Month: November 2019

Jockey Craig Williams and trainer Danny O’Brien were proudly flying the flag for Australia. Trainer Danny O’Brien has vowed to bring Vow And Declare back to defend the Melbourne Cup title next year. The Australian-bred, owned, trained and ridden Vow And Declare repelled the international invasion to deliver an all-Australian Melbourne Cup victory and a slice of history for jockey Craig Williams. O’Brien and Williams, who joined an elite group of jockeys to win Australian racing’s “grand slam”, were proudly flying the flag for Australia against an army of international…

Aethero heads to the Jockey Club Sprint on 17 November. Karis Teetan was grinning like a cat with cream after riding John Moore’s rising sprint star Aethero in a barrier trial at Sha Tin this morning (Tuesday, 5 November). “He reminded me a bit of Able Friend so let’s hope I can do well on him,” the rider said after partnering the chestnut for the first time. The exciting three-year-old was among a handful of Hong Kong’s high-end performers in barrier trial action ahead of the three Jockey Club Races…

Alfred Chan is seeking a first win for the Moore stable. Exciting galloper High Rev faces nine rivals in the Class 3 Jaffe Handicap (1650m) at the city track on Wednesday night (6 November), including top-rated My Ally from the John Moore-stable. Apprentice Alfred Chan takes the ride on My Ally for the second time and is hoping to maintain a 100% winning record on the five-year-old. Chan’s 10lb claim will be a welcome relief, reducing the gelding’s allotted 133lb to 123lb in the night’s seventh of nine contests. “I…

High Rev posts an impressive win at the Valley. High Rev exploded to an impressive win at Happy Valley last month and the exciting galloper will attempt to back-up that performance in the Class 3 Jaffe Handicap (1650m) at the city track on Wednesday night (6 November). The David Hall-trained five-year-old heads in off a mark of 75 and a 130lb burden, having smashed his rivals in his last two course and distance outings, both under champion jockey Zac Purton. The bay put three and a quarter lengths on the…

A happy team: Trainer Shelley Hale with Go Nicholas and Taiki Yanagida. Photo: Trish Dunell The Shelley Hale-trained Go Nicholas continued his purple patch of form at Ellerslie on Tuesday, winning the Halo Consulting 1600. The son of Danroad jumped away well from barrier six to take an early lead under apprentice jockey Taiki Yanagida and the pair were able to dictate terms throughout, running away to a three-quarter of a length victory over Aligns With Me, with a further half-length back to Contessa Vanessa in third. It was the…

Fiscal Fantasy winning the Group 3 OMF Stakes (2000m). Photo: Trish Dunell Fiscal Fantasy may be small, but she is mighty. The diminutive mare showed her quality when beating her much larger rivals at Ellerslie on Tuesday when taking out the Group 3 OMF Stakes (2000m). The Frank Ritchie-trained mare was positioned beautifully by jockey Leith Inness just behind the pace before they were able to take the shortest way home down the home straight to score a 1-1/4 length victory over Roger That, with Peso a neck back in…

Spring Heat winning at Ellerslie on Tuesday. Photo: Trish Dunell Spring Heat arrived at Ellerslie on Tuesday, in more ways than one. The sun was out and the temperature began to soar as the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Spring Heat kicked off her season in the best possible style, recording her fourth career win in the Powersafe Electrical Wholesalers 1200. The daughter of More Than Ready jumped away well from barrier two to take a one-one sit for jockey Craig Grylls before he was able to find clear running…

Damian Lane and Mer De Glace win the 2019 Caulfield Cup. The pair were sixth in the Melbourne Cup. Damian Lane’s bid for an unprecedented feat has fallen short, with the star jockey left to ponder what might have been in the $8 million Melbourne Cup. Lane had already ridden the winner’s of the Golden Slipper, Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate during 2019 and was aiming to add Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup which would have been a feat achieved by no other rider in the same year. But Lane and Caulfield…

Il Paradiso (blue cap) has finished third in the Melbourne Cup for Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien. The travelling foreman for champion trainer Aidan O’Brien says the stable will be back for another attempt to win the Melbourne Cup. O’Brien had his first runners in the Melbourne Cup in 2008 but it has only been in recent years he has made a concerted effort to win Australia’s most famous race. He came close in 2017 when Johannes Vermeer finished second behind his son Joseph’s horse Rekindling. The O’Brien-trained Il Paradiso finished…