McEvoys confident Options can deliver in Victoria Derby

Tony and Calvin McEvoy will saddle Options (Impending) in Saturday’s Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m), chasing their second major spring success after Half Yours (St Jean) won the Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) on October 18. Options began his career with James Cummings before joining the McEvoys following Godolphin’s stable reshuffle. He has since won at Echuca and Bendigo, finished third in the Victoria Derby Preview (1800m), and scored in the Super Impose Stakes (Listed, 1800m). After a luckless fifth in last Saturday’s Moonee Valley Vase (Gr 2, 2040m), Calvin McEvoy is confident the colt is ready for Saturday. “We wanted a bit more luck, but we left knowing the big target was this weekend,” he said. “He did some work this morning and has never come through a race better. He’ll be peaking on Saturday, and we think he will run the trip as well.”

Lindsay Park targeting Wakeful Stakes with duo

Lindsay Park will aim to end a 23-year wait for a Wakeful Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) winner on Saturday at Flemington, with Ethereum Girl (Maurice) and Perfect Night (Toronado) both in contention. Ethereum Girl has had two runs back from a break after winning at stakes level in Adelaide in July. She finished fourth in the Thousand Guineas Prelude (Gr 2, 1400m) at Sandown on September 27, before running eighth in the Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) at Caulfield on October 18. "She was only second up into the Thousand Guineas and that race shape probably didn't suit her when they walked and sprinted home," Ben Hayes, who trains in partnership with his brothers JD and Will, said. "She's stepping up to the 2000 [metres]. She's third-up now and we've always wanted to get her out in trip, so we're looking forward to seeing how she goes. She galloped here [Flemington] this morning. She was good, she had a good look around and just floated over the last 200 metres. If she's able to run well, or win, then we would definitely consider the Oaks." Perfect Night has one placing from four starts, narrowly missing in a Geelong maiden before an unlucky fifth at Bendigo last start. "She's a maiden filly that is needing ground and at her last start was desperately unlucky," Hayes said. "She does look like she's needing the 2000 [metres], so we thought we'd have a throw at the stumps with her." Nominations for the Victoria Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) close on Friday, with both Ethereum Girl and Perfect Night set to be entered.

Autumn Glow draws barrier nine for Golden Eagle

Unbeaten mare Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) will line up from barrier nine in Saturday’s $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Randwick. Final acceptances for the four-year-old feature were taken on Tuesday morning, with the Chris Waller-trained mare installed as a $2.30 favourite following the barrier draw. The mare will be chasing her eighth straight win under James McDonald, who has opted to forgo rides at Flemington’s Victoria Derby meeting to partner her in what is expected to be her final start for 2025. Autumn Glow faces a deep field, including Group 1 winners Feroce (Super Seth) (barrier ten), Linebacker (Super Seth) (five), Sepals (Calyx) (six) and Willydoit (Tarzino) (11), while Japanese contender Panja Tower (Tower Of London) remains prominent in the market after drawing barrier four.

Waller to wait until deadline on Buckaroo’s Melbourne Cup decision

Chris Waller will wait until final acceptances close on Saturday afternoon to decide if narrow Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) runner-up Buckaroo (Fastnet Rock) will take his place in the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) field on November 4. Waller plans to follow the same strategy he used with Verry Elleegant (Zed) in 2021, when connections waited until the Cup’s final acceptance deadline before committing. Three days later, Verry Elleegant famously won the Cup by four lengths under James McDonald. “Deadline is Saturday and we'll use all that time,” Waller told Racing.com during trackwork at Flemington on Tuesday morning. “Like we did with Verry Elleegant, we waited right up to the deadline, which I think is 3pm (4:30pm) Saturday, or thereabouts, and use that time to make sure we're happy with him running in the race. You can take an easy way out. You don't run in the Melbourne Cup and you can run on the last day [Champions Stakes] and race well. The Melbourne Cup is everyone's dream. It is ‘the race that stops the nation’ – the world stops now – and it's every owner's dream to run in a Melbourne Cup and win a Melbourne Cup. It's an owner's call. I work for the owners. I give them my opinion and try and put them on the right track in terms of how I think the horse will run, but it comes down to the owner's final call.” Buckaroo finished powerfully for second in the Cox Plate, and while Waller said the horse had come through the run well, he acknowledged that last year’s Cup had taken its toll. “It's 50-50 at the moment. There is a lot of discussions still going on. He had a tough race last year and he didn't come through it that well but there were reasons for it,” Waller said. “He covered a lot of ground and came from a long way back and just peaked on his run so we're fairly comfortable that he can run the two-mile distance. But he's a very important horse to us. He's been with us a long time and we've just got to make sure we've got it right.”

