Thoroughbred Act Reforms by March 2027
NSW Racing Minister David Harris has told a NSW Parliamentary budget estimates committee that he’d prefer to get any reforms from the Thoroughbred Racing Act pushed through government before the March 2027 election.
“But there’s a legislative schedule, and it’s whether or not we can fit it into that schedule,” Harris said.
“In a conversation with him (Brad Hazzard), he’s also picked up a lot of other thoughts (and) opinions about the industry and how the industry is run, and he may want to deal with that as part of his report as well.
David Harris | Image courtesy of NSW Parliament
“(The) Racing NSW board is independent, and they’re responsible for operational issues. So it might be, in a sense, like the Drake report (into Greyhound Racing NSW), where there are some things that a government and legislation can deal with and other things would have to be referred to the board for their consideration in terms of their operations.”
The Hazzard report is due to be finalised in a few months.
“Once we get the report, obviously there has to be discussion and consultation that’s undertaken, and then any changes specific to legislation have to go to Parliamentary Counsel, etc,” Harris said.
Autumn Glow set for perfect ten in Verry Elleegant
Jockey James McDonald can’t wait to ride unbeaten mare Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) in Saturday’s G1 Verry Elleegant Stakes. “You can’t do much better. She’s unbeaten, first and foremost, she’s winning by margins and beating the best in the country,” McDonald told racingnsw.com.au of the Chris Waller-trained mare. Waller has won the Verry Elleegant Stakes on 11 occasions, and has most of the runners in the field on Saturday.
“I was blown away with the reception she got after the Apollo and I can only imagine that’s going to grow. If we can promote her property there will be plenty of people there.
“One thing about Glow is she hasn’t put a foot wrong, she loves her racing. I think (race caller) Darren Flindell sums it up well, she’s born a winner. Winners win, losers lose. She just wins. It doesn’t matter wet or dry, 1100 metres or a mile, it doesn’t matter. It’s exciting for everyone involved. Her fans. Trainer Chris (Waller). Chris Harwood who rides her every morning. Myself. Her strapper Tshepiso Moagi.”
Maher’s Guineas pair are on song
Trainer Ciaron Maher is thrilled with his two G1 Australian Guineas runners for Saturday in Observer (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) and West Of Swindon (Wootton Bassett {GB}). “I’m very happy with (Observer). He's made nice progression both mentally and physically. He was very good in the Caulfield Guineas. Flemington should be ideal for him, really – nice, big straight. He’s in good order,” Maher told racing.com.
“West Of Swindon will take quite a bit of improvement from his first-up run. He got back and his best run was at The Valley when he was on speed, so condition wise he'll definitely come on, which he needs to.”
Ciaron Maher | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Savvy is the giant killer for Saturday
Trainer Brad Widdup believes his filly Savvy Hallie (Hellbent) can deny Tempted (Street Boss {USA}) in Saturday’s G1 Surround Stakes. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself but I don’t see why she can’t run well,” Widdup told racingnsw.com.au.
“I’ve always said she can run 1400 metres and I don’t back down from that. There looks a bit of rain around and that will help her as well. She’s raced Tempted, Within The Law, Nepotism, Apocalyptic – she’s been around them all the way through. There’s more ticks than crosses. She should be competitive put it that way.”
Planet Red set for Guineas challenge
Co-trainer Mick Price is happy with 3-year-old gelding Planet Red (Admire Mars {Jpn}) ahead of Saturday’s G1 Australian Guineas. “I've had the preparation with him that I've wanted to have, the horse couldn't be any better. He'll go to the mile, he'll run very well,” Price told racing.com.
“Hopefully, he doesn't get back, we rode him cold first-up because of the gate. He had a long, sustained effort, I thought he went well, he hasn't missed a beat. He'll go into the race pretty cherry ripe but I think Observer is a pretty impressive colt.”
