Year: 2019

Diamond Thunder has overcome a slow start to continue his winning ways at Wyong. Favourite backers have been given a scare in the Magic Millions Wyong Stakes when the race did not go to script for Josh Parr and odds-on elect Diamond Thunder. The three-year-old was slow to muster speed in Thursday’s 1200m-feature and settled worse than midfield, usually a recipe for trouble on the small circuit. But Parr steadied the ship and once Diamond Thunder got to the outside in the straight, the prolific winner would not be denied,…

Jockey Ben Thompson is getting back in the swing of things after a stint in Singapore. Jockey Ben Thompson has to re-acquaint himself with getting behind the steering wheel and driving again after returning from Singapore. Thompson arrived back in Melbourne on Tuesday morning having completed a year-long stint away and was back in the saddle on Wednesday, firstly for track work with Ciaron Maher and David Eustace and then to ride at Sandown. He had one ride at Echuca on Thursday followed by seven at Moe on Friday, three…

Riodini winning the Group 3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m). Photo: Trish Dunell Trainer Nigel Tiley couldn’t be happier with talented three-year-old Riodini after his win in the Group 3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie last weekend. The Proisir gelding remains unbeaten in his four-starts to date and poses a major threat to his Classic rivals. Tiley has been pleased with Riodini since his win, with his sights firmly set on the Group 2 Jamieson Park Auckland Guineas (1600m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day as his next target. “He hasn’t left…

Blinkers go back on the Joe Pride-trained Passage Of Time when he runs in the Razor Sharp. A gelding procedure produced winning results for Passage Of Time during the winter and Joe Pride believes the sprinter is on the verge of recapturing that vein of form. The six-year-old raced more genuinely last preparation claiming wins in half of his six starts, including back-to-back victories at Rosehill in June. Pride expects him to strip fitter for his first-up, midfield effort behind Spending To Win in the Starlight Stakes when he drew…

Trainer Matthew Williams is looking forward to St Joeys making his metropolitan debut at Flemington. Matthew Williams has had St Joeys earmarked as a horse of promise for some time and the Warrnambool trainer will get a better gauge on his ability when he makes his city debut at Flemington. St Joeys raced once in his first preparation as a late two-year-old in June, finishing fourth in a 975m Swan Hill maiden. He returned from a spell with a 4-1/-2-length maiden win on his home track over 1200m on December…

Tambo’s Mate will be tested over 1400m at Eagle Farm in the $250,000 The Gateway. A chance to test in-form Tambo’s Mate at 1400 metres has swayed trainer Stuart Kendrick to run the gelding in the $250,000 The Gateway at Eagle Farm. Kendrick accepted with Tambo’s Mate in both The Gateway and the Listed Lough Neagh Stakes (1300m) on Saturday. He had wanted to see in which race Tambo’s Mate drew best before making a choice but was stymied when the gelding drew barrier 10 in both. “It hasn’t been…