Different Gravy to target Queensland Derby
Saturday’s inaugural Melbourne Classic winner Different Gravy (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) will target the G1 Queensland Derby. The race, over 2000 metres is designed to give a pathway for stamina-bred locals. Different Gravy won the Listed TAB Trophy Handicap over 1800 metres last start.
“I think he's learning all the time and getting better. Early doors he used to get on the bridle and get his head up when they came back, but today with that tempo, but also with Mark's hands, he didn't do it as much. He really settled well in those mid-stages and really allowed himself to use that turn of foot,” trainer Henry Dwyer said.
“I think the further the better now that he's settling. He's earned a spell now but we'd like to think he's a Queensland Derby horse in the winter.”
Mary Shan upstages the G3 Great Northern Challenge Stakes
Four times runner up in black type races, 5-year-old mare Mary Shan (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) broke through for her first stakes win in Saturday’s G3 Great Northern Challenge Stakes. And she had to beat the short favourite and reigning Horse Of The Year El Vencedor (NZ) (Shocking) to do it.
“That very heavy track has been her only blip in this preparation,” trainer Andrew Forsman’s racing manager Joe Walker said. “She’s going super. We had a very good one to beat today, catching El Vencedor is a tough task on a track that he loves, but she was brilliant.
“We thought she was going well at home leading into this, her work had been super, and in the end it all worked out beautifully. She’s won really well today and we’ll get her home now and assess where we go from here. But the (G2) Rich Hill Mile on New Year’s Day is the one race we’d pencilled in beyond this.”
Mary Shan has won five of her 22 starts and over NZ$480,000. She was a NZ$180,000 purchase by her trainer from Prima Park’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale draft.
Aviatress wins Listed Doveton Stakes
Richard and Chantelle Jolly-trained 5-year-old mare Aviatress (Smart Missile) resumed with a second in the G3 How Now Stakes and she went one better on Saturday at Caulfield when winning the Listed Doveton Stakes by a quarter of a length. In second was Matthew Dale-trained Boston Rocks (Hellbent) with Will Clarken-trained Prairie Flower (Star Turn) in third.
She hasn’t won since the Listed Matrice Stakes in March but has raced exclusively in black type company and has been thereabouts with several stakes placings in that time. She’s now the winner of seven races, three at black type level, from 19 starts with earnings over $540,000.
Raced by Price Bloodstock, Aviatress is out of Twin Star Rocket (Bel Esprit) and is one of 27 stakes winners for her sire.
Here To Shock wins Listed Testa Rossa Stakes
Group 1 winner Here To Shock (NZ) (Shocking) won the last on the card at Caulfield, the Listed Testa Rossa Stakes, for the Hayes brothers. He hadn’t won since he flew to New Zealand for his Group 1 success in February this year.
The result was tight on the line with Symon Wilde-trained Persian Spirit (Cable Bay {Ire}) only 0.19 lengths way in second, and it was another four lengths back to third placed Charlotte Littlefield-trained Big Swinger (Trapeze Artist).
Here To Shock has won 14 of his 42 starts and over $2.9 million. He was a NZ$70,000 purchase by Slade Bloodstock from Cambridge Stud’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale draft of 2019. He is a half-brother to Listed winner Turn The Ace (NZ) (Turn Me Loose {NZ}).
Listed Starlight Stakes won by Flying For Fun
Spieth (NZ) achieved his second stakes winner when Bryce Heys-trained 4-year-old mare Flying For Fun won Saturday’s Listed Starlight Stakes at Rosehill. It was her third career win, and she won by 1.3 lengths from Richard Litt-trainer Barber (Exceed And Excel) with Matthew Dale-trained Front Page (Magnus) in third.
Not offered at auction, Flying For Fun is the only live foal of Vol Prive (Sebring) who is from the family of G1 Köln Preis von Europa winner Empoli (Ger) (Halling {USA}).
Quinella for Waterhouse and Bott in Listed ATC Cup
Winner of the 2023 G1 Australian Derby, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained 6-year-old gelding Major Beel (NZ) (Savabeel) had won only once since then, back in September 2024. He’s been knocking around in city and stakes company since, and finally broke through in Saturday’s Listed ATC Cup. He won by 1.3 lengths from 4-year-old entire and stablemate Shangri La Spring (Castelvecchio). In third was Bjorn Baker-trained Hollywood Hero (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}).
