By Michael Guerin A premiership battle that looked over last Saturday afternoon could be set to go down to the wire. The harness racing trainer’s premiership heads into the last 10 days of the season, which is now based on the calendar year, with just one win separating leaders Steve and Amanda Telfer on 94 wins and the All Stars operation of Mark Purdon and Hayden Cullen on 93. The battle for the title of New Zealand’s top trainer is resembling a heavyweight title fight in which both boxers look…
Year: 2022
Gosford racing tips & value bets | Thursday, December 22
What Gosford Races Where Gosford Race Club – 4 Racecourse Rd, West Gosford NSW 2250 When Thursday, December 22, 2022 First Race 1:50pm AEDT Visit Ladbrokes We head to Gosford Race Club on Thursday afternoon for what looks to be a competitive seven-race program. The rail is out +3m for the entire circuit, and we should be racing on a Soft 5 surface with some rain forecast across the region. We’ve got a tricky card to dissect with 103 acceptances over the seven races, so it’s a jam-packed program. Racing…
Wednesday’s Happy Valley tips & quaddie picks | 21/12/2022
What Happy Valley Races Where Happy Valley Racecourse – Wong Nai Chung Rd, Happy Valley, Hong Kong When Wednesday, December 21, 2022 First Race 6:45pm HKT (9:45pm AEDT) Visit Ladbrokes Hong Kong racing continues on Wednesday night with a nine-race program set down for decision at Happy Valley. Zac Purton and Silvestre de Sousa both rode a treble last week and will be looking to produce something similar as both have a strong book of rides. We’re racing on the C Course this time, and while we’re expecting a Good…
Australian jumps features receive cash boost
Racing Victoria has announced the 2023 jumps racing season that will see an additional A$175,000 in prize money added to the 2022 season. The prize money increase means more than A$1 million has been pumped into an increase in prize money over the past two seasons. The Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool in May and the Grand National Steeplechase at Ballarat in August will be the two richest jumps races for season 2023, each carrying A$400,000 in prize money. There will be 19 meetings throughout Victoria in 2023 where jumps…
Trentham retains its magic for McKay
If every race meeting in New Zealand was at Trentham Shaun McKay would probably be thrilled. McKay, who joined his father Peter in a training partnership this season, earned his first Group race success as a trainer on Saturday when Sagunto won the Gr.3 Manawatu Cup (2300m) at Trentham, where the race had been transferred following difficulties with the Awapuni track. It’s the same venue that McKay won his first Group One race as a jockey, aboard The Mitigator in the 2020 Thorndon Mile (1600m). The McKay team as a…
Australian Cup target for Hezashocka
A tilt at the Gr.1 Australian Cup (2000m) is on the cards for Hezashocka (NZ) (Shocking) after his pleasing spring campaign. The son of Shocking placed in his last two starts of his preparation, including running third behind Zaaki and Mo’unga in the Gr.1 Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington last month. Trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr are excited about the prospects of the New Zealand-bred five-year-old and believe he is capable of a Group One scalp. “Had he gone straight he may have won the race on the…
Adelaide Cup for Tralee Rose
Group Three winner Tralee Rose (NZ) (Tavistock) is set to return to South Australia for a second tilt at the Gr.2 Adelaide Cup (3200m). The daughter of Tavistock finished fourth in the race in March last year where she was a beaten $1.85 favourite after winning five of her six starts in the lead-up. She continued her good run of form last spring, winning the Gr.3 Geelong Cup (2400m) and placing in the Gr.3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m), Listed Heatherlie Stakes (1700m) and Gr.3 Bart Cummings (2520m). She finished ninth in…
Polly wants a Classic cracker
Quality mare Polly Grey (NZ) (Azamour) will be given the opportunity to boost her future broodmare value and attain millionaire status during a brief homecoming. The New Zealand-bred mare will depart from her adopted home in Sydney on Wednesday for a one-off crack at the Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Pukekohe on Boxing Day. The well-related daughter of Azamour is a stakes winner on both sides of the Tasman and elite-level success would crown the terrific ride the mare has given her connections, which includes her former trainer…
‘Guy’ and ‘Lady’ chase Group 1 glory!
There’s a distinct ‘local flavour’ to the $120,335 Group 1 TRFM Sale Cup final (650m) on Boxing Day. And a ‘Guy’ and a ‘Lady’ are at the forefront of the $75,000 to-the-winner event – the only G1 provincial cup on the Victorian greyhound racing calendar. Gippsland husband-and-wife team Robert and Wendy Neocleous will launch a two-pronged challenge with littermates Great Guy (Box 6) and Lady Lily Hook (Box 4) – (Apr ’20 My Redeemer x Ruby’s Image). Based at Hazelwood North, the ‘hometown heroes’ will also be striving to claim…
The Follow Files: WA mare makes it five in a row
On Saturday, we had many of the nation’s racecourses holding their final meeting for 2022. Most of the metropolitan tracks in action featured Listed or Group races — except for Randwick, although it still held a strong meeting. The Follow Files this week highlights the runs of three more runners that we suggest tracking to their next start and beyond. All have come from different tracks, with one from each of Randwick, Flemington and Ascot. All three of the featured tracks raced similarly, where it was beneficial to be on…