Wet no worry for Sir Delius
The prospect of more rain in Melbourne won’t bother favourite Sir Delius (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for Saturday’s G1 Turnbull Stakes. “Not concerned by that (heavy track),” co-trainer Adrian Bott told racing.com.
Sir Delius (GB) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“The horse is fit enough to handle that. He does enjoy the conditions. I think a few of those things might actually work into his favour. He’s such a determined and tough and honest horse.
“He does love a fight. As we’ve seen on many occasions, when the pressure is on, he seems to be able to rally and lift in his races, particularly over those further trips.”
Tempted team unfazed by wide gate
Second in last year’s The Everest, Tempted (Street Boss {USA}) attempts to make it five wins in succession in Saturday’s G2 Premiere Stakes but has to contend with a wide gate. “It's not often you go to the races very confident everything should work out well, but she's one of those horses. That's how good we think she is,” Ciaron Maher’s stable representative Jo Gerard-Dubord said.
Tempted | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“She hasn't missed a beat. Everything we've seen of her - what she can do at home, the fact she's got the ability to relax in a race and be so pushbutton – it gives you a lot of confidence. You always like to have a softer gate but because of the horse she is, she's so pushbutton, she can switch off anywhere.
“As long as she can get a bit of cover somewhere, it shouldn't be an issue. She is very good.”
Attica good lightweight chance in Epsom
Trainer Joe Pride thinks Group 1 winner Attica (Lonhro) gets into the G1 Epsom Handicap well with 51.5kg. “You want to try and find a race you think is their best chance of winning a good race in the prep, and I think the Golden Eagle would probably be a bit ambitious,” Pride told racingnsw.com.au.
Attica | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“But the Epsom to me has the perfect profile for him. He’s a 4-year-old, I knew he was going to get in with a light weight and it was a matter of giving him the right preparation. I feel like it’s all gone to plan and now we find ourselves in an Epsom, we do look like the weight horse but he’s now got to execute.”
Stablemate Ceolwulf (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) has to carry 59kg, and no horse has carried more than 57kg to win the Epsom since Super Impose won with 61kg in 1991. “If he’s got two big performances in him I want them to be in the biggest races.
“That’s the King Charles, potentially the Cox Plate or the Champions Mile or Stakes. Not saying he couldn’t produce three but what I’m asking him to do in the Epsom is rewriting history.”
TAB announces ONE POOL
On Friday, TABCorp announced ONE POOL. “ONE POOL will bring together previously separate pari mutuel betting pools of NSW TAB, SuperTAB (VIC, WA & ACT) and UniTAB (QLD, SA, TAS & NT) into one unified national TAB. This is the first time in the 145-year history of pari mutuel betting and 65-year history of TABs in Australia,” said the press release.
Pinecliff’s Global Goal set for Flight Stakes
Pinecliff-owned 3-year-old filly Global Goal (Pinatubo {Ire}) will run in Saturday’s G1 Flight Stakes. “She’s got some black type placings to her name and it’d be huge to repay John (Sargent) and the owners with a Group 1 beside her,” jockey Dylan Gibbons told racingnsw.com.au.
“She’s been set for a race like the Flight Stakes so I couldn’t take any chances early in the prep but those runs have put her in good stead for a mile. No matter where she ends up she’s not going to be spotting them too big a start. Some of them might be suspect at a mile and if it’s going to be a dash home she is going to need to be in striking range to get past them.”
Beautifully bred, Global Goal is out of Tides (Fastnet Rock), a city winning full sister to Group 1 winner Shoals and Listed winner Groundswell from the Redoute’s Choice family.
Caballus looking for The Everest slot
Bjorn Baker already has Blue Door (Stay Inside) into the G1 The Everest and he hopes Caballus (I Am Invincible) can show enough in Saturday’s G2 Premiere Stakes to put his hand up too. “He’s a big race winner in himself, you look at the Everest horses in the race and you want to win and push your claims,” Baker told racingnsw.com.au.