“He has been quite consistent in his form, but he does need the right conditions to break through,” Bott said.
“The key is just getting out to 2000 metres today and aided by a lovely ride by Rachel (King), things fell into place nicely for him.”
Winner of over $1.8 million, Major Beel was sold by Waikato Stud at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $260,000 to his trainers. He is the first foal of unraced Gram (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) who has been to Savabeel for three more foals but has yet to produce another winner.
Four for Maloney at Doomben
Jockey Ryan Maloney rode four winners at Doomben on Saturday including both the Listed races on the card. “I've had a bit of luck going my way with a few of the boys being in the sidelines and I was the lucky one to pick up the, well, not scraps by any means,” Maloney said.
Midnight In Tokyo (Kobayashi) won the Listed Tattersall’s Classic at Doomben for the Queensland satellite stable of Annabel and Rob Archibald. It was the first black type win for the 6-year-old mare, who has six wins from 30 starts and earnings over $600,000.
She becomes the third stakes winner for her sire who is a son of I Am Invincible. Midnight In Tokyo is a half-sister to Listed winner Generosity (Divine Prophet), and both are out of Orabelle (Casino Prince). Orabelle is a daughter of Group 1 winner Bel Mer (Bel Esprit), making her a half-sister to Group 3 winner Bel Merci (Extreme Choice) and Listed winner All Too Royal (All Too Hard).
Maloney's two non-black type wins were on Space Tracker (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}) and Silver Wedding (Zoustar) who is a full sister to Group 1 winner Schwarz.
Maloney’s Listed Recognition Stakes
Night Of Thunder (Ire) is going to win the GB/Ire Champion Sire Title in 2025 for the first time. He shuttled briefly to Australia for one season in 2016, and from that crop came Rockribbed, who won his second stakes race in Saturday’s Listed Recognition Stakes at Doomben on Saturday for jockey Ryan Maloney.
The Tony Gollan-trained 8-year-old gelding now has 10 wins from 30 starts with earnings over $580,000. Originally sold by Flinders Park Stud at the Inglis Melbourne Gold Yearling Sale for $14,000 to Polaris Bloodstock, he went through an Inglis Digital Sale in 2023 for $27,500.
Capitalist had a double at Doomben with Balance The Books and Ser Joh.
Listed Jungle Dawn Classic won by Toropa
Toronado (Ire) enjoyed stakes winner number 46 when 5-year-old mare Toropa won the Listed Jungle Dawn Classic in Perth for trainer Simon Miller. She won her first five in succession as a three and 4-year-old, and now has seven wins and five placings from 16 starts.
She was sold by Amelia Park at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale for $230,000 to Vern Brockman and took her earnings over $340,000. A half-sister to stakes placed La Farola (Deep Field), she is out of stakes placed Europa Point (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}).
Listed Wanganui Cup winner heads to Wellington Cup
Allan Sharrock-trained Tshiebwe (NZ) (Tarzino {NZ}) will head to the G3 Wellington Cup over two miles next following Saturday’s victory in the Listed Wanganui Cup. He’s now won two of his three starts this spring, and has a career tally of six wins from 16 starts. Tshiebwe becomes the eighth stakes winner for his sire.
“A nice horse and I’m thrilled for Deano (McKenzie) in America,” Sharrock said of his co-owner and co-breeder. McKenzie is the former NZ TAB CEO.
“He is just a massive, big string bean and he couldn’t walk as a foal as he was so big and gangly. His long term plan is the Wellington Cup, so we will see how we go.” His dam is four-time winner Aint No Lollygagga (NZ) (No Excuse Needed {GB}) who has produced one other winner.
Pulsating win by Pulsatina
The Listed Trevor and Corallie Eagle Memorial Stakes was won by 3-year-old filly Pulsatina (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) for trainers Shaun and Emma Clotworthy. She became his 15th stakes winner for her sire who is a son of High Chaparral (Ire).
Owned by New Zealand Thoroughbred Holdings, she has won two of her four starts. She is the seventh winner for Edie (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) who also produced stakes placed Lucky Edie (NZ) (Swiss Ace).
