Perfect draws for Blue Diamond favourites
Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained pair of Guest House (Home Affairs) and Big Sky (Bivouac) have drawn perfectly for Saturday’s G1 Blue Diamond Stakes in barriers three and five respectively. But Price had a warning for his jockeys.
“I would say to those jockeys, ‘listen, if you eyeball each other you might as well not turn up, so work it out in the first 100m who does what'. Any jockey that eyeballs another jockey at fast speed you basically write it off … it's up to them but they don't give their horse any chance if they choose to eyeball,” Price told racenet.com.au.
Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Guest House, if he flies the gate and finds the fence, or sits there, you wouldn't want to kick up inside him would you? You should not want to kick up inside him. If he gets everything right that horse, big booming stride on him, if he went forward, found the fence and rolled along at his own speed, I don't think that would hurt him.”
Geegees Mistruth could surprise in Oakleigh Plate
Mark Walker’s assistant trainer Ben Gleeson believes multiple stakes winner Geegees Mistruth (Wordsmith) has been overlooked by the market for Saturday’s G1 Oakleigh Plate. “Our filly hasn’t done much wrong. I think if there was a one next to her name, she’s probably shorter in the market, again,” Gleeson told racing.com.
“A lot of people have speculated what would she have done if she got out (first-up) but I’m pretty adamant she would have won well. She trialled the house down, last Monday, against Group horses.
Geegees Mistruth | Image courtesy of Tasracing
“Hopefully, it’s a smaller field than usual, so there aren’t as many backsides to pass. If she can draw midfield and truck up, behind them – Mick Dee in the saddle – she ticks a lot of boxes. We are pretty excited.”
Nazwah hunting black type
Nazwah, the Capitalist 3-year-old half-sister to G1 winner Charm Stone (I Am Invincible) and Listed winner Najmaty (I Am Invincible), will be set for black type of her own after she aims for a second successive win on Wednesday at Warwick Farm. “It’s a similar sort of race (to her last start win) so it shouldn’t be any harder for her, she’s gone up a little bit in weight but she’s done particularly well between runs,” trainer Peter Snowden told racingnsw.com.au.
“If she runs as well as we hope she’ll have a little freshen up and there’s some nice races for her in Brisbane. We might look at the Denise’s Joy at Scone as well.” She has won two of her three starts to date.
The races on Wednesday have been moved later to avoid the forecast heat and humidity.
Dwyer’s Tassie Oaks duo
Victorian trainer Henry Dwyer will run two fillies in Friday’s Listed Tasmania Oaks, being Aurora Rise (The Autumn Sun) and Zuleika (North Pacific). “A lot of the Victorians are the same class of horse. Obviously, if Crack the Shutters is issue-free, she’s probably the measuring stick,” Dwyer told tasracing.com.au.
Henry Dwyer | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Aurora Rise is the one we’ve always set for the race, and we thought it would be a good spot for her, but Zuleika has probably sneaked up on us a bit, and we didn’t expect to be going down. But when they win a mile maiden like that, it’s probably her chance to get that black type.”
Pony Club SA and Racing SA team up
Racing SA announced a collaboration with Pony Club South Australia to present a Pony Race Exhibition at the iconic Oakbank Easter Carnival on Easter Monday, April 6. An educational Pony Club Rally will be held on Sunday, March 1, offering riders a fun, educational and supportive introduction to riding at speed in a safe environment.
“The rally offers young riders the opportunity to experience the thrill of riding at speed in a safe, supportive environment. It aims to build confidence, develop practical horsemanship skills and introduce riders to a race-day environment, while also highlighting the strong links between Pony Club and the thoroughbred racing industry,” said the press release.
The event is open to Pony Club riders under 15 years of age (must be 14 years old or younger as at 1 January 2026).
Long Legs set for G3 Kembla Grange Classic
Trainer Gary Portelli will aim 3-year-old filly Long Legs (Russian Revolution) at the G3 Kembla Grange Classic after she resumes on Wednesday at Warwick Farm. “At this stage the Kembla Grange Classic is the fork in the road for us regarding what distance we go to next,” Portelli told racingnsw.com.au.
“I definitely want to see her do something that warrants going that way. She might be just one run short of her best, she’s only had the one trial, against some handy race fit mares. We want to see her run well and if she can win, look out, there’s a fair bit to come with her.”
Eight supplementary lots added to Inglis Premier
Inglis announced on Tuesday that eight supplementary entries have been confirmed for the Premier Yearling Sale, taking the final catalogue number to 814 lots. “The addition of supplementary lots to our select yearling sales at Classic and Premier is a new move for us, but it worked well at Classic and our expectation is that these horses will be well received at Premier,” Inglis' Victorian Bloodstock Manager James Price said in a press release.
“We were delighted with how the catalogue came together through the spring, with excellent local and interstate support for the sale and buyer engagement to this point has been very encouraging.”
Milestone just two away for Waller/JMac
Chris Waller and James McDonald are only two victories away from 500 wins together. “Chris knows his horses inside out and as many horses as he's got, he would know everything about them,” McDonald told racingandsports.com.au.
James McDonald | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“When he speaks, you hang on every word he says. He's very knowledgeable, he's got a great eye, he can watch a horse work and basically know whether it's ready or not. I've never met a man who works harder, he's got a phenomenal work ethic. You would think he'd be tired, I honestly don't know how he does it – he's just a genius.”
