Waller’s trio ready for Rosebud challenge
Trainer Chris Waller has three runners in Saturday’s Listed Rosebud at Rosehill, being G3 Canonbury Stakes victor Hidrix (Extreme Choice), G3 Pago Pago Stakes-placed Central Europe (Frankel {GB}) and Striking Alibi (Hanseatic) who has moved east from WA trainer Luke Fernie.
“Hidrix is naturally for a bit stronger and his temperament is unchanged. He’s trialling well and he’s looking like he will take the next step,” Waller told racingnsw.com.au.
Chris Waller | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Central Europe’s two runs as a 2-year-old were quite good and he’s come back well. He’s strengthened up like we’d hoped which was good. Sriking Alibi has trialled well, she needs a starting point. She’s owned by B2B and she’s won one race over there.”
Unbeaten King to conquer Rosebud
Trainer Tommy Wong has only a few horses in work at Hawkesbury, but they include unbeaten Hostwin King (King’s Legacy) who runs in Saturday’s Listed Rosebud. “He is a colt but he's not colty. He's got a good temperament and is easy to handle. I think he's easy to ride him too,” Wong told racenet.com.au.
“It's exciting. We had a good gallop on Wednesday and everything is ready to go. This is a like a Group race, a lot of them are Group horses from big stables and expensive yearlings. We are only one of the minor stables. There are 16 of them there, and we've drawn barrier six, which is not bad and we've only got 54kg so that's good.”
Stakes placed Under Focus ready for Rosebud
Kris Lees-trained colt Under Focus (Too Darn Hot {GB}) resumes in the Listed Rosebud on Saturday. He placed in the G3 Kindergarten Stakes at two. “He’s a really nice colt, the alley means we will probably have to ride him a bit conservatively and give him his chance to be strong late,” Lees told racingnsw.com.au.
“His form last time in warrants starting off in a race like this. He’s got to prove he can run out the 1400m but the Golden Rose is the target at this stage.” Stablemate She’s Extra (Exceedance) also runs in the race.
Kris Lees | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Warne buys into Warnie
Legendary cricketer Shane Warne’s daughter and brand ambassador, Brooke Warne, has bought into Warnie (Ire) (Highland Reel {Ire}). “The races just got even more exciting! Excited to be a part of Bennett Racing. Giddy up, Warnie!” she said on her socials.
The import, trained by Ciaron Maher, resumes in the Listed Regal Roller Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.
Uncommon James retired
Uncommon James (Cable Bay {Ire}), who gave trainer Matt Hoysted and jockey Ben Thompson their first Group 1 victory in the 2023 G1 Oakleigh Plate has been retired. “We thought it was the right time to pull the pin and go out on a high,” Hoysted told racenet.com.au.
Uncommon James | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The winner of seven of his 23 starts and over $1.7 million concluded his career with victory in the G2 Moreton Cup in June.
“He has taken us on a journey that has far exceeded any expectation we could have imagined.” He will be retired to Lavin Park where he was bred.
Dirty Work filly set for Group 3 in New Zealand
Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray-trained 3-year-old filly Summer Schemer (Dirty Work) resumes in Saturday’s G3 Cambridge Stud Northland Breeders’ Stakes. “Summer Schemer’s very thick winded and had a hell of a blow after trialling so I would expect her to be a bit vulnerable if she’s softened up,” Ritchie told Loveracing.nz.
“She will be better for it and be in peak order for the Sunline Vase, which is three weeks away back at Ellerslie, where she won her debut. Barrier (two) is going to help her. At this point, we suspect she is vulnerable at 1400m and has that gate speed and build to be a sprinter, so we’ll keep her at 1200m unless she tells us different.”
Spring 3-year-olds out in force on Thursday
For punters keeping an eye out for 3-year-olds who look to improve as we head into the spring, a trio of 3-year-olds were victorious at Newcastle on Thursday. John Bannister-trained filly Amajicstar (Star Turn) bolted home by 2.6 lengths over 900 metres on debut. She was bought by her trainer at the Inglis HTBA Sale for $2000.
David Payne-trained gelding Gold Globe (Farnan) won his maiden and John Thompson-trained gelding I’m Relevant (Written By) took his record to two wins from four starts.
A pair of 3-year-olds won their maidens at Moe on Thursday, being Lindsay Park-trained Tauto Bar (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) and Jerome Hunter-trained filly Announced Speed (Lean Mean Machine) who was making her debut.
Billy Healey-trained gelding Gin ‘N’ Juice (Dubious) broke his maiden at Rockhampton at his third start. Over in the west, Mitchell Pateman-trained gelding Big Red Zoom (Long Leaf) won on debut at Bunbury.
