Easter pedigree city upgrades on Saturday
Ahead of Sunday's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, there were a few city winners who provided immediate pedigree updates for the half or full siblings catalogued to go through the ring on Sunday and Monday.
G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce winner Seize The Day (I Am Invincible) leads the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale updates from Saturday’s racing with his full sister, Group 3 winner California Zimbol being the dam of Lot 243, a Siyouni (Fr) colt being offered by Segenhoe Stud.
At Rosehill, Captain Furai (Toronado {Ire}) took his record to five wins and his half-brother by St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) is Lot 359 in the Willow Park Stud draft.
Yulong’s Lot 114 gained an update when the colt’s Inglis Ready2Race Sale topping full sister Signature Scent (Written Tycoon) added her third career win with victory at Morphettville. Arrowfield Stud’s Dundeel (NZ) colt Lot 130’s half-brother Cash (Snitzel) also won at Morphettville to take his record to three wins.
Juvenile colt Tenenbaum (Snitzel) won at Wyong on Saturday at his second start, and he is a full brother to Lot 241 as well as Listed Hong Kong Derby victor Cap Ferrat.
G2 Emancipation Stakes to Dundeel’s mare
Idle Flyer (Dundeel {NZ}) will head to the G1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes next after winning the G2 Emancipation Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday. “Yes, that's our next step. She'll come on again I think, she's a big mare now so that'll bring her on again and fingers crossed in two weeks,” trainer Matthew Smith said.
"It hasn't been a straightforward prep for her, it's good for her bounce back today. We were a bit nervous about today because we wanted her to put that field away and show us where she's at.” It was her second black type win after winning the G3 Angst Stakes in the spring, and all up she has seven wins from 14 starts with earnings over $570,000.
Smith and Randwick Bloodstock (FBAA) spent $70,000 to acquire her from Torryburn Stud’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale draft. She is one of three winners for Street Cry (Ire) mare Progressive, who won four races.
Stakes double for Dundeel with Stung
Stung (Dundeel {NZ}) won Saturday’s Listed Clare Lindop Stakes to give her sire a stakes double across the nation. The Lindsay Park-trained 3-year-old filly has won three of her four starts including a deadheat last start prior to this victory.
Stung is the second stakes winner for imported winning mare Rare Ransom (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) who ran fourth in the G1 Irish One Thousand Guineas. She has previously produced Listed Mornington Cup victor Aktau (Teofilo {Ire}).
Wootton Verni upstages stablemate in G3 Neville Sellwood Stakes
The G3 Neville Sellwood Stakes was the Australian debut by expensive import Barnavara (Ire) (Calyx {GB}) but the Chris Waller-trained 4-year-old mare could only manage fourth in a race won by her stablemate Wootton Verni (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). “The plan was to go forward to be second, third, fourth but she dwelt at the start,” Waller said.
“I think rather than fire her up (he went back). Australian horses just find their positions so quickly where you could fire her up on her first Australian start and I guess James (McDonald) would have thought we could have set her alike, which is what we didn't want.”
Wootton Verni now has two group wins in Australia and one in France with eight wins to his credit.
G3 Doncaster Prelude won by Welwal
Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr’s Sydney satellite stable added another group victory when Welwal (GB) (Shalaa {Ire}) won Saturday’s G3 Doncaster Prelude at Rosehill. The win was his second stakes win in Australia, and he has a career record of six wins from 29 starts.
Imported to Australia privately, Welwal was sold through Inglis Digital in May 2024 for $330,000 to AG Bloodstock. He has earnings over $700,000.
Group double for Shalaa
Shalaa (Ire) made it a race to race Group double at Rosehill when John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained gelding Roselyn’s Star won the G3 Star Kingdom Stakes. The victory was his first black type win and he becomes stakes winner number 23 for Shalaa.
Sold by Arrowfield Stud to his trainers for $220,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Roselyn’s Star took his record to three wins with earnings over $440,000.
Ascot abandoned due to rainfall
The G3 Western Australian Oaks has been rescheduled to Wednesday, April 1 after significant rainfall caused the meeting at Ascot to be abandoned. Also on the program was the Listed Melvista Stakes.
“As a result, the Belmont meeting originally scheduled for Wednesday, 1 April will now be postponed to Thursday, 2 April,” stated Racing Australia’s website.
