Record Cup crowd
Tuesday’s crowd figure at Flemington of 97,112 is the biggest crowd for the G1 Melbourne Cup in a decade. There were 25 race meetings held around the nation with an additional four meetings abandoned or partially abandoned due to bad weather.
Asterix scratched, Waller fined
Trainer Chris Waller was fined $50,000 by Racing Victoria stewards after a stablehand applied anti-inflammatory ointment Penetrene to G1 Melbourne Cup runner Asterix (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ})’s front legs in front of a security guard. “It's shattering to get this close and come out on raceday,” Waller told racenet.com.au.
“The horse gets the same treatment every day. It's a very basic liniment most stables use. The person that looks after the horse put it on his legs right in front of the security guard, nothing to hide. The pressure of raceday, it's a very simple mistake. Nothing was hidden, the security guard was right there … as soon as it happened we knew there was a problem.”
The Australian Rules of Racing forbid all raceday treatments.
“Unfortunately some topical treatment was applied to the horse's legs this morning, which is allowed through the week but not on raceday,” Racing Victoria chief steward Rob Montgomery said.
“It was applied this morning, accidentally, so that's the reason … it's an honest mistake and unfortunately has big consequences for the connections of the horse. The owners have come from New Zealand, over here missing out to see their horse run in a Melbourne Cup but these things do happen and it's happened today.”
Third successive Listed John Letts Cup for Air Assault
At Morphettville on Cup day, Andrew Gluyas-trained Air Assault (Justify {USA}) won the Listed John Letts Cup for the third successive year. He now has 10 wins from 43 starts with earnings over $1 million. Winner of the G3 SAJC Sires’ Produce Stakes at two, eight of his 10 wins have been in black type class.
Passed in as a yearling, Air Assault is one of three stakes winners for three-race winner Elegant Eagle (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) whose other two are Group 1 winner Go Indy Go (Bernardini {USA}) and Group 3 winner Essay Raider (Bernardini {USA}).
Rothfire’s retirement celebrated
The Brisbane Racing Club gave all punters a free beer to celebrate the retirement of Queensland’s dual Group 1 winner Rothfire (Rothesay) on Cup day. “If you asked me what his greatest asset was, I would say his toughness,” trainer Rob Heathcote told racenet.com.au after watching Rothfire canter down the straight before posing for photos with fans.
“To overcome such adversity was incredible. Non-racing people won't understand this, but the horse has no flexion in one of his front legs. It is like you run in a race with a gumboot on one leg and a Nike runner on the other.
“I've been so fortunate that he came into my life. To be honest, it's a relief to retire him fit and well.”
Beach Pad wins Australian Heritage Cup
The Australian Heritage Cup on the Flemington undercard for Australian-trained horses was won by Shane Jackson-trained Beach Pad (Bondi). “The rules say that you have to train in Australia, you don't have to be an Australian trainer, so I found a loophole there, which is great,” Jackson said.
"He's been running so consistently, he had to chase a hot speed at Caulfield last start, it didn't suit him. Back to Flemington, big long straight and a beautiful ride Willie Pike, it was an absolute genius for a ride from barrier 10 and a bit of sting out of the track. That's probably his perfect ground. He's a bit like Goldilocks this fella, everything has to go right and it went right today.” He took his record to six wins and earnings over $360,000.
“Shout out to (owner) Ev over in WA. He couldn't make it here today, but he'll get a huge thrill out of this. He loves Flemington, his daughter was here today. She got to come in and celebrate so it's a great result.” Listed placed Beach Pad is the first foal of unraced Perfect Heart (Celtus).
Three Balmerino Stakes for El Vencedor
Former New Zealand Horse of the Year El Vencedor (NZ) (Shocking) won the G3 Balmerino Stakes at Ellerslie on Cup day and his last win came in this race last year. He also won the race in 2024 and went on to win three Group 1 races that season. “It is awesome to see that horse back in winning form. For me, the stable and the owners, who are both here today, it just means so much,” trainer Stephen Marsh told Loveracing.nz.
“This is the horse that got our stable going. You can’t describe the feeling. He is a multiple Group 1 winner, and I know it is not a Group 1 today, but it meant as much seeing him back. I am so proud of him, and I really felt that one today.
