Racing Minister opens Scone upgrades
The NSW Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris opened the upgrades at the Scone Racing Club on Tuesday. The NSW Government’s $67 million Racing for the Regions program allocated $20 million to install a state-of-the-art Polytrack training track and supporting infrastructure.
“It was fantastic to officially open the state-of-the-art new training track and to see the impressive new stabling infrastructure so close to completion at Scone Race club and other major works virtually completed at Muswellbrook and underway at Cessnock, thanks to the NSW Government’s Racing for the Regions program,” Harris said in a press release.
“Country racecourses and clubs play a crucial role in developing our champions of tomorrow, and these upgrades will ensure the Hunter and Upper Hunter regions are competitive, grow jobs and offer world class facilities for both participants and the community.
David Harris | Image courtesy of NSW Parliament
“These projects also enable the creation of modern, inclusive workplaces, with an 80 per cent expansion of female facilities at Muswellbrook accommodating the increasing number of women in racing.
“The redevelopments are about more than just improving race days and training facilities, they’re also about creating versatile venues that can host a wide range of community events and securing the long-term future of racing in regional NSW.
“The NSW Government supports a competitive, responsible and sustainable thoroughbred racing industry that generates more than half of its economic impact in rural and regional NSW. We’re proud to work with Racing NSW to support regional racing and I look forward to seeing further projects come online this year.”
Randwick to glow on Saturday
The Australian Turf Club know the value in a superstar bringing crowds to the races, and on Saturday unbeaten mare Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) is the headline. “Racegoers are starting to embrace Autumn Glow like none other since Winx and she can again create her own history on Saturday if she remains unbeaten,” Australian Turf Club Interim CEO Steve McMahon told racingnsw.com.au.
“History isn’t something you watch later, it’s something you show up for. This week at Royal Randwick, Autumn Glow chases her place in racing folklore. Be there. Feel it. Be part of it!
“With free public transport included in all tickets and ATC Membership, and dry weather tipped all week throughout Saturday, it presents the perfect stage for another unforgettable moment for those on course.
“Along with Autumn Glow there are outstanding horses and fields right throughout the day, including the appearance of another fan favourite in the bold-running leader Pride Of Jenni just 40 minutes before the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.” Chris Waller-trained Fangirl (Sebring) will do an exhibition gallop after race one.
Satono Glow could be omen bet
Continuing on the ‘glow’ theme at Randwick is 2-year-old filly Satono Glow (NZ) (Satono Aladdin {Jpn}) who runs in the G2 Percy Sykes Stakes. “She’s got to where she has very naturally and it’s all happened quickly for her, you can see in her greenness when she does race she’s inclined to do a few things wrong,” trainer Tom Charlton told racingnsw.com.au.
“When she hits the front she has a good look around so hopefully she can keep improving. It looks a decent enough race, some similar promising types coming into it, as you’d expect for a feature 2-year-old fillies race. She has a fantastic demeanour, took her trip incredibly well and has only thrived since. We’ll give it a go and hopefully she can run well.”
Satono Glow | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The stable will also run well-bred Stitzer (NZ) (Maurice {Jpn}) in the Listed Fernhill Stakes. “He’s a big, imposing, individual and has plenty of scope and substance for the next 12 months. It’s a credit to the horse that he’s managed to get to the races in the autumn because it’s all ahead of him.”
Freedman’s Farnan filly to fair well in Oaks
Trainer Michael Freedman likes the challenge of training stayers and has Profoundly (Farnan) in Saturday’s G1 Australian Oaks. “I really enjoy training staying types but for one reason or another, it's not something I get a lot of opportunities with,” Freedman told racenet.com.au.
“It's not by design but it's one of those things that I don't get too many opportunities to train these types of horses but when they do arrive, I certainly enjoy it. It's another facet to the while skill or art to training horses to train them to run over longer distances.
“She seems very bright and has certainly done well. She didn't lose any body weight from her run on Saturday and that's usually a good indicator. All the indications are she's going to back up fine, but you never know until you run them.”
Magic Time to retire after All Aged Stakes
Dual Group 1-winning mare Magic Time (Hellbent) will likely retire after the G1 All Aged Stakes. “She’s going to go to the All Aged Stakes for what might be her final run. I know Grahame and Mr Zhang were discussing that this might be it,” trainer Grahame Begg’s racing manager, Rohan Hughes, told racing.com.
“She’s been an incredible mare for us over an extended period of time. She’s obviously won an (2024) All Aged Stakes, and if we get wet ground there… yeah, she seems to be going as good as ever and hopefully she can get the ultimate result, finishing up.”
Magic Time | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
Quinceanera retired without racing
Chris Waller-trained 3-year-old filly Quinceanera (Pierro) has been retired without racing. The filly sold for a record breaking $10 million at the 2024 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. “We made the tough decision to retire her following veterinary advice and in consultation with Chris Waller,” owner Woppitt Bloodstock posted on X.