Peltzer filly thrills in Listed sprint win
Second season sire Peltzer added his second stakes winner when Mark and Levi Kavanagh-trained 3-year-old filly Thanks Gorgeous won the Listed VRC Sprint Classic (also known as the Sunlight Classic) at Flemington on Saturday. “She’s done a great job. She’s always had form, good form around good horses, My Gladiola included,” Levi Kavanagh said.
“We thought she was a specialist at the Caulfield track early on, but she was running 1200 metres and not quite getting there. Since we’ve been running her down the straight, she has been exceptional.”
Not offered at auction, Thanks Gorgeous is the first live foal of Localchella (Exceed And Excel) who is a daughter of Canadian Listed winner Coachella Valley (Can) (Even The Score {USA}).
Listed Matrice Stakes won by Shadhavar
With Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) almost winning Saturday’s G1 Australian Cup, her sire picked up a consolation Listed victory at Morphettville with Listed Matrice Stakes victrix Shadhavar. Trained by Tom Dabernig, Shadhavar won the Magic Millions SA 3&4YO Classic at her start prior.
She becomes the 24th stakes winner for Pride Of Dubai, and took her record to five wins from 14 starts with earnings over $300,000. Sold by The Chase at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale for $85,000, Shadhavar was purchased by Prime Thoroughbreds. She is the second foal of Cross Legend (Sebring) who is a city winning half-sister to Group 2 winner and sire Thronum, and Listed winner Cythera (I Am Invincible).
Emotional victory for Whisky On The Hill
Glen Thompson-trained Whisky On The Hill (GB) (Ribchester {Ire}) nabbed a spot in the G1 Melbourne Cup with victory in Saturday’s Listed Roy Higgins Stakes at Flemington. Thompson paid tribute to his former training partner Mike Moroney. “I get emotional when I talk about it but it is just good to be doing him proud,” said Thompson.
“It’s exciting to see (Whisky On The Hill) get the job done. We’ve had a chequered preparation, and it is good to get the result. Not a terrible (setback) but when you’re trying to get out to these races, everything needs to go perfect and they need to be spot on. We were on the back foot a little bit and it has been very stressful.”
The import has two other stakes races on his win record and took his overall record to eight wins from 27 starts with earnings over $730,000. Paul Moroney and Armando Duarte paid 135,000 gns (AU$272,000) for him at the 2023 Tattersalls July Sale.
Beachwork assists Corniche to victory in Listed Bob Hoysted Stakes
Saturday’s Listed Bob Hoysted Stakes at Flemington was won by Shawn Mathrick-trained Corniche (Fastnet Rock) who credits the beach in keeping the gelding sound. “I just want to say a special shout out. Evie Laing (Robbie’s daughter) came into this horse. Robbie was a good mate of mine, and she rang me saying that she wanted to stay in racing,” Mathrick said.
“There has been a lot of work go into this horse, and it was no easy task. We’ve got him right. (He has) bad knees, bad feet, the horse was crippled. When he raced first-up for me, Jack (Laing) said to me, ‘I should have stayed in’. Jack said, ‘I should have bought a share in him, how did he go and how are his knees?’
“When I first got him, I thought I’m really going to struggle and that I’d done my money. There’s so much work gone into him and we’ve changed a few things up. A lot of beach work and the horse has thrived on it.”
Winner of the 2023 G2 Skyline Stakes and 2024 G3 Gold Coast Guineas, Corniche hasn’t won since then, but has missed plenty of time with injury and has only 17 starts and three wins (all stakes wins) to his credit. Mathrick purchased him via Inglis Digital from Godolphin in November 2025 for $85,000.
New winners for King’s Legacy and Anders
King’s Legacy added a new winner when Chris Waller-trained 3-year-old gelding Willie or Wong He won at the Gold Coast on Saturday. He was purchased by Hermitage Thoroughbreds for $140,00 from the Ashleigh Thoroughbreds Dispersal at the Inglis Sydney Weanling Sale.
Anders celebrated a new winner with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained 3-year-old filly Wishful Thinker who won at Wyong on Saturday. Placed at two, she is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Mella Maria (Star Witness).
The Archer an option for Cherry Rose
Rockhampton trainer Jamie McConachy is hoping someone picks up Cherry Rose (Press Statement) for The Archer slot race after the 5-year-old mare won the King Of The Mountain at Toowoomba on Friday night.