New winner for Bivouac
Second season sire Bivouac added a nicely bred new winner on Tuesday at Kembla Grange with Brad Widdup-trained 3-year-old colt Waerea. He becomes winner 32 for his sire, having placed at both his first two starts.
Waerea is a half-brother to Group 1 winner Duais (Shamus Award), Group 2 winner Philia (All Too Hard) and Group 3 winner Baccarat Baby (Casino Prince).
Better Than Ready juvenile wins at Queanbeyan
On Tuesday, 2-year-old gelding Jimmy’s Ready (Better Than Ready) won at Queanbeyan over 1200 metres against the older horses. He was having his second start and is trained by Joe Cleary who had the quinella with 3-year-old gelding Zippy Argento (D’Argento).
Jimmy’s Ready was bought by his trainer for $50,000 from Baramul Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft. He’s the fourth winner from as many to race for The Nickster (Big Brown {USA}) who won three times.
Sunlight Power on song to challenge the champ
It’s a tough ask taking on Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) but trainer Ricky Yiu believes Sunlight Power (Capitalist) can at least finish in the minor placings in Sunday’s G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup. “I'll be happy if we finish second, third, fourth,” Yiu told hkjc.com.au.
“It was a good run last time, and the run before – just forget about that. But the last one was good. Hopefully, he can continue to perform. He's doing really, very well. He's holding his condition perfectly.”
Longevity caused by multiple factors
Racing WA Head of Animal Welfare Caroline McMullen said there are multiple factors that allow a horse like last start winner 12-year-old Zackariah Beau (Blackfriars) to maintain his 106 start, eight win career. He is the fifth oldest active racehorse in Australia, and the oldest in Western Australia.
“Science supports that racehorse longevity is strongly influenced by individual biological variation in development (maturity), adaptation to training loads (fitness and strength) and response to injury management,” Dr McMullen told racingwa.com.au.
“A training approach that recognises and manages horses as individuals and provides the necessary opportunity for early career skeletal adaptation, alongside careful training load management, is central to improving career longevity. Astute trainers manage this balance well by engaging their veterinarians and other important horse care professionals as part of a holistic and integrated management approach to keep their horses in good health.”
For Zackariah Beau’s trainer Greg Beauglehole, it’s simple. “No one would believe you if they looked at him and you told them how old he is. He’s a bloody legend and he just loves what he’s doing.”
Vale Sam Sheppard CBE
Sam Sheppard CBE, former chief executive of both the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) and the European Breeders' Fund (EBF), died on Friday evening at his home in Suffolk. He was 84.
His tenure at the TBA ran from 1973 to 1989 and during that time Sheppard was instrumental in setting up the EBF along with the late Peter Willett and Bob McCreery. He remained at the helm of the EBF, which is still going strong more than 40 years later, until his retirement at the end of 2012. By that time the scheme, which is funded by stallion owners, had distributed more than €100 million (AU$168 million) in prizemoney. That figure has now climbed to more than €140 million (AU$235 million).
Kerry Murphy, his successor as chief executive of the EBF since 2013, said, “Sam was instrumental in setting up the EBF back in 1983 whilst also heading up the TBA. It is testament to his hard work and determination that the EBF still thrives today and we are proud to pay tribute to his life and contribution to the racing industry which he was so passionate about.”
Leopardstown development into next phase
Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) is embarking on a pre-market consultation (PMC), aimed at engaging international developers, investors and operators, in order to explore the next phase in the evolution of the Leopardstown Campus.
This PMC follows a series of stakeholder briefings held in January, bringing together representatives from across the racing industry, local community, business and public sectors to share information, gather insight and begin an open dialogue on the future evolution of the Leopardstown Campus.
According to HRI, the engagement phase of the Leopardstown Campus Masterplan revealed a “growing appetite from the market for a high-quality arena and a hotel at Leopardstown”.
Owned and operated by HRI, Leopardstown Racecourse hosts approximately 23 fixtures annually, including the Christmas Festival, Dublin Racing Festival and Irish Champions Festival.
The racecourse is located 6 miles from Dublin city centre and benefits from strong transport connectivity, including LUAS access and proximity to the M50, as well as sitting adjacent to the Sandyford Business District. The Sandyford Business District is home to major multinational employers including Microsoft, Bank of America, ICON, Mastercard and Vodafone.
Safeguarding Thoroughbred mares in Ireland
Treo Eile has announced a new partnership with Horse Sport Ireland for the upcoming breeding season, launching a pilot initiative designed to safeguard Thoroughbred mares by creating further opportunities beyond their racing and breeding careers.
The Treo Eile Thoroughbred Broodmare Scheme is designed to provide an additional pathway for registered Thoroughbred broodmares, supporting their transition into sport horse breeding.
Dr Sonja Egan, Head of Breeding, Innovation and Development at Horse Sport Ireland, said, “We are delighted to support Treo Eile's pilot scheme, which aims to encourage the use of quality Thoroughbred mares in sport horse breeding.
“Thoroughbred mares have long been vital contributors to Ireland's foundation bloodlines within the Irish Sport Horse and Traditional Irish Horse populations. They have also played a key role in Ireland's success in the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses rankings and at the highest levels of international sport under FEI.”
