Russell Balding’s two-year extension moves to Upper House
Late into a long sitting day of New South Wales Parliament, the Thoroughbred Racing Amendment Bill 2023 passed the Legislative Assembly and now moves to the upper house. The result came after a near-three hour consideration, kicked off with a 40-minute speech from Shadow Minister for Racing and Gaming, Kevin Anderson MP.
The amendment, which has been covered by The Thoroughbred Report as it has made its way through the parliamentary process, has been supported by both sides of the floor, with Minister for Racing and Gaming, David Harris MP, joined by Kevin Anderson in supporting the extension for current Racing New South Wales Chairman, Russell Balding, for a third time.
Independent Judy Hannan MP stated only 22 horses have been rehomed in the last 12 months, and likened the purchase of numerous properties as “land-banking,” while other crossbenchers also spoke out against the extension for a range of reasons.
Kevin Anderson told the house that the amendments, which centre around a mandatory review process “are not done,” and they will be reintroduced in the upper house.
Oka and Clarke elevated
The Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia (FBAA) met for their annual general meeting on Monday, November 27. The result of the meeting welcomed Satomi Oka as a Director, while James Clarke was elevated to Vice President.
President Craig Rounsefell paid a contribution to Dave Mee, who steps down from the board after serving as Vice President for the past three years having made significant contributions during this period of reform and change for the FBAA.
Astapor not going anywhere
Exciting 2-year-old Astapor (Tassort) has been the subject of lucrative offers to purchase him away from his Rockhampton home, but a reported $1 million offer has been rejected by connections.
The Clint Taylor-trained colt has been impressive in his two career starts, with the latest an impressive 3l win at Doomben on Saturday.
Already in the frame as an early fancy for the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic in January, which will be run for $3 million in prizemoney.
Vilana looking to return to form
Godolphin’s head trainer James Cummings is hopeful Vilana (Hallowed Crown) can return to the form that has carried him to two Group 3 victories in Saturday’s G3 Kevin Heffernan S. at Caulfield.
Representing Cummings was Carbine Lodge’s senior foreman Sean Keogh, “His run at Flemington in The Damien Oliver saw him posted from the 1400-metre start, he boxed on really well but was never in contention to win the race after having that wide run,” he told Racing.com.
Vilana | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“We came here (Caulfield) in the Sir Rupert Clarke and carried top weight, he looked like he was getting a lovely run down the inside but as he angled out, he got caught up just in a little bit of traffic and that hindered him.
“Vilana has bounced through the run in super order and we’re really happy with the way he’s going.”
Vilana worked at Caulfield on Tuesday morning and impressed Jamie Kah.
“Jamie’s feedback was positive, he got around lovely, very happy.”
Fortune deserts Oscar at Winterbottom barrier draw
Boom 3-year-old Oscar’s Fortune (Rich Enuff) has come up with barrier 13 of 18 for the G1 Winterbottom S. at Ascot on Saturday.
There were mixed results for the leading hopefuls at the barrier draw, conducted on Tuesday morning, with public fancy Overpass (Vancouver) drawing barrier 11.
Despite his number one seed drawing awkwardly, trainer Dion Luciani walked away with barrier five for talented filly My Bella Mae (Deep Field), who will be looking to bounce back off a number of hard-luck stories so far this campaign.
Winner of the Listed Placid Ark S., Ripcord (Written By), has drawn barrier seven, while Alice Springs visitor Savatoxl (Kuroshio) will jump from barrier eight. Damien Oliver’s penultimate ride in a Group 1 has been given a shot in the arm, with Triple Missile (Smart Missile) receiving barrier one.
Amelia’s Jewel seeks Quokka redemption
Dazzling mare Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni {Fr}) has been officially spelled after an arduous spring campaign, and will attempt to go one better with $5 million on the line in the 2024 running of The Quokka.
The decision means she will not contest the G3 Damien Oliver Gold Rush S. on December 16, which owner-breeder Peter Walsh had made an eleventh-hour nomination for previously.
Amelia's Jewel | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
On Tuesday, The West Australian reported that Amelia’s Jewel will be targeted at The Quokka, a race in which she was narrowly defeated by Overpass in 2023, will be the primary target for an autumn campaign, with further opportunities to progress to either the Adelaide or Brisbane carnivals on the table.
