Victoria’s champions celebrated
G1 Caulfield Cup and G1 Melbourne Cup winner Half Yours (St Jean {Ire}) has been crowned the 2025-26 Victorian Racehorse of the Year. Most Outstanding Training Performance went to his trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy, while Calvin also won the Colin Alderson Rising Star Award.
Craig Williams won his sixth Scobie Breasley Medal and also collected his 10th Metropolitan Jockeys’ Premiership. The Scobie Breasley Medal is voted on by Racing Victoria stewards, who award 3-2-1 votes for the rides they deem the best at each Victorian metropolitan meeting throughout the season.
Jamie Mott won the VJA Damien Oliver Most Valuable Jockey Award and Logan Bates won the VJA Rising Star Award. Luke Cartwright won both the Victorian Apprentice Jockeys’ Premiership and the Metropolitan Apprentice Jockeys’ Premiership. Jumps jockey Dean Parker won his first Tommy Corrigan Medal.
Ciaron Maher won the Fred Hoysted Medal for a sixth consecutive season as well as the Metropolitan Trainers’ Premiership and the Victorian Trainers’ Premiership. Yona and Nina Lloyd were named the Racing Victoria Acknowledged Retrainers of the Year.
Revegenance to kick off in Rosebud
Co-trainer Adrian Bott is in two minds about the first run for 3-year-old colt Revegeance (Hellbent).
“He'll be nominated (for the Listed Rosebud), but it's whether he runs there or whether we lean towards a trial and go to the San Domenico (Stakes) as a kick off,” Bott told racingandsports.com.au.
Revegenance | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“We will probably make a call on Tuesday morning before acceptances. We'll see the nominations, and get a gauge off his work there on Tuesday. He's come back well. Either way, he'll be better suited once he gets up to 1400 and a mile. He's going to be that style of horse this 'prep', but he will try to head towards a Golden Rose.”
Stablemate Eviction Notice (Stay Inside) is headed to the Rosebud. “Eviction Notice might be a lighter weight chance in the race. He would have the advantage of being fit as he's had a couple of runs,” Bott said.
Regent heads to Rosebud
Last season’s Listed winner Queen Regent (Wild Ruler) will head to the Listed Rosebud Stakes on Saturday as trainer Blake Ryan tests her class.
“Was Scone a fluke? The betting said it was but I guess Saturday will tell us more,” Ryan told racenet.com.au about the $150 price for her Listed Woodlands Stakes victory at Scone.
“I've always thought coming along she was at least a city class horse. On debut she just got it all wrong, she did everything upside down then she's come out and won a Listed race at her second start. Shoot for the stars while we can. If she's not up to them, we'll reassess and lower our sights.”
Heatherlie for First Chorus
First Chorus (NZ) (Ghibellines) will head to the Listed Heatherlie Stakes on August 29 after winning her third race in succession at Caulfield on Saturday.
“She’s had a wonderful winter,” Brad Spicer, director at Spicer Syndications, told racing.com.
“It’s an honour to win the Travis Harrison Cup. The racing industry really gets behind people and has carried his legacy on, so we remember Travis. This mare, she’s just had a wonderful winter, and she’s now won her way to have a crack at the Heatherlie in a few weeks’ time. Hopefully it rains as it will give her a chance. Whatever she does from now on is just a bonus, she’s just been a terrific horse.”
Bowling injury not stopping Pinstriped trainer
Trainer Enver Jusufovic pulled a hamstring while playing 10-pin bowling, but that won’t stop him saddling up stable star Pinstriped (Street Boss {USA}) in Saturday’s G2 PJ Lawrence Stakes.
“I'm a very competitive person. I tweaked my ‘good' hamstring in a very competitive, physical sport, tenpin bowling,” Jusufovic told racenet.com.au.
Enver Jusufovic | Image courtesy of Enver Jusufovic Racing
“My 10-year-old daughter is very competitive. Perhaps an up and coming superstar… she got me in the end. I broke down in the middle of the game, she advised I should use the frame to bowl and I wasn't amused.
“Pinstriped is a lot more comfortable these days. He spends more time in the stable… as opposed to having to go to the paddock. Working him differently this time in, more like a sprinter… he's really perked up.”
Jumpout on Monday for Oliveanotherday
Listed Wangoom Handicap winner and potential G1 The Everest runner Oliveanotherday (Nicconi) will have a jump out on Monday to ready himself for the spring.
“He's ready for a jump out on Monday and then we'll probably jump out at Caulfield Heath on the 19th with a likely kick-off on the 29th at Caulfield,” trainer Tom Dabernig told racingandsports.com.au.
“Even through my Lindsay Park days, getting the spring horses ready out of winter is, I find, not as easy as going from spring to autumn. In summer, with the warm weather, they seem to carry a bit more residual fitness. He's come back really well, but with the wet tracks everywhere, and while you never miss any work, you're only going along at about 80 per cent because you don't want to overdo it on the testing ground.”
Final call for the Horses In Training entries
Magic Millions have put out a reminder that entries for the Magic Millions Horses-In-Training Sale are about to close. The sale will take place on October 12. Breeze Ups will take placed at the Gold Coast racetrack on September 22 and at Scone racetrack on September 30.
Profoundly retired to stud
Trainer Michael Freedman announced that Group 3 winner and G1 Australian Oaks-placed Profoundly (Farnan) would be retired to stud after sustaining an injury in training.
“It was reasonably severe with a suspensory, so she is off to stud unfortunately,” Freedman told Sky Sports Radio.
