Month: October 2019

Japanese superstar Almond Eye has consolidated her position as the country’s best with a scintillating victory in the Tenno Sho in Tokyo. The reigning Japanese Horse of the Year, Almond Eye beat nine other Group One winners to add the Tenno Sho to her Group One Dubai Turf win earlier this year. Trained by Sakae Kunieda and ridden by Christophe Lemaire, Almond Eye was midfield on the fence for much of the 2000 metres but when a gap appeared, she sprinted through and put the race beyond doubt. Almond Eye…

NZ mare Glory Days is injured and will not be among the next group of Melbourne Cup declarations. Group One-winning New Zealand mare Glory Days has suffered an injury and will not run in the Melbourne Cup. The seven-year-old was well positioned to make the final field of 24 but trainer Bill Thurlow has elected not to make the third declaration payment on Monday. “She banged her leg in the paddock last Monday and her leg has not responded as quickly as we would have hoped,” he said. “Her welfare…

Moreira took his tally to 30 with a treble today. Dirt track specialist Elusive State posted an impressive win in the Class 2 Kwangtung Handicap Cup (1650m) at Sha Tin this afternoon (Sunday, 27 October), Joao Moreira secured his second win of the day with a rail-running swoop, nailing section two of the Class 4 Shenzhen Handicap (1200m) aboard the Francis Lui-trained Fortune Happiness. And the three-time Hong Kong champion jockey made it three when the David Ferraris-trained Bear Slam took the Class 3 Zhuhai Handicap (1650m). That was the…

Elusive State looked good under Joao Moreira. Dirt track specialist Elusive State posted an impressive win in the Class 2 Kwangtung Handicap Cup (1650m) at Sha Tin this afternoon (Sunday, 27 October) but trainer Tony Millard remained evasive regarding future plans for the talented six-year-old. “We’ve got a plan for him so we hope we can pull it off. I had an international jockey get hold of me, so I’ve got a plan. We’ll see what happens now, see how he pulls up,” the handler said. The rumour mill has…

Exceedance’s stallion value will be stamped if he can win the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington. Hawkes Racing is leaving nothing to chance as they chase an important Group One victory with lightly raced colt Exceedance. The three-year-old is set to run in Saturday’s Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington. Since being elevated to Group One status in 2006, the Coolmore Stud Stakes has been won by some of Australia’s brightest young stallions including Star Witness (2010), Sepoy (2011), Zoustar (2013), Brazen Beau (2014) and Merchant Navy (2017). Filly Sunlight…

Cox Plate-winning jockey Damian Lane can complete the grand slam if he wins the Melbourne Cup. History awaits star Australian jockey Damian Lane when he returns to riding on Melbourne Cup day after a suspension. With wins in the Golden Slipper, Caulfield Cup and Saturday’s Cox Plate already in his keeping during 2019, Lane can create history at Flemington on November 5 when he rides Japanese Caulfield Cup winner Mer De Glace in the $8 million Melbourne Cup. No jockey has won Melbourne’s three major spring races – Caulfield Cup,…

Te Akau Shark (R) will return home to NZ while stablemate Melody Belle (L) runs in Group 1 at Flemington. Cox Plate placegetter Te Akau Shark will return home to New Zealand for a spell with trainer Jamie Richards to switch his attention to stablemate Melody Belle. The mare runs on Saturday at Flemington where she will try to add the Group One Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) to her three elite level wins at home this spring. New Zealand’s reigning Horse of the Year has settled in well and will…

Trainer Tony McEvoy will try Sunlight over 1500m in the $7.5 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill. After digging deeper into Sunlight’s performance in The Everest, co-trainer Tony McEvoy is happy to bite the bullet for a shot at the Golden Eagle. Sunlight finished 10th behind Yes Yes Yes in The Everest on October 19, leaving the trainer puzzled and searching for answers. “When we dissected the race she still ran the fastest 1200 metres she’s ever run so it wasn’t a disastrous run, but she finished well below what we…