Both offer lucrative opportunities for mares to gather Group 1 success, with the G1 Robert Sangster S. in Adelaide and the G1 Tatt's Tiara S. in Brisbane.
Ollie and Waterhouse to combine
Damien Oliver will partner the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Zoumon (Zoustar) in the G1 Northerly S. on December 9 at Ascot. The ride will serve as the retiring Champion Jockey’s final Group 1 ride. However, Oliver’s final day in the saddle will be the Gold Rush meeting on Saturday, December 16.
Sutton takes out trainer’s licence
Dom Sutton, who has spent the best part of a decade working as assistant trainer to Leon and Troy Corstens, has taken the leap of faith and decided to take out his trainer’s licence.
The 28-year-old will train from Pakenham in Victoria and is expected to have his first runners from his new base in the new year.
“It's been in the works in the background for a couple of months and I'm fortunate that I've got some backers and some nice investors in the UK who have said they're going to support me and give me a few nice horses straight off the bat,” Sutton told Racing.com.
Dom Sutton | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“Obviously I'll start off with a small number and look to hopefully grow in the next few months, one step at a time. Hopefully many of the horses should be in work by mid-December.
“We purchased a couple of imports last year that we'll hopefully target through the autumn, we've also got a couple of 2-year-olds we bought too.
“We're obviously under the impression that we need some tried horses, horses that are ready to go to the races almost straight away.”
Cranbourne CEO eyes slot race
Cup Day at Cranbourne next year could play host to the first slot race in Victoria, should Cranbourne Turf Club CEO Neil Bainbridge’s vision come to life.
Speaking to Racing.com, Bainbridge re-affirmed his interest in his club hosting a slot race, on the precipice of a merger with the nearby Pakenham Race Club. Should the merger, which is scheduled to be voted on by members of both clubs in early 2024, be successful, the Cranbourne Cup program would likely be the first feature day for the new operation.
Bainbridge said, “We are certainly understanding that as a club we need to continue to evolve our Cup Day.
“We put submissions to Racing Victoria prior to this year's spring carnival that we would like to see the Cup achieve $1 million. We put submissions in there about a slot race being a part of this year's Cranbourne Cup.
“Those ideas were quite receptive with them. The slot race had a lot of interest from Racing Victoria.
“What happened a little bit on that one is we had a bit of a short runway this year. We are absolutely keen to ramp that up for 2024.”
Rae seeks to shock rivals in Zipping Classic
Taking on a raft of battle-hardened stayers may be daunting for some trainers, but Alex Rae has plenty of excitement to step Shock ‘Em Ova (NZ) (Shocking) out in the G2 Zipping Classic at Caulfield on Saturday.
Having been narrowly defeated by Wild Planet (Animal Kingdom {USA}) last start in the Rosehill Gold Cup, Rae believes his stable star can parlay that performance into success in Victoria.
“After we took him to Sydney and he measured up so well with a fantastic run, showing he was well and truly up to that grade, we changed focus.
Alex Rae | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“We've gone now from wrapping him up in cotton wool to now trying to get his rating up so we're not dictated to by the program in the next 12 months and we can run him where we need to.
“If he can run top three in a weight-for-age Group 2, he'd be penalised significantly and that will get his rating up to a place where we can target the better races.
“He's crucified at weight-for-age but we're running to try and get his rating up.”
Craig Williams has been booked for the ride on Saturday.
Eclipse option for Junipal
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Junipal was set to feature in Sunday’s Kilmore Cup until concerns over the racing surface saw the meeting abandoned. The stable have indicated the son of Reset will likely tackle Saturday’s G3 Eclipse S. at Caulfield.
“Junipal is in great order,” Maher told RSN.
“It was a bit stiff that he couldn’t get the Kilmore Cup. Those conditions would have been ideal for him. Hopefully the weather stays around, and he can get a bit of give in the track because he definitely needs it.”
King Magnus due a change of luck
The Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock-trained King Magnus (Magnus) was scratched from Saturday’s Listed Cranbourne S. and set towards the Kilmore Cup on Sunday, which was abandoned. The talented galloper will now target Saturday’s G3 Kevin Hefferman S. as a springboard into either the $500,000 Ballarat Cup or the $2 million Ingham in Sydney on December 9.