“He is a marvel and the way he paraded today I thought if he doesn’t hit form today, I was going to be worried, and I am just so proud he did.”
Lor duo set for G3 Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse
Sunday’s G3 Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse will see trainer Frankie Lor run both Numbers (NZ) (Tivaci) and Massive Sovereign (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}). Massive Sovereign has had multiple tendon injuries and several stables and this will be his third run for Lor. “Usually, Happy Valley should be easier than Sha Tin – usually Sha Tin is strong – and that’s why his first two races, I raced him (at Happy Valley),” Lor told scmp.com.
“Now I think it’s time to go back to Sha Tin. He’s improved and Zac told me after the gallop ‘it looks like we can go back to the Group race’.”
Zoustar double at Kembla Grange
Zoustar sired a double at Kembla Grange on Tuesday with 3-year-old gelding Zourrific who won his maiden at start number two and Northern Eyes who took his record to five wins.
On the same card, Snitzel 3-year-old year colt War Banner won on debut for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. Raced by Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock, he is a half-brother to Group 2 winner Red Resistance (Russian Revolution).
Naval Command wins maiden
Sea Siren (Fastnet Rock)’s 3-year-old colt Naval Command (Home Affairs), who placed on debut at two, resumed at Wangaratta on Tuesday with a 2.25 length victory for trainer Mark Walker. Bought by David Ellis for $650,000 from Coolmore Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft, he becomes the 31st winner for last season’s Champion First Season Sire Home Affairs.
Triple Group 1 winner Sea Siren is the dam of Group 1 winner Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and her Listed winning full brother Bremen (Ire), as well as stakes placed Betsy Ross (Ire), also by Galileo (Ire). Now based back in Australia, Sea Siren has a 2-year-old filly by Justify (USA) and foaled a filly by City Of Troy (USA) this season.
New winner for Wild Ruler
Tom Button-trained 3-year-old filly Boudica Queen (Wild Ruler) won her maiden at Townsville on Tuesday to become the 29th winner for second season sire Wild Ruler. She is one of four winners for Show Bender (I Am Invincible) who won six times and is a full sister to Group 3-placed Convincible and a half-sister to Listed placed Nicci’s Gold (Nicconi).
At the same meeting, her stablemate 3-year-old filly Heart Of Vienna (Jonker) made it two in succession. She is one of ten winners for second season sire Jonker.
Hellbent had a double at the meeting with Hell Of A Bentley and Manhattan’s.
New winner for Splintex
Second season sire Splintex added winner number 12 when Brian Kersley-trained 3-year-old gelding Heza Hellraiser won his maiden at Bunbury on Tuesday. BK Racing paid $16,000 for him from Ruby Racing And Breeding’s Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale draft.
He is the final foal and first winner, from three to race, for Hazel Hellraiser (Due Sasso) who is an unraced half-sister to Group 1 winner Old Fashion (Metal Storm {Fr}).
Puerto Rico joins Castlehyde Stud for 2027
Dual Group 1-winning 2-year-old Puerto Rico has been retired to stand at Castlehyde Stud for the 2027 season. His trainer Aidan O'Brien said, “Wootton Bassett himself had tremendous speed, and this colt has just as much of it. He reminds me a lot of him. He's a lovely, big, powerful, mature horse.”
The son of Wootton Bassett broke his maiden last September when winning the G2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, the start of three consecutive victories for the colt which continued when he emulated his sire by winning the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and was completed in the G1 Criterium International on the eighth start of his juvenile season.
This year he was beaten a length and a half when fourth behind Rayif in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and later gained another Group 1 placing when dropping back to seven furlongs to finish third in the Prix de la Foret, half a length behind the winner True Love (No Nay Never).
“Puerto Rico is the best 2-year-old by Wootton Bassett, and the reality is that he was a better two-year-old than him,” said Castlehyde Stud Manager Paddy Fleming. “He brings incredible two-year-old form and one of the best pedigrees in the stud book to the roster. His fee will be announced this week and breeders can anticipate exceptional commercial value from a horse of this calibre.”
