Month: September 2019

Princess Jenni has made a winning return to The Valley in the Stocks Stakes. Australasian Oaks winner Princess Jenni has shown her class with victory in the Group Two Stocks Stakes at The Valley. Having her second start as a four-year-old after a successful three-year-old season, $3.90 favourite Princess Jenni hit the line strongly in Friday night’s 1600m race for mares’ to score by three-quarters of a length. New Zealand mare Rondinella ($8) also finished well for second after being held up rounding the home turn while Oceanex ($5.50) came…

The Holy One has earned a tilt at the Group One Caulfield Guineas with his win in the Stutt Stakes. A crack at the $2 million Group One Caulfield Guineas looms for The Holy One after the colt’s frontrunning victory in the Group Two Stutt Stakes at The Valley. The Holy One brought up an early double for the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young stable on Friday night’s Moir Stakes program after the win of fellow three-year-old colt Baracali in the opening race. Ridden by Brett Prebble, The Holy One…

Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter has entered pre-export quarantine at Newmarket in England. Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter has entered pre-export quarantine in England ahead of his trip to Australia to defend his title. He was one of 17 horses to enter quarantine in Newmarket and County Tipperary in Ireland on Thursday for their two-week quarantine. They are due in Melbourne on October 12, but one will need to stay at home as there are only places for 16 horses. A total of 38 internationally trained horses are scheduled to…

Gem Song can cement his Epsom Handicap claims when he runs in the Shannon Stakes at Rosehill. The usually reserved Kris Lees believes punters continue to underestimate Gem Song and he is looking to the horse to prove his point in the next two weeks. While the four-year-old is an early favourite for Saturday’s Group Two Shannon Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill, Gem Song remains at $15 for the $1 million Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick seven days later. A Group Three winner, the four-year finished on the heels of the…

St Edward’s Crown carries Shane Fliedner’s hopes of a Group win in the Thousand Guineas Prelude. Bendigo trainer Shane Fliedner is seeing the benefits of having a well-bred horse in is stable. With a buying budget between $5000 and $50,000, Fliedner is forced away from the better-bred horses. But with an owner and breeder like Mario Cesnik, Fliedner has been able to get his hands on a that says is potentially the best horse he has trained. Cesnik bought Patina, the dam of stakes winner Viridine, from Darley Stud in…

Tim Clark is looking to Just Thinkin’ to emulate his brother Thinkin’ Big in the Gloaming Stakes. A few days after winning the VRC Oaks Trial at Flemington on a half-sister to the 2018 winner of the same race, Tim Clark is looking to achieve a similar feat in the Group Three Gloaming Stakes at Rosehill. Clark made a flying visit to Melbourne to win Wednesday’s Oaks Trial on Celestial Falls for trainer Mark Newnham, having won in 2018 on that filly’s sibling Greysful Glamour. The jockey won last year’s…

Self Sense will try to add the R M Ansett Classic on his home track to his Mornington Cup win. Trainer David Brideoake sees his home track of Mornington as a advantage for Self Sense ahead of the gelding’s run in the R M Ansett Classic. Saturday’s 2400m-handicap is a replacement run for Self Sense after the gelding, who successfully combines flat racing with hurdling, missed the MRC Foundation Cup at Caulfield last week. Brideoake said Self Sense produced a good piece of work on Tuesday which convinced him he…

Adrian Bott expects Dawn Passage (2) to rebound from a last-start flop in the Golden Rose. It has taken a leap of faith for training partners Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott to commit to starting their two runners in the Group One Golden Rose, but with risk can come significant reward. Waterhouse and Bott have backed the ability of Dawn Passage to rebound from a disappointing last-start performance in the Run To The Rose two weeks ago, and they have shown equal confidence in raising the bar for unbeaten Yao…

Trainer Matthew Williams believes Gailo Chop will improve in his second run from an injury break. Warrnambool trainer Matthew Williams believes Group One winner Gailo Chop is still one run away from producing his best but he is expecting a better performance from the gelding at Caulfield. After a lengthy lay-off, Gailo Chop runs for the second time for Williams in Sunday’s Group One Underwood Stakes (1800m). Gailo Chop resumed racing in the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 14, and after leading, faded in the straight to…