Australia Day honours for racing participants
Racing SA announced on Australia Day that the late Reg Nolan has been posthumously awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to thoroughbred racing. “Nolan, who passed away in 2023, played a central role in one of the most significant developments in the history of the Murray Bridge Racing Club — the relocation of the club to Gifford Hill Racecourse. The project, pursued over many years, ultimately delivered a modern racing and training precinct that continues to underpin the club’s future,” said the press release.
“Across more than two decades of service, Nolan held several leadership roles within the club, including chairman from 2002 to 2020, following an earlier tenure as a board member. His broader contribution to regional racing was acknowledged through his appointment as a Life Member of Country Racing SA.”
Medals of the Order of Australia were awarded to long-serving Donald Racing Club committee member Leo Tellefson and Sunshine Coast Turf Club board member Travis Schultz. Appointments as Members of the Order of Australia (AM) were also made to New South Wales Racing Appeals Tribunal chair Geoffrey Bellew, Racing Analytical Services Laboratory chair Maryjane Crabtree, and former Western Australian racing minister Terry Waldron.
Tasmanian breeder Bruce Neill was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AC) for services to cricket, service to the community through philanthropic support, to governance of medical research organisations, and to the arts. Breeder Gerry Ryan, a three-time Melbourne Cup winning owner, was awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to sports governance, to the tourism and hospitality industry, to business, and to the community through philanthropic contributions.
Ryan had previously been recognised in the Australia Day Honours List in 2000 when awarded the medal of the Order Of Australia for his services to sports administration, was also inducted into the Sports Australia Hall Of Fame in 2024.
WA trainer Fred Kersley was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to horse racing.
Zahra excited about Chairman’s prospect
Trainer Simon Zahra won the 2010 G1 Golden Slipper with Crystal Lily (Stratum) when in partnership with Mathew Ellerton. Zahra went out on his own in 2021 and will debut exciting 2-year-old colt Captive Rock (Stay Inside) in Saturday’s G3 Chairman’s Stakes. “We've had to rebuild since Mathew and I split. We've had to go back to basics a fair bit and start again,” Zahra told racenet.com.au.
Simon Zahra | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“We've got some nice 3-year-olds that we've got going and they're coming good. There's a nice crop of horses coming through, which is really good and a couple of the older horses have stood up like Djockovic the other night (at Cranbourne), he's in for a good prep.”
Captive Rock won a jump out at Flemington last Friday. “He's not massive and looks like a real running colt. We half had him ready pre-Christmas but he just lightened off a bit so we gave him six weeks off then brought him back.”
Hulbert to appeal fine
Brisbane trainer Will Hulbert will appeal a $2000 fine from Racing Victoria stewards in relation to two tweets that included two separate slurs. The fine related to rule AR228 (a) for bringing racing into disrepute. “There have been previous breaches (under this rule) but not in relation to that type of language,” Racing Victoria chief steward Rob Montgomery told racenet.com.au.
“The fine is probably a little higher than others we've had but it (the language) is offensive when you use those words on social media. We do have social media policies that participants have to adhere to and it'd be the same in Queensland where he (Will Hulbert) is from. It's just not on. It's bad for the image of racing.
“The Hayes camp also had to scratch their horse (La Gitana) because of the same accident and you don't see them posting remarks like that on their social media accounts.”
The fine was larger than usual as Hulbert pleaded Not Guilty. “He pleaded not guilty. He didn't show any remorse. After last Saturday's race meeting I've had four media inquiries (about the posts) so it shows it does have an impact and people don't realise that. Imagine if it was one of your family members involved in that car crash. You don't know the impact on people, it's horrible.”
The crash, allegedly caused by a teenage driver in a stolen car, on the Monash Freeway in Melbourne caused a traffic jam which prevented Peter and Will Hulbert-trained 2-year-old filly Lady Of Five (Hanseatic) getting to the races on time. She will run in Saturday’s G3 Chairman’s Stakes instead.
