Listed Warrnambool Cup win 'for Dean'
Jockey Kate Walters dedicated her Listed Warrnambool Cup victory on Any Luck (NZ) (Puccini {NZ}) to the late Dean Holland. Trained by Wayne Walters, 6-year-old mare Any Luck becomes the third stakes winner for her sire. She has eight wins and 18 placings from 47 starts with earnings over $440,000.
“That’s for Dean – Dean was one of my best friends,” she said.
“I knew him before he had all the tatts; I was the one that got him drunk. I actually miss him all the time, and especially at these carnivals. It’s constantly missing him – I’d do anything to have him back.”
Any Luck has previously won country cups at Penola, Millicent, and Avoca. She is the third foal of Luckzat (NZ) (Lucky Unicorn), who ran fourth in the Warrnambool Cup and is a half-sister to Listed winner Montahlia (NZ) (Montjeu {Ire}). Walters trained both Any Luck’s sire and dam.
“She’s tough – Alder got in front of her, and she kicked back, it was tough going for her. This is big for me. I just got beaten in a Group 3 on her Dad (Puccini), I’ve just been beaten in a Listed race in Adelaide, but this is big… I love this carnival so much.”
Government investigate TAB
AUSTRAC (Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre) has launched an investigation into TABCorp’s ability to prevent money laundering. “Tabcorp has been notified by AUSTRAC that it has a number of serious concerns with Tabcorp's ability to identify, mitigate and manage its money laundering and terrorism financing risks,” the company said in a statement for the ASX.
“As a consequence, AUSTRAC has commenced an enforcement investigation. AUSTRAC has advised that its investigation is at an early stage and its approach will be determined once sufficient evidence has been collected and assessed. All outcomes remain open, including the possibility that no further enforcement action will be taken.”
Tabcorp Chairman Brett Chenoweth added, “Tabcorp takes its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing obligations very seriously. The Board and Executive are fully committed to collaborating with AUSTRAC in the continuing uplift in Tabcorp's risk maturity.”
Parnham heading to Adelaide
WA jockey Chris Parnham will ride in Adelaide on Saturday for trainer Lloyd Kennewell including Meridius (Extreme Choice) in the G1 Goodwood Handicap. “He's going good and probably should have won the Victoria Handicap,” Kennewell told racingandsports.com.au.
Chris Parnham | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
“There weren't many riders going over to ride on Goodwood Day which I thought was quite interesting. Mark Zahra wasn't going, neither was Craig Williams, Jamie Melham was going to ride mine, but she's up on the Gold Coast to ride Half Yours. There was a lot going on with riders, so I wanted to get on the front foot and get a very good rider, and Chris is an 'A grader'.
“We've got a bit of a relationship with him, so he's going over, and we're very happy to have him on.”
Wide barrier for Grand Larceny
Trainer John Hawkes returns to Adelaide for Saturday’s G1 Goodwood Handicap with Yes Yes Yes’s half-brother Grand Larceny (Zoustar). He won the race with Lord Galaxy (Habeas Corpus {GB}) in 1986, and Cameronic (Francis Bacon {Ire}) in 1988. “Lord Galaxy is a long time ago now,” Hawkes told racingandsports.com.au.
Grand Larceny | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“But he was a really good horse, he was well above average. He would be winning Group 1 races if he was around today. Grand Larceny might not be as good as Lord Galaxy but he's a nice horse and should run well in The Goodwood.
“It was very satisfying to win with Grand Larceny last start, it worked out well. But he has to come from barrier 14 out of 16 in the Goodwood and that makes it very tough for him. It's so hard to win from wide barriers.”
Spice Baby aimed at Denise’s Joy
Trainer Joseph Ible will aim Spice Baby (Tassort) at the Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes if she runs well at Gosford on Saturday. “She’s always displayed a bit of talent and her record is very good,” Ible told racingnsw.com.au.
“I was happy with her first-up run and this looks a nice race for her. We had the idea maybe she could go to the Denise’s Joy or a fillies stakes race later in the carnival in Queensland so we wanted to test her first-up. She passed that test and we’re coming back to Midway grade now to try and get a win on our way through.”
Jones to miss Queensland carnival
Brisbane Champion Jockey Angela Jones will miss the Queensland Winter Carnival after breaking her collarbone at a fall at the trials on Thursday morning. She created history last season when she became the first female jockey to win the Brisbane jockeys' premiership.
Small’s amazing Grand Annual victory
Emotional scenes shook Warrnambool on Thursday when jockey Braidon Small won the Grand Annual Steeplechase on Instigator (Ger) (Nayef {USA}) by 0.15 lengths from Hit The Road Jack (NZ) (Jakkalberry {Ire}), a remarkably tight battle after 5500 metres. Small is in remission from brain cancer, having battled the disease from 2019 to 2025.
“(They're) words I probably thought I'd never heard anyone say with my name alongside it,” Small said. “It feels very good. You get up and you just keep moving forward. It's all you keep doing.”
Instigator will retire at the end of the season as the Australian Rules of Racing require retirement at the end of a horse’s 12-year-old season. “This is the race we always wanted. This is the horse's last start ever, it's amazing it's come off,” said trainer Aaron Purcell.
“It's forced retirement this year, it's a shame. Otherwise we'd bring him back next year, a massive effort for everyone involved.”
