Author: AAP

An Australian campaign is in the offing for Pier. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Pier may have fallen just short of winning Saturday’s Listed City Of Napier Sprint (1200m), but trainers Darryn and Briar Weatherley couldn’t have been happier with their returning star ahead of a potential campaign in Queensland. As a three-year-old, Pier won a competitive Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and placed in a Group 2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) and Group 3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m). Since then, he has spent much of the last two…

Western Empire winning The Gold Rush at Ascot. Photo: Western Racepix Western Empire (Iffraaj) has signalled he’s ready to fire in the $5 million The Quokka (1200m) at Ascot on April 26, with a sharp trial victory at Belmont on Sunday. The seven-year-old, who hasn’t raced since claiming the Group 3 Gold Rush (1400m) in December, made all in the 1000-metre heat and surged through the line under William Pike, defeating stakes performers Twain’s Angel and Ripcord. It was the Grant and Alana Williams-trained gelding’s second and final trial ahead…

Without A Fight ridden by Mark Zahra winning the 2023 Melbourne Cup. Photo: Pat Scala (Racing Photos) Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight and Group 3-winning mare Isthmus are on track to resume during the Queensland Winter Carnival, with co-trainer Sam Freedman confirming both horses are progressing well. Without A Fight hasn’t raced since finishing down the field in December’s Group 1 Hong Kong Vase (2400m) but is expected to trial in the coming weeks. His campaign could include a mouth-watering clash with Pride Of Jenni. “He is fresh and…

Another Prophet winning the 2024 Group 1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield Racecourse. (Photo by Reg Ryan/Racing Photos) Racing Victoria (RV) and the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) have confirmed a strategic reshuffle of three Group 1 races at Caulfield as part of broader programming changes to the 2025 Spring Racing Carnival and the 2026 Festival of Racing. The changes, which have received approval from the RV Board and endorsement from the Asian Pattern Committee, aim to bolster key racedays across Victoria and maintain momentum across the entire spring calendar. Following strong…

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Cap Ferrat faces strong opposition on FWD Champions Day. Photo: HKJC Cap Ferrat will aim to join one of Hong Kong racing’s most exclusive and esteemed clubs when he lines up in Sunday week’s (27 April) HK$28 million G1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin. Trained by Francis Lui, Cap Ferrat prevailed in last month’s HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) by a short head at odds of $25 under Craig Williams, and the four-year-old is chanced with becoming the sixth horse to complete the Derby-QEII Cup double…

Bona Sforza winning the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton Park on Saturday. Photo: Race Images South International racing journalist Andrew Hawkins’ imagination was captured by two things as a child, thoroughbred racing and the Canberra Raiders, and on Saturday he was able to combine his two loves. As a teenager, with the hope of one day racing his own horse, Hawkins designed a set of silks based on the colours of his three-time NRL Premiership-winning Canberra Raiders, and on Saturday he realised that dream when watching Bona Sforza carry…

Multiple group winner Nereus is being set for a Queensland campaign after powering into second in Saturday’s Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) at Trentham. The Waikato Stud-owned son of Savabeel has a strong affinity with the Upper Hutt course, having won the Group 2 Awapuni Gold Cup (2400m) last year before finishing sixth in the Listed Mornington Cup (2400m) in Victoria. His trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray opted to take a different path with the gelding this season, winning the Group 3 Counties Cup (2100m) before testing his abilities…

Croupier winning the Lisa Allpress Des Coppins Melbourne Cup Tour 1400 at Trentham on Saturday. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) Quirky three-year-old Croupier has one more box to tick to book his passage to Brisbane. He might be a handful at times but has an abundance of ability, and comeback trainer Andrew Campbell has plans in place for Ace High’s son to showcase that talent at the Queensland winter carnival. Croupier was a luckless fifth on debut behind stakes winner Super Photon last month at Trentham and returned…

The 2024 Victorian Spring Racing Carnival has cemented its status as a powerhouse on Australia’s major events calendar, delivering a record $785.1 million economic boost to the state. A newly released economic impact study from IER Pty Ltd found the three-month Carnival delivered its highest gross economic benefit in a decade, as almost 600,000 racegoers flocked to tracks across Victoria. The surge in spending across accommodation, transport, fashion, food and hospitality reflected the breadth of the Carnival’s impact – from marquee events at Flemington, Caulfield and The Valley to 26…