First Listed winner for Byrne Burke
Jockey Erica Byrne Burke celebrated her first black type win when unbeaten 2-year-old colt Aristopolos (St Mark’s Basilica {Fr}) won the Listed Elwick Stakes on Sunday. “He’s an absolute pleasure to ride. He was a total professional,” Byrne Burke told tasracing.com.au on Monday.
“This is my first Listed winner, and I’m very grateful to John (Blacker) and the whole team who have been very supportive of me.”
Injured jockey update: Dolan
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Robbie Dolan has a fractured hand following a fall at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday. Sadly his mount Sirkel (So You Think {NZ}) had to be euthanised following the fall. “I'm feeling pretty sore,” Dolan told racenet.com.au.
“I was thinking of young Tommy Prebble down there in Melbourne and any time I have a fall I always think of poor Tye Angland. I'm very lucky I only have a broken hand and a (suspected) torn muscle in my back. I'll cop that. It'll probably be at least a couple of weeks before I'm back riding again.
“I don't know what happened to be honest. I think my feet landed first and then I catapulted into the ground. The stewards will obviously do an inquiry and have a look. It all happened pretty quick. I'm not sure if she (Sirkel) put her foot in a hole or maybe just took a bad step and then clipped heels. When I saw they had the screen up for the horse I was pretty angry and threw my helmet on the ground.
“I'm just devastated for the horse and her connections.”
Farnan’s Magill set for Group 1 target
Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos-trained 2-year-old gelding Magill (Farnan) will be set for the G1 Sistema Stakes after running second in Saturday’s R.Listed Karaka Millions 2YO. “He’ll have a week or 10 days in the paddock at Milan Park and we’ll assess things from there,” Lowry told Loveracing.nz.
“He’s an out and out 2-year-old and we will look at the Sistema. When we bought him he was always destined for the Karaka Million. He’s not overly big and we spent the first couple of starts trying to get the horse to settle, all he wanted to do was fight.
“We gelded him and he went to the Woodville trials and ran second to Singletary and the form out of the trial was good.”
Double for Vancouver at Hanging Rock
Hanging Rock’s famed Australia Day meeting was a good one for Vancouver who sired a double with Yoshitomo Shima-trained Hi Tiago who recorded her second career victory. Aaron Peterson-trained Whistler Girl won the last on the card and took her record to four wins.
The Hanging Rock Cup was won by Neil Dyer-trained 4-year-old gelding His Finest Hour (NZ) (Proisir) who has three wins from 10 starts.
New winner for Russian Camelot
At Geelong on Australia Day, second season sire Russian Camelot (Ire) added winner number 8 when 3-year-old gelding Veyepee won on debut for trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman.
Sold by Widden Stud at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for $140,000, Veyepee was bought by Dream Thoroughbreds, Bluegrass Bloodstock (FBAA) and Anthony Freedman Racing. He is out of Vandancer (NZ) (Savabeel) who has previously produced stakes placed Cecchetti (Fiorente {Ire}).
Houtzen son wins at Santa Anita
Greenwich Village (USA) (Quality Road {USA), a son of Houtzen (I Am Invincible) not only got his blinkers off and switched surfaces, but also completely changed tactics Sunday in Santa Anita's Baffle Stakes, eschewing his pace-setting and pace-pressing past while opting instead to drop back to last down the hillside turf course.
“After I broke a little slow, I said, 'Okay I'm going to stay here and make one move,'” said winning rider Juan Hernandez. “Crossing the dirt, he crossed like a professional and he was passing horses. I was like, okay let's win this race. It was a really big effort for him because he is a really big horse, heavy, but he has a really good turn of foot.”
Greenwich Village, a 3-year-old colt, debuted on December 6 at Los Alamitos with a front-running, 1300 metre score on the dirt, then tried the G2 San Vicente Stakes on January 10 at Santa Anita, pressing the pace after a slow break and tiring late to finish last. Sunday's Baffle Stakes marked his first try on the lawn.