Kentucky Derby winner to skip Preakness, second year in a row
In a statement posted Tuesday afternoon on X, trainer Cherie DeVaux announced that the GI Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo (Curlin) will not be running in the GI Preakness Stakes. It's another blow to the race that has clearly become the weak link in the Triple Crown. The only horse who ran in the Kentucky Derby to commit to the Preakness at this point is the maiden, Ocelli (Connect), who was a surprising third.
“After much thoughtful discussion as a team, we have decided that Golden Tempo will bypass the Preakness Stakes,” read a statement attributed to Cherie DeVaux Racing.
“We are incredibly appreciative of the excitement and support surrounding the possibility of a Triple Crown run. The enthusiasm from racing fans, owners, and our entire team has meant more to us than we can properly express.”
One win each at the top
Wednesday’s racing at Happy Valley saw the top three trainers on the Hong Kong Premiership all record a single victory, maintaining Mark Newnham’s lead by one win on 52. Danny Shum and Caspar Fownes moved to 51 apiece.
“He’s been a great contributor to the trainers’ championship, I’ll tell you,” Newnham told scmp.com about his winner Notthesillyone (Super One) who has won four races this season. Deep Field had a double at the meeting with Robot Knight and Blazing Wind.
Epsom Derby favourite wins Chester Vase
Already Derby favourite prior to Wednesday's G3 Boodles Chester Vase, Ballydoyle's Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) ensured that it will take something special over the next few days to deny him that position on the first Saturday in June.
Making it a dozen renewals for Aidan O'Brien in the extended 12-furlong trial, the 2-9 favourite had several lengths to make up on the aggressively-ridden stablemate Proposition (Frankel) but was able to subdue him in the short straight and register a 4.25 length success in a very fast 2:35.22. Mr Colonel completed the Frankel one-two-three, 1.75 lengths away in third.
Coolmore representative Kevin Buckley said, “He handled the ground, handled the track and settled nicely for Ryan and showed all the attributes for what's needed at Epsom Downs in June.”
“He's going to be very versatile in terms of ground, but he wouldn't want to encounter heavy ground again because he has that nice turn of foot and a nice, easy moving, low action,” he added. “I'd imagine the owners will want to go to the Derby now and he's an exciting horse for the future.”
Jim Bolger's stables for sale
Legendary Irish trainer Jim Bolger has listed his Glebe House stables for €4 million (AU$6.5 million) recently. The sale is being handled by Jordan Auctioneers.
The 150-acre Coolcullen training facility holds 158 stables, while the main residence dates back to 1760. In addition, there are three gallops (turf, sand/fibre, and woodchip) on the property. Also included in the listing are veterinary facilities and staff accommodations.
Bolger, who is in his 80s, sold his Redmondstown Stud last year and has been downsizing his bloodstock operation for the past several years. The multiple champion trainer has trained out of Glebe House since 1982 and has sent out approximately 2,900 winners. Among his greatest horses were St Jovite, New Approach, Teofilo, Dawn Approach, Trading Leather, and recent G1 2000 Guineas/G1 St James's Palace Stakes hero Poetic Flare.
USA refunds on import tariffs
Back in February, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that President Donald Trump's suite of International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs were unconstitutional.
That decision opened the door to potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in refunds to businesses that had paid those tariffs since they went into effect a year prior, including those who shipped in Thoroughbreds from abroad.
“We just did it unilaterally, figuring our customers would want their money back,” said Charles “Chuck” Santarelli, president of Mersant International, licensed custom brokers and freight forwarders which ships Thoroughbred racehorses worldwide, about his company's approach to applying for the tariff refunds.
According to Santarelli, their customers paid around $5 million in IEEPA tariffs. He said he doesn't know exactly how many paying individuals that entailed, but suggested it could have been between 100 and 200 different entities.
The tariffs ranged in severity, from 10% from horses bred in the UK to 15% from horses bred in Japan and Europe. Immediately following the Supreme Court's decision, President Trump enacted an additional global 10% tariff, similar in effect to the IEEPA tariffs. These are set to expire July 24, 2026. The refunds in the process of being issued do not relate to this new set of 10% tariffs.
Ten for O’Brien in Cheshire Oaks
When it comes to Chester's May Festival, Aidan O'Brien always means business and Amelia Earhart (Camelot) got Ballydoyle's 2026 team off to a flyer on Wednesday to provide the stable with a 10th Listed Weatherbys Cheshire Oaks.
Aidan O'Brien | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Sent to the front at the furlong pole, she had too many guns for the Gosdens' 6-5 market-leader I'm The One (Sea The Stars) by two lengths, with A La Prochaine (Lope De Vega) 1.25 lengths away in third for Wathnan and Ralph Beckett.
Kentucky Roses movie debuts on Hallmark
'Kentucky Roses,' a new Hallmark movie that premiered on their channel May 2 and began streaming through Hallmark+ on May 3, is nothing short of a triumph for the sport of Thoroughbred racing.
Set on the grounds of iconic Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, here's a film that has something for everyone. It's good, clean fun, but it also deals with myriad issues including class division, gender identity and the labyrinth that is family history.
Most of all though, if you are trying to hook someone that knows next to nothing about the sport, then this is one way to reel them in. Directed by Clare Niederpruem with Jamie Pachino's hotly paced script, 'Kentucky Roses' stars Hallmark stalwart Andrew Walker.
The actor knows his way around horses and luckily has a best friend who is a relative of Churchill's CEO Bill Carstanjen. The racetrack was open to doing a movie and those involved cleverly rolled it out in time for Derby 152.