Profoundly | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
A three-time winner including the G3 Adrian Knox Stakes, Profoundly is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Sebonack (Sebring).
New winner for The Odyssey
Second season sire The Odyssey added his third winner when Michael Nolan-trained 3-year-old filly Toscanella won at Toowoomba on Saturday night. Owned by the McNeilly family, Toscanella was having her third start and first this time in.
She is the second foal of Miss Cavallo (Nicconi) who won three times, including twice in Brisbane as a 2-year-old.
Debutant winner for Portland Sky
At the Sunshine Coast on Sunday, Kelly Purdy-trained 3-year-old filly Sky Alice (Portland Sky) won on debut to become the sixth winner, and second in two days, for second season sire Portland Sky. Livistona Grazing Company spent $100,000 to buy her from Telemon Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
A half-sister to stakes-placed Duchess Zou (Zoustar), Sky Alice is one of four winners for Group 3-placed Miss Wonderland (Snitzel).
Alabama Lass tops G2 Foxbridge market
A trial win at Te Rapa on Saturday has launched Ken and Bev Kelso-trained Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) to the top of the G2 Foxbridge Plate market.
“Things went awry in the autumn and she has come back a lot stronger and developed a lot,” Ken Kelso told Loveracing.nz.
Alabama Lass | Image courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)
“We have got to get through the Foxbridge first, and like everyone else we are on weather watch. She has won over 1400 metres at Ellerslie in the Soliloquy, and at Ellerslie we are likely to get a reasonable track, and she has run second over a mile. As she has got a little bit stronger, I don’t think the 1400 metres will be a worry.”
Moore wins Silver Saddle at Shergar Cup
Ryan Moore returned after a 20-year break to win the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle during Saturday's Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup. He led all riders with 47 points, and, alongside Dylan Browne McMonagle and team captain Saffie Osborne, secured the victory for Team Great Britain and Ireland with 81 points.
Moore also won the Silver Saddle in his Shergar Cup debut in 2006. A three-time UK champion jockey, Moore finished in the first three in four of his five rides, winning the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge on Asgard's Captain (Make Believe) and the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic on Archer's Bay (Wootton Bassett).
Ryan Moore said, “It has been lovely. I've enjoyed it. It's nice to be back here seeing jockeys like Yutaka [Take] and Christophe [Lemaire]–older jockeys who I was looking up to as a kid. Hopefully everyone has enjoyed it.”
Team Hong Kong was second with 62 points, tied with Team Europe on 62 points. The Rest of the World had 39 points. Second in the jockeys' standings was Team Europe's Christophe Lemaire with 35, while Team Hong Kong's Jerry Chau had 32 points.
“For them to showcase their talent, but also learn off some of the greats riding at a racecourse like this, it’s been a great experience,” Hong Kong’s head of racing product Greg Carpenter said.
“The team selection was built around showcasing our local talent. Vincent (Ho)’s been an incredible ambassador and he was an easy selection as captain, but Jerry is a rising star.”
Frankel’s Sallaal wins Rose Of Lancaster
Taking another step up the ladder on Saturday, Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's Sallaal (Frankel) made light work of his sternest test in Haydock's G3 Rose Of Lancaster Stakes.
Sent off the 1-2 favourite for this 10-furlong feature coming off an easy Epsom handicap success on Oaks day and a follow-up in Sandown's Gala Stakes, the Roger Varian-trained half-brother to Benbatl (Dubawi) and Elmalka (Kingman) tracked the pace and when the button was pushed responded to take command 1 1/2 furlongs out to win by 1.75 lengths.
Sallaal is the ninth foal out of the accomplished Nahrain (Selkirk), winner of the Flower Bowl Invitational and Prix de l'Opera and runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf with the aforementioned Benbatl her flagship performer to date with his trio of international Group 1 wins. Her daughter Elmalka captured the 1000 Guineas for this stable, while her dam Bahr (Generous) took the Ribblesdale and was placed in the Oaks and Irish Oaks.
Sugar Yes Please is a sweet winner
Marc Middleton-Heath's Sugar Yes Please (Mohaather), who had snagged one of two prior starts, made a smooth transition into stakes company with a fast-finishing triumph in Saturday's G3 Newsells Park Stud Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket.
“We always knew she would appreciate going up in trip, but she just had to relax during her races first,” said Eve Johnson Houghton. “All she wants to do is please and it just means she does a bit too much early. She has learned to relax and settle into her run and it's great to see. I trained the dam [Alezan] for Mark [Middleton-Heath] and it's her first foal. She is by Mohaather, who my mum bred, so I feel it is a homebred and we're chuffed.
“We always knew she was good, but to win this is great. She showed a lovely turn of foot at the end didn't she. We really wanted black type as it's always important and who knows what we will do now as we have won our Group race. She's still very weak and we'll probably only give her one more run then see. She's won one Group race, but if she was to go on and get placed in a Group 1 then it's adding even more value, so we'll find a race and see.”
Pletcher nabs his 6000th win
With 10 entries on Saturday's Saratoga card, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher needed just one of them to cross the wire first to give him 6000 wins on what has been nothing short of an illustrious career. The milestone came in the last race, a turf optional claimer going 1 3/8ths, when Versailles Road (Quality Road) came from off the pace to get his picture taken.
“It's a hard business to reflect in much, but it's weird how when you get to these milestones that you start thinking about the individual ones and the single ones–they add up,” Pletcher said after the win was in the record books.