New rider for Lake Forest in Champions Mile

Lake Forest (No Nay Never) will continue his Australian campaign in the Champions Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) at Flemington on November 8, with either Tom Marquand or Cieren Fallon to take the reins following the fallout from the King Charles III Stakes (Gr 1, 1609m). The William Haggas-trained gelding finished more than seven lengths behind Ceolwulf (Tavistock) at Randwick, with Maureen Haggas publicly criticising Zac Purton’s ride. “Lake Forest never had a race. It was about the worst ride I've ever seen in my entire life. I was appalled, absolutely appalled,” she told reporters at Kempton last Wednesday. Purton later responded that he was “bemused” by the comments, noting he had not watched the replay because he had been “too busy watching himself winning the $20 million Everest on Ka Ying Rising on the same card.” Reflecting on the controversy, Haggas admitted she was surprised by the reaction. “Yes. I just said what I thought and it didn't go down very well, but there you go,” she said. “He's entitled to his opinion the same way I'm entitled to mine, so it doesn't really bother me. What do you do?” After a slow start at Randwick, Lake Forest was unable to make ground, prompting Haggas to lament not sending Fallon to Australia for the ride. “Yes, we do wish we'd sent him, but it was Champions Day [at Ascot] and he rides Montassib,” she added. “It's a hard one and you'd have thought having him on board would have been a good move, but he wasn't, and so you learn from your mistakes. He'll go to Melbourne now and either Tom will go down and ride him and Cieren will go and ride Bullet Point in the Five Diamonds in Sydney on the same day, or the other way around, because I don't think they've decided yet. Cieren will ride one and Tom will ride the other.”

Vale George Smith

Described as a ‘legend’ of the bloodstock industry, George Smith has died at the age of 91. Commencing his career in the late 1940s, Smith worked heavily across the Victorian breeding industry, and was a key factor in introducing breed-changing stallion Showdown (Infatuation) to Stockwell Stud at Digger’s Rest. Showdown’s influence on the Victorian industry, having sired 46 stakes winners during the 60s, 70s and 80s, now sees him with the $1 million Showdown (1200m) named in his honour. Smith worked with some of bloodstock’s biggest names, and closely with Inglis. Former Inglis manager Simon Vivian reflected on Smith’s legacy. “Well George, to be quite honest, is a legend in the industry,” said Vivian. “He was a remarkable contributor to the Victorian and national breeding industry for over 70 years. He was a great assistant to Gai Waterhouse, Lee Freedman and many others over the years, looking at yearlings and having incredible success.” A racing enthusiast with a deep passion for thoroughbreds, Vivian touched on the timing of Smith’s death. “George passed away at the age of 91, and quite fittingly, during the Victorian Spring Racing Carnival and the thoroughbred stud season”he added. “The industry will certainly be in a much less place without George, but would not be what it is today without him.”

NZB on-farm parades rescheduled

Due to the Taupo trials being pushed back till Thursday, the on-farm parades for NZB’s 2025 Ready To Run Sale have been rescheduled to take place on Friday, October 31, Monday November 3 and Wednesday, November 5. All prospective buyers are welcome to attend, with the opportunity to inspect two-year-olds early prior to selling at Karaka on November 12 and 13. NZB and NZ-based agents are also available to inspect on your behalf should you require a head start on inspections and evaluations. Get in touch with the NZB team for any assistance. For more information about the sale, contact NZB’s bloodstock sales manager Kane Jones or any of the NZB team here.

Mirabelli chasing maiden wins at Pukekohe

Paul Mirabelli is hoping Chicflix (Sacred Falls) can break through for her maiden victory in the Eagle Technology 2200 (2200m) at Pukekohe on Wednesday. The six-year-old mare has placed in six of her last eight starts, and while Mirabelli said she has yet to fully mature, all signs are pointing towards another bold showing on Wednesday. “She is very honest,” he said. “Even though she is a six-year-old, she is still quite weak, but she is doing well and we are just trying to get a win for her. She hasn’t won so far, and she has had a few starts, so we are not counting our chickens, but she has worked up quite well since her last race and she looks as good as she has ever looked, so we are hopeful.” Later on the card, stablemate Singe (U S Navy Flag) will also be vying to secure her maiden win in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1600m), and Mirabelli is expecting a bright future for the filly over further ground. “I really like her,” he said. “She is very small, but she shows a lot of heart in her gallops at home and her last race was very encouraging. She has so much stamina and once we get her out in distance, she is going to be very promising.”

