G1 Cox Plate will have 12 runners
A field of 12 will battle for G1 Cox Plate honours on Saturday after the field was finalised on Tuesday. Ciaron Maher will have four runners, while two 3-year-olds take part. Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained gelding Blind Raise (NZ) (Ace High) hopes to turn the tables on Warwoven (Sword Of State). “He worked up well. He’s been to Flemington before, but we brought him here to get a bit of extra out of the gallop,” Busuttin told racing.com.
Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Obviously, he needs to be 100 per cent for Saturday, but he looked good. He certainly hasn’t taken a step backwards (since the Caulfield Guineas). We were obviously very happy with him going into the Guineas. He’s fourth-up, so it’s not like he’s had five or six runs into it, so he’d be on an upward spiral, you’d think.
“Given that he’s by Ace High, you’d imagine the distance would be fine.”
2024/25 wagering figures released
The 2024/25 Australian Gambling Statistics report has been released. Total wagering spend in Australia rose to $33 billion, while racing’s portion was $8.45 billion (25.6%). The total spend was up from $32.9 billion in 2023/24, but racing’s portion fell from 2023/24’s figure of $8.578 billion. In 2023/24, racing accounted for 26% of all wagering.
Compiled by the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, the data defines expenditure as the “net amount lost or the amount wagered less the amount won,” and takes data from state and territory governments rather than wagering operators.
Data on wagering has not been available in the Racing Australia Fact Book for the past few years.
Cox Plate favourites gallop ahead of big race
G1 Cox Plate favourites Sir Delius (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) galloped at Flemington ahead of Saturday’s relocated G1 Cox Plate. “It was good, strong and solid,” co-trainer Gai Waterhouse said of Sir Delius’s work.
Sir Delius | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He's not working quite the same as he did last year, he's a year older, he's more mature but I thought he handled it very well. He's very fit and he handled it very well, he's a happy, happy horse. He's only had two starts (this campaign) and second start in the Turnbull the track was a little bit affected, the speed was on, which could easily be on (again) on Saturday.”
Aeliana galloped with stablemate and rival Birdman (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}). “Both horses are well, riders were happy with their work, James McDonald was aboard Aeliana, Ben Melham on Birdman, both ride the horses on Saturday,” trainer Chris Waller said.
“Good strong work and their recovery was good afterwards so ticked all the boxes.”
Racing incident in Caulfield Cup
Racing Victoria released the stewards’ report into the falls in last Saturday’s G1 Caulfield Cup and found that no jockeys caused the incident that led to Half Yours (St Jean {Ire}) falling. Ohope Wins (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) tripped over Half Yours, and sadly was euthanised due to injuries sustained. “Stewards could not attribute the incident to the careless actions of any one particular rider,” the stewards' report read.
“The stewards are of the view that the marginal shifts from both Green Spaces, when under pressure, and Kings Valley resulted in both those runners becoming unbalanced and shifting in ultimately resulting in Half Yours being tightened and falling.
“Stewards were satisfied Zahrann and Half Yours had both established a clear run prior to Half Yours meeting with interference. Stewards found that Rachel King and Jabez Johnstone had both taken the necessary corrective measures to straighten and relieve any pressure caused by their mounts to Half Yours. Furthermore, Ethan Brown … had not contributed to Half Yours being tightened for room.”
Jye McNeil has been cleared to ride at Geelong on Wednesday, while Mark Zahra is awaiting medical clearance but is expected back later this week.
Purton to ride Autumn Boy in Golden Eagle
Trainer Chris Waller announced on Tuesday that Champion Hong Kong jockey Zac Purton would ride Group 1 winner Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun) in the G1 Golden Eagle. “We can confirm that Zac Purton is booked for the ride – it's terrific to get someone of Zac's class booked for such an important race,” Waller told racenet.com.au.
Autumn Boy | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Regular jockey James McDonald will be in Melbourne for Derby Day.