Mick Price | Image courtesy of Price Kent Racing
Pembrey to prove Slipper credentials
Tony Gollan-trained 2-year-old filly Pembrey (Prague) will be out to prove her G1 Golden Slipper credentials in Saturday’s G2 Sweet Embrace Stakes. “She’s nothing flash to look at, that’s why she didn’t make 20 grand, she’s not a big filly,” Gollan told racingnsw.com.au.
“She’s small to medium size but has a bit of length about her. She was quite backward when she came in as a yearling and she’s just progressed and progressed. She’s just a real racehorse, she’s a real 2-year-old, she licks the bin out and just does what you want. She handles everything really well and goes about her business like a much older horse. That’s what the good 2-year-olds do, they act more like three and 4-year-olds.” Pembrey was a 5.5 length winner on debut.
Mott to miss Newmarket on My Gladiola
Jockey Jamie Mott has ridden My Gladiola (I Am Invincible) in all her nine starts, but won’t get down to the 52kg she has for the G1 Newmarket Handicap. He managed to get down to 54kg for her last start second in the G1 Lightning Stakes. “It was hard but I planned three to four weeks out so I was able to do it gradually,” Mott told racenet.com.au.
“I'm very good at being dedicated and focusing on something and I thought she could win.” The Newmarket runs in a fortnight and Craig Williams will likely ride My Gladiola.
My Gladiola | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Banjora aimed at The Championships next
Wednesday’s Rosehill winner Banjora (I Am Invincible) will head to the Provincial Midway Championships Final in April after he took his record to three from three for trainer Bryce Heys. “I was going to go to the Gosford qualifier for the Provincial Midway,” Heys said.
“The 1400 might be a query, but I thought against that class of horse, he might be alright. Hopefully he ends up in the Provincial-Midway Championship.
“He is more than brave. Two starts in a row I can't say he was looking pretty, and that I had any confidence we'd get the result, despite the horse's ability, but to overcome that twice in a row now, not many can do it.”
International Women’s Day Luncheon at Newcastle
Newcastle Racecourse will host its annual International Women’s Day Luncheon on Friday, March 6. “International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate leadership, resilience and the impact women have across our community,” CEO Duane Dowell said in a press release.
“We are proud to use the platform of Newcastle Racecourse to not only bring people together for a memorable day on track, but to generate meaningful support for Samaritans Newcastle and the young people who rely on their services. When our community shows up and gives generously, we truly see the collective impact.” Australian music icon Marcia Hines will perform.
New Zealand Derby to be sponsored by World Pool
The G1 New Zealand Derby on March 7 will be a World Pool event and the race itself will be sponsored by the World Pool. “It is fitting to have HKJC World Pool as the naming sponsor for the iconic New Zealand Derby. Having World Pool in action at Ellerslie takes global engagement with the meeting to another level, and it’s pleasing we can recognise that through the race name,” Entain ANZ CEO Andrew Vouris told Loveracing.nz.
Andrew Vouris | Image courtesy of Entain ANZ
Winfried Engelbrecht Bresges, CEO of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, added: “New Zealand’s first year as part of the World Pool - becoming one of nine leading racing jurisdictions showcasing top class Group 1 races since its debut on this day in 2025 - has been a tremendous success. We are delighted to see our collaboration with our New Zealand partners continue to strengthen, further elevating New Zealand racing for our global customer base.”
Snitzel filly to run in G1 Sistema Stakes
Trainer Lance Noble will run 2-year-old filly Liguria (NZ) (Snitzel) in Saturday’s G1 Sistema Stakes at Ellerslie. She’s coming off a last start G3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic victory. “I was looking forward to heading back down to Matamata with what I considered a strong prospect for another Breeders’ Stakes, but it wasn’t to be,” Noble told Loveracing.nz.
“The track was already heavy when we decided to leave her in, but later in the morning as we were heading out the gate, I got word that the track had a further downgrade. I said to myself ‘this is crazy’, so I rang the stewards and pulled her out. It was the right decision, she went to the trials at Avondale last week and won really well. She’s all set, so here’s hoping for another big day.”
