Golden Eagle target for King Of Light
Dan Morton-trained King Of Light (Earthlight {Ire}) bounded home easily when resuming in the Listed Idyllic Prince Stakes at Belmont on Saturday. He will head east and be aimed at the $10 million Golden Eagle for 4-year-olds. “I was impressed. To be honest, I was a bit nervous, he was vulnerable today with the way the track was playing. We’ll have a chat to connections and work out what to do next,” Morton said.
“He probably won’t race again here (WA). He’s naturally matured and we’ve always held him in high regard.” King Of Light won his first six starts in succession, two at two, including the G2 WA Guineas and two Listed races. After failing in the G1 Northerly Stakes, he had nine months away from the track and was resuming here.
He took his earnings over $650,000 and was a $120,000 purchase by his trainer from Amelia Park’s Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale draft. He is one of four winners for Queen’s Parade (NZ) (Dalghar {Fr}) who is a winning half-sister to Group 3 winner Spirit Bird (NZ) (Savabeel).
At the same meeting, Toronado (Ire) had a double with With Discretion and Cinque Stelle. Ryan Hill-trained 3-year-old gelding Dawn Dancer (Headwater) made it three wins in succession.
Berry’s ride avoids bad luck in Premier’s Cup
Saturday’s G3 Premier’s Cup went to Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Boniface (Fr) (Make Believe {GB}) who was given an on-pace ride by Tommy Berry to avoid a repeat of the traffic problems last start. “He has a very good turn of foot,” Berry said.
“Late on he just wanted to lay in on Rach (King on So You Are), and I was worried about another protest, so I tried to keep him straight. But I've got to say, full credit to Tyler (Schiller), who's ridden him at his last couple. He obviously didn't get a ride today, but he came around and saw me and told me everything I needed to know about the horse. That just shows what a top bloke he is, and he'll obviously get his turn.”
The winner of four of his ten starts will head to the G2 Kingston Town Stakes next start. He was bought by OTI and partners for €250,000 (AU$401,000) at the 2025 Arqana Summer Sale.
First stakes winner for apprentice Hutchinson
Apprentice jockey Tala Hutchinson celebrated her first black type victory when Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray-trained Bootlegger (Too Darn Hot {GB}) won Saturday’s Listed Leon Macdonald Stakes at Morphettville. “I do a lot of the work on the horse so it’s a big thrill. I’m very thankful to my bosses for having faith in me and putting me on,” Hutchinson said.
The 4-year-old gelding won the Listed Morphettville Guineas last season and took his record to four wins from 15 starts and earnings over $270,000. He is out of winning mare Princess Youmzain (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}) who is a half-sister to G1 Hong Kong Cup winner and sire Akeed Mofeed (GB).
Attendance strong for Winx Day
The Australian Turf Club announced that crowd figures for G1 Winx Day were significantly up on last year with 7877 people in attendance on Saturday. “To almost double last year’s crowd - what a result,” Australian Turf Club CEO Steve McMahon said in a press release.
“It was a brilliant day of racing, with an energy and excitement that shows just how much people are getting behind Sydney racing in Spring. We’ve got a huge Spring Carnival ahead, and after today, I couldn’t be more excited about what’s coming. This is just the beginning and there’s a real sense that Sydney racing is ready to take another big step forward over the coming months.”
McEvoy stars gallop at Sandown
Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained pair of Half Yours (St Jean {Ire}) and G1 Cox Plate hopeful Yellow Jersey (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) galloped together at Sandown on Saturday. “They worked super together, obviously at different stages,” Calvin McEvoy told racenet.com.au.
“Half Yours is coming back and has got one more trial to go, he didn't need a really hard gallop, I thought he worked super in behind and travelled strongly. He couldn't have worked any nicer … he's exactly where we want him to be. They're two headline horses for our team and we're hoping they're both in for a really big spring.”
Treble for Youngberry at Doomben
Apprentice jockey Bella Youngberry had four rides at Doomben on Saturday and scored a treble while the fourth, Pat Webster-trained Mean Approach (Lean Mean Machine), ran second. She won on Tony Gollan-trained Listen Jani (Better Than Ready), Kristie Clark-Peoples-trained Blazing Harry (Harry Angel {Ire}), and Manpower (Trapeze Artist) for her boss Gold Coast trainer Adam Campton.
“I'm just thrilled for Bella, it was very special to have her on board. She's riding terrific and this is a tough horse and they both deserved that. This horse has been a long work in progress and he still needs to harness his energy,” Campton said.
Sears filly looks the goods at Doomben
Tony and Maddy Sears-trained 3-year-old filly Maria Clara (Doubtland) took her record to two wins from four starts. “She is a beautiful filly, we have had a very good opinion of her for a long time,” Sears, who trains with daughter Maddy, said.
“We have taken our time with her. She was very stiff last start, just got into a lot of trouble. I thought if she had any sort of luck today she should be winning.” MJJC Green Technology paid $10,000 for her from Widden Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
Debut winners for Dundeel and Yes Yes Yes
At Newcastle on Saturday, Dundeel (NZ) added a 3-year-old debutant winner when Michael Freedman-trained colt Wallace Station was victorious. He was a $400,000 purchase by Resolute Racing and Michael Wallace from Sledmere Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
Jason Coyle-trained 3-year-old gelding Karkadaan (Yes Yes Yes) won on debut by half a length. He is the first foal of She’s A Unicorn (Divine Prophet) is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Metallic Crown (Northern Meteor) and Listed winner Snitzepeg (Snitzel).