Caballus | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“His win in the Newmarket was brilliant and he was excellent against Joliestar in the Expressway. I actually think he’s a better horse when he can sit off the speed. Both those days he led so from that point of view we have options. You never put your white flag up, you’ve always got to believe in this game. I’m confident he’s come back and his work and the way he looks suggests he’s on target to run extremely well.”
Underrated Savvy Hallie on song for Premiere
Trainer Brad Widdup’s Savvy Hallie (Hellbent) goes into Saturday’s G2 Premiere Stakes with a last start win in the G2 Sheraco Stakes. “It's a solid race but she is a smart horse,” Widdup told racenet.com.au.
Savvy Hallie | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“She has come through her win really well. I was thought the race was going to be strong at this time of year when everyone is chasing slots in races and things like that, not only The Everest but you have a Sydney Stakes. She is a high class mare, in great order.
“Nash (Rawiller) sticks again, she is drawn well and it looks like there might be a bit of rain around which could help her as well. Dry track, heavy track, I am still confident she runs well.”
Oaks winner’s sister heads the same way
Thomas Carberry won the 2025 G1 VRC Oaks with Strictly Business (Grunt {NZ}) who is on a G1 Melbourne Cup pathway this season, and now he’s aiming her 3-year-old half-sister and last start winner Refuse To Curtsy (Royal Meeting {Ire}) the same way. “She was definitely fit enough to run a good race at Kilmore, and she’d a learned a little bit from her three prior runs. She put it all together and did it really nicely,” Carberry told racing.com.
“We’ll probably go the Ethereal route, it looks like the logical step.”
Both were bred by Martin Falvey out of $600 mare Tivoli Lass (Uncle Mo {USA}) whose first foal is stakes placed Kicking King (Highland Reel {Ire}). They are her first three foals, and she has a yearling colt by Churchill (Ire) and recently foaled a Shinzo colt.
Strictly Business next runs on Caulfield Guineas day. “Up to 2400m in the Herbert Power, she should be able to hit the line a bit stronger and run a better race, but ultimately the goal is to get to the first Tuesday of November.”
Toronado double headlined by debutant
Toronado (Ire) sired a double at Warrnambool on Thursday, headlined by debutant 3-year-old gelding Thermic, who was the third leg of a treble for trainer Patrick Payne. His other winners were 3-year-old gelding Enchilada (Pierro) and Black Peppermint (Americain {USA}).
Thermic is the second winner for Doves Cry (Street Cry {Ire}) who is a winning half-sister to Group 3 winner Literary Magnate (Written Tycoon). Toronado’s other winner on the card was Romantic Miss who won for the third time in 12 starts for trainer Tom Dabernig.
Hello Youmzain filly wins on debut
Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained 3-year-old filly Hello Liz (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) won on debut at the Illawarra Grange track on Thursday. Owned by Cambridge Stud, who bought her for NZ$150,000 from Landsdowne Park’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale draft.
She is the first winner for Queen’s Rose (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) who is a Listed winning half-sister to Group 3 winner Perfect Scenario (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}).
Farnan’s Dignifying wins on debut
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained 3-year-old gelding Dignifying (Farnan) won on debut at Illawarra Grange on Thursday. His trainers, and Kestrel Thoroughbreds, paid $220,000 for him from Segenhoe Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
He is the fourth winner from four to race for Group 3-placed Dame Margo Fonteyn (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}) who is a half-sister to Listed winner Respin (NZ) (Power {GB}).
At the same meeting 3-year-old colt Centimetre (Extreme Choice) stayed unbeaten in his second start and 3-year-old colt Unhinged (Snitzel) won his maiden after several placings.
Bonecrusher’s trainer Frank Ritchie retires
New Zealand trainer Frank Ritchie, aged 82, announced his retirement on Thursday. “I started out training with Dad and he taught me a lot. He was a terrific horseman, not only as a jockey but as a trainer as well, he was brilliant. I didn’t get all of it, I wasn’t that good, but enough to have some fun,” Ritchie told Loveracing.nz.