“Although disappointing, it's in her best interest to now begin her career as a broodmare.” Quinceanera is the first foal of champion racemare Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) whose second foal is a yearling colt by Snitzel.
Fatty Finn wins at Sale and will go ‘global’
Named after a 1920s comic strip character who was turned into a movie in the 1980's and played by Ben Oxenbould, Fatty Finn (Maschino) won at Sale on Wednesday. The 3-year-old gelding was having his third start. “Ben, the actor who played the character in the movie, got in touch with us,” trainer Charlotte Littlefield told racing.com.
“He's going world-wide this horse and now that he's won, he's going to be even more famous. It's a great story.
“He (Zac Spain) took luck out of the equation, he went forward and the horse was too good. A big thank-you to Lyn Joyce who has entrusted this horse in my care, and she has two horses, very well named, Bruiser Murphy and Fatty Finn.”
Brewster moves to Tasmania
Apprentice jockey Polly Brewster is being loaned by South Australian trainer Jessica Tzaferis to Tasmania to help gain experience. “I’m very lucky with the opportunity I have been given, its somewhere different to experience and my motto is the more experience the better for my career,” Brewster told tasracing.com.au.
“I was talking to everyone through the NARS series and I thought it would be somewhere I would like to go and I was speaking to Georgie (Catania) and she said it would be a good idea after the carnival and experience something new and my boss Jessica Tzaferis did a little stint down there while she was an apprentice.
“I had nothing really to do with racing until post covid. My aunty and uncle had shares in racehorses and they live in Naracoorte and during covid I was down there and Sue Jaensch one of the trainers asked if I wanted to have a crack at track riding and she pretty much taught me from scratch.
“I was pretty handy at BMX beforehand, I had to work pretty hard at BMX because obviously I was small and you need muscle to have the power to go fast and I could never be on the pro circuit because I was just too small, they like the bigger types and I was just never going to be that but it works as a jockey because I’m a natural lightweight and be strong at the same time so it has worked out pretty good.”
Full siblings win at Sale
At Sale on Wednesday the full siblings Good Harmony and Cyclone Harmony book-ended the card for trainer Peter Gelagotis. Both are by Pierro out of Jubilant Harmony (Redoute’s Choice). Good Harmony, a 3-year-old filly, won her maiden at start number eight. In the last of the day, 6-year-old gelding Cyclone Harmony took his record to five wins from 33 starts.
Both are owned by Harmonious and neither went through public auction. Jubilant Harmony has produced four winners from as many runners, and has a Toronado (Ire) yearling filly and Pierata weanling colt.
A half-sister to Listed winner Little Surfer Girl (Encosta De Lago), dam of Group 1 winner Fangirl (Sebring), Jubilant Harmony is an unraced daughter of Group 1 winner Special Harmony (Spinning World {USA}).
Bondi juvenile wins out west
Dan Morton-trained 2-year-old filly Axopar (Bondi) won the opening race at Pinjarra on Wednesday. Raced by Lynward Park Stud, she was having her third start.
Axopar is the third foal and third winner for Outboard Motors (Sebring) who had a Harry Angel (Ire) colt in 2025. Outboard Motors is a winning half-sister to stakes placed Multahem (Redoute’s Choice).
God headlines rising stars for Ritchie
Trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray are excited about their rising 3-year-olds for the spring. “I thought we bought well at the yearling sales two years ago and probably needed to spend a bit more this year. I am looking forward to our rising 3-year-olds more than any other crop in recent memory,” Ritchie told Loveracing.nz.
“It is hard this early to identify the next star, but we just saw a lovely filly by Staphanos win a trial at Ellerslie yesterday (Explosive Express). She is a half-sister to multiple Derby winner Explosive Jack.
Shaune Ritchie | Image courtesy of Race Images
“We have a Dirty Work colt that has won two trials out of two. If he is not sold to Hong Kong then he is going to be a horse to look forward to in the spring and we have a beautiful St Mark’s Basilica colt that we bought at Karaka out of Savaria.
“He is doing everything right although we haven’t put any real pressure on him yet. He walks around like he owns the place. Being by St Mark’s Basilica, we call him God, so hopefully he lives up to his nickname.”
Thirteen raiders take on Hong Kong’s best
The Hong Kong Jockey Club announced that 13 international runners have signed on to compete at their Champions Day on April 26. “FWD Champions Day is always an outstanding day of racing, and we are delighted at the quality of the 2026 renewal,” Jockey Club executive director of racing Andrew Harding told scmp.com.
“We have 13 visitors from overseas, including Masquerade Ball and Royal Champion, who will test the mighty Romantic Warrior in what shapes as one the FWD QE II Cup’s best renewals. Ka Ying Rising has won 19 races in a row, and his continued streak adds an increasing layer of excitement. In addition, our exciting 4-year-olds will rise to the Group One challenge, including Invincible Ibis, Little Paradise and Stormy Grove.”
