Month: January 2020

Scary week for Rattray

NZHarnessNews

By Adam Hamilton IGNATIUS’ return to form meant a lot more than just a win for Jimmy Rattray and his team. It was a real morale boost after a seriously scary and hectic week at his property near Exeter in the NSW Southern Highlands, deep in one of the many regions ravaged by bushfires. “It came within four kilometres of our place,” Rattray said. “Last Saturday (week) was the scariest. We didn’t get any of the horses out, so we had 35 of them huddled around the main barn as…

Young Kiwi's first Group 1

NZHarnessNews

By Adam Hamilton STEWIE McDonald left New Zealand for Australia just hoping to drive some winners and now he’s jagged a Group 1. And not just any Group 1, but the second biggest race in Western Australia, the $300,000 Fremantle Pacing Cup at Gloucester Park last night. The effervescent McDonald teamed with WA’s champion trainer Gary Hall Sr and the improving Caviar Star to win a Cup stripped of its two stars, My Field Marshal and Alta Orlando, who were stranded in Melbourne by flight cancellations to Perth. Both are…

Aussie News – 13th Jan

NZHarnessNews

By Adam Hamilton KATE Gath’s golden run continued when she won both features at Saturday’s Shepparton Cup meeting. Gath teamed with trainer Emma Stewart and Victoria’s most improved pacer, Phoenix Prince, to snare the $60,000 Group 2 Shepparton Gold Cup and earlier with her husband Andy andMcLovin in the Group 3 George Gath Trot. Phoenix Prince is clearly Victoria’s country cups star right now with the latest win following victories in the Geelong and Cranbourne Cups as well as second in the Bendigo Cup and third in the Stawell Cup.…

Classique Legend could be Hong Kong bound

AAP

Randwick trainer Les Bridge is resigned to losing stable star Classique Legend to Hong Kong racing. Classique Legend appears to have run his last race in Australia with trainer Les Bridge all but resigned to losing the horse to Hong Kong. Bridge revealed at Randwick on Saturday that Classique Legend had not returned to his stable and while the international transfer had yet to be confirmed, the veteran trainer was not hopeful. Classique Legend finished a luckless sixth to Yes Yes Yes in The Everest and had fortune favoured him…

The Candy Man headed towards the Doncaster

AAP

Beaten MM Trophy favourite The Candy Man will have a break before a Sydney autumn campaign. Crowd favourite The Candy Man is headed for a short spell before being prepared for a Sydney autumn campaign. The Candy Man ran sixth as favourite in Saturday’s Magic Millions Trophy (2400m) won by Primitivo after looking in contention on the home turn. The popular grey was found to be suffering from the thumps after the race but was otherwise injury-free. Brisbane trainer Barry Baldwin was disappointed but far from deflated after the run.…

James McDonald to ride Conqueror in NZ

AAP

James McDonld will ride stakes-placed Conqueror (l) in the $1 million Karaka Million 3YO Classic. Premier Sydney jockey James McDonald will ride Conqueror in the Karaka Million 3YO Classic as he and the Lindsay Park stable chase back-to-back wins in the race at Ellerslie. They combined to win in 2019 with Long Leaf and McDonald will ride Conqueror for the first time in the $1 million race over 1600m on January 25 for graduates of the Karaka sale. Like Long Leaf last season, Conqueror was placed in the Sandown Guineas…

Gold Coast club handles extraordinary day

AAP

The Gold Coast club has coped with large crowds and unforeseen delays on Magic Millions day. The Gold Coast Turf Club is delighted with the way it was able to handle one of its most extraordinary days. Saturday’s Magic Millions meeting was thrown into chaos when an oil tanker overturned on the M1 connecting Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It meant several key runners, including Magic Millions Guineas favourite and subsequent winner Alligator Blood, needed a police escort to reach the course via an alternate route. The meeting was delayed…

Nowa racing called off because of poor air

AAP

Deteriorating air quality has forced the cancellation of racing at Nowra on the NSW South Coast. The area has been hard-hit by bushfires and the Shoalhaven Club had hoped to lift local spirits with Sunday’s meeting which has been transferred to Friday. The air quality was downgraded from poor to hazardous on Sunday morning forcing Racing NSW stewards to call the meeting off. Racing NSW will release a new program on Monday morning with nominations to close at 4pm and acceptances taken at 9am Wednesday.

Magic Millions Book One closes on a high

AAP

The major part of the Magic Millions Yearling sale at the Gold Coast has produced records. Book One of the Magic Millions sale has ended with a record gross and sale average for the four days at the Gold Coast. There were 10 million dollar plus yearlings sold in the first three days with a Redoute’s Choice colt fetching $900,000 at the final session on Saturday night. The $900,000 colt confirmed Arrowfield Stud as the leading vendor with their 54 lots selling for almost $16 million. Arrowfield produced the sale-topper,…

Chang’s long-awaited brace

AAP

Michael Chang had his best day at the races in almost two years. Michael Chang saddled his first double since 22 February, 2018 when Winning Together and Golden Four went back-to-back in races six and seven at Sha Tin yesterday (Saturday, 11 January), and he went close to a hat-trick – and first treble since April 2014 – when Righteous Doctrine took second behind Bear Slam in race eight. “It’s nice to get that double and I think my horse performed well for second – he was beaten by the…