Month: September 2019

The win of Extending at Sale will give trainer Bruce Purcell the ideal tonic as he continues his recovery from an incident at the Cranbourne training centre. Purcell was placed in an induced coma after being injured in an accident when one of his horses was being unloaded from the float before trackwork in July. The day after the incident, the Purcell-trained No New Tricks finished out of the money at Caulfield on July 13 with Extending his first runner since. Fellow Cranbourne trainer Ray Besanko has stepped up in…

Michael Cahill rides Morendi at Eagle Farm to cap a busy week in both NSW and Queensland. In-form jockey Michael Cahill will again show the value of his renowned fitness when he makes a quick trip back from an interstate ride to partner Morendi at Eagle Farm. There are few fitter riders than Cahill who will have had 20 rides at four different tracks in four days from Wednesday to Saturday – Doomben, Lismore, Newcastle and Eagle Farm. His trip to Lismore on Thursday was a successful one with victory…

Co-trainer Andrew Forsman is hoping Long Jack can handle a step up in class at Caulfield. New Zealand three-year-old Long Jack will be out to enhance his Victoria Derby prospects when he steps up in distance at Caulfield for the second Australian start of his spring campaign. Trained by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman in New Zealand, Long Jack is in Melbourne to target the Group One Victoria Derby (2500m) on November 2. He made a winning start to his campaign in a maiden over 1400m on the synthetic track…

Self Sense has been ruled out of Caulfield but trainer David Brideoaks says it is a minor setback. A precautionary scope ahead of a planned Caulfield Cup lead-up race has resulted in trainer David Brideoake scratching Self Sense from the MRC Foundation Cup at Caulfield. Self Sense is guaranteed a start in next month’s Caulfield Cup (2400m) courtesy of his victory in the Mornington Cup earlier in the year and Brideoake does not expect missing Saturday’s race to interfere with Self Sense’s campaign. “We’ve elected not to run him as…

As eighties-inspired looks get ready to take centre-stage during spring racing season, there’s one essential tip celebrity stylist Jess Pecoraro says every woman should heed. “Comfortable shoes is an essential,. It’s definitely a must because I do think you do not take your shoes off during the day,” Ms Pecoraro told AAP. “We’re lucky now because currently it’s all about smaller heels, which allow for that.” The official stylist for the Everest carnival has dressed Delta Goodrem and Kate Waterhouse in the past, and points to international fashion weeks in…

Queensland trainers want a system of compensation introduced to cover events such as the decision to overturn a photo finish result two months after the race. After a race at Yeppoon on July 23, Great Fox was declared the winner despite connections of runner-up Victory Toast disputing the photo-finish decision. Stewards opened an inquiry into the result this week and overturned the original decision, awarding the race to Victory Toast. Stewards used a racing rule which allows them to overturn decisions after correct weight. The Queensland secretary of the Australian…

Jockey Tim Clark is thrilled to get teh call-up on Flit (right) in the Tea Rose Stakes at Caulfield. Libertini is odds-on to continue her domination of the Princess Series, although a wet track and distance rise have a rival jockey firmly believing he can upset the star filly. Tim Clark almost brought Libertini’s winning sequence to an end in the Furious Stakes (1200m) when he went to the front aboard Villami, the pair kicking strongly and forcing Libertini and jockey Tommy Berry to dig deep to narrowly overhaul them.…

Trainer Grahame Begg believes Beauty Bolt is ready to step up to stakes class at Caulfield. After two wins on country tracks the usual regime for a progressive horse is to step quietly into city ranks. Trainer Grahame Begg is taking a different approach, going straight to stakes level with Beauty Bolt in the Jim Moloney Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield. Beauty Bolt is unbeaten in two runs, beginning her career at Geelong in June before a last start win at Seymour. “She’s done everything we’ve asked of her so far…

The new Pony Palms precinct at Randwick for the Everest Carnival has been unveiled. Horse racing glitz and glamour was on show at Royal Randwick’s newest precinct, Pony Palms, where the world’s richest turf race The Everest has been launched in Sydney. The Palm Springs-inspired area featuring a trackside pool surrounded by cabanas and umbrellas will be opened to racegoers on Saturday, with ambassador Sarah Roberts to play a live DJ set. “I’ve been DJing for about eight years now I’ve been doing it in conjunction with my acting and…

Santa Ana Lane’s return has been delayed because of teh wet Randwick track for The Shorts. Everest favourite Santa Ana Lane has been scratched from an important lead-up race to the $14 million sprint because of a heavy track at Randwick. Santa Ana Lane was an acceptor for Saturday’s Group Two Shorts (1100m) but Sydney’s wet weather has prompted trainer Anthony Freedman to keep the star sprinter in Melbourne and bypass his planned return. Seven-year-old Santa Ana Lane, a five-time Group One winner including the $2.5 million TJ Smith Stakes…