Houtzen's son remains in Epsom Derby contention
Following the publication of the entries on Tuesday, ante-post favourite Pierre Bonnard (Camelot) is among 88 colts in contention for the Betfred Derby, which takes place at Epsom Downs on Saturday, June 6 and offers record prizemoney of £2 million (AU$3.8 million) in 2026.
Whilst O'Brien would appear all but certain to hold a strong hand at Epsom on the first Saturday in June, it remains to be seen whether legendary US trainer Bob Baffert will break new ground by saddling a Derby runner. A six-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, Baffert is responsible for Houtzen (I Am Invincible)’s son Greenwich Village (Quality Road), who gained his third career victory in Sunday's Pasadena Stakes at Santa Anita. If travelling to Epsom, Greenwich Village would be the first US-trained runner in the Derby since 1993.
Tom Ryan of joint-owners SF Racing said, “We are incredibly grateful to The Jockey Club for extending an invitation to the Betfred Derby for Greenwich Village. It was a wonderful and unexpected surprise for all of us, and something we don't take lightly. It's a very intriguing opportunity, and we'll be giving it serious thought as we map out his path from the winter into the spring.
“We've loved seeing how he's progressed, stretching out from six and a half furlongs to a mile on the turf, and he keeps finding and finishing through adversity, which is what you want to see from a developing three-year-old. He's a big, powerful colt – and he's bred to keep moving forward as distances increase. The Derby distance is the great unknown.”
Ryan added, “We will be guided by Bob Baffert when it comes to making a decision. When we originally purchased him, we had the Kentucky Derby in mind. It would be quite a pivot if he ended up in Epsom Downs.”
Zany headlines Kentucky Oaks nominations
Unbeaten 3-year-old fillies Zany (American Pharoah) and Bella Ballerina (Street Sense), one-two on the most recent TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10, lead the list of 89 early nominations to this year's GI Kentucky Oaks, released on Tuesday by Churchill Downs.
Repole Stable's Zany is three-for-three following her win in the Feb. 7 Suncoast Stakes and is expected to make her next start in the April 3 GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes. Godolphin's Bella Ballerina took her record to a matching three-for-three with her victory in the February 14 GII Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes and is expected to make her next start in the March 21 GII Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks.
Neom Beach tops Fasig-Tipton Digital at US$300,000
The 2026 February Digital Sale closed with gross sales of US$5,881,500 (AU$8.3 million) for 189 horses sold and the topper was Neom Beach (Omaha Beach) who brought US$300,000 (AU$422,000), the online auction said in a press release on Tuesday evening.
A winner at 2, 3 and 4, the 5-year-old won last year's Ouija Board Distaff Stakes on dirt and the Wasted Tears Stakes on turf. The mare, who earned more than US$745,000 (AU$1 million) on the racetrack, entered the sale off a three-length win versus allowance company in her last start.
Neom Beach | Image courtesy of Fasig-Tipton Digital
“Fasig-Tipton has mastered the art of blending their legacy bloodstock sales expertise with their proven innovative digital platform,” said purchaser Jeffrey Bloom. “Bringing buyers and sellers across the world together with such amazing efficiency opens up endless opportunities. I am a huge fan.”
Preakness restricts attendance to just 4,800 fans
With the GI Preakness moving to Laurel for this year's running, attendance will be limited to just 4800 patrons, according to a spokesperson for 1/ST Racing. Over the two days that encompass the GII Black-Eyed Susan and the Preakness, the estimated attendance in 2025 was 63,000. Many of the Preakness attendees traditionally spend their afternoon in the infield.
But Laurel is not equipped to handle a crowd that large and is also undergoing renovations as it converts to a year-round training centre. The race will be run this year at Laurel while construction is ongoing at Pimlico. The middle jewel of the Triple Crown is slated to return to Pimlico in 2027.
