Harron takes consultancy role with Yulong
Bloodstock agent James Harron has joined Yulong Investments as a consultant in a part time capacity, stepping in as the Victorian operation readies to expand into New South Wales and stand five stallions in the Hunter Valley in 2026.
As part of the contract, Harron will be able to maintain his existing client base and independently operate his colt, filly, and broodmare partnerships. His colts partnership tasted success this year with G1 Champagne Stakes winner Fireball (Snitzel) and G3 Breeders' Plate winner Incognito (Stay Inside).
“It’s an incredibly exciting chapter of the Yulong story with the establishment of a presence in the Hunter Valley,” Harron told thestraight.com on Friday.
James Harron | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“It’s just a very standard consultancy engagement and we’re (using him to help us, given) his experience,” confirmed Yulong's General Manager Jun Zhang.
Harron will travel to the Hunter within the coming days to meet the Yulong team at Segenhoe Stud, which was acquired by Yulong in April for a figure reported to be over $30 million.
Berry fined, O’Shea cleared over phone call
Jockey Tommy Berry has been fined $4000 by Racing NSW stewards over the comment he made with regards to suspended trainer John O’Shea after O’Shea’s former training partner Tom Charlton won with Hovland (Dundeel {NZ}) at Warwick Farm on Wednesday June 3.
“Stewards considered whether Mr O'Shea had breached the prohibitions of his disqualification and, additionally, whether Mr Berry had contacted a disqualified person for the purpose of discussing matters relating to thoroughbred racing,” stated the steward’s report on Friday.
Tommy Berry | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“The evidence established that there had been communication from Mr Berry to Mr O'Shea on occasions whereby Mr Berry was engaged to ride or had ridden horses formerly trained by Mr O'Shea. Stewards could not be satisfied that there was sufficient evidence to establish a breach to the requisite standard, accordingly, no further action was taken in respect of those matters.”
O'Shea confirmed with TTR that he has received no further penalties in relation to the incident. His disqualification is set to expire on July 16.
New winner for Jonker
First season sire Jonker added his fifth winner when Corey and Kylie Geran-trained 2-year-old gelding Syrian Diamond won at Ipswich on Friday. Hopetoun Farm sold him as a yearling for $12,000 via Inglis Digital in July 2025 to Ian Heilig.
Syrian Diamond is the last foal and fourth winner for Syrian Bride (NZ) (Golan {Ire}) who is an unraced full sister to G1 Victoria Derby winner Kibbutz (NZ).
Earthstorm headlines Magic Millions Digital
G2 Karakatta Plate-placed Earthstorm (Calyx {GB}) headlines the latest Magic Millions Digital Sale, which features 87 lots. Earthstorm has three other stakes placings on her record and she’s from the family of Champion Sire Fastnet Rock and young WA sire Lightsaber.
Peters Investments will offer 4-year-old mare Midnight Star (Zoustar) who has won two of her past three starts. Ciaron Maher Racing offers unraced 2-year-old gelding Grim Beefer (Wootton Bassett {GB}) who is a son of Group 3 winner Waking Moment (Authorized {GB}).
The sale closes on Wednesday July 8.
Group 1 placed Gerringong heads to Glasshouse
Last start G1 Tatt’s Tiara-third Gerringong (Blue Point {Ire}) heads to Saturday’s Listed Glasshouse Handicap for trainers Chris and Corey Munce. “We couldn't get a run and we were further back than we wanted to be,” Corey Munce told racenet.com.au.
“The top three or four in the Tatt's Tiara were deserving favourites and it was just going to come down to who had the best run and unfortunately we weren't really given an opportunity. I've got full faith in this mare. She's done nothing but thrived since being up with us, and it's only because she had such a soft run in the Tiara that we're backing her up.”
General Salute to redeem himself in Winter Stakes
Co-trainer Sterling Alexiou says to forgive General Salute (Russian Revolution)’s last run ahead of Saturday’s Listed Winter Stakes. “He was first up at 1400m in a fast run race, he had to roll forward from an outside gate so I think it was a number of factors that resulted in a poor set up,” said Alexiou.
