Month: July 2020

Sydney trainer John Sargent is over the moon with the way Group One performer Brandenburg (NZ) has returned to his Randwick barn and he is now eyeing some lofty spring targets with the son of Burgundy. Brandenburg had a quality three-year-old season, placing twice at Group level in spring before winning the Gr.2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) in February and placing in the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) and Gr.1 Doncaster Mile (1600m). His connections have knocked back some sizeable offers for the New Zealand-bred colt and he is now preparing for…

Rich Hill Stud shuttle stallion Vadamos has secured his first win as a sire when Sa Pala Umbrossa won on debut over 1200m at Chilivani, in Italy, on Monday. The Antonio Cottu-trained two-year-old beat Lory Di Toni into second with Capo Testa coming home in third.  Vadamos had an illustrious career on the track, having won the Gr.1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (1600m), Gr.2 Prix du Muguet (1600m), Gr.2 Oettingen Rennen (1600m), Gr.3 Prix Messidor (1600m), and Listed Prix Frederic de Lagrange (2400m). The son of Monsun was also…

The combination of Spicer Thoroughbreds and trainer Lindsey Smith have enjoyed good success in recent weeks with horses emanating from New Zealand. That trend continued on Sunday when progressive galloper Mystery Shot (Shooting To Win) kept his record unblemished for Smith, with an impressive victory at Ballarat over 1200m. The Inglewood Stud bred gelding trialled in New Zealand on four occasions before making his debut for Smith last December with a win at Warrnambool, where he defeated smart four-year-old Dark Alley. Returning to the races for the first time since,…

Australian-based Group One winning mare Rollout The Carpet (Holy Roman Emperor) will be auctioned as part of a high-profile dispersal sale later this month on Gavelhouse Plus. The winner of the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), Rollout The Carpet is in foal to five-time Group One winning son of Redoute’s Choice, The Autumn Sun. Rollout The Carpet’s weanling colt by Pierro and her two winning half-sisters Vendella (Exceed and Excel) and Out Of Friendship (Tale Of The Cat) are also included in the auction and are in foal to…

Hong Kong racing will offer record prize money of HK$1.4 billion for the 2020/21 season, with the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint and BMW Hong Kong Derby featuring prominently among the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s upward adjustments revealed today. The LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) will regain its position as the world’s most richly-endowed G1 turf sprint with a value this year of HK$22 million, an increase of HK$2 million. Five other Group 1 races – Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m), Stewards’ Cup (1600m), Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m), Hong Kong…

Te Akau’s Australian-based team of Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) and Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel) have returned to work in Sydney under the care of Te Akau Racing’s Ashey Handley, and trainer Jamie Richards said their early progress would determine their spring paths. “They’ll be nominated for the Cox Plate (Gr.1, 2040m) and we’ll see how they come up,” Richards told RSN. “They’ll probably trial in Sydney and then we’ll make a bit of a plan for when they head down to Melbourne. “Whether they have a run in Sydney first or…

Wingatui trainers Brian and Shane Anderton are trying to put a forgettable season behind them as they look towards the new term. The father and son team have posted 12 wins this season, well down on their usual 30-odd win tally, but Brian Anderton is confident they have the horsepower in their stable to rebound next season. “We had a shocking season,” Anderton said. “But like the old saying, ‘you can’t pull your socks up if you have got none on.’ We just didn’t have the horses. We went through…

Five-year-old gelding Demonetization (All Too Hard) has been plagued by issues throughout his racing career and trainer Nigel Tiley believes he finally has him back to somewhere near his best. The son of All Too Hard, a one-time Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) favourite, had his three-year-old season cut short through injury, while during last year’s Queensland campaign he picked up a virus that took its toll. However, he showed glimpses of his former self in his 900m trial victory at Ellerslie on Tuesday when comfortably accounting for his opposition,…

Trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace secured an early double at Sandown on Wednesday with a pair of Kiwi-bred fillies. Pride of Dubai filly Mystique Falcon (NZ) (Pride of Dubai) recorded her maiden win over 1300m in just her second start. She finished eighth when on debut over 1200m at Sale late last month and her connections were pleased to see the rising three-year-old show plenty of fight to win on Wednesday after being headed by Derive at the 100m mark. “Last start she was slow into gear and just…