Category: Featured

Chris Waller isn’t reading too much into Joliestar’s (Zoustar) defeat as favourite in the Gr.1 T J Smith Stakes (1200m), adamant the mare is going well enough to make amends at Randwick. Joliestar finished ninth, beaten two lengths by Saturday’s Gr.1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) rival Briasa (Smart Missile), after jockey Damian Lane was left with little option but to make his run up the fence in the straight. Combined with a moderate tempo, Waller said it made Joliestar’s task difficult. “Damian had nowhere to go and he had to go up the fence,” Waller said. “There…

It only seems like yesterday that Billy Egan was partnering Young Werther (NZ) (Tavistock) to the gelding’s second ever career win.  That win at Flemington was 22 months ago, and Egan was then associated with the Danny O’Brien-trained galloper in Young Werther’s next four starts.  Egan reunites with Young Werther in the Listed Mornington Cup (2400m) on Saturday, the first time he will ride the gelding in a race since finishing second in the 2023 Listed Ballarat Cup (2000m).  The jockey has had five rides on Young Werther, for two wins and two placings, including finishing third in the Gr.1…

 Aiming to crown an unblemished season with victory in the HK$22 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) at Sha Tin on 27 April, Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) produced an almost flawless barrier trial this morning (Thursday, 17 April), delighting trainer David Hayes and jockey Zac Purton.  Jumping away moderately on Sha Tin’s dirt track, Ka Ying Rising quickly built momentum to lead from the 1000m and eventually won the hit-out by three and a half lengths from HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) winner My Wish in 1m…

Chad Ormsby made a late call to ride his own horse Kirrawee (NZ) (Vanbrugh) in the Lest We Forget 1600 at Matamata on Thursday and that decision proved a winning one for the former top hoop. The former Group One-winning jockey stepped away from full-time riding in 2012, but briefly returned in the 2020/21 season, guiding home a further 10 winners during this period. Ormsby hasn’t ridden on raceday since Boxing Day in 2020, turning his complete focus to his business Riverrock Farm, which specialises in training, pre-training, young horse…

Dubai’s Potiki (NZ) (Ocean Park) has inherited all the better qualities of his talented dam and Chrissy Bambry hopes he can follow in her Group Three-winning footsteps at Ellerslie on Saturday. He is the youngest and final foal out of Dubai Belle (NZ) (E Dubai), a winner of the Gr.3 Metric Mile (1600m) in the care of Bambry’s father Tony. The mare passed away only days after Dubai’s Potiki was born, and after being passed in at the National Yearling Sales, he has been retained by the family to race.…