Month: August 2023

New Zealand-bred mare Our Red Morning enjoyed a soft kill at Sandown on Wednesday over 1300m when scoring by just over a length in the hands of Craig Williams as she made it three wins in succession for trainer Greg Eurell. Sent out the $1.65 favourite for Wednesday’s assignment, the daughter of Redwood sat outside the pacemaker Fiasco Tess and responded well to Williams’ urgings to record a comfortable victory. Despite the win, Eurell believes the mare will be better suited when ridden off the speed in a race with…

Champion Australian jockey Damien Oliver will bring the curtain down on his illustrious career at the end of the year. The 51-year-old hoop began riding in his home state of Western Australia before he took a chance as a 16-year-old and moved to Victoria to further his career. He is now immortalised as one of Australia’s best jockeys, holding the Australian record for Group One wins at 128, with his first coming aboard the Lee Freedman-trained Submariner in 1990 at Caulfield in the Show Day Cup (now the Sir Rupert…

San Simeon (NZ) (Zacinto) displayed shades of his talented stablemate Johny Johny (NZ) (Charm Spirit) when producing a dominant front-running maiden victory in the Saddlery Warehouse 1300 at Cambridge on Wednesday. Conditioned by local trainers Tim and Margaret Carter, the son of Zacinto was allowed to roll forward and control the pace by an in-form Joe Doyle, before comfortably travelling into the straight to bolt away from favourite Lili Marlene (NZ) (Per Incanto) by an increasing four-and-a-half lengths. “He’s always shown a bit of ability this horse, he’s just been…

The Gr.3 Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m) is the next stop for Tavistock colt Ceolwulf (NZ) after the three-year-old defied his inexperience to score a game win at Warwick Farm on Wednesday. Having just his second start, Ceolwulf ($4.80) ranged up to the leaders and looked set to sail past them before hanging under pressure then lifting again for Sam Clipperton to deny the fast-finishing Mojave Desert ($3.70 fav) by a half-length. Trainer Joe Pride has a good opinion of the colt and is happy to take on stakes company at…

A fitter but still underdone Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) is ready to tackle his first Group One assignment of the Melbourne Spring Carnival.  The Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday is the spring opener and Mr Brightside will enter the race second-up.  He has already collected the Gr.2 P B Lawrence Stakes over Saturday’s course and distance for Ben, Will and J d Hayes, but success on Saturday will further add to his impressive record.  Ben Hayes said Mr Brightside came through his first-up win in great order in a race that was run strongly and was a little over a half-second…

Howie Mathews is heading to Wanganui on Saturday full of confidence with his sole representative, Free Spirit (NZ) (Charm Spirit). The seven-year-old mare finished runner-up behind stablemate Weneedashock (NZ) (Shocking) on Awapuni’s synthetic track earlier this month and he is hoping she can go one better on Saturday. Mathews tried Free Spirit on the polytrack during winter and said she has taken to it like a duck to water but is looking forward to getting her back on the grass this weekend. “I thought that the roles would be reversed (last…

My Degree (NZ) (War Decree) will be looking to graduate from maiden ranks when she heads to Riccarton’s synthetic meeting on Thursday to tackle the CJC Stallion Tender Open Now Maiden (1400m). The daughter of War Decree was runner-up on the polytrack in her first-up run over 1400m last week and trainers John and Karen Parsons are hoping she can go one better on Thursday. “We expected her to go well and she did. She obviously handles the all-weather (track) well,” Karen Parson said. Stablemate More Than Words (NZ) (Sweynesse) is…