Overpass to back up into Jubilee
Trainer Bjorn Baker has accepted with last start G1 King Charles III Stakes third-placed Overpass (Vancouver) for Saturday’s G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. Chris Waller-trained Joliestar (Zoustar) is favourite at $2.60 on Friday evening for Saturday night (AEST) time with Satono Reve (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) second favourite and Overpass third favourite.
Overpass | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Winner for first season sire Profiteer
Jay Bellamy-trained 2-year-old gelding Peter Profit (Profiteer) won on debut at Rockhampton on Friday to become the third winner for his first season sire. Profiteer’s other winners include Group 3-place Star Of Jamaica.
Peter Profit was sold by Robyn Wise to his trainer for $28,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. He is the second foal and first winner for So Cait (Smart Missile) who is an unraced half-sister to Listed winner Shining Smile (Spirit Of Boom).
Group 2 winner headlines Inglis Digital
Group 2 winner Double Market (Castelvecchio) and Takemine (Hellbent), a close relation to $5.6 million Chayan (I Am Invincible), are the headline lots in the latest Inglis Digital Sale which is open now and closes on Wednesday.
Godolphin have a draft of ten, Waikato Stud have seven entries, and a Cape Schanck Stud mare reduction are all part of the 439 lots of offer. All up there are 171 racehorses (99 race fillies), 138 broodmares, 59 racehorse shares, and assorted young stock.
Blinkers to winkers for Nitro
Trainer Peter Snowden will make a minor gear change for Nitro (Deep Field) for Saturday’s run at Randwick. “The visors have come off him and we've put the winkers on just to make him focus,” Snowden told racingandsports.com.au.
“He's a lazy horse at home so just so he doesn't switch off too much but certainly not to be pulling like last time.”
Nitro | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Exciting Daytona Diva set for another win
Already a Listed winner with five wins from six starts, John Blacker-trainer 3-year-old filly Daytona Diva (Anders) looks to extend that record on Sunday at Hobart. “I really thought she would have been a bit higher up in the weights; that’s why we jumped in early and got a claim,” Blacker told tasracing.com.au of the choice to put apprentice Kirra-Lee Lane on.
“(Lane) rides well, and she probably rides better in Hobart than anywhere else, and we were quite happy to put her on and claim the 3 kilos and try and get a result. (Daytona Diva) is a very good filly and on weight she should go very close.”
Hello Captain to add another
Chris Waller-trained 3-year-old gelding Hello Captain (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) won last start and heads around on Saturday at Randwick. “Hello Captain has returned in great shape. He has found really good form, he has won his last three starts and is full of confidence,” Waller told racingandsports.com.au.
Hello Captain (NZ) | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“He's a typical New Zealand-bred horse, he has just taken time to mature. But James (McDonald, jockey) rode him a couple of starts ago and gave him a good report. He's trained on well since and kept his form. This is a bit trickier with a bit of weight (60.5-kilos) but if he was to win again Saturday we might back off and then have a look at the spring.”
Brown’s shift from Tamworth to Gawler paying off
Trainer Wayne Brown moved from Tamworth to Gawler in November last year and since then has added a Listed victory to his tally with Power Beau (Brazen Beau). Three of his 12 horses in work will run at Morphettville on Saturday. “I really like Gawler. I like the town, the people here, the trainers and everyone else here – they've welcomed me,” Brown told racenet.com.au.
“I get on well with them all, I'm enjoying everything about Gawler and South Australia. I've retired now (from insurance broking), the last four or five years I've been making a bit of a fist of it (training). The SA racing jurisdiction is probably a little bit easier (than NSW) and I have horses that I thought would fit Saturday racing.”
First win for trainer Otto
New Zealand trainer Natacha Otto celebrated her first win with Maranello (NZ) (Ace High) who won at Woodville on Friday. The 4-year-old gelding hasn’t been seen at the races for 15 months and was recording his first victory, having had two starts for previous trainer Brent Gillovic as a 3-year-old. “It was hugely exciting,” Otto told Loveracing.nz.