“Going into last start we were quite confident but, the way the track played, to give the horse his chance we had to be positive on him and it brought him a bit undone. If we’d ridden him quieter it wouldn’t have given him a chance to finish much closer.
General Salute | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“He’s come through it well and we’ve been happy with him. It looks like he’ll be ready to tag a solid speed from a good barrier, doing no work. It was one disappointing run he’s put in over 18 months the other day so I’d expect him to bounce back to somewhere near his best.”
Bestower chasing bigger prizemoney
A boost to the prizemoney for the Listed Caloundra Cup has enticed trainer Kris Lees to head there with last weekend’s Listed Gold Crown fourth-placed Bestower (NZ) (Contributer {Ire}). “It was such a softly-run race last week when I dropped her back in distance,” Lees told racenet.com.au.
“Because of her style, she certainly didn't over-exert herself. She was out the back and just worked home into fourth, in some ways it was like a track gallop. There is half a million dollars in prizemoney for the Caloundra Cup and this mare handles any ground.
“If she gets a good tempo, she can run terrific late sectionals. Her Achilles heel is the first half of the race, she sometimes puts herself a bit out of contention. That's why she has run so many seconds, she always charges home.”
Changing of the guard – again
The Second Season Sire leaderboard has changed again with Bivouac now leading Wootton Bassett (GB) from Farnan. In Saturday’s G3 Winx Guineas, Bivouac has Cellarmaster (NZ) and Wootton Bassett has Lyneham. At Flemington in the Listed AR Creswick Stakes, Wootton Bassett is represented by Wise Inlaw and Amping Lass, while Farnan has Recuperato and Blethyn.
Bivouac | Standing at Darley
Predation ready this time
Scratched at the barriers last time he attended the races, Predation (Capitalist) has since trialled for trainer Edward O'Rourke and runs at Rosehill on Saturday. “He has come back very well, I couldn't be happier with the horse, it was just a little mistake there at Canterbury when he got his legs over the gates,” O'Rourke told racenet.com.au.
“We fixed that really quick and he was back at the trials two days later. He has had a few visits to the barriers since and has been good as gold at the gates.”
Juvenile winner for Harry Angel
Kelly Schweida-trained 2-year-old gelding Harry’s Mode (Harry Angel {Ire}) won at Ipswich on Friday at his fourth start, having been placed previously at the same track. Originally sold by Yulong for $40,000 at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale to Stonehouse Thoroughbreds, who pinhooked him into the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale where his trainer paid $100,000 for him.
A half-brother to Listed Redoute’s Choice Stakes winning 3-year-old filly Scenic Point (Written Tycoon), the pair are out of Ludicrous Mode (Snitzel) who is a half-sister to Group 2 winner and sire Glenfiddich.
Double for Headwater
At Tamworth on Friday, Headwater sired a double with Todd Howlett-trained 3-year-old filly Josephine who took her record to two wins and she was a $50,000 purchase by Howlett from Davali Thoroughbreds’ Inglis Classic Yearling Sale draft.
Scott Singleton-trained 3-year-old gelding Oakfield Utah took his record to three wins from five starts.
Moments to step out from Aristopolos shadow
Placed four times behind unbeaten colt Aristopolos (St Mark’s Basilica {Fr}), Stuart Gandy-trained Momentslikethese (Tiger Of Malay) will run at Hobart on Sunday. “We’ve been very happy with her; she’s developed quite a bit physically since her last preparation,” Joe O’Neill from Prime Thoroughbreds told tasracing.com.au.
“We gave her a good break; Stuart has done a great job with her, and we look forward to her running on Sunday. That race looks ideal for her to kick off her preparation.”
Pike wants a Marble Bar Cup
Emerging trainer Tim Pike has three runners in Saturday’s Marble Bar Cup in the Pilbara region. “The Marble Bar Cup would be a pretty special one to win,” Pike told racingwa.com.au about the race with a 130-year history.