“We’ve been thrown curveball after curveball. We’ve just had to roll with punches a little bit,” de Kock told Punters.
King Magnus | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“It’s turned into a bit of a nightmare. We’re in a bit of a predicament because (if) we run this weekend then it’s a seven-day back up into either race. That’s not ideal for King Magnus because he likes a little bit of time between runs.
“The horse is well and that’s the most important thing.”
Rebel with a cause in Tasmanian Newmarket
The running of the Listed Tasmanian Newmarket H. on Wednesday night presents a strong chance for Craig Newitt to claim another feature in his home state, when aboard Rebel Factor (The Factor {USA}).
The 6-year-old has quickly risen through the ranks, winning seven of his first 12 starts, and last year pushed talented Tasmanian The Inevitable (Dundeel {NZ}) to within 0.5l in the Listed Conquering S. at Launceston in December last year.
Set to run at 9pm AEDT on Wednesday night, the Tasmanian Newmarket is the opening of the summer series of racing, building up to the G3 Hobart Cup and G3 Launceston Cup in February.
Taylor destined for Dubai
Chris Waller’s long-time Melbourne foreman Jo Taylor will finish up with Waller on Wednesday to join former Queensland-based trainer Michael Costa’s stable in the United Arab Emirates.
Jo Taylor | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
Taylor has been an integral part of Waller’s stable and worked for the Champion Trainer for more than a decade. During her time at Waller’s Taylor has been part of the careers of the Champion Mares Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) and Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}).
Pinatubo colt tops Tatts December Yearling Sale
A colt by Darley shuttler Pinatubo (Ire), who covered a book of 131 mares during his first foray Down Under last year, topped the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale in Newmarket on Monday when selling to enigmatic owner Clive Washbourn for 200,000gns (AU$401,000).
Consigned by Lynn Lodge Stud, the colt is out of the winning Dubawi (Ire) mare Narak (GB), who is sister to Group 2 winner Valiant Prince (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and a half-sister to Group 3 scorer Klassique (GB) (Galileo {Ire}).
A delighted Washbourn said the colt compared favourably with his Group 2-winning former stable star Thundering Blue (USA) (Exchange Rate {USA}), who was trained by David Menuisier to finish second in the G1 Canadian International S.
“This colt looked a little bit underdone at the last sale, but these Pinatubos look like middle-weight fighters,” Washbourn told Tattersalls.
“This colt for us has a four-star rating, as near to Thundering Blue as we have had. I sent David up and whilst I was driving up from London I got a call, and he said, 'God this colt is beautiful' so that was it, number one target.
A record 13 lots sold for 100,000gns (AU$201,000) or more during the sale, which also produced a record average of 37,330gns (AU$74,900). The four-day Tattersalls December Foal Sale gets underway on Tuesday, November 28 at 10am GMT (9pm AEDT).
Golden Sixty tunes up for tilt at third Mile
The star of Hong Kong, Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}), ramped up his preparation for Saturday week’s G1 Hong Kong Mile with a barrier trial over a mile at Sha Tin Tuesday morning.
Ridden by his regular partner Vincent Ho, Golden Sixty was held up in the second half of the field before being allowed to go through his gears in the straight, eventually finishing third behind G1 Cox Plate hero Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), who was ridden by James McDonald.
“It looked good,” Ho said. “They went slow at the corner and someone jumped a cone, we were at the back and then in the straight I just let him build up slowly and he came along nicely.
“I wish the pace was faster but it was good. He knows what I want – if I don’t move he comes back and relaxes but he knows when I just ask him even a little bit for an effort, he gives it to me straight away – I was happy.”
Golden Sixty, who is the leading prizemoney earner in Hong Kong history, already has two G1 Hong Kong Mile victories to his name, but had to settle for second behind California Spangle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner) in last year’s renewal of the HK$32 million (AU$6.2 million) contest.
Wind blows into Hong Kong
British raider West Wind Blows (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) touched down in Hong Kong on Monday night as the G1 Caulfield Cup runner-up bids to put a disappointing effort in the G1 Champions S. behind him in Saturday week’s G1 Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin.