Magnitude fee for 2027 announced
The newest stallions to join the ranks at Ashford Stud have had their introductory fees revealed as G1 Dubai World Cup hero Magnitude (Not This Time) will command US$70,000 (AU$100,000) and graded winner Paladin (Gun Runner) will be offered at US$20,000 (AU$28,600) for 2027, the farm announced Monday.
“To have Magnitude defeat both last year's and this year's Breeders' Cup Classic winners–Forever Young and Sovereignty–proves what an absolute powerhouse he is,” said Charlie O'Connor, director of sales at Ashford Stud.
“Match that with Paladin, an undefeated early Derby favourite who beat subsequent Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo, and you have two incredibly exciting colts. Both are already showing at the stallion barn, and we welcome breeders to come down and see them.”
Flightline fee announced for 2027
The stud fees have been set for Flightline (Tapit) and Deterministic (Liam's Map) with the former commanding US$125,000 (AU$179,000) while the latter, fresh off his World Championship victory, will be introduced at US$25,000 (AU$35,800) for 2027, Lane's End announced on Monday.
Champion Flightline's first-crop continues to impress with 15 winners, including five this fall at Keeneland. His first-crop runners are led by Group 3 winner Shonan Galleon (Jpn) and stakes winner Go For Launch. In addition to being named a 'TDN Rising Star' himself, Flightline has sired four first-crop 'Rising Stars' with the most recent being Powerline on the Breeders' Cup Saturday undercard. The stallion is proving to be a versatile sire with a nearly even split of winners on dirt and turf.
Flightline's second-crop yearlings reached new heights in the sales ring this year, with prices up to US$2,600,000 (AU$3.7 million), his top priced yearling to date. He maintained a strong yearling average in 2026 at US$574,048 (AU$822,000).
Fellow 'Rising Star' Deterministic has been retired from racing to Lane's End. His career highlights include a dominate victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, defeating Eclipse Champion Notable Speech (GB) and setting a new track record for 1 3/16 miles at Saratoga in the GI Manhattan Stakes.
“It's thrilling to add another Breeders' Cup winner to the roster, especially considering he will be standing alongside his sire, Liam's Map, himself a Breeders' Cup winner,” said Lane's End president Bill Farish. “Deterministic has so much to offer breeders–a debut victory at two, a graded stakes win on the dirt, and the only four-time Grade I winner at Saratoga–he has excelled at every level. We are thankful to all the connections for entrusting Lane's End with his stud career.”
Daryz’s 2027 fee announced
As the Aga Khan Studs retires three homebred Group 1 winners to the rosters in Ireland and France for 2027, the dual Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Daryz will join his celebrated sire Sea The Stars at Gilltown Stud at an opening fee of €50,000 (AU$80,000).
Twenty-year-old Sea The Stars will himself stand at €300,000 (AU$481,000) – unchanged from last year – as he heads into his 18th covering season. Along with Daryz, Sea The Stars has this year provided the Irish Oaks winner Johanna Walsh as well as Group 1 winners Aventure and Maltese Cross. He was also the broodmare sire of five Group 1 winners in 2026, including the Derby hero Christmas Day, Prix du Moulin winner Erdenali and the Prix Marcel Boussac victrix Green Empress.
Reduction for Siyouni for 2027
At Aga Khan Studs’ Haras de Bonneval, Siyouni remains at the head of the roster at a reduced fee of €110,000 (AU$176,000), having stood at a high of €200,000 (AU$) in 2024 and 2025. Zarak remains at his 2026 fee of €80,000 (AU$128,000).
The newcomers Rayif and Samangan, both Group 1 winners in France this year, join them on the French roster. Rayif, a Group-winning and Group 1-placed juvenile, became the first horse in 25 years to complete the Poule d'Essai des Poulains-Prix Jacques Le Marois double. The son of Sea The Moon will commence his stallion career at a fee of €20,000 (AU$32,000).
Samangan, a son of Blue Point out of an Oasis Dream mare, showed the precocity to win two Group contests over six furlongs at two, before winning this season's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest. He has been introduced at €10,000 (AU$16,000).