Forsman duo face Guineas setback after Sarten reschedule

The rescheduling of Monday’s James and Annie Sarten Memorial (Gr 2, 1400m) to Saturday’s Tauranga meeting has thrown a curveball into Andrew Forsman’s New Zealand Cup Week plans, with both Quondo (Wootton Bassett) and Virgo Viva (Ribchester) now unlikely to head south to Riccarton. Forsman had been set to line up the pair at Te Rapa before the meeting was abandoned after a horse slipped in race two. The Group 2 is a key lead-up to the Guineas features, but the new timing has complicated matters for the Cambridge trainer. “It’s not ideal timing-wise for Virgo Viva, we really thought she was a Guineas potential as far as the 1,000 Guineas is concerned, but it makes it a little difficult now,” Forsman said. “She’ll run on Saturday, and we’ll work it out, but given the timing, it will probably be too difficult to get her down to Christchurch. It is a shame, but she still has to prove she’s up to it.” Quondo remains a possible contender for the New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), having placed in the Hawke’s Bay Guineas (Gr 2, 1400m) last start. A rain-affected track at Tauranga would play to his strengths. “For Quondo, he would’ve probably appreciated a little bit of time between runs and the slower track would’ve advantaged him more than others, so it’ll be interesting to see how the track comes up on Saturday,” Forsman said. “It [the 2,000 Guineas] is a possibility, but again, going down south is a hard ask and it’s not the be-all and end-all. There are a lot of nice races up closer to home, so we’ll see how he performs on Saturday and work that out.”

Kennedy hoping for rain to stay away

Rain, rain, go away – that’s the thoughts of many trainers around the country as the wet weather persists through the spring. One of those trainers is Barbara Kennedy, who has been holding out for better tracks for many of her team, and her patience is starting to wear thin, with the Byerley Park horsewoman set to be met by another Heavy track at Pukekohe on Wednesday. Kennedy was excited about the prospects of all three of her entrants, however, she said with the track unlikely to improve from its Heavy 8 rating on Tuesday morning, all three will likely be scratched. “They have just shown that they go better on good tracks,” she said. “At the moment it is already a Heavy 8 and at Byerley here it is already raining, so I don’t see it getting any better than a Heavy 8. Everyone is just waiting for these better tracks, and this rain is just not going away. It is a bit unfortunate, I would have had three really nice runners tomorrow had we been on better tracks, but this weather is just not helping us out.” Kennedy’s attention has swiftly turned to Tauranga on Saturday where she is set to line-up Pour The Wine (Telperion) in the Bayleys Mount Maunganui 1300 (1300m) and Lachie (Belardo) in the Aztech Signs 1600 (1600m). “Lachie is coming along really nicely,” she said. “His first-up run over 1200 metres at Te Aroha was a little bit short for him, he is looking for a bit further. If we get a better track on Saturday, he will definitely be one running on, hopefully in the placings. Pour The Wine had a bit of a foot issue, that is why we scratched her from Ellerslie. I have just put her in with the hope that she will be spot on for it.”

Racing at Awapuni paused as long-term track plan progresses

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR), in conjunction with the Racing Integrity Board (RIB), has today confirmed that all trials and race meetings at the RACE Awapuni track will cease for the remainder of 2025, as RACE Inc. and NZTR work towards a long-term plan for the sustainability of the track. NZTR chief executive officer Matt Ballesty said the decision followed extensive efforts to restore the track and careful consideration of its impact on participants. “NZTR acknowledges that the remediation process for the RACE Awapuni surface has placed a significant strain on our Central Districts participants and the wider industry. This is not a decision we have taken lightly, with horse and rider safety being paramount. Our team, the RIB, and the Club, with the support of independent experts and international advisors, have worked tirelessly in recent months, and we share the disappointment felt by many. Despite these efforts, the surface has not consistently met the standard required to confidently host full race meetings during what is an incredibly busy period for our sport,” Ballesty said. Track consultant Liam O’Keeffe said the decision followed careful assessment of the track during recent trials and gallops. “Following recent trials and gallops at Awapuni, it’s evident that further, more aggressive renovation work is required to bring the surface up to the standard the industry needs. At the same time, we’re progressing a wider investigation into the track’s long-term suitability,” O’Keeffe said.