Natacha Otto with Maranello (NZ) after winning at Woodville | Image courtesy of Peter Rubery (Race Images)
“He was bred by Denise Howell and she asked if we would take him and go in partnership with her, so we took him on and got him going. He hadn’t raced for a year because we turned him out to mature because he was a little bit erratic last year. We turned him out for a whole year to strengthen up, which he has, he has come back in impeccable order, so we are pretty excited about him.
“I grew up riding in the competition scene. I was showing and I have won all the major titles in New Zealand and won nearly 45 Horse of the Year titles. Showing has been my big thing, and I have competed in Australia and England.”
Juvenile winner for Snitzel
At Geelong on Friday, 2-year-old colt Fast Freddie (Snitzel) won on debut for trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman. Raced by Rosemont Stud, he is the second foal and first winner for Spanish Reef (Lope De Vega {Ire}) who won the G2 Sunline Stakes, three Group 3 races and seven races in total.
Hanseatic adds juvenile winner
At Rockhampton on Friday, Tom Smith-trained 2-year-old filly Astilla (Hanseatic) beat the older horses in a maiden event. Sold by Morningside to SJ Bloodstock for $22,500 as a weanling via Inglis Digital in June 2024, Astilla is the fourth winner for Too Discreet (Henny Hughes {USA}).
Too Discreet is a city winning half-sister to Group 1 winner Maybe Discreet (Shamardal {USA}) and Group 3 winner Just Discreet (Exceed And Excel).
Brown’s Group 3 duo ready
Jockey Ethan Brown will ride Francis Lui-trained Patch Of Theta (Zoustar) and Chancheng Glory (USA) (Mor Spirit {USA}) in the two Group 3 races in Hong Kong on Sunday night. “It’s a very good ride to pick up, he trialled great last Thursday,” Brown told scmp.com about Patch Of Theta in the G3 Premier Cup.
“I was very happy and really looked forward to it. The 1400m trip is certainly his best and I’m grateful to Francis – he’s given me good support. Getting Group rides was high on my list, but just to get any rides is good – it’s tough going here and I can feel that. To be able to get the support, especially from those good trainers, means a lot. I’ve just got to do my job when they put me on.”
Ethan Brown | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Ocala finishes on a high
The juvenile sales season, which set records at all its major 2026 stops, continued to churn out new highwater marks as it reached its conclusion with the end of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale Thursday. The three-day auction had its highest-priced offering ever when a filly by Justify sold for US$1.4 million (AU$1.99 million) on Wednesday and it concluded Thursday with its highest-ever gross and an average that just edged past last year's previous record figure, while the median tied last year's record mark.
Through three sessions, 556 juveniles sold through the ring in 2026 for a gross of US$28,488,500 (AU$40.6 million). That surpassed the auction's previous record gross of US$27,092,000 (AU$38.5 million) set in 2022. The average of US$51,238 (AU$73,000) just edged last year's previous record of US$51,107 (AU$72,800), while the median of US$25,000 (AU$35,700) matched the record mark set last year.
All three of the OBS 2-year-olds in training sales this spring set records, beginning with the March sale which produced its highest-ever gross and continuing on to the April sale which had its highest-ever gross, average and median.
“It's been a banner year for us, obviously, with the records that we've set through all three sales and ending on a high note with the June sale,” said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. “We're very excited and very happy with the results of the year.”
Donato Lanni, who made an eye-popping US$10.5 million (AU$14.3 million) to acquire a colt by Flightline for Amr Zedan at the OBS Spring sale, made the highest bid of the final session of the juvenile sales season when going to US$650,000 (AU$927,000) to acquire a colt by Medaglia d'Oro on behalf of the Saudi businessman.
Ombudsman rises in Timeform rankings
Electric dual G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes hero Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) is now the highest-rated Flat horse in Europe with a ranking of 134, according to Timeform. The Godolphin runner dominated Wednesday's Prince Of Wales Stakes by four lengths over multiple Group 1 winner Minnie Hauk (Frankel).
