Well Written aimed at Golden Eagle
Trainer Stephen Marsh will aim unbeaten filly Well Written (Written Tycoon) at the Golden Eagle this spring. “There's obviously a lot of water to go under the bridge, but the Golden Eagle has got to be our main target, it's just too tempting not to have a crack at,” Marsh told racenet.com.au.
Well Written | Image courtesy of Race Images South
“Well Written was all the talk before Sheza Alibi came along and did what she did, so I'm not sure anyone remembers our filly in Australia now. It's hard to compare them but what we know is they're both very, very exciting fillies.
“It's still a long way to go for both of them to get to the Golden Eagle but Sheza Alibi has a stack of respect around here. It will be a great spectacle, so hopefully both get there in one piece and at the top of their game. We are in for the challenge.”
Well Written is unbeaten in six starts including the G1 NZ 1000 Guineas, R.Listed Karaka Millions 3YO and R.Listed The Kiwi.
Winner number six for Tiger Of Malay
First season sire Tiger Of Malay celebrated winner number six when his 2-year-old filly Tigroni won at Gosford on Thursday. The tough filly, trained by Tom Charlton, won by 2.3 lengths and was having her seventh start. She has placed four times, and her only two unplaced runs were both in stakes company. Tigroni has earnings over $450,000, largely thanks to being the first ladies syndicate owned horse home in the R.Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
O’Shea and Charlton Racing, along with James Bester Bloodstock, purchased her for $80,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from Newgate Farm’s draft. She is the second foal and first winner for stakes placed Campani (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}).
Portelli’s Rebel Dane pair set for Randwick
Trainer Gary Portelli trained Widden stallion Rebel Dane as well as his G1 Golden Slipper winner Fireburn, and on Saturday will send out two more of Rebel Dane’s progeny. Rebel Shield, a 2-year-old gelding, comes off a fourth on debut behind Omolong (Extreme Choice), while 3-year-old colt So Rebellious is hunting his second career victory.
“So Rebellious has come on leaps and bounds since his last campaign. I thought it was a really nice run first-up and I expect him to run a hell of a race on Saturday,” Portelli told racingandsports.com.au.
“I like him (Rebel Shield) a lot. He has a good finish on him and going to 1400m is absolutely perfect for him.”
Edmonds unfazed by Toronado filly’s form
Trainer Trent Edmonds will debut 2-year-old filly Ms Port Melbourne (Toronado {Ire}) at Caulfield on Saturday, and she comes in with mixed form at the jumpouts. “The first one at Traralgon was an open heat and they ran the fastest time of the morning. She was really quick at her first jumpouts where she was just faster than those unraced 2-year-olds at her first couple last time in,” Edmonds told racenet.com.au.
“This time, I thought I'd just put her in a jumpout against more experienced horses where she'll get a good trail and get a bit of education. Lachy (Neindorf) said, even though she's trained on the track, she absolutely hated the polytrack and would be much better on the grass.”
SA annual awards open for voting
South Australia’s Horse Of The Year awards dinner will be held at the Wolf Blass Event Centre at Morphettville on September 5. “The annual Awards night is traditionally a time to recognise our top achievers on and off the track,” Racing SA CEO Nick Bawden said.
“This year, Racing SA is excited to introduce the Most Memorable Moment Award, which will celebrate a standout occasion that captured the attention, emotion or significance of the racing season.” Nominations are open for Trackwork Rider of the Year and Stablehand/Strapper of the Year as well as Most Outstanding Achievement by an Individual or Volunteer Group.
WA Horse of the Year awards dinner announced
Western Australia’s Horse Of The Year awards dinner will be held Ritz-Carlton Perth on August 22. Two juveniles, G3 WA Sires' Produce Stakes winner Beatty (Gingerbread Man) and G2 Karrakatta Plate winner Afireofgidgeecoals (Too Darn Hot {GB}) are up the WA Champion 2YO. Four horses are nominated for Champion 3YO, Talkanco (I’m All The Talk), Playin'it Sweet (Playing God), Luana Miss (Bivouac) and King Of Light (Earthlight {Ire}).