“I really think her pet distance is 1300 metres and she loves it at home. So yeah, it's an opportunity if it comes along. It'd help us in the breeding barn too because she's a beautiful, athletic mare,” McConachy told racenet.com.au.
Emotional cup for Latta and He’s A Doozy
It was tears all around when Lisa Latta-trained veteran galloper He’s A Doozy (NZ) (Zacinto {GB}) defied his nine years to win Saturday’s G2 Awapuni Gold Cup at Trentham. “He is such a stable favourite and it is a really emotional win as Neville Thompson (part-owner) passed away three weeks ago,” Latta said.
“Neville just loved him and he would have been riding him home in the straight. It is great to get another win today as he looked fantastic and his work was as good as ever on Wednesday. He just loves Wellington, he got left alone and everything just went his way.”
He hasn’t greeted the judge since April 2025 and took his record to 11 wins from 53 starts with earnings over NZ$820,000. Winner of the 2023 G1 Thorndon Mile, he was a NZ$70,000 purchase by his trainer at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale from Phoenix Park.
First stakes win for Hoskin
South Auckland trainer Kylie Hoskin celebrated her first stakes win as a trainer when Geneva (NZ) (Time Test {GB}) took out the G3 Higgins Concrete Manawatu Classic at Trentham on Saturday. “It is so exciting, I love this horse,” Hoskin told Loveracing.nz.
“The owners have given me the opportunity with him and I just couldn’t be more pleased. We are thinking about going to Aussie with him. Although he has done a lot of racing he does really well, he eats well and comes through his races well.” He will be aimed at the G1 South Australian Derby at Morphettville on May 2.
Listed Manawatu Flying Handicap won by Archaic Smile
Hollie Wynyard-trained 4-year-old mare Archaic Smile (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) won Saturday’s Listed Manawatu Flying Handicap to go with the Listed Wellesley Stakes she won as a juvenile. She was also second in the G1 Sistema Stakes in her 2-year-old season. “She loves the big corner here (Trentham) as she is not quite as good around the tight, turning tracks,” Wynyard said.
“Every time she goes out you can’t be disappointed as she gives it everything and I knew she would get another stakes win along the way and I’m just rapt she got it today.” She took her record to five wins from 23 starts with earnings over NZ$450,000. Archaic Smile was sold by Woburn Farm at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale for $55,000 to M Otani.
Vale Dan Flinter
Dan Flinter, the chairman of the Irish National Stud (INS), died at the age of 75 earlier this month. From Athy, Co. Kildare, Flinter attended Athy CBS and later University College Dublin. An economist, he was formerly chairman of The Irish Times. Besides horses, Flinter also was interested in art, theatre, and sport.
The INS said in a statement, “The Board, management and staff of the Irish National Stud were deeply saddened to hear of the death of our esteemed chairman, Dan Flinter. Dan was appointed chairman of the Irish National Stud in August 2023 and immediately immersed himself in the business. He brought great enthusiasm and dynamism to this role, leading with exceptional integrity and wisdom.”
Dairine Walsh, interim chair of the Irish National Stud, said, “While our time with Dan was all too short, he has left an enduring legacy on the Irish National Stud and the wider racing and breeding community. He will be greatly missed. We send our thoughts and deepest condolences to his wife Joan, and his children Rob, Darrach, Siléan and to his wider circle of family and many friends. May he rest in peace. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.”
Kentucky Derby coverage nominated for three Emmys
Among a list of 25 nominations in the Sports Emmy Award category, NBC Universal has landed three for NBC Sports' presentation of Kentucky Derby 151, the organization announced via press release.
The three categories are Outstanding Live Sports Special: Non-Championship Event; Outstanding Sports Camera Work: Short Form; and Outstanding Sports Writing: Short Form. It was the third consecutive year that the network has garnered more than 10 nominations and it marks the eighth time in the past 16 years that an NBC Sports' horse racing presentation has been nominated for a Sports Emmy in the competitive Outstanding Live Sports Special category.
The Kentucky Derby show was previously nominated in 2022, 2020 and 2019, while their Belmont Stakes coverage earned the nods in 2018, 2015 and 2014. Winners will be announced Tuesday, May 26 by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
