Monday, October 8, 2018

Donald and Caulfield Guineas Draw

  •  The well bred Dáguilar trained by Darren Weir and ridden by John Allen wins at his first start on the heavy track at Donald. He is by High Chaparral out of the Redoutes Choice mare, Spina Rosa. While Palatino's half brother Junipal wins his maiden by 10 lengths in the heavy conditions as well, giving the Weir camp a great start to the day. He is by Reset out of Palatine Hill.
Palentino's half-brother JUNIPAL was in a league of his own today...

DONALD: https://t.co/rt45MizVvp pic.twitter.com/nOoR3a5m2Y

  • The Street Cry gelding Osborne Bulls replaces Home of The Brave as their Everest starter. He has won eight of twelve starts and is an interesting addition to the big race.
  •  Caulfield Guineas and Thousand Guineas draw gives the unbeaten filly Smart Melody and super Redoutes colt, The Autumn Sun winning chances. Her is his trackwork this morning and Chris Wallers thoughts.

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Coffs Harbour Cup


     A beautiful ride by Matt Mcgillivray got the six year old gelding Glitra home in the Coffs Harbour Cup over 1600m on Thursday. Last month McGillivray won the Ramornie Handicap in Grafton and he was thrilled at the chance to link up with the talented Stravinsky gelding. We have given him three runs now and he was peaking at the mile," said, trainer Will Hulbert . The horse is raced by a syndicate of five ladies who received their biggest thrill in racing.
The six year old Encosta De Lago gelding, Bold and Groovy ridden by Matt Paget got up on the line to win the Ken Howard Cup over 2000m. He is out of the Redoutes Choice mare, Groovy Choice.
  • Country winners worth following this week  -- Treasure Boss the four year old Street Boss gelding was able to get home in the Class three at Albury on Tuesday. The Helmet 3yo filly, My Divas won the Class1 over 1600m. Class one over 1100m at Hawkesbury we saw a victory to James Cummings trained Tiny Taj ridden by Rachel King. The Sepoy four year old mare kept the winners coming this week for the Darley stallion. 

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Smart Missile Two Year Olds

We headed to Sale, Kembla and the Grafton Cup for the country meetings this week. A couple of Smart Missile youngsters put their names on the score sheet at their first starts in a race and are ones to watch in the future. While doubles for the Sebrings and recently departed Pins are worth mentioning.

  • Sale and Street Boss -- Craig Williams continued an unbelievable run with four more winners at Sale. The first being Smart Elissim in the 2yo maiden opener for Hayes/Dabernig . The Smart missile gelding blitzed his rivals by five lengths. This was followed by the Von Costa de Hero gelding, Cochada who absolutely blew his rivals away down the outside of the track which was where you needed to be today, charging away to win by four lengths.The next saw the Street Boss filly, Miss Pandanus come storming home down the outside where Craig seemed to be sending all his mounts. It was the Mick Kent trained fillies, first start and to win a BM 70 was a good effort.

 It was C.Williams to the fore yet again for Mick Kent in the next ,when Behave, finally broke her maiden status in the class1 over 1500m. The filly is out of the Redoutes Choice mare, Aussie Crawl.

  • Kembla and Smart Missile -- In the 1000m maiden the Jason Coyle trained, Sebring filly ,Suo Jure broke through for her maiden win with Tim Clarke riding. It was her first start in her second campaign. In the next 1000m maiden the first starter Bang on Target for the Thompson/J.Ford combination ran her last 600m in 32.92 when flying home to score. She is by Smart Missile and will be set for the group 1 Flight Stakes in September. The breed are absolutely flying and they go extra well when fresh.
The Snowden camp had success in the 1200m maiden with their first starter, Single Story who come with a well timed run for jockey Blake Shinn to score. The gelding is out of the More Than Ready mare, More Stories. In the 1600m class 2 saw four year old mare, Bella Amante ridden by Tim Clarke get the money. It was her third win from five starts and two of them have been first up.She is second galloper by the late New Zealand stallion, Pins to win today with Shu Mai the filly at Sale breaking her maiden over the 2200m trip for Jason Warren and Jake Noonan.  
  • Grafton Cup Meeting -- In the cup it was First Crush for the Chris Munce stable who sat three wide the trip and still proved too good. He is by the Hussonet stallion, Husson. A Written Tycoon two year old, Vernazza won the first on the card for the Matt Dunn/Jim Byrne team.The filly looks a promising type. A couple other winners on the day were the Denman 5 year old mare, Romneys Choice and King Lear in the class 6 by Charge Forward both were out of Redoutes Choice broodmares. 

