Last year’s CF Orr quinella set to clash again
Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}), winner of last year’s G1 CF Orr Stakes, will likely clash with last year’s second-placed Angel Capital (Harry Angel {Ire}) again this Saturday. “I think he's going equally as good,” Jimmysstar’s trainer Ciaron Maher told racingandsports.com.au.
Ciaron Maher | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He's probably going better than his prep in between and I think he's probably going as good as last spring. With a horse like him, you just need things to go your way. The bigger the track the better for him. I think Sandown won't be any excuse.”
Splash Back heads to CF Orr Stakes
Saturday’s G1 CF Orr Stakes will feature Grahame Begg-trained Splash Back (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}). “She ran very well first up in the McEwen Stakes, the form has been franked out of the race with Rey Magnerio. It was a good race and she's come on since that run,” Begg told racenet.com.au.
Splash Back (Fr) | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
Stablemate She’s A Hustler (NZ) (Ace High) is headed to defend her G2 Zipping Classic crown. “We're very happy with her. We thought it was a better play to go there (Zipping after Caulfield Cup) and she's been a winner at Sandown so that held no fears for us.”
Scone postponed till Wednesday
After consulting with local trainers, Racing NSW postponed Scone’s Monday meeting until Wednesday. “The decision follows the serious race fall involving apprentice jockey Izzy Neale at Warren yesterday,” said the press release.
“Izzy remains in Dubbo Hospital in a critical condition, with her family by her side. The thoughts and heartfelt support of Racing NSW and the entire racing community are with Izzy, her family, friends and colleagues during this extremely difficult time.”
Neale is apprenticed to Scone trainer Scott Singleton.
Corstens meets with Hanson and Joyce
The President of the Australian Trainers’ Association, Troy Corstens, met with politicians Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce, as well as several Tasmanian Labor ministers, to discuss racing in Tasmania. “It’s probably not too political at our end. It was more a show of support with Greyhound Racing Australia,” Corstens told betsy.com.au.
Troy Corstens | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“It was a very informal meeting. It wasn’t hugely political or anything like that. Barnaby was giving us a fair bit of encouragement to all stick together as far as the racing codes go. Which sat very well with me because I think it’s a really poignant issue down in Tasmania that if the Libs and the Greens get their way, greyhound racing is abolished down there.
“I’d say that harness racing and thoroughbred racing are really going to have to look hard within as well because it’s only a matter of time before the greens start coming after all of us. And down in Tasmania, greyhound racing is an extremely important part of the racing economy down there.
“It was more of us just making them aware of how big racing actually is, how many jobs we have right throughout the country, and how many of them are majorly in the regional areas. So just how big the racing economy is, and I think they were very impressed with that.
“I actually mentioned that racing in Victoria is in a really good spot at the moment and very good, but that doesn’t mean that somewhere like Tasmania doesn’t need our focus and our help. I am the ATA Federal President, and I’m very well aware that if they need our help, I’ll down there in a heartbeat to try and do that.”
Proxima Dea set for G1 Australian Derby
Unbeaten dual Group 1 winning 3-year-old filly Proxima Dea (Tarzino {NZ}) will be set for the G1 Australian Derby in the autumn. “She's a freak. To do what she has done in her first race preparation, it is incredible. She keeps surprising me,” trainer David Payne told racingandsports.com.au.
Proxima Dea | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“For a filly who is so small- she is just 15 hands and wouldn't weigh 400kg- she is such a strong stayer with this lovely, economical action. She's beaten the 'boys' a couple of times already and I will definitely have a look at the Derby in the autumn.”
She’s gone out for a spell, but big plans are in the making.
“She might have had a tough run in the Oaks but you wouldn't know it, she pulled up so well, like she didn't have a run. For a small filly, she has a great constitution. She copes with her racing so well. Her lung capacity is amazing, she's a natural stayer and she's got so much improvement to come as she grows and matures.
“It's exciting to think what she could do and I hope we are back at Flemington for the Melbourne Cup next year.”
Golden Straand needs form turnaround
Matthew Smith-trained Golden Straand (Snitzel) should bounce back from a poor showing in Melbourne’s G3 Rising Fast Stakes to take on Saturday’s Listed The Hunter. “He just began too quickly. He drew the right part of the track, but the plan was to ride him with cover and he jumped straight to the front. So, it all went pear-shaped right out of the gate,” Smith told racingandsports.com.au.
“The 1300 should be ideal for him and just hopefully we get to ride him like the start before, when he got a bit of covered and finished off. He's a big-galloping, big-striding horse, Newcastle should suit him and 1300 shouldn't be a problem.”
