Month: March 2023

Mark Zahra returns to the mounting yard aboard Right You Are after winning the Australian Cup Prelude at Flemington. (Photo by George Sal/Racing Photos) Right You Are has now made it five wins on the bounce with an ultra-impressive win in the Australian Cup Prelude over 2000m, beating home the 2019 Melbourne Cup winner, Vow And Declare, and the 2022 Melbourne Cup runner-up, Emissary. With Ethan Brown being still in hospital after his fall, Mark Zahra was chosen as the rider to take over in the saddle, after Brown had…

Protagonist claimed the 2023 Sky High Stakes. The William Haggas stable have stamped their mark on the autumn as they have in the past with Protagonist winning first-up in the Sky High Stakes at Rosehill. The European raider was given a terrific steer as James McDonald brought up a treble in the seventh race on the program. He was able to find a prominent position in the run as Knights Order cut across from the wide draw, leading throughout the 2000m contest. That allowed a genuine staying race to ensue,…

Zougotcha was a class above in the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes. Punters just kept continuing to launch into Zougotcha ($1.50) for the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes and she justified the support with a dominant win over the 1500m. Trainer Chris Waller elected to take the easier option for connections, scratching from the Group 1 Coolmore Classic earlier in the week, seemingly paying dividends on Saturday. James McDonald expertly crafted his way to the one-one position throughout the 1500m contest with Glint Of Silver taking things up throughout. Fireburn…

Sirileo Miss ridden by Ben Melham wins the Matron Stakes at Flemington Racecourse on March 11, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Pat Scala/Racing Photos) Sirileo Miss led from start to finish in the Group 3 Matron Stakes over 1600m at Flemington, bringing up the five-year-old mare’s third Group 3 victory. Melham pushed Sirileo Miss out of barrier one to take the lead inside of Barb Raider, and he was able to control the pace and allow his mare to settle into a rhythm with little to no pressure from…

Cannonball could not be run down in the Maurice McCarten Stakes. Punters didn’t want to be with Cannonball in the Group 3 Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m) as he drifted from $5 at the open to start at double figures heading to post. He led them all the way, however, to post a strong first-up win after a 161-day spell for the newly appointed trainers Peter and Paul Snowden. Cannonball was able to pinch some slow sectionals early in the race before Brett Prebble popped the question turning for home, finishing…

Veight ridden by Damian Lane wins the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Flemington. (Photo by Brett Holburt/Racing Photos) After a massive win on debut at Pakenham, Veight from the Tony & Calvin McEvoy yard has gone onto record another big victory in the Group 2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes over 1400m at Flemington, defeating Apulia by two lengths eased down. Ganbare and Sassy Boom set up a solid tempo for the 1400m event and as the field rounded the home turn, Damian Lane on Veight looked to be in a…

Steel City in full flight as she takes out the Group 3 Magic Night Stakes at Rosehill. Steel City has punched her ticket to the Golden Slipper next week in emphatic fashion, destroying her rivals in the Magic Night Stakes on Saturday. It was redemption for favourite backers as Steel City never got clear running in this year’s edition of the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes, finding herself a $6 chance with online bookmakers for the Golden Slipper after Saturday’s dominant display. Jockey Regan Bayliss took all lucky out of…

Jamie Kah & Craig Williams were involved in a nasty fall in the Group 2 VRC Sires Produce Stakes. (Brett Holburt/Racing Photos) Leading Victorian jockeys Jamie Kah and Craig Williams have been transported to hospital following a nasty fall in the Group 2 Sires Produce Stakes at Flemington. At approximately the 900m mark, Jamie Kah’s mount Flyball from the Henry Dwyer barn looked to have clipped heels with the horse in front him, thus causing the two-year-old gelding to fall and in doing so dislodge Jamie Kah in the process.…

Mark Zahra returns to the mounting yard aboard Revolutionary Miss after winning the Kewney Stakes at Flemington. (Photo by George Sal/Racing Photos) Mark Zahra has given Revolutionary Miss a top steer in the Group 2 Kewney Stakes at Flemington, with the win being her second win of her career after she broke her maiden in the Blue Diamond Fillies Prelude in February of 2022. After running in the Group 2 Light Finger Stakes and Group 1 Surround Stakes at Randwick at her previous two starts this campaign, running fifth both…

Shinzo booked his spot in the 2023 Golden Slipper with victory in the Group 3 Pago Pago Stakes. Team Coolmore has another runner heading into next weekends Group 1 Golden Slipper, as Shinzo proved too good for the boys in the Group 3 Pago Pago Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday. This of course comes after Learning To Fly booked her ticket earlier in the preparation. James McDonald elected to go back to last on the Chris Waller-trained Snitzel colt and it proved to be a winning move turning for home…