HK: Newnham aims to continue streak at Sha Tin on Thursday

Mark Newnham is sailing through the 2025/26 Hong Kong racing season with flying colours and the Australian trainer, who has 12 wins in October, takes a five-strong team to Thursday night’s eight-race all-dirt programme at Sha Tin. Leading the trainers’ championship with 18 wins – four clear of nearest rival Caspar Fownes (14) – Newnham heads into Thursday’s fixture aiming to extend his streak to 13 consecutive race meetings with at least a winner. Newnham is represented by Mojave Desert (I Am Invincible) and New Forest (Justify) in Thursday’s Class 3 Pyramid Hill Handicap (1650m). “He’s [Mojave Desert] at his best when he gets covered away and he only really has to sprint about 300 metres,” Newnham said. “He tends to get back anyway, but from the wide draw [11], he’ll just need the right pace and the right horses to drag him forward. His chance to win will be in the last 100 [metres]. New Forest is the opposite because he’ll be on pace. We have a chance in both areas, we’ll have one on the pace and one back, and probably the pace of the race will determine the outcome.” Newnham also saddles Notthesillyone (Super One), Impending Legacy (Impending) and Fatal Blow (Russian Revolution) on Thursday. Meanwhile, Newnham's Rising star My Wish (Flying Artie) will trial again before tackling the Jockey Club Mile (Gr 2, 1600m) on November 23. “His recovery is much better this season as he’s matured. He’s getting through each race in better condition. He’ll trial on the 14th [of November],” Newnham said. “He’ll get five pounds from Group 1 winners, depending on who lines up. He’s showing that he’s going to be good enough, but he needs to keep taking those steps and then come December he has to take another step again because it’s all level weights.”

UK: Shamrock Bay and Tribal Nation headed Down Under

Shamrock Bay (Cable Bay), a three-time winner and rated 91, will continue his career with trainer Dom Sutton in Melbourne after being purchased by Noel Fehily and Dave Crosse for 210,000gns (approx. AU$444,720) at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale on Tuesday.

"He has been bought for trainer Dominic Sutton, who is training at Flemington," said Crosse. "We look after Nick Sutton's horse here, who is his father. We tried on a couple of horses yesterday, hopefully, this horse will be lucky and this will be the first of many.”

Crosse added: "Neither of us have been Down Under, with a bit of luck this guy will take us for a day! Dom is a young trainer and has been training for just two years. He started from scratch and has had great success already, and is definitely a trainer on the up and it is good to be associated with him."

On the process of sorting a shortlist and selecting Shamrock Bay, Crosse outlined: "We have been on the ground picking horses and putting them to him [Sutton] in the middle of his night.

"This horse did not run as a two-year-old, then won his first two starts. He is a horse who has needed time and he will be better with more time again, he is still a little 'bum high' despite being a four-year-old. We just loved the way he goes about his races, he has plenty of gate speed, we think he is progressive, will go forward again in Australia and he goes on fast ground."

Tribal Nation (Wootton Bassett) will join Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s powerful stable after bringing 200,000gns (approx. AU$423,490), with Tulloch Lodge teaming up with McKeever Bloodstock for the three-year-old gelding.

The son of Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) has run eight times and won once, but has never finished in a lower position than sixth, has never been rated lower than 90 and has been running in some of the most competitive handicaps in Britain and Ireland.

He has been in training with Joseph O'Brien, and was bought today by Johnny McKeever.

"He ran well in the Britannia which is a race we have had good success coming out from," said Waterhouse and Bott’s bloodstock manager Claudia Fitzgerald.

“He is a young horse, has lots to give and is relatively lightly raced, he is by Wootton Bassett and we have had great success with horses by him, they are not easy to buy! I actually thought this horse was super buying at 200,000gns.

"He has been running over shorter than perhaps we'd look for [seven furlongs and a mile], but he looks like a horse who will stretch out, especially when we get him to Australia and the sun on his back!"

