Johannes Brahms leads charge towards Hong Kong Classic Cup with Sha Tin win
Johannes Brahms (Siyouni) led the charge towards the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) with victory in the Class 2 Heung Yee Kuk Cup Handicap (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday as Sky Heart (Ardrossan) and Steps Ahead (Written By) also advanced their Four-Year-Old Classic Series claims. Formerly trained by Aidan O’Brien in Ireland where he... Read More
Fairytale continues as Shaggy enters Golden Slipper picture
Bush battler Shaggy (Sandbar) continued his stratospheric rise up the juvenile ranks when he put his Pierro Plate (1100m) rivals to the sword at Randwick. The bubble burst for some well-credentialled colts with lofty aspirations when the unbeaten Shaggy – who got his quirky name from a frisky nature which was curbed by a gelding... Read More
Skybird takes flight to strike an upset Lightning win
Mitchell Freedman paid tribute to a “damn good racehorse” after Skybird (Exosphere) led home a mares trifecta in a boilover in Saturday’s Black Caviar Lightning (Gr 1, 1000m) at Flemington. All the talk in the lead-up to the first elite-level sprint of the year had focused on the clash between a trio of high-class colts... Read More
Famous names share the spoils in Talindert Stakes
A dramatic renewal of the Talindert Stakes (Listed, 1100m) at Flemington saw the spoils shared between juvenile colts Tentyris (Street Boss) and Shining Smile (Spirit Of Boom), whose connections lodged an ultimately unsuccessful protest alleging interference in the last 50 metres. There has been many a racetrack battle down the years between the Hayes and... Read More
‘You’d probably have to go back as far as Danehill for a stallion who’s got out of the blocks as well as Wootton Bassett has’
he deserved hype around Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) has focused on his Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) favourite Wodeton for the past four weeks, but the colt who set the ball rolling is poised to serve a reminder of his class at Randwick on Saturday. Pallaton started the trickle that became a torrent when... Read More
Wootton Lass impresses at Randwick trials
John Sargent prepared two of the three 1050-metre juvenile trial winners at Randwick on Thursday morning, the first being Wootton Lass, who led home a quinella for her Coolmore shuttle sire Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj). The unraced filly improved from a second place finish at her first trial appearance over 740 metres on January 28, defeating... Read More