Further Ado may stay in work for 2027
Originally earmarked for retirement to the breeding shed prior to the World Championships at Keeneland, a 4-year-old campaign for Further Ado (Gun Runner) got a solid shot in the arm when the colt took down last weekend's GI Breeders' Cup Mile as the even-money choice.
“We had announced [his retirement]. But he's just doing so well,” said Ned Toffey. “He's put on weight this fall and certainly there's a logic that says, off of a win like [the Breeders' Cup], you come to stud with a lot of momentum and that makes all the sense in the world. At the same time, he's our horse. We paid $550,000 [at Keeneland September] for him. He's already paid for himself. We don't have a big hole to climb out of with him.”
He added, “As a Gun Runner, there's some thought that he may get better as a 4-year-old. And certainly the way he's improved through the year, I think that's great. And when I say improved, I say physically. He's thrived physically in training. And so it's very tempting to go on and try to have some fun with him and maybe even bolster that resume that much more next year, for sure.”
So can racing expect to see Further Ado return next season? Toffey, with a smile, answered in succinct fashion. “We'll see.”
Mullins buys sale topper of Goffs HIT
Henry Beeby's case for more Irish vendors looking to the horses-in-training section of the Autumn Sale was strengthened by four horses selling for six figures on Monday, headed by the €360,000 (AU$577,000) Almazann (Zarak) to Willie Mullins and Harold Kirk.
Trained by Dermot Weld, Almazann headed the ever-popular Aga Khan draft, which accounted for €691,500 (AU$1.1 million) of the €2,201,500 (AU$3.5 million) traded during the horses-in-training section. He boasted a rating of 87 after getting off the mark at the sixth attempt in a Curragh maiden over 1m4f last time.
Kirk said, “We have been very, very lucky with Zarak. He is one of my favourite sires; he's a Group 1 sire on the Flat and a Grade 1 sire over jumps. He ticks every box. This is a gorgeous horse. He's 16.2, which I love. He'll be a top-class hurdles horse and a top-class staying Flat horse.”
Of the 94 horses offered, 77 were sold at a clearance rate of 82% [down by 3% on last year]. Turnover climbed a massive 63% while the €27,868 (AU$44,600) average was up by 69% and the median climbed 54% to €15,000 (AU$24,000).
Frankel’s full brother moves to Lanwades Stud
Lanwades Stud is the new home for Noble Mission, the Group 1-winning full-brother to Frankel. He will cover a “strictly limited book of mares” at a fee of £9,000 (AU$17,300) in 2027.
The 17-year-old son of Galileo joins Sea The Moon and Study Of Man at Kirsten Rausing's farm in Newmarket having initially stood at Lanes' End in Kentucky from 2015 before relocating to the JBBA Shizunai Stallion Station in Hokkaido in 2021.
His progeny, which include GI Travers Stakes winner Code Of Honor and GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Nobals as well as the G2 Yorkshire Cup and G2 Doncaster Cup winner Spanish Mission, have to date won over 810 races.
“We are delighted to welcome Noble Mission here,” said Rausing. “He fills a much-needed place in the UK breeding industry, being a champion racehorse with an outstanding pedigree and an excellent conformation. He is also an established international sire, now available to European breeders at a very competitive fee. I would like to thank our friends at the JBBA for their co-operation in this deal, which was brokered by John Tyrrell of BBA Ireland.”
Saudi Crown retired to Darby Dan Farm
Grade I winner Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) has been retired from racing and will stand at Darby Dan Farm. Owner FMQ Stables announced their decision via X on Saturday, Oct. 31.
The grey son of GI Kentucky Derby hero Always Dreaming secured his own elite-level win in the 2023 GI Pennsylvania Derby and then laid the groundwork for a consistent career that saw him hit the board in the G1 Saudi Cup in 2024 before collecting five more wins (four at the graded or black type level).
“A legacy that lives on,” tweeted the FMQ Stables page. “After an extraordinary racing career, Saudi Crown begins an exciting new chapter as a stallion at Darby Dan Farm. From his unforgettable Grade I triumph in the Pennsylvania Derby to his commanding victory in the Commonwealth Stakes, Saudi Crown has built a remarkable legacy defined by speed, strength, and determination.”
