Month: February 2021

Capriccio has claimed the Inglis Dash at Flemington to give Damian Lane a winning treble. Warrnambool trainer Daniel Bowman was happy to become another trainer pleasantly surprised by a result above expectations when his filly Capriccio won the $500,000 Inglis Dash. Following on from the Horsham-trained Lunar Fox’s win in the Australian Guineas at $301, Saturday’s Flemington meeting produced another big-priced winner with Capriccio claiming the 1100 metre race at $41. Bowman said Capriccio had been trialling well and he would have been happy if she had finished fourth or…

James McDonald has won a memorable renewal of the Chipping Norton Stakes aboard Verry Elleegant. In an epic battle that revived memories of grand galloper Octagonal, Verry Elleegant has edged out Godolphin pair Colette and Avilius in a thrilling edition of the Chipping Norton Stakes. Less than a length separated the first five horses across the line with the Chris Waller-trained mare lifting to land her seventh Group One win. Like Octagonal, who often won by narrow margins, Verry Elleegant scored by a half-neck and Saturday’s race was the fourth…

Lunar Fox has scored a major upset by taking out the Australian Guineas at triple-figure odds. In one of the greatest boilovers in a feature race, the Horsham-trained galloper Lunar Fox has taken out the Australian Guineas at odds of $301. In doing so he became the longest-priced Group One winner since Abaridy claimed the Caulfield Guineas at $251 in 1986. His trainer Paul Preusker wasn’t even at Flemington and he left the saddling duties to his partner, former jockey Holly McKechnie. The win gave Preusker, who is best known…

Star Of The Seas, ridden by Damian Lane, has claimed the Group Two Blamey Stakes at Flemington. Sydney galloper Star Of The Seas secured a spot in the All-Star Mile with a tough win in the Blamey Stakes. Star Of The Seas held off a determined challenge from Fifty Stars, who was trying to become the first horse to claim the Group Two Flemington feature three years in a row. Jamie Kah’s mount Buffalo River set a fast pace in front and he was still four lengths clear with 200…

John Sargent is three weeks away from having his first Golden Slipper runner after Four Moves Ahead rebounded from a setback to win the Sweet Embrace Stakes at Randwick. Renowned as a trainer of classic horses, Sargent is showing another string to his bow this autumn with Four Moves Ahead now unbeaten in two starts. The filly was scratched from the Silver Slipper last weekend after knocking her knee in a stable mishap and Sargent admitted it was a relief to see her win on Saturday. “We’ve had a hard…

Chris Waller’s good season with two-year-olds continued at Randwick with O’President upstaging his more fancied rivals to snare the Skyline Stakes. The premier trainer has arguably his best group of youngsters yet with the likes of Home Affairs, She’s All Class, Head Of State and Shaquero all in Golden Slipper contention. O’President added his name to that list when he led throughout for Tim Clark in Saturday’s Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Randwick to book a Slipper berth. “He will go (to the Slipper) for sure. The team behind the horse…

Tycoon Humma, ridden by Jamie Mott, wins the Very Special Kids Plate at Flemington. John McArdle will eschew chasing further two-year-old riches during the autumn with Tycoon Humma despite her keeping her undefeated record intact. Tycoon Humma, by boom stallion Capitalist, flew home to grab Kallos and win the Very Special Kids Plate (1000m) at Flemington on Saturday to take her record to two starts for two wins. “She’s a nice filly but I think she’s looking for the paddock now,” McArdle said. McArdle said he used the same strategy…