Circus Dancer stays unbeaten with first stakes win
Saturday’s Listed JC O’Learys Fillies Stakes in New Zealand was won by 3-year-old filly Circus Dancer (NZ) (Circus Maximus {Ire}) who is now unbeaten in two starts for trainer Cody Cole. She becomes the second stakes winner for her second season sire.
She is a half-sister to Listed winner Khanshe (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) out of unraced O’Reilly (NZ) mare Folies Bergere (NZ).
Incandescent heads to Karaka Million
Per Incanto (USA) juvenile gelding Incandescent (NZ) won on debut at Ellerslie on Saturday for MyRacehorse. He will head to the R.Listed Karaka Million 2YO Classic in late January. Trained by Roger James and Robert Wellwood, he won 1.8 lengths from Prague filly She’s No Saint. “It was a good effort as through the middle stages he was a good way off them and looked like he didn’t know what he was there for,” James said.
“To be able to round them up like he did over 1100m is a good effort. Personally, and I voiced this opinion to the owners yesterday, I think he is more of a 1400m to 1600m 3-year-old. To do this is a bonus, so we might have to rethink our programme.”
The now defunct TAB Racing Club purchased him for NZ$200,000 from Little Avondale Stud’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale. He is the first foal of winning mare Saint Katarina (Snitzel), a half-sister to Group 3 winners Saint Encosta (Encosta de Lago), Kittens (Redoute’s Choice), and Sheer Talent (Redoute’s Choice).
Kembla Grange abandoned
Saturday’s meeting at Kembla Grange was abandoned after 3-year-old colt Captivating Tycoon (Capitalist) won the first. The track lost power in high winds, and trainers were encouraged to nominate for future meetings.
Sandbar adds new winner
Second season sire Sandbar added his third winner when 3-year-old filly Barsandbi won at Kempsey on Saturday by an impressive 6.5 lengths for trainer Gregory McFarlane. The filly is out of Miss Alibi (Alert) who won twice and placed in the Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes.
Invader had a double at the meeting with Battledance and Battle Reign.
Winner number six for Peltzer
Peltzer added winner number six when his first crop 3-year-old gelding Demi God won at Wagga on Saturday by over three lengths for trainer Michael Travers. Initially sold by Twin Hills Stud for $65,000 at the Inglis HTBA Sale, he was recently put through Inglis Digital where Twyford Adam purchased him for $5500.
His dam Demetria (Conatus) has a 2-year-old full sister to Demi God, and she’s a winning half-sister to Group 1 winner Samaready (More Than Ready), the dam of G1 Golden Slipper winner Shinzo and R.Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Exhilarates (Snitzel).
Dual Group 2 winning Aussie set for Hong Kong Cup
Trainer Douglas Whyte hopes that his recent import, dual Group 2 winner Shanwah (NZ) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) can win on Sunday to make his case for the G1 Hong Kong Cup in December. “I thought his local debut was a nice first-up run. The distance was too short and he wasn’t quite ready, as we all knew,” Whyte told scmp.com.
Shanwah | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He’s come on a lot from that introduction to Hong Kong racing and the step up in trip will certainly be beneficial. I don’t think he’ll need a lot more time [to reach his peak] given what he has shown me in a short space of time. He’s certainly adapted and adjusted. He’s come on significantly from that first-up run and he’s definitely acclimatised and adjusted much quicker than I would have expected him to.”
Shanwah won the G2 Autumn Classic and G2 Alistair Clarke Stakes before running third in the G1 Australian Derby behind Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio).
New winner for Bivouac
On Friday night at Canterbury, 3-year-old filly Jaegers become winner number 14 for second season sire Bivouac. She was having her third start for Gary Portelli in the Godolphin colours, having placed at both her prior starts.
Jaegers is a three-quarter sister to Listed winner Renosu (Exceed And Excel) out of Lonhro mare Ghisoni who won the G2 Surround Stakes.
At the same meeting, Balkans (Lonhro) was a winner, and he’s bred on the reverse cross, being out of Exceed And Excel mare Ottoman. Balkans took his record to five wins from 20 starts.
Jackson-Stops wins Europe bloodstock agent of the year
A host of big-race successes in 2025 has contributed to Billy Jackson-Stops scooping the bloodstock agent of the year award for the first time.
The presentation was made ahead of the penultimate session of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale on Friday, with Geoffrey Howson, the Hon. President of the Federation of Bloodstock Agents, handing over the prize.