Three horses are nominated for Champion Older Horse, Western Empire (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}), Watch Me Rock (Awesome Rock) and Cosmic Crusader (NZ) (Maurice {Jpn}) and the overall Horse Of The Year award will come from one of these categories.
The evening will also see the induction of four new members into the WA Racing Hall of Fame, with champion jockey William Pike, multiple Group 1 winner Black Heart Bart (Blackfriars), respected trainer Paddy Ward and influential racing figure Robert Holmes à Court set to join WA racing's immortals.
Guineas could be Cormack’s ton
Veteran jockey Sean Cormack is sitting on 98 wins for the season and rides Liam Birchley-trained Aliquam (Tagaloa) in Saturday’s Magic Millions Capricorn Guineas on Saturday at Rockhampton. “All milestones in anyone's career is special and obviously this is just another one,” Cormack told racingqueensland.com.au. His previous season best was 74 wins.
“I'm at the stage of my career where I'm just trying to enjoy racing. I still ride in town and wherever I can but, because I've obviously started travelling up north, you can't do it half-heartedly. You’ve got to commit, make that commitment and you do it. I've enjoyed it, I really have.”
New juvenile winner for All Too Hard
Chris Waller quinealled the juvenile race at Sale on Thursday with 2-year-old gelding Kosei Top (All Too Hard) winning his debut by 1.25 lengths from stablemate 2-year-old gelding Zouvolt (Zoustar) who was also on debut.
Knine Inc and Rising Sun Syndications purchased Kosei Top for $220,000 at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale where he was prepared by DSB Thoroughbreds. He becomes the third winner for Unplayable (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) who is an unraced half-sister to Group 3-placed Oscar Zulu (Epaulette).
Tassort filly wins on debut
At Rockhampton on Thursday, Clinton Taylor-trained 2-year-old filly Tale Of Tass (Tassort) won on debut by 3.8 lengths. Her trainer purchased her for $55,000 from At Last Farm’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
Tale Of Tass is one of six winners for Country Tale (Tale Of The Cat {USA}) who won four races, three in Brisbane, and is a half-sister to Listed winner Magic Marvo (Bite The Bullet {USA}).
Prague adds juvenile winner
At Gosford on Thursday, second season sire Prague added a new juvenile winner when Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained gelding Mr Bohemian bolted home by two lengths. Placed two starts ago at Scone, Mr Bohemian was purchased by D Farming for a bargain $1000 via Inglis Digital as a yearling in February 2025.
He is the first foal of Nashwah (Toronado {Ire}) who was a maiden winner in Darwin. This is the family of Group 1 winner and sire Sepoy.
Juvenile winner for Headwater
At Northam on Thursday, Ryan Hill-trained 2-year-old gelding Dawn Dancer (Headwater) won his maiden against the older horses. Hill purchased him at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale for $25,000 from Evergreen Stud Farm’s draft.
Dawn Dancer is the first foal of eight-race winning mare Sunrise Dancer (Dawn Approach {Ire}) who is from the family of G3 Kindergarten Stakes winner North England (Farnan).
Fownes treble extends Trainer’s Premiership lead
Caspar Fownes took his lead on the Hong Kong Trainer’s Premiership to 69 wins with a treble at Happy Valley on Wednesday. Danny Shum sits in second with 63 wins for the season. Fownes won with Forza Toro (GB) (Aclaim {Ire}), Jumbo Blessing (Starspangledbanner), and Dancing Classics (Press Statement), and all three were ridden by Joao Moreira.
Caspar Fownes | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“It’s been a fight tonight. I knew (Shum) was going to bring a few, but like I’ve always said, I’ve always planned for the last few meetings to keep some bullets and we needed them tonight. If I didn’t land anything, he’d be right there with me going into the last two meetings, so it’s game on now,” Fownes told scmp.com.
Shum scored a double with Jerry Chau-ridden The Perfect Match (NZ) (Complacent) and Leading Agility (D’Argento) who was ridden by Zac Purton. A double on Jamie Richards-trained Happy United (NZ) (Sweynesse) took Purton to 140 wins for the season.
