Charm Stone can double up in Robert Sangster
Trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr believe Charm Stone (I Am Invincible) can make it back to back wins in the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes on Saturday. The 2025 winner is coming off a last start fourth in the G1 William Reid Stakes. “This time last year I think she drew 11 out of 14, was ridden cold and she finished off strongly,” Price told racenet.com.au.
Charm Stone | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I think that the same thing can happen again. You'll get good tempo. She had a good run in the race this time last year, she's certainly good enough, and is going well enough – I'm happy with her preparation. I put some information out to the owners, which said, ‘it may not be ideal the gate, but you can guarantee there's going to be a healthy tempo'.
“I'm sure (Mark) Zahra – being Zahra – he will have the race worked out properly. At this stage I would think there's no intention to go forward on her. She's a versatile mare and should be working home strongly.
“This is the information that we need from Saturday, whether we go to Ascot or not. We are not absolutely locked in, we've done the feasibility of it, a lot of the details on it, and we just have to see how she pulls up – assuming she races well. She's had a good prep, she was a bit underdone first-up – she should run very well.”
Getta Good Feeling looking good for Oaks
Trainer Danny O’Brien is pleased with Getta Good Feeling (So You Think {NZ}) ahead of Saturday’s G1 Australasian Oaks. “She trialled really well. She has come back very well this prep. Both starts she has won, and this was always her target for the autumn,” O’Brien told racingandsports.com.au.
Getta Good Feeling | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“We specifically didn't get ready for Sydney because we wanted to have a crack at this, at 2000 metres, and everything's gone to plan. She's fit and well, and I'm sort of half minded that if she won the Oaks, in Adelaide, that we'd take her up to Brisbane, for the Oaks up there.”
Media Watch sums up Racing NSW activities
Sunday night’s Media Watch on ABC mentioned the ongoing defamation case between Racing NSW and this media outlet in a summary they ran on the administrative body’s interactions with the media over the past few months.
Magic Millions Digital closes on Wednesday
Group 1-placed mare Admiration Express (My Admiration) headlines the latest Magic Millions Digital Sale which closes on Wednesday April 22. Admiration Express won four times, three at stakes level including the G3 WA Champion Fillies Stakes, Listed WA One Thousand Guineas, and G3 Strickland Stakes. She also placed in the G1 Northerly Stakes.
Admiration Express | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
The dam of R.Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Houtzen (I Am Invincible), Set To Unleash (Reset), is one of four unreserved offerings from Yarraman Park Stud. Houtzen is now at stud in America, where her son Greenwich Village (Quality Road) is a dual stakes winner.
Drop in class for Decalogue
The Ciaron Maher stable are running last start G2 Tulloch Stakes fourth Decalogue (Extreme Choice) at Canterbury on Wednesday. “We’d love to get the maiden out of the way, we think 1900m is a perfect trip for him,” assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord told racingnsw.com.au.
“He’s drawn well and has the early speed to put himself there so we think he has a massive chance. If we can give him a bit of confidence we might look at Queensland with him.”
St Mark’s Basilica colt might head to mainland
After stating post-race last Saturday that unbeaten 2-year-old colt Aristopolos (St Mark’s Basilica {Fr}) would stay in Tasmania for the near future, trainer John Blacker is now contemplating a Victorian campaign next season. “The plan is to try and get him to Victoria as a 3-year-old and try and take on some of those better races,” Blacker told racing.com
Aristopolos | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“Whether he’s up to it, or not – I’m not sure – but we’ll leave him as a colt, as long as we can, but in the back of our minds we are hoping he can win a Group 1 one day and somebody will take him on.”
Knight’s Choice to resume on Saturday
G1 Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice (Extreme Choice) will resume on Saturday. “He came up to the Gold Coast and arrived yesterday (Monday) and all going well he’ll be there on Saturday (in the listed Brisbane Handicap over 1600m),” co-trainer Shelia Laxon told racing.com.
Knight's Choice | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I am really delighted with the way he’s performing. He’s been to the trials (at Geelong) and I was surprised to see him go so well and he actually seems to have come back bigger and better than ever.
“He ran that well in the Q22 (in 2024) and he hadn’t really done enough to be where he was but he performed so well against those English horses and now he’s an older and more furnished horse.”