Mehmas's Afandy wins G3 Prix Djebel
Coming into Tuesday's G3 Prix Djebel with two runs already under his belt this year, Al Shaqab's Afandy (Mehmas) made that count as he led from the break to take Deauville's Classic trial.
Already gelded and unable to contest the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained homebred who had surrendered his unbeaten record to the filly Baklawa (Stunning Spirit) in Cagnes-sur-Mer's Listed Prix de la Californie in February showed abundant zest from the outset under Cristian Demuro.
Afandy, who had won by eight lengths on his sole juvenile start at Tarbes in October and who had returned to win by 5.5 lengths at Cagnes-sur-Mer in January, impressed his jockey. “I thought he was a good horse two runs ago and last time the ground was too heavy and he has a lot of speed,” Demuro said. “He's proven he's a good horse today with a good turn of foot. The logical race is the Prix Jean Prat back here in July, but the trainer and owners will work out where he goes.”
Diamond Necklace leads O’Brien’s quest for Oaks record
Diamond Necklace (St Mark's Basilica) and Precise (Starspangledbanner), both Group 1-winning juveniles trained by Aidan O'Brien, headline 53 entries for the Betfred Oaks at Epsom on Friday, June 5.
Unbeaten in three starts as a two-year-old, Diamond Necklace was last seen winning the Prix Marcel Boussac at ParisLongchamp, while Precise rattled off four straight victories as a two-year-old after being beaten on her debut at Fairyhouse, culminating with back-to-back Group 1 wins in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Fillies' Mile.
In total, O'Brien has entered 15 fillies in his quest for a 12th triumph in the Oaks, which would put him just one behind Robert Robson, the most successful trainer in the history of the Classic with 13 winners.
Petition against affordability checks signed by racing participants
Leading figures from the British racing industry have put their names to an open letter sent to Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, calling for affordability checks to be scrapped.
The letter, published in The Sun on Tuesday, sums up the extent to which the sport's hierarchy is concerned regarding the impending introduction of the checks, which are being signed off by the Gambling Commission. Estimates from the Betting and Gaming Council recently stated that as many as 120,000 people could be asked to provide documents to prove their identity if they are brought in.
The letter read, “It was the last Conservative government that proposed affordability checks as part of its gambling policy to make betting fit for the digital age. While the intention was sensible, the delivery has failed. Instead of making it easier and safer for people to have that flutter, regulatory changes have only made it harder.
“Little wonder then that growing numbers of people are now betting illegally rather than be subjected to intrusive checks more appropriate for securing a mortgage than engaging in a legal pastime enjoyed by millions of Britons.
“Your government demonstrated it recognised this risk when the Chancellor used her Budget to give the Gambling Commission £26m to tackle the burgeoning betting black market. Adding a further layer of regulation right now would be at best a grave misjudgement and, at worst, a gift to the criminal underworld that benefits from these illegal betting operations.”
Online auction to benefit retired racehorses
An exclusive Kentucky Derby and Oaks Package donated by racehorse owner Ken Freirich will be auctioned off to support Thoroughbred Charities of America and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
The package includes: a behind-the-scenes barn visit with a top trainer on Kentucky Oaks Day, front row reserved outdoor table for four in the exclusive Woodford Reserve Paddock Club overlooking the Paddock/Runway on May 1 and 2; exclusive paddock access; railside viewing of the races near the finish line on a private lawn; luxury hospitality with curated food stations, premium open bar, all-day white glove concierge service, bourbon tasting experiences available by reservation and subject to availability, and private restrooms and wagering windows.
“When I realized I would not be able to attend the Derby this year, I instantly knew what I wanted to do with my table in the Woodford Reserve Paddock Club; raise awareness and money for Thoroughbred aftercare,” said Freirich.
“I am passionate about taking care of these amazing equine athletes after their racing careers and knew the leading aftercare organizations, TCA and TAA, would be the perfect stewards of this donation and package.”
Dorling is new Chair of HEROS
Hannah Dorling has been appointed as the new chair of HEROS, the UK-based charitable organisation dedicated to retraining and rehoming former racehorses, as well as providing education and support programmes for young people.
Dorling brings with her more than 18 years of experience with NFU Mutual and is currently the senior partner of the Wantage Agency, a multi-million-pound business she has grown and led with huge success over the past nine years. Since 2023, Dorling has served as a Trustee of HEROS, while she also represents the National Farmers' Union locally and sits on the Independent Advisory Group for Thames Valley Police.
“HEROS has a powerful mission and I am honoured to step up as chairman,” said Dorling. “I look forward to working closely with our supporters and partners to strengthen the racing industry and drive the next phase of reach and impact in welfare.”