Sunday, July 8, 2018

Jumps Racing at Warrnambool


Self Sense -- This jumper is a star in the making and at Warrnambool on Sunday kept his unbeaten run in tact, over the jumps. He is a very usefull flat horse but since he has taken to jumping his form has gone to another level. The seven year old gelding has now won over a million dollars in prizemoney and yesterday added the Kevin Lafferty Hurdle to his resume, in easy fashion. He is by Street Sense from the Personal Flag mare, Be My Person. The Grand National is well within his sights.  Clayton Douglas rode him well, always having the race under control. 
So You Think and Raquel Clarke -- The win of four year old gelding Youbetchya at the Port Augusta dirt track, had me thinking. Raquel Clarke riding for Leon Mcdonald on a So You Think gelding a bit of deja vu as on saturday the trio combined to win with So You Too. Todays class 2 was over the 1400m trip and Raquel rode him a treat bursting clear halfway down the straight, for an easy victory.
I Am Vinnie -- The three year old gelding by I Am Invincible broke his maiden status at his third start . Ridden by Noel Callow who timed his run perfectly to just outlast a fast finishing Judge O'reily over the 1400m trip.

Fastnet Rock and Dancing Hare -- A win at Pakenham for Dancing Hare in the 1400m BM58 for the Freedman camp as Jye Mcneil secured a beautiful run between horses to give the four year old mare her 3rd win of her career and extending her racetrack appearances one more   start before heading to the breeding barn. At Grafton a three year old gelding by Fastnet Rock, Weaponized finally got his maiden win for trainer Neville Stewart. 

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Master of Design


On July 1st, country racing took us to Sale,Taree,Mudgee and Naracorte with soft and heavy tracks. There was a promising Smart Missile called Butchoy who is worth following and a double for the Reset's at Sale and a promising Master of Design two year old at Taree to give that stallion a double for the day.
  •       Sale on soft 7 -- The win of Extending at 150/1 in the 1200m maiden with young Toby Atkinson in the saddle surprised everyone, bar the trainer, Bruce Purcell. He is by the Encosta de Lago stallion, Needs Further who has the Nureyev blue hen, Lady Giselle mother of Zabeel on his female line. In the next we saw the first win of a double for stallion, Reset when the 5 year old mare, Queen Regent broke her maiden status at last. While the three year old gelding Kapuziner in the class 1 made it two in a row with a freshen up after winning over 2200m previous start. It was a start of a winning double for jockey Jamie Mott as he was successful in the next in the BM64 over 1400m on the Master of Design four year old gelding, Vladivostock, for the flying John Mcardle stable. He has been very consistent this preperation. There was a gem of a ride by Linda Meech which saw Magnus Rufus get home in the 1400m Maiden for trainer Nigel Blackiston. The three year old gelding had to fight off late challenges for Linda but just had enough in reserve. He is by Magnus from the Canny Lad mare, Canny Rogue.