The Simon and Ed Crisford-trained gelding pushed subsequent G1 Melbourne Cup hero Without A Fight (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) all the way in the Caulfield Cup, having also finished second behind the previous year’s Cup winner Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}) in the G1 Turnbull S. on his first Australian start.
The Hong Kong Vase features alongside three other Group 1 contests during the star-studded Hong Kong International race meeting at Sha Tin on December 10.
Equinox awarded Timeform rating 136
The long-awaited appearance of Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in Sunday's G1 Japan Cup did not disappoint and his 4l victory over the fillies' Triple Crown winner Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) was deemed to be a career-best performance by the assessors at Timeform.
Already rated the best horse in the world, his previous mark of 135 has been raised to 136, which rates him 3lb ahead of G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}), who has recently been retired to Haras de Beaumont.
“Equinox confirmed his status as the leading horse in the world with an exceptional performance to win the Japan Cup in Tokyo on Sunday,” said Timeform's Flat editor David Johnson. “An updated rating of 136, up from 135 pre-race, puts him 3lb clear of his nearest pursuer, the recently retired Arc winner Ace Impact.”
Trained by Tetsuya Kimura for Silk Racing, Equinox first came to wider prominence outside his native country with his facile victory in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan in March. Behind him that day were Westover (GB), Zagrey (Fr) and Mostahdaf (Ire), all of whom went on to win Group 1 contests during the European summer.
Johnson added, “A rating of 136 puts Equinox alongside El Condor Pasa as the best Japanese-trained horse in Timeform's history and though it is unconfirmed whether he will stay in training next year, the feeling is that under the right circumstances, he has the potential to rate even higher still.”
Mac Swiney to join Irish National Stud roster
Jim and Jackie Bolger's dual Group 1 winner Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) will stand at the Irish National Stud in 2024 for a fee of €8000 (AU$13,200).
Mac Swiney played his part in a memorable 2021 season for the trainer/breeder when beating his stablemate, the 2000 Guineas winner Poetic Flare (Ire) to land a Classic of his own in the Irish 2000 Guineas. A three-time winner as a juvenile, he had ended his debut season with victory in the G1 Vertem Futurity having also landed the G2 Beresford S.
Mac Swiney (Ire) | Standing at the Irish National Stud, image courtesy of Peter Mooney
Cathal Beale, chief executive officer of the Irish National Stud, said, “Mac Swiney is a Group 1-winning 2-year-old, a Group 1 and Classic-winning 3-year-old from a deep black-type family. He is a powerful, correct horse with an incredible walk and, at €8000, he will stand at an exceptional price for a horse of his quality.”
White Abarrio to train on
C2 Racing Stable's White Abarrio (USA) (Race Day {USA}), last-out winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita November, will be kept in training for a 5-year-old campaign in 2024, according to a post on X made Monday afternoon.
Clint Cornett, the managing partner of C2 Racing, believes the best lies ahead for White Abarrio.
“We really think he is just coming into his own right now as a late 4-year-old and that he'll be even better at five,” he said. “He's sound, there are no issues whatsoever and so it makes sense to see what he can do on the racetrack.”
Cornett said that White Abarrio remains on the grounds at Santa Anita and would likely ship down to Gulfstream Park in mid-December. The GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, a race in which White Abarrio was sixth at 6-1 last year, is a possible starting point for 2024, as is the G1 Saudi Cup. Cornett said that White Abarrio would train up to one or the other of those spots, but would not run in both.
Kentucky Derby winner retired
The 2023 G1 Kentucky Derby hero Mage (USA) (Good Magic {USA}) has been retired from racing and will begin stallion duties at Airdrie Stud for the 2024 breeding season. The son of Good Magic (USA) and Broodmare of the Year candidate Puca (USA) (Big Brown {USA}) will stand his debut season for US$25,000 (AU$37,800).
“Mage has been a great blessing in our family's life,” said trainer Gustavo Delgado, Sr. “He was special for so many reasons and he gave all of us that were blessed to be associated with him the greatest days you could ever have in racing. He was so brilliantly talented and an incredible horse to work with, as his mind and determination were as exceptional as his abilities. We were planning to have a championship 4-year-old campaign with him, but our routine end-of-the-season scan revealed that he had the beginnings of a small issue that would require us to miss his early season goals.”
