Have Your Say extended for Thoroughbred Review
The Racing Review Team on behalf of Brad Hazzard announced on Friday that the deadline for Have Your Say on the NSW Thoroughbred Act Review has been extended. “The consultation period for the independent review of the Thoroughbred Racing Act 1996, led by the Hon Brad Hazzard, has been extended by two weeks to allow additional time for feedback,” the media statement said.
“Public consultation will now remain open on the Have Your Say webpage until 5pm on Monday 8 December 2025.”
Top weight for Super Smink in G1 Railway
Third in the G1 Railway Stakes last year, Dan Morton-trained Super Smink (Super One) has to contend with a bigger weight for Saturday’s version of the race. “It’s not ideal – they’ve put her literally equal with the top weight, (with the mares' 2kg allowance). It’s no easy task, but she’s going well… she’s a strong mare,” Morton told racing.com.
“She had a lot of time out between last spring and now to really furnish. She’d never really had big breaks, so we gave her that opportunity mid-year, and she spelled beautifully. She came in for winter just for a block of preparation, just to keep her at it a little bit, and so far, it’s working well for her.”
King Of Light ready for G2 WA Guineas
Trainer Dan Morton is excited to see unbeaten 3-year-old gelding King Of Light (Earthlight {Ire}) make it five wins in Saturday’s G2 WA Guineas. “Really good. Aaron Mitchell’s done all the trackwork on him and was really bullish about his work again this morning,” Morton told racing.com.
King Of Light | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
“If he can get through the week in one piece, he’s drawn a nice alley, Pikey’s on, so there’s a few things in his favour. He’s got the right demeanour for it (the mile), he really attacks the line. He’s still got to get there and do it, but he looks the goods.”
Saturday’s Mooloolaba Cup kicks of Queensland summer
The Queensland Summer Racing Carnival begins on Saturday at the Sunshine Coast with the Mooloolaba Cup meeting. “We had a bit of success with the Caloundra Cup in just trying to build the week up, and we thought we would do a similar community breakfast this week,” Sunshine Coast Turf Club CEO John Miller told racingqueensland.com.au.
“Everyone seems to enjoy coming out, we get a lot of families and it showcases the facilities, and we have 500 horses working here every morning. It's a day that we keep building each year, and it's the start of the Queensland Summer Racing Carnival, which we're all excited about. It's a great time of year in Queensland, and we're pretty excited to kick things off on Saturday.
“Half Yours winning the Caloundra Cup on his way to the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double was great for us - the Caloundra Cup is our signature event in the winter, and an event we've been trying to build for a number of years.”
Walsh Bay aiming for six in succession
Chris and Corey Munce-trained Walsh Bay (Deep Field) has won her last five in a row and heads to Saturday’s Mooloolaba Cup. “We're not talking about Winx here, she's going to get beaten at some point. We've got to play the cards we're dealt with and run her in the races we need to in order to qualify for January,” Chris Munce told racenet.com.au.
Walsh Bay | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“She's had a little freshen up out at the farm where she was kept in her box, looked after and fed up for a couple of weeks. She'd go out on the grass for the best part of the day and it basically just cleared her head and cooled her heels. She managed to put on quite a bit of weight but we've trimmed her back to a fighting weight.”
Juvenile Better Blitzem unbeaten in two starts
Georgie Holt-trained 2-year-old gelding Better Blitzem (Better Than Ready) stayed unbeaten in winning his second start at Mackay on Friday. He won at Townsville on debut. Better Blitzem was purchased by his trainer for $5000 at the Cornucopia Yearling Sale from Kenmore Lodge and took his earnings over $42,000.
He’s out of Belitsa (Rubick) who has a Dubious yearling filly. Belitsa was a Sydney winning juvenile at her second start, and trained on to win another later in her career. Belitsa's dam Beaver Rocks (Fastnet Rock) is a half-sister to R.Listed Magic Millions Cup winner Care To Think (So You Think {NZ}).
Romantic Warrior finally returns to the races
The world’s highest earning racehorse Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) makes his long-awaited return from injury in Sunday’s G2 Jockey Club Cup over 2000 metres at Sha Tin. He injured a fetlock in May, which required a screw inserted to stabilise the injury. “He’s been good, he’s happy and he’s healthy. He’s had three trials and one turf gallop at Sha Tin racecourse. All the reports from the jockey are positive,” trainer Danny Shum to scmp.com.
Romantic Warrior | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“I like to take this opportunity to thank Dr Lawrence Chan. When [Romantic Warrior] was in Dubai he was not 100 per cent but not bad – he wasn’t his usual self. When he finished Dubai and came back to quarantine, Dr Lawrence Chan did a few scans and found an incomplete fracture in his left fore joint.”
New Zealand Bloodstock announce dates for Online Yearlings
The annual New Zealand Bloodstock National Online Yearling Sale has been announced by the sales company to run from Friday April 10 to Tuesday April 14. The catalogue will be available on the Gavelhouse Plus platform from March 31.
Graduates of the sale are headlined by this spring’s G1 NZ 1000 Guineas winner Well Written (Written Tycoon) who was bought by Stephen Marsh Racing and Dylan Johnson Bloodstock for a sale-topping NZ$80,000 from Brighthill Farm’s 2024 National Online Yearling Sale draft.
