Home Affairs chasing for 2-year-old honours
First season sire Home Affairs has wrapped up the Champion First Season Sire titles in both Australia and New Zealand. Russian Revolution will be crowned New Zealand’s Champion 2YO Sire for the season, but in Australia, things are still tight.
Home Affairs | Standing at Coolmore Australia
Snitzel leads Home Affairs on the Australian Champion 2YO Sire table by $32,445 with the season ending on Friday. A city win on Wednesday could be the difference.
Price pair set for Sydney spring
Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained pair of Sabaj (Manhattan Rain) and Planet Red (Admire Mars {Jpn}) were seen at the jumpouts at Cranbourne on Monday and will kick off in the G1 Memsie Stakes before heading to Sydney. “I reckon the Five Diamonds for him (Sabaj), because he will be a 5-year-old. It's 1800(m). That would be beautiful. That'll be a nice race for him,” Price told racenet.com.au.
Planet Red will be aimed at the G1 Golden Eagle. “The Golden Eagle is a fast 1500(m race). You need a horse with a pretty good turn of foot and, for $10 million and 4-year-olds. I think he'll be in it.”
Japan expands global betting program
From September 5, the Japan Racing Association (JRA) have expanded the number of international races available for betting from 32 to 116. The expanded list includes several Australian races including the G1 The Everest, G1 Ranvet Stakes, G1 Australian Cup, G1 Tancred Stakes, G1 TJ Smith Stakes, and the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
This is due to the number of Japanese horses competing internationally. A race must allow Japanese runners to be eligible.
Littlefield to represent Australia
Trainer Charlotte Littlefield will represent Australia in the charity race the Magnolia Cup in England. “It’s a real honour to not only go and be a part of it, but also to raise the flag, or fly the flag should I say, for because I’m more Australian now than I am English,” Littlefield told racing.com.
Charlotte Littlefield | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“It is good to fly the flag for Australia and also obviously for a very good cause.” Littlefield is raising money for Educate a Child International through her Magnolia Cup campaign, supporting educational opportunities for girls in disadvantaged countries.
“It’s affording young girls the opportunity of education. We’re so lucky in Australia and England, we get that opportunity just naturally. I think it’s a brilliant, brilliant charity to get behind.”
Devil Dancer to debut at Bathurst
Summertime Thoroughbreds-owned 2-year-old gelding Devil Dancer (Captivant) will make his debut at Bathurst on Tuesday. “Obviously it is his first start so he has still got a lot to learn, anything can happen in those races when you're having your first start, but his last couple of trials have been quite professional,” trainer Jarrod Austin told racenet.com.au.
“He went to the line with a little bit up his sleeve last time so I am expecting a good run from him but I'm hoping to get a little bit of luck from the awkward barrier.”
Treble to seal the deal for Byrne Burke
Erica Byrne Burke celebrated her first senior Tasmanian Jockey Premiership with a winning treble at Devonport on Sunday. Her wins aboard Bruny Boy (Alpine Eagle), Stardarmus (Nostradamus) and Outbush (Wordsmith) took her to 86 for the season.
Anthony Darmanin, who finished fourth on the table despite missing much of the season with injury, also had a treble for the night. John Blacker won the Tasmanian Trainer’s Premiership.
Asfoora to retire after Goodwood
Champion European Sprinter Asfoora (Flying Artie) will have her final run in the G2 King George Stakes at Goodwood on Friday, England time. “She’ll spin around on Friday at Goodwood,” Dwyer told racing.com.
Asfoora | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Hopefully, she can give us one last sort of hurrah, and then she’ll go into quarantine and come home.
“We went to Sandown the other day thinking she’d just be winning. I don’t reckon I’ve ever walked into a racecourse more confident. She smashed her head on the barriers coming out and all I can put it down to is that she might have been seeing stars out the back. She didn’t show her speed and she pulled up like she hadn’t been around.”
Waitak on song for season repeat
Trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott will set Group 1 winner Waitak (NZ) (Proisir) on a similar path as last season with him resuming in the G1 Proisir Plate on September 5. The team are really pleased with the way Waitak is coming along and he’s back doing a bit of fast work,” Scott told Loveracing.nz.
Waitak (NZ) | Image courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)
“We’re hoping to go on and trial him on August 16 at Taupo and we will look to kick him off in the Proisir Plate. It’s the same path as last year and fingers crossed, we can get similar results again with him.”
Wesley Ward's Bacio heads to Nunthorpe
Wesley Ward admits that Bacio will be “jumping in at the deep end” when he tries to make the leap from handicap good thing to genuine Group 1 contender in the Coolmore City Of Troy Nunthorpe Stakes at York next month.
The son of Maclean's Music made a mockery of a BHA mark of 100 when last seen winning the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes at Royal Ascot, drawing right away from his 26 rivals in the closing stages to land the spoils by nearly four lengths.
All roads now lead to the Knavesmire for the 3-year-old as Ward seeks his first success in the Nunthorpe, having previously finished second with Acapulco (2015) and Lady Aurelia (2017).
“He is an extremely talented horse who has only been beaten once and we are looking forward to this race. It is quite expensive [to travel], but being a Group 1 winner for this guy would make a big difference,” Ward said.
G2 Honorable Miss won by Maida
Harry Papaleo's homebred Maida (Improbable) went wire-to-wire to earn her first graded victory in the GII Honorable Miss Stakes at Saratoga Sunday. “We had (the Honorable Miss) on our radar, obviously,” said winning trainer Brittany Russell.
“I just wanted to see how she came out of the last one. There was a race at Colonial, but off of a big run like that we wanted to take a big swing somewhere. To have Bill Mott's filly [Grand Job] come up to her, I said, 'Well, here's the test.' She's never had a horse like that come to her. When she dug in, it makes you feel pretty good.”
Maida is the second graded stakes winner for her late sire, Improbable, who was euthanised in March 2024 after standing just three seasons at stud.
Cornucopian euthanised
Cornucopian (Into Mischief) has been euthanised after suffering a severe injury during the GI Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar on Saturday, according to a tweet from Tom Ryan of co-owner SF Racing.
“Heavy hearts today,” the tweet read. “Yesterday, our brilliant colt Cornucopian sustained a catastrophic injury. We worked very closely with our veterinary team, and after hearing every expert opinion available, the kindest and clearest decision was to let him go with dignity. He was a brilliant colt with a huge heart and a partnership and fan base that loved him dearly. RIP.”
Cornucopian, the heavy favourite in Saturday's race, was pulled up at the top of the lane in the Bing Crosby and was taken from the track in an equine ambulance.
Vale Michael Miller
Michael E. Miller passed away peacefully in the remarkable care of St. Joseph's Hospital, Lexington after a short illness. He will be greatly missed by his many friends and his sister, Susie, and her children, James and Kitty.
Mike was a stalwart of the Thoroughbred community in Lexington for many years. His career as a bloodstock agent was successful and colorful, matched only by his character, and joie de vivre, and his life maxim of 'Que Sera Sera!'
Born in Dublin, he travelled the world, touched down in Australia, South Africa and England to work with horses. He enjoyed nothing better than a magnificent meal and a fine Chablis. He was renowned for his culinary expertise, storytelling and joyful company.
