Australia
Flying Mascot (NZ) (Tavistock) starred during last season's Melbourne Festival of Racing but will be inactive during the upcoming seven-week period of feature racing. Trainer Tom Dabernig told Racing.com that the five-year-old mare is halfway through an extended break in the spelling paddock. The daughter of Tavistock
International
James McDonald has been crowned the best jockey in the world. After leading the Longines World’s Best Jockey rankings for much of the year, McDonald put a major gap on his rivals during the Melbourne spring carnival to ultimately win the award by 46 points over Ryan Moore with
Australia
Liam Howley will resist temptation with his pin-up galloper Virtuous Circle (NZ) (Almanzor) and bypass next Saturday’s A$2 million Gr.1 VRC Derby (2500m) and instead send the colt to the spelling paddock. Shortening onto the third line of betting after a brave runner-up performance in the Gr.
Australia
Champion mare Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed) has been officially retired and will be served by a yet-to-be-confirmed northern hemisphere sire. The announcement was made by her ownership group on Thursday afternoon, pulling the curtain down on a glittering career which saw her claim 11 Group Ones. Her crowning moment came
Australia
Dean Holland has won the battle of the lightweight riders for the ride on She’s Licketysplit (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) in the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes. Trainer Andrew Forsman confirmed on Saturday that the three-year-old filly would take on the older mares in the 1600-metre race. The Gr.
Australia
After near-misses in recent years, Michael Hickmott is optimistic he can finally land his hometown Murray Bridge Gold Cup with a two-pronged attack on Friday. Hickmott will saddle up Group Three winner Lord Vladivostok (NZ) (Tavistock) and in-form mare Unlaced (NZ) (Niagara) in the feature event, having featured in the
Australia
Cranbourne trainer Matt Brown would love nothing more than for his talented galloper Prix De Turn (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) to gain a start in the Caulfield Cup by winning the Gr.3 Coongy Cup on Wednesday but said he faces a battle on two fronts. Firstly, he will have
Australia
Tavistock filly Pretty Tavi (NZ) belied her pedigree by comprehensively leading throughout to win her 1200-metre Mornington three-year-old fillies' maiden by 4.5 lengths on Thursday. The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Pretty Tavi ($5) burst from the inside barrier and provided rider Jamie Kah with little concern around the
Australia
It’s all systems go for Cambridge Stud bred stayer Tralee Rose (NZ) (Tavistock) with a possible start in the Caulfield Cup before she fronts up again for another tilt at the Melbourne Cup. Tralee Rose’s trainer Symon Wilde said the results of her recent scintigraphy at the Ballarat
International
Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard knew in the early stages of the Group 1 Prix de Royallieu that star New Zealand bred mare Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed) would not be in the finish of the French feature over 2800m. The 2021 Melbourne Cup-winner failed to fire a shot eventually finishing seventh in
International
An Australian jockey will partner Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed) in next weekend’s €5 million G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (2400m) at Longchamp with Mark Zahra booked to ride. Connections of Verry Elleegant were searching for a new jockey to partner the champion mare in Paris as
Breeding
In a not too distant pre-internet past, Phill Cataldo remembers mailing Australian trainers VHS tapes of Kiwi horses’ trials and races in a bid to orchestrate a sale. Many things have changed in the last 25 years, but what hasn’t is Cataldo’s knack for unearthing a superstar of