Sands Of Mali dominates final day of Goffs Foal Sale
There can be few forces more unstoppable than a stallion on fire and Yeomanstown Stud's recent purchase Sands Of Mali ensured that the warm glow that burned bright in the sales ring throughout this year's Goffs November Foal Sale remained ablaze until the bitter end on Thursday.
Sands Of Mali was responsible for two of the most expensive lots – a filly and a colt at €100,000 (AU$179,000) and €90,000 (AU$161,000) respectively – on a day when the turnover climbed by 24%, the average by 17% and the median by 27%. Such rises cemented what many of the top buyers have agreed has been one of the most memorable editions of the November Foal Sale at Goffs.
That is saying something as this year's trade had a remarkably tough act to follow on from what played out here in 2024. But the figures don't lie; of the 861 foals that were offered throughout the week, 707 were sold at an 82% clearance rate. That represents a 5% rise. The €34,160,500 (AU$61 million) turnover represented a 5% rise on last year, despite the fact 17 more horses went through the ring 12 months ago, while the average was basically the same at €48,318 (AU$86,400) and the median fell by 7% to €26,000 (AU$46,500).
“We are not surprised as Goffs Orby broke records and set the scene for another good renewal and we knew we had been sent the lion's share of the best in the country. And as we have said so often, we are nothing without the horses, although we have once again proved our mantra that Goffs will deliver, and then some, when we are given the opportunities. That has all come together so well over the last four days,” Goffs CEO Henry Beeby said.
Sands Of Mali | Standing at Ballyhane Stud
“Finally, I want to pay tribute to the amazing horsemen and women. The dedication and care that we see day in day out from all those who present foals is inspiring every time a foal is shown. These youngsters are out of their comfort zone for the first time in their short lives but are obviously reassured by the care and understanding that is exhibited each time they are pulled out. As I mentioned, it's been unbelievably busy, but through the downpours of the weekend to the arctic temperatures today, every handler has shown their charges with positivity, tenderness and efficiency that has made the job at hand even more enjoyable than ever. We salute and thank them all.”
Tally-Ho Stud announce 2026 fees
Tally-Ho Stud's new recruit Maranoa Charlie, a Group 1-winning son of Wootton Bassett, has been introduced at a fee of €20,000 (AU$36,000) for the 2026 breeding season. Trained in France by Christopher Head, the 3-year-old is a four-time Group winner, those victories including the Prix de la Foret on Arc weekend.
This year's champion first-season sire-elect Starman has received a significant boost in fee, which rises from €10,000 to €40,000 (AU$72,000), while his stud-mate Mehmas, who was himself champion freshman sire in 2020, has been held at his 2025 fee of €70,000 (AU$125,000).
Emirates Racing partner with Tattersalls for unique Online Sale
The first edition of the Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) Online Sale will be held under the conditions of the ERA and hosted on the Tattersalls Online platform from November 24-27.
The unique online event is set to feature 15 lots including 13 Thoroughbreds and two Purebred Arabians and has been supported by leading stables and trainers with drafts featuring from Dubai Racing Club, Michael Costa, Ibrahim Al Hadrami, Ahmad bin Harmash and Champion trainer Bhupat Seemar.
“The ERA Online Sale marks another important development for Tattersalls Online and for the international bloodstock market,” said Katherine Sheridan, Tattersalls Online Sales manager. “We are proud to host this sale on behalf of the Emirates Racing Authority. This initiative enhances the accessibility of the UAE's racing talent and promotes the region's vibrant racing industry. The Tattersalls Online platform offers unrivalled reach and confidence and this sale presents another exciting opportunity to broaden the pathways of international bloodstock trade.”
France Galop win marketing award
France Galop received a trio of awards including the Grand Prix of Sport Business 2025 for their 'Horses in the City' event at CNOSF on Wednesday evening. The Grand Prix of Sport Business recognises the best initiatives and activations led by public and private stakeholders in support of sport and its ecosystem in France.
They also received the Prix Or, for the best event activation in support of sport, and the Prix Argent for Best Marketing by a sports organisation, for its sportainement strategy to reconnect the French public with horse racing.
Guillaume de Saint-Seine, the president of France Galop said, “France Galop and all the teams are very honoured to receive these three trophies that recognise our daily commitment to horse racing and our ability to create engaging experiences around major racing events. With the inaugural edition of 'Horses in the City' we aimed to engage Parisians at the Place de la Concorde, in line with our mission to bring racing back into the hearts of the French people. These awards bring pride to the entire industry and inspire us to keep offering unique experiences at our racecourses.”
HISA announce members of Medical Advisory Committee
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has named the members of its newly-established Medical Advisory Committee, a group of leading medical professionals with a broad range of specialties from across the United States who will provide expert guidance on matters related to jockey health, safety and well-being, a press release from the regulator said on Thursday.
The committee will advise HISA's executive team and standing committees by offering recommendations on best practices for jockey safety, reviewing proposed rules and providing insight on medical protocols involving jockey care, injury prevention, emergency response and other relevant health and safety topics.
“Establishing this committee marks a significant step in our mission to prioritize the health and safety of our jockeys, whose well-being is paramount,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “We're looking forward to working with an experienced group of medical experts who will help us continue building an ecosystem of care that sets a new standard for the sport.”