Savabeel gelding aimed at stakes race
Te Akau Racing are hoping for one more juvenile stakes victory when 2-year-old gelding Honour Roll (NZ) (Savabeel) lines up in Friday’s Listed Castletown Stakes at Otaki. “He was quite colty but now that he is a gelding he is putting it together,” co-trainer Mark Walker told Loveracing.nz.
“He has had a jumpout (since his last start) at the home track (Matamata) because the trials didn’t really fit in, and that kept ticking him over nicely. He has drawn wide, but it is a Heavy track so they will probably be coming down that part of the track anyway.”
Aegina tops day two of Tattersalls July at 240,000gns
The stakes-placed sprinter Aegina (Havana Grey) will join the team at Elwick Stud in County Durham after being bought online for 240,000gns (AU$486,000). Sold by The Castlebridge Consignment on behalf of Skara Glen Stables, the 3-year-old filly had been trained by Donnacha O'Brien to win on her last of four starts in 2025 after she had also finished third in the Listed Legacy Stakes at Dundalk. Her winning dam Twist Of Hay (Showcasing) is a half-sister to the G3 Athasi Stakes winner Twilight Spinner (Twilight Son).
“She was the only one we wanted to buy and she'll come back to us for a rest before we make any plans,” said Gary Moore, manager of the Turnbull family's Elwick Stud.
The trade in the ring was almost as hot as the temperature around the grounds on another roasting day at Park Paddocks, where 95% of the 185 horses offered found new homes at a wide range of destinations around the world.
An eye-catching fifth-place finish in the ultra-competitive Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot was all it took for wild card Capall Rasa to become the most expensive gelding sold on the middle day of the Tattersalls July Sale at 215,000gns (AU$435,000).
Over the first two days, 336 lots have sold for 10.5 million gns (AU$21.2 million), with one more day of selling to come.
Paul Moroney / Catheryne Bruggeman / Armando Duarte paid 15,000 gns (AU$30,400) for unraced 3-year-old filly Subvent (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}).
Bryces awarded Andrew Devonshire Bronze
Colin and Melba Bryce and Simon Cooper featured among the headline winners at the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) Flat Breeders' Awards for the 2025 season, sponsored by Ace Stud, which took place at Chippenham Park on Wednesday evening.
The Bryces received the prestigious Andrew Devonshire Bronze, which recognises exceptional achievement and contribution to the British thoroughbred breeding industry, in front of 170 guests, including their daughter and awards host, Gina Bryce.
Laundry Cottage Stud has become one of British breeding's great boutique success stories with the Bryces at the helm. Established in 2004, the Hertfordshire operation and its paddocks have witnessed the formative years of two of the most talked-about horses of recent times. Wootton Bassett, the Group 1-winning juvenile-turned-supersire, was born there in 2008, before the champion racemare Via Sistina came along a decade later. Having sold for just 5,000gns (AU$10,100) as a yearling, Via Sistina retired in January as the winner of 12 Group 1 races and over $12.6 million in prizemoney.
Lopez given 30-day suspension
Paco Lopez has been handed a 30-day suspension by the New York York Gaming Commission as a result of his actions that resulted in a scary four-horse spill on opening day at Saratoga. Lopez has appealed the ruling and has been granted a stay.
Lopez was riding I Love Giraffes (Charlatan) in the Wild Applause Stakes and may have triggered the spill, which occurred at the top of the stretch. Here is how the Equibase chart caller recapped the incident: “(I Love Giraffes) bumped with the hindquarters of PILLAR OF BEAUTY then clipped heels with her left foreleg outside the quarter-pole and fell.”
I Love Giraffes has a hip fracture and will require four months rehabilitation while the other three horses were not seriously injured. Lopez was not hurt and neither were jockeys Tyler Gaffalione and Dylan Davis. Javier Castellano, who took off the remainder of the weekend, will be out for about three weeks with a minor lower back injury.
