Flying For Fun set for Goodwood
Bryce Heys-trained Spieth (NZ) almost won the G1 Darley Classic (now VRC Sprint Classic) and the G1 Newmarket Handicap, and now he’ll attempt to win his first Group 1 in Saturday’s G1 Goodwood Handicap with Spieth’s daughter Flying For Fun. “I thought Flying For Fun was awesome last start,” Heys told racingandsports.com.au.
Flying For Fun | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“There was a lot of merit in her run, I was really proud of her. You see unlucky runs all the time and I don't want to make excuses but there was only a stride in it on the line. Hopefully, if she can replicate that run in the Goodwood, she will run well again.
“We thought if she could win one of her two starts in Sydney, which she did (Maurice McCarten Stakes), then we would be keen to take her to Adelaide as timing-wise it fitted in well. It is a bit foreign to us going to Adelaide but we felt she deserved at crack at the mares race (Sangster Stakes) and if she went well in that, then we could give the mare her the chance to run in the Goodwood.”
Magic Millions-bound Aviatress in Proud Miss
Trainers Richard and Chantelle Jolly will run Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale-bound Aviatress (Smart Missile) in Saturday’s G3 Proud Miss Stakes. “She pulled up sore in a foot after galloping on the Tuesday before the Sangster,” Richard Jolly told racingandsports.com.au.
“She had a tiny little abscess rear its head but after three or four days she got over it. We galloped her on Saturday morning and we decided not to pursue The Goodwood and instead go to the softer option of the Proud Miss. After that she heads up to the Gold Coast to go through the mare's sale.”
Magic Millions Digital topped by It’s A Myth
The latest Magic Millions Digital Sale should have had a six figure sale topper but three-time winning 4-year-old gelding Subterrain (Territories {Ire}) failed to meet his reserve. Stakes placed Objectify (No Nay Never {USA}) also failed to meet her six figure reserve price.
The sale was topped by stakes placed Sepoy mare It’s A Myth who made $27,500 and was in foal to Hellbent. She is from the family of Tentyris.
Pride and Godolphin combine for Takeover Target
Joe Pride thinks he can win Saturday’s Listed Takeover Target Stakes with Godolphin-owned Kerguelen (Lonhro). “He’s won the three races for us in a short amount of time,” Pride told racingnsw.com.au.
“He’s quickly shaping up as a horse that has Group and Listed potential, there’s no doubt about that, we’ve already run him in a couple of nice races and we’re yet to see the best of him. I think that’s to come and that’s an exciting prospect given what he’s already done.”
Joe Pride | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Rawiller wins without any gear
Having travelled to Rockhampton for Sunday’s The Archer, and then having the meeting postponed till Tuesday meant that jockey Nash Rawiller didn’t arrive in Warrnambool until Wednesday. And it was without his luggage after the airline lost it.
He borrowed brother Brad’s breeches and boots, and he saddle, goggles and helmet of apprentice Jackson Radley, Rawiller made the most of the situation when winning on Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Group 1-placed Shoma (NZ) (Contributer {Ire}).
Nash Rawiller | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I need a day to tell you about it (my journey getting here),” Rawiller said. “I thought we were on track, but my bags ended up getting left in Sydney, so I’ve had to borrow the gear to ride in. We got here 25 minutes before the race, we were able to borrow all the gear we needed, and the horse has done the rest, it was good.”
Shoma ran third in the water-logged G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas in the spring before heading to Australia where he’s had a second, an eighth, and now a maiden win. At the same meeting, 2-year-old filly Centenary Florin (Squamosa) won on debut for trainer Shane Jackson.
Emotional victory for Small family
With Braidon Small fighting brain cancer, his mother hobby trainer Lynlea Small purchased Weekend Artist (Trapeze Artist) in early 2024. “I think for me, I needed a project,” Small told racingqueensland.com.au. Lynlea is also a published author and is a Doctor Of Philosophy.