Best known as the trainer of nine-time Group 1 winner Bonecrusher (NZ) (Pag-Asa) whose G1 Cox Plate battle with Our Waverley Star (NZ) (Star Way {GB}) is one of the greatest editions of that race.
“Dave O’Sullivan (co-trainer of Our Waverley Star) and I were good friends, and you obviously do your best to win the race,” Ritchie said.
“He knew my horse and I knew his. He knew he could outsprint us, and ironically the distance was perfect to have it as it was. If it was another furlong, Bonecrusher would have won easy and if it were a bit less he (Our Waverley Star) would have beaten him (Bonecrusher). It was set-up to be what it was, and we were pretty aware of that.
“After the race, we (Dave O’Sullivan and Frank Ritchie) were both going down and we hugged because we just knew what great horses they were. At the end of the day, it comes down to the horse and he was just amazing.”
His sons Shaun and Craig are both trainers.
Catalogue released for Tattersalls Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale
The multiple Group winner and Poule d'Essai des Poulains runner-up Jonquil (Lope De Vega) (lot 1057) headlines the catalogue for the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, which takes place from Monday, October 26 to Thursday, October 29.
Of the 1587 lots catalogued, 18 will be offered as part of the Juddmonte draft, including the aforementioned Jonquil, who is rated 117 by Timeform.
Trained by Andrew Balding, the son of Lope De Vega won both the G3 Greenham Stakes and G2 Celebration Mile as a 3-year-old, as well as being beaten just a head by Henri Matisse in the Poulains. In May, he registered his fourth career success when winning the Listed Paradise Stakes at Ascot.
The Juddmonte draft also features the last-time-out winners Shipbourne (Frankel) (lot 1060) and Exposure (Expert Eye) (lot 1062), who possess Timeform ratings of 104 and 100, respectively, and Accredit (Dubawi) (lot 1063), a twice-winning son of Entitle, the half-sister to champion mare Enable.
Godolphin will offer a bumper consignment numbering 56 lots, including a number of high-class performers on behalf of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid. They include the Listed winners Liberty Lane (Teofilo) (lot 1148) and Boiling Point (Too Darn Hot) (lot 1154), both of whom are currently rated 117 by Timeform, as well as the 2024 Celebration Mile hero Ice Max (Dark Angel) (lot 1151), who has a Timeform rating of 116.
Coolmore, the consignors of multiple Group 1 winner Sir Delius in 2024, will be represented by 41 lots this year, including a pair of top-class sons of Wootton Bassett, namely the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Tennessee Stud (lot 719) and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint runner-up Brussels (lot 715).
Tattersalls managing director Matthew Prior said, “Each year, Tattersalls Horses in Training purchases make headlines around the world, and since 2022 they have won an extraordinary 290 Group and Listed races globally, including multiple Group 1 winner Sir Delius, who topped this sale in 2024.
“The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale is the largest sale of its kind in the world, and this unique fixture attracts a huge number of domestic and international buyers to Park Paddocks in Newmarket, drawn by the compelling combination of quality and value for money on offer.
“This year's catalogue looks particularly strong, with real quality and depth throughout, and we look forward to welcoming the typically diverse cross-section of buyers from both the Flat and National Hunt spheres to Tattersalls.”
Metrics up at Goffs Orby Yearlings Book 2
The re-jigging of the Orby running order had a positive knock-on effect to the Wednesday Part 2 session, according to Goffs chief Henry Beeby – and the proof, as they say, is in the eating, with a €210,000 (AU$342,000) Cotai Glory filly leading the way on a day when all of the key metrics were up.
The Cotai Glory filly, who is a half-sister to the razor sharp sprinter Ostraka (Profitable), was knocked down to Montgomery Motto. The Irish National Stud-drafted filly was one of four horses to clear six figures on the day and contributed to an 8% rise to the €5,286,000 (AU$8.6 million) turnover. The €27,532 (AU$44,700) average represented a 6% rise and, while the median stayed the same at €20,000 (AU$32,600), such positive figures and strong footfall proved to Beeby that kick-starting the Orby Sale on Monday can only be viewed as a positive.