John and Thady Gosden's son of Night Of Thunder powered clear of some high-class rivals, including Arc winner Daryz (Sea The Stars), whose rating dropped one pound to 131 pounds. Previously, Ombudsman was rated 130 pounds, but thanks to his Prince Of Wales's Stakes heroics, he is now one pound better than the 133-rated Calandagan (Gleneagles) on the list. Timeform has Hong Kong sprinter Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) rated 137 to lead the world.
Timeform's middle-distance handicapper, Rory King said, “It has been decided to award a rating of 134 to Ombudsman for his emphatic repeat win in the Prince of Wales's Stakes, the highest achieved by a horse in Europe since Baaeed (Sea The Stars).”
Maryland win bid for Preakness IP
Maryland Governor Wes Moore has announced that the state of Maryland has matched the US$85 million (AU$121 million) bid from Churchill Downs for the intellectual property and branding rights to the Preakness, which will now be held by the state. The story was first reported by the Baltimore Banner.
Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement provided to the Banner that his administration has made “historic investments” to ensure the future of Maryland's racing industry, and that the US$85 million (AU$121 million) decision will secure a “vital asset for our state.”
It will “preserve Maryland's position as a key power player in the Triple Crown for generations to come,” he said.
According to the Banner, Moore wrote in a letter to 1/ST and Churchill on Thursday that he hoped the state could collaborate with Churchill and others to “unlock growth and drive innovation to benefit the Preakness Stakes, Maryland's horseracing industry, and the entire Triple Crown.”
The Maryland Jockey Club (TMJC) shared an enthusiastic statement Thursday evening applauding Gov. Moore's decision.
“Thank you to Governor Moore and First Lady Dawn Moore for their leadership in making one of the most significant industry decisions in Maryland's history,” said Jim Dresher, Chairman of the Board of TMJC. “Retaining the Preakness in Maryland safeguards the event's future, and TMJC and its Board of Directors are committed to advancing that vision.”
HISA announces additions to Vet Advisory Committee
Officials at the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has announced the additions of Drs. Kevin Dunlavy, Vickie Heidlage-Williams, Jamie McAnly, Clayton McCook and Gabrielle Rivest to HISA's Veterinary Advisory Committee (VAC).
Members are appointed for 18-month terms, and the new members succeed outgoing VAC members Drs. Nolton Pattio, Martha Misheff, Amy Narotsky and Horace “Sam” Ferguson, III.
“We look forward to the meaningful contributions our new members will make and are confident their clinical expertise and wide range of experiences will further strengthen the committee's efforts to provide informed guidance to the industry,” said Dr. Jennifer Durenberger, HISA Director of Policy & Industry Initiatives.
Forte disqualified from 2022 G1 Hopeful Stakes
According to the rulings page of the New York State Gaming Commission, trainer Todd Pletcher began serving a 10-day suspension Thursday.
The suspension stems from the 2022 GI Hopeful Stakes when the Pletcher-trained and Repole Stables-owned Forte (Violence) tested positive for Meloxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. Pletcher has denied using the medication with Forte. The Gaming Commission also ruled that Forte was officially disqualified from the Hopeful victory.
Attorney Drew Mollica, who is representing Pletcher, said that there are still legal avenues that can and will be taken.
“The only issue the Appellate Division, Third Department, has decided upon is they denied our motion to stay the suspension,” Mollica said. “Still pending before the court is our motion to reargue what we know is an erroneous decision and leave to appeal this matter. We remain confident the court will correct this decision and short of that we reserve our right to take this matter to the New York State Court of Appeals, the highest court in the state.
“It should also be noted that Repole Stable's appeal on this matter is still in the courts and we look forward to a full fair airing of the facts in that matter and seeing that justice in this matter will be served. It has always been our position that the New York State Gaming Commission's prosecution in this matter is not only an affront to every license holder in this state but to both due process and common sense. In the final analysis we have faith the courts will agree.”
Mollica said that since the matter is still under appeal, the matter of Forte being disqualified remains unresolved.