  • Taree -- in the class 1 over 1100m there was a good win by the Smart Missile , mare Villarrica when having to be used up early to take a position for jockey Serge Lisny she shot clear on straightening and held off a late challenge. She was having her third run in so was fit which is what got her through. There was a big win by the first starter for Kris Lee's, Designer Maid. The Master of Design filly raced away to win by five lengths for jockey Louise Day and is out of the Snippets mare, Homegrown. In form jockey Josh Adams scored a double with wins by Asudem in the 1250m and veteran Crossing Guard for trainer, Paul Perry. The former is a Duporth two year old gelding having his third run this preperation.

  •  Naracorte -- The win of  Dexelation was a highlight of the meeting in South Australia as Ryan Hurdle was pushing him along most of the 1100m to stay in touch but then took the inside lane on turning and finished strongly to win. The Ambidexter three year old gelding was switched back to the 1100m from his previous 1550mm failure and freshened. The Commands stallions progeny do struggle beyond the 1200m.
  • Mudgee --  Three year old Smart Missile gelding, Butchoy is the one worth following from the Mudgee meeting with a easy win for jockey Chad Lever. He was off a spell today and made it two wins from three starts now.The breed go super freshened. 

  • Blackbookers -- Never Again by High Chaparral was up to 1400m today gets to 1600m or further next start get on. Sagara by Teofilo up to 1600m next start will be fitter improving all the time.


Monday, May 21, 2018

Vianden and the Coffey's

Vianden is a gelding trained by Austy Coffey out of stables at Swan Hill. He is a big chance of winning country horse of the year after his five cups victories this season.
  • Vianden -- is a 6 year old gelding by the Encosta De Lago stallion, Von Costa De Hero, out of the Desert King mare, Quintanella. He has had 35 starts for 9 wins with the latest being the Seppelt Great Western Cup over 1950 metres, on Australia Day. After he backed up his Hanging Rock Cup victory from two days prior. The gelding started his string of country cups back in November with a win in the Wycheproof Cup over 1800m.
  • Austy Coffey Interview
  •  Coffey's have had such a dream season with young Harry Coffey recently winning his first group one riding the Darren Weir trained Sopressa, in the Australian Oaks. Coffey, who at 22, has had limited opportunities because having to undergo regular treatment throughout his life for cystic fibrosis.The young man has followed his dream to be a rider and success is coming his way.
  • Riverbank Farm's new acquisition is Winx's brother Boulder City who will stand the new season here with the likes of Redoutes Choice Son," Redente" and the Commands stallion," Skilled".

Monday, April 9, 2018

Golden Thong and Wellington Boot

     In country victoria we saw the running of the Golden Thong at the Healesville picnic circuit while in New South Wales, it was the Wellington Boot. The $150,000 Wellington Boot was won by Miss Invincible ridden by Greg Ryan for trainer Bjorn Baker, making it nine winners in the past seven days for the stallion, I Am Invincible . She was Second on debut at Rosehill in December. Miss Invincible is the first winner from Oratorio IRE mare Abound purchased for a year ago for $440 .This is the same cross as Saturday's Group III winning I Am Invincible two year-old Paquirri, who is also bred from a daughter of Oratorio IRE. Fit and ready to fire at her first run back from a spell, she scored a three-quarter length win over Written Tycoon colt Shinju in the 1100 metre dash.

Miss Invincible winning the 2018 Wellington Boot

 
The Golden Mile and The Golden Thong 
     On the weekend saw the ending of a six month picnic season in country Victoria and it was a fitting ending with the seasons top jockey Courtney Pace winning the Thong on Victoria Crown. Earlier in the day she had won on her own trained and ridden horse Fold to seal the premiership from her friend and fellow Bendigo jockey, Toby Lake. In the Golden Mile, there was another upset with 50/1 outsider Dodging Bullets saluting. The 6 year old gelding is by Dash for Cash and trained by Simon Wilde.

Victory Crown winning The Golden Thong
Courtney Pace and The Golden Thong
 

Donald and Caulfield Guineas Draw

  The well bred Dáguilar trained by Darren Weir and ridden by John Allen wins at his first start on the heavy track at Donald. He is by H...