“It has worked,” Beeby commented about beginning on Monday as opposed to Tuesday over the past two years. “It worked this year and it worked last year. We trialled it last year and we broke records in both sales. The feedback last year was that it put almost too much pressure on some trainers in the UK who were at Newmarket on the Saturday, because then they couldn't really come until late on Sunday.”
Shareholder to stand at Tally-Ho for 2027
Tally-Ho Stud has further bolstered its stallion roster for 2027 with the news that Royal Ascot winner Shareholder, a son of the outstanding Not This Time, will join Zavateri at the County Westmeath farm.
Shareholder blasted his way to victory in the 2024 Norfolk Stakes for trainer Karl Burke and owners Wathnan Racing. He was sourced by those connections through Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale for €460,000 (AU$750,000).
He will join Zavateri, the Group 1-winning juvenile who was last seen winning the Group 2 Celebration Stakes at Goodwood, on the roster for next year. Fees for both horses will be announced later this year.
“He made a lot of money at the breeze-ups, is a Royal Ascot-winning two-year-old and is also by one of the best stallions in North America,” Tally-Ho's Roger O'Callaghan told TDN Europe about the new addition to the team.
He added, “We saw him as a foal, a yearling and obviously at the breeze-ups as well – he's a very nice horse. He's the same shape as Kodiac – it's all speed.”
Sahlan to stand at Haras de Bouquetot in 2027
Al Shaqab Racing's homebred Sahlan (Wootton Bassett), a Group 1 winner when defeating Rosallion in last year's Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, will take up stallion duties at Haras de Bouquetot for the 2027 breeding season.
Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, Sahlan produced a career-best display when winning the Moulin, earning a Timeform rating of 118 to prove himself one of the leading milers of his generation.
At the line the son of Wootton Bassett had a short head to spare over multiple Group 1 scorer Rosallion, with the Classic winners Henri Matisse and Marhaba Ya Sanafi also featuring in a strong field, along with the G1 Lockinge Stakes winner Lead Artist and the multiple Group 1-placed The Lion In Winter.
“Sahlan has always shown plenty of quality, but what really sets him apart is his decisive turn of foot, whatever the pace of the race,” said Graffard. “He showed it at Deauville when breaking the race record in the Prix Daphnis, and again in the Prix du Moulin, where he beat top-class milers in what was then the fastest time in the race for 25 years.
“He is an exemplary horse with a great temperament, combining a sharp turn of foot with the speed of a top-class miler.”
Arqana Autumn Sale scheduled changed
Arqana has announced changes to the schedule of its two autumn sales, with the November Yearling Sale now set to be incorporated into the Autumn Sale, which takes place from Monday, November 16 to Thursday, November 19.
The November Yearling Sale had been scheduled for Saturday, November 14, but nearly 100 Flat-bred yearlings will now be added to the catalogue for the Autumn Sale and go under the hammer on Tuesday, November 17.
The revised schedule has been made possible by utilising the new yard at Cour Morny, located immediately adjacent to the sales complex and providing additional facilities for horses.
Vale Eddie Belmonte
Jockey Eddie Belmonte, a regular on the New York circuit in the sixties and seventies and whose accomplishments include a win in the 1970 Preakness aboard Personality, passed away Wednesday. He was 83.
“With deep regret, the Puerto Rican Horse Racing Hall of Fame mourns the passing of Eddie Belmonte, a legendary figure in the history of Puerto Rican horse racing,” Puerto Rican Hall of Fame President Jorge Colón Delgado said in a statement.
After beginning his career in his native Puerto Rico, where he was the leading rider in 1963 and 1964, Belmonte came to the U.S. in the latter part of 1964 and would became the first native Puerto Rican jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. He rode Exhibitionist to a ninth-place finish in the 1966 Derby.
On Feb. 17, 1972, he won five races on the Santa Anita card and also rode in the 1973 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe aboard El Famaso. Other major wins during his career include victories in the Whitney Handicap, the Donn Handicap, the Metropolitan Handicap, the Santa Anita Handicap and the Wood Memorial Stakes. He won more than 1800 races during his career.