O’Brien desperate for Geelong Cup win
G1 Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare (Declaration Of War {USA})’s half-sister Litzdeel (Dundeel {NZ}) needs to win Wednesday’s G3 Geelong Cup to make the G1 Melbourne Cup field. “She's going really well,” trainer Danny O'Brien told racenet.com.au.
Danny O'Brien | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“We are just desperate to win one of these golden-ticket races. She hasn't had a lot of luck. She ran second in the one in the autumn to Whiskey On The Hill (in the Roy Higgins) and then she ran second the other day to Ciaron (Maher's) horse in the Bart Cummings.
“She's got one more chance to win her way into the Cup and hopefully she can get there. She is a good staying mare and I think she can run top four in a Melbourne Cup. She still has to get there, which is so often the case for those horses in her part of the weights.
“The good thing is if you do get in, you are at the bottom of the weights. But there is no good being at the bottom of the weights if you are No.25 (and don't get a start).”
Four boxes at Flemington for Chapple-Hyam
Trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam, who is based in England, will have a maximum of four boxes at Flemington as she trials a satellite operation. “We're doing a trial and we'd like to go forward with the idea,” Chapple-Hyam told racenet.com.au.
“But we'd just feel the ground with some handicappers rather than high-profile horses. We're just going through the works with Flemington and we've got two boxes at the moment.” The two horses are Ambassadorial (Fiorente {Ire}), who was formerly trained by the Waterhouse/Bott yard and the McEvoy yard, and Military Academy (GB) (Fastnet Rock).
“I thought, because we own him (Ambassadorial), there's no point paying someone when I'm down here and it gives the other one that has come out from England a bit of company.”
Gerringong to run in The Invitation
Chris and Corey Munce-trained Gerringong (Blue Point {Ire}) will return to Sydney for The Invitation. “It was good to see her get that win first up and she seems to have come through it really well,” Chris Munce told racingandsports.com.au.
“She ran good over the 1400 metres in the Group 1 over the winter, so no reason why she won't do it again. I suppose Saturday will determine how she measures up and where she goes and what she does. We'll get over Saturday and assess her after that.” She was third in the G1 Tatt’s Tiara over winter and comes off a last start win in the G3 Nivison.
Mishani trio set for Doomben juvenile event
Trainer Donna Stanbridge will run three juveniles at Doomben on Saturday with two of them eligible for the R.Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic later in the season. “It was exciting to have my first starter in the Magic Millions Classic, but he got held up in the straight and it was a really good run,” Stanbridge told racingqueensland.com.au of 2025 runner Secret Sort (Tassort).
Of the three headed to the races on Saturday, Stanbridge likes Dip With The Hip (Tassort) over stablemates Better Be Done (Better Than Ready) and Mishani Kimitsu (Kobayashi).
“I like Dip With The Hip as I chose her at the Magic Millions sales. She’s having her first start, but she ran second in a barrier trial behind Kelly Schweida’s Venus Invicta, which won well at Eagle Farm on debut. She’s coming along nicely and she likes to race forward.
“Better Than Done is a nice filly and ran a really good race at her first start, but she’s big and very immature. Mishani Kimitsu ran a nice fourth (on debut), but she got well back and was held up for a run late. She’s the opposite to Dip With The Hip, who goes forward, but she’s not eligible for the Magic Millions.”
Stay Inside filly wins on debut
Second season sire Stay Inside added a new winner when Grahame Begg-trained 3-year-old filly Unwavering won on debut at Kyneton on Tuesday. The 1.5 length victrix becomes her sire’s 16th winner. She was sold by Newhaven Park Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale to SGS Bloodstock for $100,000.
She is the third foal and third winner for South Of France (USA) (Quality Road {USA}) who was a Listed winner over a mile in America.
At the same meeting, Clinton McDonald-trained 3-year-old colt Merry Chase (Toronado {ire}) won on debut.
Unbeaten Aristopolos wins trial
Last season’s unbeaten juvenile Aristopolos (St Mark’s Basilica {Fr}) won a trial at Longford on Tuesday. “We deliberately stayed off the fence with him today as the better grass cover was in the middle of the track and there was a bit more cushion,” trainer John Blacker told tasracing.com.au.