Legarto sister heads to Listed race
Sunday’s Chittick Family Fillies’ Classic at Taupo will run at Listed level for the first time this season, and trainers Ken and Bev Kelso will run 3-year-old filly Latoya (NZ) (Proisir) who is a full sister to Group 1 winner Legarto (NZ). “We have had a few runners in the race and Alabama Lass and Bounding have won it. It has always been a nice stepping stone to go on to the Gold Trail, Soliloquy and races like that. It is nice that it has now got black type to it,” Ken Kelso told Loveracing.nz.
“Latoya worked nicely on the course proper yesterday (Wednesday) morning and I am very happy going into the race with her. It (debut win) was a good effort. She got trapped three wide and to finish it off like she did was a good result. She has got to make that next step up on Sunday to stakes company against a better class of 3-year-old filles. It is a learning curve and we will be much the wiser on what track we take after Sunday.”
Listed Stonehenge Stakes won by Quest For Stars
Godolphin's €700,000 (AU$1.1 million) Arqana August graduate Quest For Stars (Sea The Stars) backed up victories at Doncaster and Sandown last month and provided Charlie Appleby with a fourth renewal of Wednesday's Listed British Stallion Studs EBF Stonehenge Stakes when digging deep at the business end of the one-mile Salisbury feature.
He also becomes a breakthrough stakes winner for rider Connor Planas.
“He was an outsider when he broke his maiden and followed it up at Sandown and he's gone and done the same again,” said Charlie Appleby. “He's not a horse that excites you too much at home, but you can't fault what he's done on the track. He's tough, he stays well and this race is a win and you're in for the [G1] Golden Fleece. It's a race we'll very much look towards and see how he comes out of this and go from there. I'm very pleased for him to go and win the race like that and very pleased for Connor. He's done a lot of work with him and knows him, so it's a good team effort.”
Barzalona joins World Pool as ambassador
World Pool has partnered with French champion jockey Mickaël Barzalona, who will provide regular blogs and insight ahead of key French racedays where World Pool is partnering with the Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU).
Barzalona, who was appointed first jockey to the Aga Khan Studs in France at the start of last year, has ridden major Group 1 winners around the world and is perhaps best known for his association with Calandagan (Gleneagles) – who was crowned Longines World's Best Racehorse for 2025 – as well as last year's G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Daryz (Sea The Stars).
Mickaël Barzalona | Image courtesy of World Pool
In his role as an ambassador, Barzalona will also be sharing his views on other major World Pool races and featuring in advertising and marketing campaigns. He joins four-time Longines World's Best Jockey Ryan Moore as a World Pool ambassador.
Castleton Farm added to Champions Sale
Keeneland's Championship Sale during Breeders' Cup week will take place Wednesday, October 28 at historic Castleton, which will itself be the final lot of the evening, according to a press release from Keeneland on Wednesday afternoon.
The auction team will offer the farm–listed by Bluegrass Sotheby's International Realty–marking a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the two entities.
The third annual Championship Sale will once again allow buyers access to unique offerings, including fractional interests in Breeders' Cup contenders, stallion shares, breeding rights, elite broodmares, racing prospects and other rare offerings.
“Every year, we ask ourselves how we can push the Championship Sale forward, giving our guests an unforgettable event and buyers something they can't find anywhere else,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “This year's auction promises to be exceptional, set against one of the most picturesque backdrops in the Bluegrass, and closing the evening with the offering of Castleton. These historic moments are what make the Championship Sale so special.”
Founded in 1793 by John Breckinridge, Castleton is one of the Bluegrass' oldest and most storied horse farms, its roots reaching back to the beginning of the nation. The farm rose to prominence in the late 19th century, producing 1896 Kentucky Derby winner Ben Brush among other champions.
TDN remembers Dr Powell
Today (Wednesday, August 12) marks two months since the death of Dr David Powell, one of the world's leading equine epidemiologists during his time based at the University of Kentucky's Gluck Research Center in Lexington. He was 84.
Born in the Welsh town of Brecon on January 5, 1942, Powell took his first steps towards what would be a long and successful career in equine science when graduating from the Veterinary School at the University of Bristol in 1965, with his growing interest in horse racing first taking him to the Equine Research Station in Newmarket in 1970.
Employed as an epidemiologist, he was tasked with monitoring infectious diseases across British horse racing yards, working alongside leading trainers such as Luca Cumani and Henry Cecil. He later completed a thesis on respiratory illness in horses that led to him being awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1980.
It was then in 1985 that he accepted a permanent job opportunity in the US at the Gluck Research Center.
