Year: 2022

Long-term plan for Virtuous Circle comes to life at Moonee Valley

AAP

Virtuous Circle (inner) gets the better of favourite Do It La at Mornington. (Photo: Bruno Cannatelli) While Berkeley Square holds favouritism for the $500,000 Moonee Valley Vase, Liam Howley has given his colt Virtuous Circle a very strong push for the Group 2 feature at The Valley on Saturday. Speaking with Racing.com, Howley was excited not only about his runner’s chances this weekend, but also the prospect of possibly pushing forward to the VRC Derby on the one-week backup. The Derby looks to have been a long-term goal from the…

Tom Logan celebrated first winning double on Saturday at Darwin

AAP

Darwin trainer Tom Logan and partner Sonja Wiseman, one of the leading jockeys in the Northern Territory, taking their horses for a swim in Darwin Harbour at East Point, just around the corner from the famed Fannie Bay racecourse. With partner and in-form jockey Sonja Wiseman in the saddle, Logan won the opening two races on the six-event program with Freddy The Eagle ($3.70) and Blueberry Boy ($3.80). That made it four wins for the season for Logan and 12 career wins overall as a trainer after Fromthenevernever got the…

Beach Ball looking to bounce back at Addington

NZHarnessNews

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Kevin Chapman has felt the world has been against him as he prepares his talented three-year-old Beach Ball for spring racing. The Somebeachsomewhere colt has had an interrupted preparation to date through injury and sickness, and Chapman is hoping the worst is now behind the Group One performer. “We have had a couple of hiccups along the line, so we are a bit like the piglet on the back tit at the moment,” Chapman quipped. “We were ready to go and then he hurt…

Verry Elleegant officially retired

NZRacingDesk

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 in the 2021 Melbourne Cup, where she ran the fifth fastest time in the race’s history and destroyed a high-class field with James McDonald on board. Earlier this year, a majority of the ownership group decided to campaign Verry Elleegant…

Go Racing three-year-olds on the rise

NZRacingDesk

Go Racing have strength in their three-year-old ranks as evidenced by a wining double at Tauranga on Wednesday. The Stephen Marsh-trained Abandon (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) was making his season debut and settled midfield with cover for Wiremu Pinn before making a move on hitting the straight and running on to win by a half-length. “He has always shown a lot of ability,” Go Racing’s Albert Bosma said. “Wiremu was very complementary and said once he got to the front he just floated around a bit, so he may need…

Draw the only concern for Roch ‘N’ Horse

NZRacingDesk

The Gr.1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) has been the centre of Roch ‘N’ Horse’s (NZ) (Per Incanto) spring plans and trainer Michael Moroney is hoping an unfavourable draw won’t prove the mare’s undoing. The classy daughter of Per Incanto will be ridden by Patrick Moloney and was allotted barrier 15 for the sprint feature but will jump from gate 12 should the emergencies not gain a start in the capacity 14-horse field. “Having a crack at a Group One, we thought this would be the one that she would be most…

Icebath primed for The Invitation

NZRacingDesk

Trainer Brad Widdup believes his mare Icebath (NZ) (Sacred Falls) is cherry ripe for Saturday’s A$2 million The Invitation (1400m) at Randwick. The Sacred Falls six-year-old won the race last year and while she hasn’t won a race since, Widdup is confident of a bold showing from the mare this weekend. She has followed a similar spring path to what she did last year, running seventh in the Gr.1 Winx Stakes (1400m) first-up before posting runner-up results in the Gr.2 Tramway Stakes (1400m) and Gr.1 George Main Stakes (1600m). She…

Marsh trio face significant Soliloquy challenge

NZRacingDesk

Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh said he couldn’t be any happier with his trio going into Saturday’s Gr.3 Super Seth Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa but knows they have a colossal job ahead of them to knock off the race’s leading lights. Marsh will saddle Mazzolino, Academy Award and Miss Nico Belle for the three-year-old fillies feature, which has become a reliable lead-up to the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm NZ 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton, with each of the last four winners coming through the Soliloquy. “The Soliloquy has attracted such…

The Small Business Immediate Flood Relief Program is now open for applications.

Editor BOAY

Businesses directly impacted by the Victorian floods that commenced in October 2022 can access a one-off grant of $5000 to cover immediate expenses. Businesses must be located within an eligible local government area and incurred significant direct damage to their place of business, business assets, stock or equipment.   Eligibility This program supports businesses that have incurred significant direct flood damage due to the Victorian floods that commenced in October 2022. To be eligible for a grant, businesses must: > Be located within a local government area deemed eligible for…

Verry Elleegant retired after European slog

AAP

2021 Melbourne Cup champion Verry Elleegant has been retired. The 2021 Melbourne Cup winner, Verry Elleegant, has been retired following a less than ideal preparation in Europe. The ownership group of the champion mare announced on Thursday afternoon (AEDT) that the 11-time Group 1 winner is now headed to the breeding barn. A media release stated: “The plan is to keep her in the pristine fields of France until she can be served by a leading European stallion in the Northern Hemisphere next year.” Throughout her career, Verry Elleegant managed…