“He’ll have another trial in a couple of weeks in Launceston, and that will top him off for the 3-year-old Cup.” The $150,000 3YO Cup (1200m) in Launceston is on November 20.
Asturia new favourite for NZ 1000 Guineas
Saturday’s G2 Soliloquy Stakes winner Asturia (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) is the new favourite for the G1 NZ 1000 Guineas. Trained by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, she has won two of her three starts. “She’s very exciting and it was an impressive win on Saturday,” co-breeder Max Smithies told Loveracing.nz.
“She is out of the Zabeel mare Kay’s Legacy, whose dam Kay’s Awake won the Listed Newmarket Handicap and was Group 1-placed. My father bought Kay’s Awake and bred from her for a number of years, and we’ve got a couple of daughters we breed from, Stentorian has got an Almanzor in Book 1 for Karaka.”
Average down, median up for day 1 of Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings
The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale, which produced dramatic increases from 2024 to 2025, opened with a day of solid, if unspectacular, results Monday in Lexington. For the session, 265 yearlings grossed US$15,294,000 (AU$21.9 million). The session average of US$57,713 (AU$82,600) dipped 9% from last year's opening session, while the median rose 23.3% to US$37,000 (AU$53,000). With 87 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 24.7%.
“It was a solid opening session to the October sale,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. Monday evening. “The average price had a small decline, the median had a small increase. The RNA rate was a little higher than we would have hoped, a small increase over last year.”
Kaleem Shah made the session's highest bid, going to US$360,000 (AU$526,000) to acquire a colt by Constitution from the Woods Edge Farm consignment. The yearling was one of four to sell for US$300,000 (AU$430,000) or more on the day, while 16 sold for US$200,000 (AU$286,000) or more, down from 20 in the same session last year.
Arqana Vente d'Élevage catalogue released
The Classic-placed fillies Pink Panthera (Chachnak) and The Last Dance (Iffraaj) feature among the star names set to be offered at the 2026 edition of the Arqana Vente d'Élevage, with the full catalogue now available online for the sale which takes place from Saturday, December 5 to Tuesday, December 8.
Saturday's opening session features 237 mares, fillies and foals, with The Last Dance promising to be one of the early highlights when she goes through the ring as lot 181. Trained by Carlos and Yann Lerner, the daughter of Iffraaj was last seen chasing home Diamond Necklace (St Mark's Basilica) in May's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at ParisLongchamp.
Gestüt Görlsdorf to disperse all bloodstock
Heike Bischoff and Niko Lafrentz, the long-standing owners of Gestüt Görlsdorf, have announced plans to cease breeding at the historic farm, with their entire collection of broodmares and foals set to go under the hammer as part of a complete dispersal during the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale.
“We have reached the age where it is time to pass on the baton,” read a joint-statement issued by Bischoff and Lafrentz on Monday, confirming their intention to retire from the business.
“As there is no successor within our family to continue the stud farm in its current form, we are actively looking for a successor to take over operations by mid-2027.”
Founded in the Uckermark region north of Berlin in 1883, Gestüt Görlsdorf has been owned by the Bischoff family for over three decades, with Heike's father, Dr. Hinrich Bischoff, first leasing the stud in 1991 and then completing the purchase a short time later. Heike took over the management of the farm in March 2006 following the death of her father at the end of the previous year.
Gestüt Görlsdorf will perhaps be best remembered during the tenure of the Bischoff family for the achievements of its homebred Deutsches Derby winner Sea The Moon, who was crowned German Horse of the Year for 2014.
Now a stallion based at Lanwades Stud in Newmarket, Sea The Moon is responsible for another leading light bred by Gestüt Görlsdorf in Quest The Moon, who won the G2 Grosser Preis der Badischen Wirtschaft and was beaten just a neck by Barney Roy in the G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis – Bayerisches Zuchtrennen in 2020.
