was launched earlier this month. The new sales company will hold its physical sales at Maisons-Laffitte, as well as having an online auction presence beginning in the new year.
Through an exclusive partnership with the French-based city of Maisons-Laffitte, AKTEM will benefit from the nearby racecourse and utilise the longest home straight in Europe, which offers an ideal location and is perfectly suited infrastructure for hosting sales and welcoming horses and professionals. Recently renovated, the track offers optimal conditions for 2-year-old breeze up sales.
AKTEM's Sofiane Benaroussi, who is an owner/breeder himself, said, “Since entering the horse racing industry in 2022, I have wanted to contribute by innovative initiatives to bring dynamism and attractiveness to this fascinating world. This is how GALORAMA, a 360° French media platform dedicated to horse racing, was first created within the Group.
“Noticing a decline in activity in certain segments of the racehorse auction market in France, and recognising the entrepreneurial opportunities this situation presents, the adventure expanded with a second, independent project: AKTEM. My hope is that this new venture benefits everyone — it's not about keeping the whole cake at the expense of others, but about sharing it so we can move forward together.”
Spearman resigns from Eclipse Thoroughbreds
Brian Spearman, who has served as the chairman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners since 2015, has decided to step away from his day-to-day role with the company at the end of this year, marking a decade of unprecedented success for the Eclipse stable and overall business during his tenure, the syndicate said in a press release late Friday.
“Brian's business acumen, combined with his sheer passion for the Thoroughbred horse racing industry has played a vital role in Eclipse's rise within the public partnership space and our considerable success on the racetrack,” Eclipse Founder and President Aron Wellman said.