Powell remained there for the next 25 years, studying a range of disease outbreaks in horses, both locally and worldwide. One of the most deadly outbreaks was that of Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome in Kentucky in the spring of 2001, described at the time by Claiborne Farm's Gus Koch as “the biggest crisis we've ever faced in this industry since I've been around”. Powell was part of a team of experts from the Gluck Research Center that eventually discovered the cause of the problem.
Powell also served as the veterinary representative for the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), representing American interests at meetings held by what is known today as the International Thoroughbred Breeders' Federation (ITBF). A preeminent voice in the media on equine health issues, he also helped to establish the University of Kentucky's Equine Disease Quarterly in 1992, a publication that is still utilised by the Gluck Research Center to provide updates on infectious diseases, among other topics, to an international audience.
Following his retirement in 2010, Powell returned home to Wales where he lived until his death on June 12, 2026.
His two sons, Jonathan and Oliver, gave a eulogy at Powell's funeral which concluded, “My Dad – dear David – lived life to the full, and he enjoyed it. He said to me recently, 'Sometimes, you have to accept, there's only a certain amount you can achieve in the time you have.' Well, he certainly achieved a great deal. He seized the day.”
American betting coup under investigation
According to a report in the Racing Post, the four winners that came out of the Fair Hill Training Center on Sunday, all of them linked to trainer Angel Quiroz, rewarded some punters handsomely. The Racing Post reported that a “six-figure betting coup” was pulled off with bets made with British bookmakers on the Fair Hill runners.
Quiroz was listed as the trainer of three starters on Sunday. Scootalo (Mitole) finished fourth at Saratoga after a poor start, but Quiroz scored with a pair of horses at Monmouth, The Great Amira (Rock Your World) and Tepeyac (Heart to Heart) in back-to-back races.
On the same day, trainer Ernesto Ochoa won races with Classic Rock (Daredevil) and M Bs Melanie Cares (Redesdale) at Saratoga. Quiroz has admitted that he was the previous trainer of the two Saratoga winners and said that both were sold by their owners to Ochoa shortly before the Saratoga starts.
The Fair Hill Training Centre, HISA and HIWU are among the organizations that have launched investigations into the matter. Quiroz, who is normally based at Gulfstream Park, told the TDN that he did nothing wrong.
“It's very simple,” Quiroz said. “I took my horses and ran them at Monmouth Park and won the races and I took one horse to Saratoga and she ran fourth. Everybody is shocked. I don't see what the big deal is or what the problem is. I'm supposed to run all the time and not try to win the race? There are too many people behind social media who don't show their faces and post too much stuff that is not true. The problem with social media is that this became very popular and people started to say stuff that isn't true and tried to make me out to be a bad guy.”
USA TOBA elects new chair
The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association elected David O'Farrell as chairman of its Board of Trustees, according to a release on Tuesday from the group. Joining O'Farrell on the Board of Trustees and serving three-year terms as new members are: David Anderson, Conrad Bandoroff, Matt Dorman, Lynn Hancock, and Preston Troutt.
Re-elected to three-year terms were current trustees Joe Appelbaum, Michael Banahan, Mandy Pope and R. Glenn Sikura.
“I am honoured to be re-elected as TOBA chairman,” said David O'Farrell. “Our board of trustees and the TOBA membership represent an important constituency, and we look forward to working with other industry stakeholders to address the numerous issues facing our industry.”
Racing To Cricket raises funds for welfare
Racing to Cricket, raising funds for Racing Welfare for the first time, returns to the Wormsley Estate in Buckinghamshire on Sunday, September 6.
Established in 2017 by racing syndicates manager David Sumpter, the event has already raised more than £330,000 (AU$632,000) for racing charities. The centrepiece of the day is an eight-a-side knockout cricket tournament for the Racing to Cricket Trophy, featuring a mix of returning teams and new contenders. Competing teams include Nicky Henderson's Seven Barrows, Willy Twiston-Davies, Tattersalls, Weatherbys Racing Bank, newcomers D J Jefferies, and a joint team from Toby Lawes and Tom Ward.
Guests will enjoy hospitality from the Boundary Room marquee overlooking the ground including a champagne reception, buffet lunch, and afternoon tea. There will also be a live auction offering racing, sporting and lifestyle experiences. Among the first lots confirmed is a nomination to multiple Group 1-winning stallion Golden Horn, donated by Jayne McGivern of Dash Grange Stud.
Dawn Goodfellow, chief executive of Racing Welfare, said, “Racing to Cricket is a brilliant example of the racing community coming together in support of its people. We are hugely grateful that Racing Welfare has been chosen as the beneficiary for 2026, and funds raised will help us continue providing vital, confidential support to everyone working in and retired from British racing and breeding. Events like this not only raise essential funds, but also celebrate the camaraderie and generosity that make our sport so special.”