The winner's dam, a multiple group winner in Australia and group placed in England, sold to Stonestreet for US$1.5 million (AU$2.3 million) at the 2020 Keeneland November sale. The mare has a 2-year-old colt by Charlatan, who sold to Paul Neatherlin for US$25,000 (AU$30,150) at last year's Keeneland September sale, and a yearling colt by Not This Time. She was left open for 2026.
Mahony, Osborne and Bucher Haefner honoured at ITBA Awards
Edmond Mahony, Joe Osborne and Eva Maria Bucher Haefner were the principal award recipients at this year’s Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association (ITBA) Awards, held on Saturday night.
Mahony received the Wild Geese Award in absentia, with tributes paid by former Tattersalls director Martin Mitchell, Goffs chief executive Henry Beeby and BBA Ireland’s Patrick Cooper, who reflected on his contribution to the international bloodstock industry.
Osborne, who spent 32 years with Godolphin and formerly served as managing director of Godolphin Ireland, was presented with the Contribution To The Industry Award, delivering a typically modest acceptance speech.
There was a standing ovation for Bucher Haefner as the Moyglare Stud owner-breeder was inducted into the ITBA Hall of Fame. Her extensive investment in bloodstock and significant behind-the-scenes support of Irish racing were highlighted by Horse Racing Ireland chief executive Suzanne Eade, who acknowledged her lasting influence on the sport.
Simply Minds crowned Norway Horse Of The Year
Simply Minds was named the Norwegian Horse of the Year title during Norway's annual Oscargalla awards. The son of Belardo was also awarded the Norwegian Champion Miler title. Trained by Hanne Rådstoga, who was awarded the Champion Amateur Trainer title, the 7-year-old won the G3 Marit Sveaas Minnelop in August.
Champion Trainer Niels Petersen was represented by the globetrotting Queen Azteca (Sharp Azteca), successful in the G3 UAE Oaks at Meydan. She was later sold to Team Valor International and transferred to the barn of Rodolphe Brisset. The filly earned the Tattersalls Achievement of the Year Award on Saturday night. Also given the 3-Year-Old of the Year award, she shared the latter with War Socks (Kameko), who competed at Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood.
First foals for shuttle sire More Than Looks
Yulong shuttle sire More Than Looks (More Than Ready), winner of the 2024 GI Breeders' Cup Mile, was represented by his first three foals on Saturday, when a colt and a filly arrived in Kentucky and a second colt was born in Florida.
Multiple stakes-winning and multiple graded stakes-placed Eden Prairie (Mizzen Mast) produced a colt, bred by Sampson Racing Stables, at Chesapeake Farm in Kentucky. “We couldn't be more pleased with this colt. He's a strong, good-looking individual,” said Chesapeake Farm's Collier Mathes.
“The dam's success with More Than Ready made the decision to breed to More Than Looks an obvious choice after his Breeders' Cup win. We have big expectations for his future.” In addition to his Breeders' Cup victory, More Than Looks won the 2023 G3 Manila Stakes and was second in the 2024 GI Coolmore Turf Mile and GI Fourstardave Handicap.
USA racehorse owner Earle Mack supports Ukraine
Prominent racehorse owner Earle Mack's The Earle I. Mack Foundation, in partnership with Project Victory, has delivered 750 additional generators to communities across Ukraine, prioritizing children and families living in the most vulnerable conditions, according to a press release from the foundation. The generators and heaters, which run on petrol or diesel, help to restore heat, light, water and online learning across Ukraine.
Previously, heaters and generators delivered by the Earle I. Mack Foundation and its partners at the Pataki Center have brought critical heat and power to more than one million Ukrainians, primarily vulnerable children, helping them survive the bitter winter. The latest delivery with Project Victory brings the total number of heaters and generators donated to 1,150.
“These generators have been distributed to orphanages, shelters, foster families, home schools, and households, providing children with protection from prolonged blackouts that now last eight to 20 hours per day in many regions,” said Mack. “In some frontline and recently liberated areas, electricity is unavailable for weeks at a time. By supporting these deliveries, we are helping bring stability and dignity to children and families facing extreme hardship as winter sets in.”