Kalpana retired to Juddmonte broodmare band
Kalpana (Study Of Man) was hailed as “extra special” after her retirement was confirmed by Juddmonte on Monday. Trained by Andrew Balding, Kalpana retires to the paddocks as a four-time Group 1 winner, notably having won July's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, as well as back-to-back editions of the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at the same venue in 2024 and 2025.
The daughter of Study Of Man returned to Ascot on Saturday in an attempt to win that Group 1 for the third year in a row. However, she ultimately had to settle for a seventh-place finish behind Minnie Hauk (Frankel), with her connections citing a “long, tough season” as the reason for her below-par display.
“She's been a star, to be fair,” said Juddmonte's European racing manager Barry Mahon. “I think her genuineness and her soundness for the last three seasons have been her main attributes. She tries so hard and has never given us any lameness trouble during her whole career. She had that will to win which meant she went down fighting every time.”
Hukum returns to Britain from Japan
Hukum, winner of the 2023 G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes for his owner-breeder Shadwell, will return to Britain to stand at Overbury Stud for the 2027 season. The 9-year-old son of Sea The Stars has been purchased by Jayne McGivern of Dash Grange Stud – who also owns leading dual-purpose sire Golden Horn – with Shadwell remaining as co-owner.
Hukum, whose first crop are now yearlings, has spent his first three stud seasons at Darley Japan's base in Hokkaido. A highly consistent performer for trainer Owen Burrows, Hukum won 11 of his 18 starts across five seasons, including the G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom in 2022, the G2 Dubai City of Gold at Meydan and the G3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes. His win in the King George, beating seven fellow Group 1 winners including Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel, was however his finest hour, earning him a Timeform rating of 130.
“We are absolutely delighted that Hukum will stand in the UK,” said Jayne McGivern. “It isn't a secret that I have been looking to expand our stallion interest, but finding the right horse is never easy. Hukum was a superb racehorse, athletic, tough, talented and determined, with an explosive turn of foot. He has fantastic conformation and temperament and is an exceptionally exciting addition to those looking to breed a middle-distance horse. Exactly the type I look for and exactly the type needed in our ranks.
“I'm especially delighted that Shadwell are retaining their connection and interest in him. He's a huge credit to their breeding operation as his pedigree goes back to Shadwell's foundation mare Height Of Fashion, who holds special significance for his breeder, the late Sheikh Hamdan. I'm thrilled to be standing him at Overbury Stud alongside Golden Horn and, like him, he's bound to attract mares for both codes. I'm sure breeders will be very impressed with him when they see him, just as I was.”
New brands for Pimlico
New brand identities for Pimlico Race Course and the Preakness Stakes were unveiled Monday afternoon by Governor Wes Moore, the Maryland Stadium Authority and The Maryland Jockey Club (TMJC) ahead of the Preakness's return to Pimlico in May 2027, it was announced via a joint press release.
The new logos were designed to honour the history of Pimlico, the Preakness and the Black-Eyed Susan while looking ahead to the future of Maryland racing. The marks feature symbols instantly recognizable and beloved by Marylanders and racing fans alike: the state's iconic flag, Pimlico's weathervane and cupola, and the black-eyed Susan, bringing together more than 280 years of history and fierce state pride.
“As Maryland steps into an exciting new era of horseracing, we're transforming our Pimlico and Preakness branding to represent our state's equestrian community and pay tribute to the industry's rich history,” said Gov. Moore. “Through instantly recognizable and deeply meaningful symbols, we continue to leverage the race and course as cornerstones of Maryland's culture and economy.”
“Preakness belongs to all Marylanders, and these new designs honour our past and reflect the pride and the limitless possibility we share in its future,” said First Lady Dawn Moore. “As we look toward its return to Pimlico, we have an opportunity to welcome more people into this cherished tradition–connecting the excitement of racing with the creativity, culture, and community spirit that make Maryland extraordinary.”
The new visual identities come at a transformative time for Maryland racing. In June, the state purchased the intellectual property rights to the Preakness Stakes, securing the future of the historic event in Maryland. Another critical development came in August, when TMJC renewed its media rights deal with NBC Sports and shifted the Preakness date back eight days to Sunday, May 23.