Jackson-Stops said, “I am greatly honoured to be named Bloodstock Agent of the Year. One of the greatest achievements anyone can have in their industry is recognition from their peers, so to be acknowledged by Geoffrey and others at the FBA means the world to me.
“I must thank my wife, Lily. Without her, I could not have achieved anything close to what I've been fortunate enough to accomplish. Her ability to work, run a house, and largely raise our two children on her own is the reason I'm able to travel and work as much as I do. She gives me the peace of mind to focus fully on my job, and none of this would have been possible without her.”
Not This Time colt Magnitude wins Clark Stakes
In what was probably America's most anticipated race in the older horse division since the GI Breeders' Cup Classic nearly four weeks ago, the 151st running of the GII Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs Friday lived up to expectations and then some.
Runaway GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes winner and Winchell Thoroughbreds colour-bearer 3-year-old colt Magnitude (Not This Time), one of the most heralded 3-year-olds on the Derby Trail at the beginning of the year, put it all together in his first start against older horses to capture the historic race over Wathnan Racing's G1 Dubai World Cup hero Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}).
“It's so great to win this race, especially with him showing a different dimension by sitting just off the lead,” said winning Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. “I think we've always been excited about his level of talent. For him to put it all together here and turn the corner, it's a good sign for next year.”
Asmussen and Winchell Thoroughbreds previously won the Clark in 2016 with Gun Runner, also the last 3-year-old winner of the race, who went on to a Horse of the Year campaign the following season.
While no one is going to be able to stand in the way of six-time leading sire Into Mischief winning his seventh consecutive title when 2025 closes, Not This Time–who has only six crops to race–is proving a formidable foe. Second on the general sires list with more than US$22.5 million (AU$34.4 million) on the year after adding Magnitude's Clark earnings, as well as 13 graded winners, Not This Time currently leads all North American-based sires by black-type winners for the year with 25.
Sale topper adds another Graded win
A few weeks removed from having topped this year's Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale on a bid of US$3.7 million (AU$5.7 million) from Bill Shiveley's Dixiana Farms, Lush Lips (GB) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) pounced on long-time leader Classic Q (Classic Empire) with less than a furlong to race in Friday's GII Mrs. Revere Stakes and held off a late surge from East Coast raider Pretty Picture (Munnings) by a long neck as the heavy 1-2 favourite.
“She's improved the entire year,” said trainer Brendan Walsh, who was not far from Shiveley when the bidding on Lush Lips took place that Tuesday afternoon. “All credit to our team. I'm very thankful for the Dixiana Farms team to keep her in training. We had this race in mind after the sale. We'll take her down to Florida after this and get her ready for her 4-year-old season.”
Glorious Boy wins Pulpit in dramatic fashion
In dramatic fashion, Glorious Boy awarded his freshman sire Independence Hall (by Constitution) his first stakes winner in Friday's Pulpit Stakes. Bumped at the break, he found himself off the pace in fifth just behind Bronze Bullet while able to save ground from his outside draw just off the rail on the short run into the clubhouse turn.
That pair stayed in tight quarters for much of the backstretch run with Glorious Boy swinging out wide for running room outside of his rival. In a joint move with just over a quarter mile to run, the two came for home together with Bronze Bullet hitting the front. As they raced down to the wire, they came together several times late in a head-bobbing dead-heat finish.
The stewards immediately hung the inquiry sign as Rajiv Maragh aboard Glorious Boy also lodged an objection against Emisael Jaramillo on Bronze Bullet. After review, Bronze Bullet was disqualified from the dead heat win and placed second with Glorious Boy elevated to solo first.
“I objected because there was some contact that I felt impeded my horse,” said Maragh. “In the moment, it was so close I wasn't sure if I won, so I made sure I claimed foul.”
Winning trainer Carlos Martin added: “I wasn't sure about the DQ because it seemed like there was some incidental contact both ways. But Stacy Prior, trainer Joe Orseno's assistant who helped us with the horse–Joe and her have been great the whole time we've been here, about 10 days–she said to watch it again because the second time our horse's [behind] kind of went out from underneath him, maybe just enough. A tie is great, but it's better to have the win.”
Of Bronze Bullet's DQ, trainer Jose D'Angelo said, “It was a tough call. I think he was tired. They are babies going two turns for the first time.”