“I’ve had a few cracks at it since I started training and it’s just one of the trophies I’ve always been aiming at getting. Dad’s won one before, so I’d love to get one myself to equal it up.” Pike has Reginald (Casino Prince), Another Nephew (Sizzling), and Warby Ranges (Sebring) in the Cup.
“The atmosphere is amazing, it’s one of the best cup days out in the country. The number of people who come out to the races is phenomenal. For a place that’s pretty isolated and not much out there, they get a great crowd.”
Soumillon ban reduced to five days on appeal
Christophe Soumillon has had the eight-day suspension handed out by the Royal Ascot stewards following his ride on Puerto Rico in the St James's Palace Stakes reduced to five days on appeal.
An independent disciplinary panel chaired by Clement Goldstone KC and including Aidan Coleman and Grace Cheng sat last week and reconvened for final submissions and deliberations on Thursday morning.
In announcing its reasoning for reducing the sanction to five days, the panel said, “The disciplinary panel is satisfied that there was a breach of Rule (F)46 on the basis that the appellant rode Puerto Rico in such a way which gave an advantage to Gstaad, a horse from the same stable. For the avoidance of doubt, we are not satisfied that the appellant intended so to do.
“Accordingly, the appellant's appeal against the stewards' finding that he was in breach of Rule (F)46 is dismissed. In those circumstances, we consider that an appropriate sanction is a suspension of five days. Accordingly, the disciplinary panel allows the appellant's appeal against sanction by reducing the period of suspension from eight days to five days.”
Vale Graham Bradley
John Francome and Peter Scudamore were among those to pay tribute to Graham Bradley following the death of the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle-winning jockey at the age of 65.
“I played a lot of golf with him and he was a really lovely lad and a lovely jockey,” Francome said. “He was very quiet (in the saddle) and could ride a very patient race, which is something a lot of people can't do. He was incredibly stylish and just a genuinely nice human being. He was very good – if you were a horse, you'd want him to ride you.”
Scudamore hailed not only Bradley's prowess in the saddle but also his many good traits as a person.
He said, “I've just posted a picture of him with my children when we were on holiday and we remained friends beyond racing. We were lucky enough to be riding great horses at the same time and he was a larger than life character – and character is the strongest word to describe him, he lived a fantastic and happy life. I will remember him as a fantastic jockey and a great golfing partner, but above all else the kindest man.”
Bradley rode more than 700 winners during his 22-year career in the saddle and is best remembered for partnering Bregawn to victory in the 1983 Gold Cup.
Bradley – who had been suffering from semantic dementia in recent years – also won the 1996 Champion Hurdle on Jim Old's Collier Bay and the 1985 Irish Grand National with Rhyme 'n' Reason, who three years later landed the Grand National at Aintree under his long-time friend Brendan Powell.
“He was a great jockey. They wrote the book 'The Wayward Lad' and that was Brad for you, but as a person he was a very kind, generous man and one of the best jockeys I've actually ridden against or seen – he was sheer class,” Powell said.
“He was one of the most stylish jockeys around. A lot of younger lads copied their style from him over the years. It's sad after how he'd become the last couple of years. Bob (Amanda Bradley) his wife has looked after him so well.”
A statement issued through the Injured Jockeys Fund on behalf of the family read, “It is with profound sadness that the family of Graham Bradley confirm his passing following a courageous five-year battle with semantic dementia.
“One of British racing's most talented and respected jockeys, Graham will be remembered not only for his remarkable achievements on the racecourse but also for his kindness, humour, and love for his family and friends.
“Graham passed away peacefully with his beloved wife, Bob (Amanda), and cherished daughter, Georgia May Bradley, by his side. The last words he heard were, 'We love you, and it's OK to go now.'
“He fought his illness with courage and dignity, surrounded by the unwavering love and support of his family. Bob and Georgia May would like to thank everyone for the kindness, love, and support shown throughout Graham's illness and ask that their privacy be respected during this difficult time.
“Live for today, tomorrow is promised to no one.”