Talented Tycoon ready for maiden win
Trainer Tom Charleton thinks 3-year-old gelding Graffiti Tycoon (Written Tycoon) can go one better on Wednesday at Canterbury after he was second on debut. “He’s a very talented horse but a raw individual and a bit immature,” Charlton told racingnsw.com.au.
“He didn’t execute his race as well as he could but overall it was highly encouraging. We just need him to take those steps forward and we’re confident he has. With more racing you’ll see a fully furnished and confident individual.”
Bulsara running for memory of Pat Duff
Hobby trainer Michael Marsh has only one horse in work, Bulsara (Brazen Beau), who was originally trained by the late Pat Duff. The 6-year-old gelding runs at Doomben on Wednesday. “Pat was my mentor and he was the first person to congratulate me when I won my first race,” Marsh told racingqueensland.com.au.
“I learnt a hell of a lot from Pat and if Bulsara wins, I’ll be dedicating it to him. Pat was more than a friend and was always there to help if I needed advice. I really believe Bulsara deserves a chance in the city. He always gives 100% and he likes to get into a dog fight if he leads.”
Bivouac juvenile wins at Townsville
Georgie Holt-trained 2-year-old filly Tambo’s Sister (Bivouac) made it two wins in succession at Townsville on Tuesday. She now has two wins from four starts.
Tambo’s Sister is the first winner for Winter Passage (I Am Invincible) who won seven races in Queensland, and her stakes placed dam Liatris (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Shania Dane (Danehill {USA}), and Listed winners Scintillation (Danehill {USA}) and Risk Aversion (Encosta De Lago).
Rain no worry for Ka Ying Rising
David Hayes isn’t bothered about the prospect of a Saturday thunderstorm ahead of Sunday’s G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize with Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}). “I’ve run him a couple times here in the wet and one time he nearly ran a track record,” Hayes told scmp.com.
David Hayes | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“It was pouring on opening day [this season]. It came up as good, but the ground was wet. You know the tracks here – if it doesn’t rain on the day, the track runs fast. Zac (Purton)’s got a theory on the Australian wet versus Hong Kong wet. That would concern me, but not in Hong Kong.”
Injury return in Oaks outing for Kiwi apprentice
New Zealand apprentice Ace Lawson-Carroll returned to riding a month after a horror injury, and now he gets the dream ride on Bona Sforza (Written By) in the G1 Australasian Oaks at Morphettville on Saturday. “I broke my neck, I had a hip replacement and I also had surgery on my collarbone. I lost a fair bit of feeling in my foot through not being able to use it much and I was slowly trying to get movement back into my legs,” Lawson-Carroll told Loveracing.nz.
“I am very grateful and very excited. It will open up some more doors for myself and it is a great opportunity to get over there and see what racing is like across the ditch. Hopefully I can venture out and meet some new connections, creating new relationships will be quite cool.”
Newnham pair ready for Champions Mile
Trainer Mark Newnham’s pair of My Wish (Flying Artie) and Invincible Ibis (Hellbent) are ready for Sunday’s G1 Champions Mile. “My Wish had a gallop on the course on Saturday morning, which was really good, and Hugh [Bowman] was very happy with him,” Newnham told scmp.com.
Mark Newnham | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“He dashed up really quickly up the straight, pulled up well, ate up that night – so he’ll only do one piece of pretty easy work later in the week. He’s going there in as good a condition as we can have him.
“I was happy with (Invincible Ibis)’s trial and the way he’s come through the Derby, but he needs to lift and come on from racing his own age group into open Group 1 company at level weights. So it’ll be an interesting race, but I’m happy with both horses.”
$10.5 million colt arrives at Baffert stable
The Flightline colt who sold for a record-setting US$10.5 million (AU$14.6 million) at the OBS Spring sale Friday arrived at the Southern California barn of trainer Bob Baffert on Saturday night. “He's a specimen,” Baffert said on Sunday morning. “A man among boys really. And with his pedigree, you know why he cost so much.”
Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni signed the sales ticket for the colt on behalf of Amr Zedan's Zedan Racing. Baffert said the colt handled the cross-country trip to Santa Anita so well, he'll likely go the track Monday morning for light exercise.
“He's a handful. He's jumping out of his skin,” Baffert said.
The 2-year-old, from the first crop of champion Flightline, is out of stakes winner and graded-placed Lucrezia (Into Mischief).