At the same meeting, John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained 3-year-old gelding Concrete Storm (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) won his maiden.
G2 Foxbridge Plate won by Alabama Lass
Ken and Bev Kelso-trained Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) cruised to victory in Saturday’s G2 Foxbridge Plate at Te Rapa, and will head to the G1 Proisir Plate next. “She has really grown up and I just don’t know what happened in Melbourne after she went so well in the Moir there first up,” Kelso said.
“She is a different horse after her spell and is back to her old self. I left things up to Michael (McNab), although I said if something wanted to go mad to just take a sit. He seems to get on well with her and this is a huge result.
“We will go on to the Proisir Plate, whether or not she will get 1400m but she has won the Soliloquy there (Ellerslie), so that is our next target as there isn’t a lot around for these sprinting mares at this time of the year. A big shout out to Bev at home, she couldn’t make it here, but I’m sure she will be chuffed.” Winner of seven of her 14 starts, she took her earnings over NZ$1 million. Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock and Ken Kelso bought her for $120,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale from Shadow Hill Thoroughbreds.
Sun Goddess leads Timeform 2YO rankings
Fresh off her six-length victory in the Harry's Half Million, Sun Goddess (Sioux Nation) now holds pride of place on Timeform's European 2-year-old ratings.
The G1 Phoenix Stakes heroine, who races for the Coolmore partners, sits clear of her peers at 110p, two pounds ahead of stablemates Great Barrier Reef (No Nay Never) and Victorious (Wootton Bassett), both at 108p. Her G3 Albany Stakes victrix Libertango (No Nay Never), who won the G2 Lowther Stakes earlier in the week, is one of six juveniles rated at 107p. The others at that mark are: Avec Toi (No Nay Never), Inner City Blues (Blue Point), Man's Best Friend (No Nay Never), Orthodox (Havana Grey), and Senorita Bonita (Starspangledbanner).
Kieran Clark, horse racing analyst at Timeform, said, “Sun Goddess's run in the sales race was stunning. Though she was well clear on ratings for the race and a big run was expected, she had to overcome significant trouble in running and still won by a cool six lengths.
“It's not the sort of race that would usually produce the season's highest-rated two-year-old, but this was no ordinary performance and she's now clear on Timeform figures at 110p. Libertango confirmed her class in the Lowther without doing anything eye-catching and has been nudged up a pound to 107p. Hopefully we get to see them clash again in the Cheveley Park at Newmarket.”
Go Racing NZ claims rich maiden
New Zealand-based global syndicators Go Racing celebrated the UK victory of Benjamin Hornigold (GB) (Blackbeard {Ire}) in the UK’s richest maiden race overnight. “He’s a lovely big colt,” jockey Colin Keane said.
“There was a bit of a rush on for the first couple of furlongs, but he relaxed into it straight away and it worked out well, we went up the middle and got in amongst horses. He never over raced, never tried to do anything wrong, and when I asked him, he got down and he galloped. He went through the line strong and took a good bit of pulling up, he feels like a big powerful colt.
“It was a soft tacky ground, which he doesn’t ideally want but he’s such a strong colt that he gets through it, he’ll prefer a sounder surface, and he won’t have a problem going an extra furlong.”
He was purchased by Go Racing in partnership with Blandford Bloodstock for €50,000 (AU$81,500) from the Tattersall’s Ireland Breeze Up Sale in May.
Alamshar dies aged 20
His Highness The Aga Khan's brilliant G1 Irish Derby and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes hero Alamshar died due to old age on August 20, JBBA Stallions announced on X Friday morning. The pensioned son of Key Of Luck was 26.
Johnny Murtagh, who partnered Alamshar throughout his career, remembered him as an unassuming and perhaps underappreciated horse who was capable of exceptional performances at his best.
“He had two great days,” Murtagh told TDN. “The day at the Curragh was a brilliant day and a brilliant performance, and then he went on to the King George. When you look at the field he beat there, he put up some performance.
“He ran very, very well in the Epsom Derby. It was a slow-run race and he flew home, so we did fancy him (for the Irish Derby). He wasn't a big, powerful horse; he was quite unassuming. But on those two days, the Irish Derby and the King George, he was pretty exceptional. He was the real deal.”
Retired to Japan for stallion duty in 2004, he was moved to the Irish National Stud under a lease agreement for 2006 and 2007, before returning to the Land of the Rising Sun where he spent the remainder of his career. He was pensioned after the 2017 breeding season at the JBBA's Shizunai Stallion Station. Although he only left 128 foals, Alamshar is the damsire of stakes winners Snapraeterea (Buratino) and Rhein Carina (Pyro). The former was placed twice in group races in Ireland.
Added The Aga Khan Studs in a statement on X, “Remembering Alamshar, the brilliant Irish Derby and King George winner who has passed away at the age of 26. Thank you to our friends, JBBA Stallions, for caring for him so well.”