UK: Late flurry of Aussie buys on day two at Tatts

Lindsay Park, Stuart Kendrick, and Paul Moroney were all involved on day two of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale in a flurry of purchases from Australian buyers during the mid-part of the session. Kendrick Racing teamed up with bloodstock agent Matt Houldsworth to stretch to 150,000gns (approx. AU$317,590) in order to purchase last-start Listed scorer Viking Invasion (Mehmas) out of The Castlebridge Consignment. With an official rating of 97, the three-year-old gelding was last seen just nine days ago when scoring a half-length victory in the Prix Vulcain (Listed, 2500m) at Deauville - his third win from 13 starts. Just a few minutes earlier and Lindsay Park got involved in the action as they teamed with McCalmont Bloodstock to acquire Galveston (Frankel) for 100,000gns (approx. AU$211,720) out of the Coolmore draft. Trained by Aidan O’Brien, the three-year-old colt has two wins from seven starts and a Group 2-placing in the King Edward VII Stakes (Gr 2, 1m 4f) at Royal Ascot back in June. Meanwhile, a few lots later and bloodstock agent Paul Moroney went to 75,000gns (approx. AU$158,790) alongside Monarch Racing and Armando Duarte to purchase Nova Centauri (Not This Time) - who was another to come out of The Castlebridge Consignment. Rated 81 from just three starts for John and Thady Gosden, the juvenile Not This Time (Giant’s Causeway) colt has placed in the top three in all of those outings.

UK: August George tops day one at Autumn Horses in Training Sale

Highly rated juvenile August George (Night Of Thunder) proved the star turn on day one of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale in Newmarket when bringing the hammer down at 375,000gns (approx. AU$798,830). The two-year-old son of Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) won a Hamilton maiden for trainer Ivan Furtado and Alfa Site Services, the banner under which owner Stephen Burdett races. The youngster took his form to new heights when runner-up to Dorset (Wootton Bassett) in Europe’s richest two-year-old race, the Goffs Million (7f), last time out. He will now be aimed at races like the Qatar Derby (2100m) having gone the way of the country’s leading handler Gassim Ghazali. August George was sourced as a €90,000 Goffs Orby yearling by Finn Kent, who brought things full circle by consigning the youngster at Park Paddocks on Monday. The gelding changed hands having netted connections over £165,000 (approx. AU$334,690) in prize-money and with a peak Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 98. Tattersalls regular Ghazali said: “I think he’s the best horse here today. He’s still a two-year-old, an expensive horse but I had to have him. I told my son Hamad yesterday, this horse I will take to Qatar. I hoped he’d fall between 250,000gns and 300,000gns but I couldn’t let the chance to have him go. I hope he can run in the Qatar Derby and then he’ll be a horse for the Amir’s Sword. I’ve had good luck with Night Of Thunder, and also with Dubawi – they’re well suited to racing in Qatar and do very well there.”

US: Grade 1 scorer Johannes to stand at Claiborne Farm in 2026

Grade 1 winner Johannes will stand at Claiborne Farm in 2026, with a fee set to be announced following his run in this weekend's Breeders’ Cup Mile (Gr 1, 8f) at Del Mar. The five-year-old son of Nyquist (Uncle Mo) has scored nine wins from 15 starts to date and earnings in excess of US$1.2 million (approx. AU$1.83 million). Of those nine wins, eight have come in stakes company - including six at graded level. A nine-length maiden special weight winner over six furlongs as a two-year-old at Santa Anita, Johannes then kicked off his sophomore campaign with dominant victories in the Baffle Stakes (6.5f) and the Pasadena Stakes (Listed, 8f), also at Santa Anita. A homebred for Joe and Debby McCloskey, Johannes then jumped to another level at four, where he started the season with a breakthrough graded victory in the American Stakes (Gr 3, 8f) at Santa Anita before then registering a victory in the Shoemaker Mile (Gr 1, 8f), giving him a win at the sport’s highest level in his first try. His 2024 campaign saw him ultimately win five of six starts, including three Grade 2s. His only defeat that season came in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, where he ran second by three-quarters of a length behind Yulong shuttler More Than Looks (More Than Ready). The Kentucky-bred is the first foal out of the stakes-placed Congrats (A.P. Indy) mare Cuyathy, who has produced four winners from four foals to race including multiple stakes winner Sea Dancer (Mastery) and the stakes-placed Sea Runner (Gun Runner), as well as Soaring Angel (Knicks Go), who broke her maiden on debut at Del Mar in July.