Chief Of Staff makes it two in a row
Matthew Smith-trained Chief Of Staff (Zoustar) made it two wins in succession when victorious at Lismore on Monday. The former $440,000 yearling was sold on Inglis Digital for $40,000 in June 2025 as a maiden winner and bought by Viva Racing and Neil Jenkinson Bloodstock (FBAA).
He is the third foal and third winner for Group 1 winner First Seal (Fastnet Rock) whose 2-year-old filly The Bones (Russian Revolution) is unraced. First Seal’s Extreme Choice colt is Lot 96 at the 2027 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Queensland jockeys set for long recovery
Jockeys Mark Du Plessis and Jace McMurray face a long stint on the sidelines following a fall at Ipswich last Thursday. Du Plessis has a broken femur while McMurray has fractured ribs, a punctured lung, and a minor fracture in his T4 vertebrae. Doctors believe it will heal naturally with two months rest.
“Her jockey, Mark Du Plessis, was incredibly lucky to come away somewhat OK from what looked to be a headfirst fall to the ground. We are sending Mark all our love and best wishes for a full and speedy recovery,” trainer Ruby Chatterton told racenet.com.au.
The other jockey involved, Boris Thornton, will have an MRI on his knee as part of the process for getting clearance to ride again. He drove himself home after the fall.
Forever Young to stand at Shadai in 2027
Just hours after it was revealed that the G1 Tokyo Daishoten will be the final race for Forever Young, news emerged that the 5-year-old will stand at Shadai Stallion Station beginning in 2027. The colt's owner, Susumu Fujita, revealed where his star runner is headed to Sankei Sports.
The son of Real Steel attracted interest from overseas breeders, Fujita noted, but he decided to stand the horse where his sire, Real Steel, grandsire, Deep Impact and great grandsire, Sunday Silence, were based. Besides the G1 Tokyo Daishoten, the G1 Arima Kinen on turf was under consideration for Fujita's star, but he, alongside trainer Yoshita Yahagi decided a finale on dirt better suited Forever Young.
“In the end, we had to choose between retiring or the Tokyo Daishoten,” Fujita told Sankei Sports. “The details are as announced by Yahagi-sensei, but I hope Japanese fans will see Forever Young's final run.”
A Horse of the Year, Champion Dirt Horse and Champion Older Horse in Japan, Forever Young was also the American champion older dirt male last year. Of his 17 starts so far, he has won 12 of them with one second and three thirds. The 2026 GI Breeders' Cup Classic was his first, and to date only, off-the-board performance.
Repole’s Endo Ferrari wins in Italy
American owner Mike Repole was represented by new group winner Endo Ferrari (Masar) during Champions Day in Rome on Sunday. A six-length winner at Milan in September, Endo Ferrari doubled up there to take the Listed Premio Campobello in October. He is now three-for-three in his young career.
The homebred juvenile colt, trained by Endo Botti, delivered a four-length beating to his rivals in the G3 Premio Guido e Alessandro Berardelli. Livius (Make Believe) was second, three lengths ahead of Flower Of Cotay (Cotai Glory) in the 1800 metre affair.
Repole picked up the winner's dam Ickworth (Iffraaj), carrying Endo Ferrari, for 40,000gns (AU$81,500) out of the Godolphin draft of the 2023 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. In the royal blue, she won her first two starts at two, including the Listed First Flier Stakes in Ireland.
Blame mare tops Keeneland day 6
The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale entered its Book 4 section with the auction's sixth session Sunday. For the session, 264 horses grossed US$9,962,200 (AU$14.3 million) for an average of US$37,736 (AU$54,700) and a median of US$29,000 (AU$42,000). With 65 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate for the session was 19.76%.
The average (-7.88%) and median (-3.33) for Sunday's sixth session were down from the corresponding session at the record-setting 2025 auction and the buy-back rate was up.
“The market was good,” said Walker Hancock of Claiborne Farm, which sold all 14 horses it sent through the ring Sunday and also purchased the session topper. “It's the same song and dance, if you had a young mare that wasn't exposed, with an early cover, you were going to do very well. We know how the market perceives these older mares that have had a few foals and maybe haven't hit the mark. Late covers are tough, as well. But the young mares with attractive covering sires sold very well.”
Claiborne Farm made the highest purchase of Sunday's session, going to US$240,000 (AU$348,000) to acquire the 7-year-old mare Hypersport (hip 2150), a daughter of the historic nursery's leading broodmare sire Blame. A two-time stakes winner, Hypersport sold in foal to Fierceness and was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.
