Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Which feature articles captured the most attention during 2025? TTR sorted through the analytics and here are the year's top five feature articles. Of our regular columns, it was our yearling sale coverage, stallion announcements, and trial reports that enjoyed the highest click rates.
#1: James Cummings is leaving Australia: Why couldn’t we keep him?
Australian racing suffered a generational blow with the Hong Kong Jockey Club confirming that James Cummings has been granted a training licence starting in the 2026/27 racing season. Cummings, the youngest trainer in Australian history to reach 50 Group 1 wins, will step away from the game altogether for a year following his departure from Godolphin at the end of the 2024/25 season.
James Cummings | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
#2: ‘If we can’t pass the pub test, we won’t have an industry’: Tyreek highlights welfare and penalty concerns
The death of promising 3-year-old gelding Tyreek at Rosehill in early September reignited debate over the adequacy and consistency of steward penalties. For Tyreek’s owners, Champion Thoroughbreds and their syndicate of first-time participants, the one-month suspension handed to jockey Tom Sherry has compounded grief with frustration.
The case raised profound questions not only about the adequacy of penalties for dangerous riding, but also about the broader credibility of racing’s disciplinary framework at a time when the sport’s social licence is under increasing public pressure.
Tyreek | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
#3: Which stallion farm is winning the numbers game? The five-year analysis
The top five stud farms cover more than a third of Australia’s broodmares. Over the last five years, some farms have cemented their dominance while others are shifting in the rankings. Will the big names continue to control the future, or is there room for new challengers?
Zousain | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
#4: Breeding drain or racing gain: How many yearlings are making a profit?
With all eyes on the headline-grabbing yearling prices, there’s a perception that breeders are the ones making all the money in racing. But with two-thirds of the foal crop never going to sale, it’s breeders who are quietly supplying the bulk of our race fields. And among those who do take horses to auction, how many are actually making a profit? And can that profit sustain the future of a shrinking foal crop?
Coolmore yearling paddocks | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
#5: How science, scans and stubborn vets changed the Melbourne Cup forever
Sir Delius’s case is part of a new era for the Melbourne Cup - safer, data-driven, but increasingly controversial from within the industry bubble. Four years into the safety revolution, what have the vet-scratched runners actually shown us? We dive into the protocols and the rates of raceday return.
Horse undergoing distal limb imaging | Image courtesy of Racing Victoria