“I bought him with Braidon sitting beside me. I moved to Melbourne with Braidon when he had his radiation therapy and we just made every day an adventure in Melbourne. And, this one day, I just bought a horse because I’d been really wanting to buy a horse. I just needed something else. I was working full-time; it's not like I wasn't busy but just having that horse has been the difference for me.”
On Friday evening Weekend Artist won his maiden to give Small her first winner in ten years (most of that spent without a horse in work). Braidon is in remission and rode his first winner in three years last month at Terang and is riding at the Warrnambool carnival this week.
Blue Point adds juvenile winner in NZ
At Ellerslie on Wednesday, 2-year-old gelding Dee Oyster (NZ) (Blue Point {Ire}) won on debut for trainers Sophia Nolan and Hanna Orting. Seaton Park sold him at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale for NZ$30,000 to Lilywhites Lodge.
He is the fourth foal and fourth winner for stakes placed Arrow In The Sand (NZ) (Fast ‘n’ Famous). At the same meeting, O’Reilly (NZ) had a double as a damsire with a pair of 3-year-olds being Magic Dreams (NZ) (Zousain) and Silver Patch (NZ) (Ardrossan).
Double for Harry Angel in Perth
At Wednesday’s Ascot meeting Harry Angel (Ire) sired a double with Last Skybender who doubled his win record, and maiden winning 3-year-old gelding Jimmy Angel. Jimmy Angel was a $5000 purchase via Magic Millions online as a yearling in 2023 and took his earnings over $52,000. He is the first foal of Bastaki (Snitzel) who won twice herself.
Bow Echo rated 131 by Timeform
Bow Echo has been given a rating of 131 for his brilliant performance in the G1 Betfred 2000 Guineas by Timeform. The son of Night Of Thunder won by 2.75 lengths over Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) (123).
Only five horses have earned a higher rating in winning the 2000 Guineas since 1970. Ranked by rating, they are Brigadier Gerard 141 (1971), El Gran Senor 136 (1984), Nijinsky II 135 (1970), Frankel 135 (2011) and Dancing Brave 134 (1986).
Bow Echo is not entered in the G1 Betfred Derby for George Boughey, but the G1 St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and G1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood are on the horizon for the colt, who is raced by the Executors of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid.
France Gallop calls for change
France Galop president Guillaume de Saint-Seine has issued a call to arms to the French racing and breeding industry, asking for its backing to “build a new model, simpler, more efficient, more sustainable”. The changes are expected to be implemented by January 2027.
Delivered in a personal letter to stakeholders under the title 'Change. Now. Together.', Saint-Seine said, “There comes a time when we must speak plainly: we can no longer continue on the trajectory of the last twenty years. Our historical resources are shrinking, calling for the creation of new revenue streams. Our competitive environment is being disrupted and demands greater responsiveness. And this is happening within a societal context that is also evolving very rapidly, requiring constant adaptation.”
Guillaume de Saint-Seine | Image courtesy of France Galop
A newly-formed task force described as an “intentionally agile group composed of five experienced professionals from the industry and the corporate world” will make its initial recommendations to the board of France Galop by mid-May. Saint-Seine, who assumed the role of president in December 2023, stated that the task force had been unanimously backed by the board and initiated without delay “because transformation is necessary – both in the short term and for the future.
“The Task Force isn't just another think tank,” he continued. “We've seen those before. They all produced useful analyses, but rarely led to decisions and effective implementation. How can we explain these failures? Undoubtedly, a poor mix of cultural resistance (the infamous “we've always done it this way”) and fear of change. Undoubtedly also because the situation wasn't serious enough and the sense of urgency wasn't strong enough. Today, the urgency is very real.”
HISA board votes no change on Lasix
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Board of Directors has voted unanimously to make no changes to the current rules regarding the use of the medication Lasix, it was announced Tuesday.
With the decision from the nine-member Board of Directors, Lasix will still be banned in 2-year-old races and stakes races in all states that fall under HISA's jurisdiction. Had the board voted otherwise, the diuretic would have been banned in all races.
When HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program was launched on May 23, 2023. it ushered in the rules that covered 2-year-old races and stakes and, at the same time, it placed a three-year moratorium regarding the possibility of a full ban on Lasix pending the outcome of several scientific studies it had commissioned. The studies delved into several issues involving the medication, focusing particularly on the effect of Lasix on equine health and the integrity of competition.
“In reaching its decision, the Board considered the findings and recommendations of the Furosemide Advisory Committee (FAC), which included a finding that available scientific evidence does not support the assertion that furosemide is a performance-enhancing substance,” HISA said in a press release.
OBS catalogues 900 juveniles for June sale
Ocala Breeders' Sales Company has catalogued 909 horses before supplements for its 2026 June 2-Year-Olds in Training & Horses of Racing Age Sale, which will be held over three days June 16-18 in Ocala, Florida. The catalogue is now available online.
Daryz’s half-brother impresses in France
Daryz confirmed his wellbeing with a dazzling turn-of-foot in last week's G1 Prix Ganay and his year-younger half-brother Daryzan (Zarak) was the focus in Tuesday's Prix Mendez, a one-mile newcomers' event, at Saint-Cloud.
“He's an immature horse, we've done a lot of work at the yard to calm him down and I'm very pleased,” said trainer Francis Graffard. “He was ready to make his debut, but I didn't know if he'd handle the [soft] ground. I think he was impressive today and, when Mickael [Barzalona] gave him one flick of the whip, he really flew home. His mother is an incredible broodmare and I think there is plenty of improvement to come.”
Daryzan is the latest of 11 foals and eighth scorer from as many runners out of G1 Hong Kong Vase victrix Daryakana (Selkirk), herself one of three black-type winners produced by G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Prix Vermeille heroine Daryaba (Night Shift).
Lack of funding ends Light Up Racing
Light Up Racing, a program launched in 2024 meant to address issues in the sport head on through conversation, will cease operations following this year's Breeders' Cup at Keeneland, the organization announced on Tuesday.
In a letter submitted by Light Up Racing's interim executive director Amy Brin, the program reflects back on what was built and how messaging can be disseminated in the future, saying, “From the beginning, the work was based on a simple principle: confidence in the sport cannot be manufactured through messaging; it has to be earned through honesty, transparency and proof.”
But Brin noted that a lack of funding and 'alignment' continued to be an issue for Light Up Racing. “There is broad agreement that racing needs this kind of communication, that public trust matters, and that misinformation, silence and fragmented responses are damaging,” the letter reads.
“What has not yet been solved is how the industry funds this work properly. As initial support began to lessen, and following consistent feedback from industry leaders about the need for greater consolidation and alignment with existing organizations, the Board explored a number of possible long-term options. These efforts included direct outreach, merger proposals, integrated budgets with operational modeling, and multiple rounds of discussion to explore how this work could be sustained within existing industry structures. Despite those worthwhile efforts and shared agreement that the work needs to continue, a sustainable path forward was not secured. The need for the work remains clear. The alignment required to act on it was not.”
RCA respond to Ascot quitting
The Racecourse Association insists it remains “committed to being a positive advocate for the sport” following Ascot's announcement it intends to leave the organisation at the end of the year.
Ascot, Goodwood, The Jockey Club, Newbury and York collectively wrote to the RCA in March calling for an “urgent review” of its governance to support industry change requesting a proposal for reform by the end of April.
A statement from the RCA on Wednesday read: “The Racecourse Association was disappointed to learn of Ascot Racecourse's intention to leave the representative body of British racecourses at the end of 2026.
“As cited in media sources on Monday, the RCA is currently undertaking a thorough governance review at the request of a number of our members. This process is expected to conclude by July 31, 2026, at which point we will present the findings and recommendations to our board.
“Throughout this process, the RCA Board, Executive and members, including the other signatories to the initial call for a review, have worked closely and in good faith to ensure the review delivers the changes required to benefit British horseracing.
“The RCA remains committed to being a positive advocate for the sport and delivering its extensive portfolio of services to all its 58 members. We look forward to the conclusion of the review, which we are confident will provide all members with the confidence and security to future-proof the RCA and our contribution to the administration of British horseracing.”
