Thank you staff from TTR
From all the team at The Thoroughbred Report, we extend a thank you to everyone who got up on Good Friday and cared for horses. Looking after racehorses doesn’t stop for public holidays. We recognise your commitment to the welfare of our equine athletes, and we appreciate you.
Zaaki Retired
Trainer Annabel Neasham announced on Friday morning that her Group 1 winner Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) has been retired. “Our beautiful Zaaki has run his last race and will now begin his retirement as a happy, healthy horse,” Neasham said in a press release.
Zaaki (GB) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“To his owners, thank you for the amazing memories that we have shared with you over the years cheering him home. We have made lifelong friends with you and it has been an unbelievable journey that we will always cherish.”
Zaaki won 15 of his 48 starts, placing on another 18 occasions with earnings over $11.1million. He won the 2021 and 2022 G1 LKS MacKinnon S., 2021 G1 Underwood S., 2021 G1 Doomben Cup, 2022 The All-Star Mile, and was nine-times placed at Group 1 level.
Racing Victoria raises $100,000 on Good Friday for charity
Racing Victoria raised $100,000 on Good Friday for Royal Children’s Hospital Appeal. “It’s great to see a terrific crowd here at Yarra Valley today,” Racing Victoria’s executive general manager of racing Matt Welsh told Racing.com.
“To be able to help the Royal Children’s Hospital is just terrific. They do so much good work for so many families right across the state.”
Switzerland to spell until spring
Trainer Chris Waller has informed racing fans that his 2-year-old colt Switzerland (Snitzel) will head out for a spell after undergoing bone chip removal surgery. He will be aimed at the spring Group 1 races. “We are pleased to have found this issue now to enable him a good break ahead of a spring where we will be targeting the G1 Golden Rose and G1 Coolmore Stud S,” Waller told Racingandsports.com.au.
A $1.5million purchase by Coolmore from Arrowfield Stud at the 2023 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, Switzerland won his first three starts including the G2 Todman S. before finishing eighth in the G1 Golden Slipper, only four lengths off the winner Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon).
Derby trial for Wymark in Tulloch
Jockey Tommy Berry thinks Wymark (NZ) (Savabeel) has what it takes to be a Derby horse, but connections want the 3-year-old gelding to run well in Saturday’s G2 Tulloch S. before they pay the late entry fee. “A stayer with a turn of foot is lethal, we’ve seen it time and time again. If it’s a fast run race he’s only going to sit off the back of them and show the same turn of foot,” Berry told Racingnsw.com.au.
Wymark (NZ) | Image courtesy of Bradley Photos
“He’s a versatile sort of horse and he was one I wasn’t disappointed to see draw wide on the weekend because you know he’s got the speed to put himself into the race.”
Wymark has won his last three in succession to take his record to three wins from nine starts with earnings over $170,000.
Own The Queen set for Oaks
Star 3-year-old filly Own The Queen (Awesome Rock) looks set to continue her dominance in the G3 WA Oaks on Saturday. “If she runs the trip out we’ll go to the Derby,” trainer Justine Erkelens told rwwa.com.au.
“We sort of have her aimed at these sort of races. She has shown us she has the ability and we’ve had the thought that she could stay. This has always been the plan.”
Own The Queen has won four of her five starts, with her only miss being on debut, and won the L Natasha S. at her last start. With earnings over $270,000, she was purchased by John Chalmers Bloodstock (FBAA) and Justine Erkelens for $57,500 from Western Breeders’ Alliance at the 2022 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.
Texas Fireball’s Tulloch is Derby prep
Trainer Matthew Dunn will take Texas Fireball (Zoustar) to the G1 Queensland Derby if he performs in Saturday’s G2 Tulloch S. The last start winner has won two of his seven starts, with his last start being a city race in Brisbane. It’s a big step up to group company in Sydney, so it will be a test of his potential.
The 3-year-old gelding was purchased by Matthew Dunn and N Jenkinson (FBAA) at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale from Silverdale Farm for $140,000.
Perfect barrier for Hedged in Sunlight
Co-trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr are happy with the wide draw for Hedged (Capitalist) in Saturday’s Listed Sunlight Classic. "The horse is going really well and the draw (barrier 11) is good, too," Kent Jnr told racingandsports.com.au.
“These nice 3-year-olds can then aim up to the Arrowfield Sprint. Last year you had two Group 1 horses in What You Need and Benedetta fight it out.” The stable has won three of the last six runnings of the Sunlight.
Michael Kent Jnr and Mick Price | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Hedged has won three of his six starts winning his last two in succession with earnings over $250,000. He was fourth behind Group 1 winner Veight (Grunt {NZ}) in the G3 HDF McNeil S. three starts ago. Hedged was purchased by Mick Price Racing and Roll The Dice Racing for $140,000 at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from Yulong Stud.
Taunting hunting for second Oakbank Railway
South Australian sprinter Taunting (Brazen Beau) is seeking to repeat last year’s win in the Listed Railway S. at Oakbank on Saturday. “He's going really good, he's been set for this race,” trainer Michael Hickmott told Racenet.com.au.
The 5-year-old gelding has won eight of his 19 starts and over $460,000, including his last two in succession, although he hasn’t raced since December 2023. He was sold by Flinders Park Stud for $230,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, purchased by Michael Hickmott Bloodstock.
Jolly has Aitch Two Oh ready for Oakbank
Brilliant 4-year-old mare Aitch Two Oh (Headwater) can win the Listed Railway S. at Oakbank on Saturday despite a little hiccup at her last start. “Her win in the (Listed) Durbridge was really good (two starts ago) but last start she was just beaten for pace and she probably blew out a bit because she did have a decent gap between runs,” trainer Richard Jolly told Racing.com.
Aitch Two Oh has won five of her 13 starts, including three wins at black type level, and has earnings over $460,000. She was purchased by Richard and Chantelle Jolly Racing at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale for $65,000 from Baramul Stud.
Douglas picks favourite of pair in Sunlight
Trainer Clayton Douglas has Perilous Fighter (Starspangledbanner) and Title Fighter (Lean Mean Machine) in the Listed Sunlight Classic and favours Perilous Fighter of the two. “Perilous Fighter's obviously got the race fitness under his belt, he's third-up and he's still quite progressive,” Douglas told Racing.com.
Perilous Fighter was second last start in the VOBIS Gold Comet, while Title Fighter was third in the city at his last start back in October. “Title Fighter's first-up, he's been working really well at home.”
Mick Kent wins successive Country Oaks
Trainer Mick Kent has won his second successive Country Oaks at Yarra Valley with Crimson Light (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) on Good Friday. It was the 5-year-old mare’s fourth win from 13 starts and took her earnings over $200,000. A NZ$50,000 purchase by Phil Cataldo Bloodstock at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale from Westbury Stud, Crimson Light is out of an unraced Encosta de Lago mare.
Deny Knowledge (Pride Of Dubai) won last year’s edition at Geelong for the stable.
Holt’s juvenile to give her first city win
Townsville trainer Georgia Holt won the local Trainer’s Premiership last season and now has aims to be competitive in Brisbane. Her 2-year-old filly Time To Prophet (Divine Prophet) has been stabled at the Sunshine Coast lately and is ready to give Holt her first city winner on Saturday. “The competition alone makes it hard, let alone the trip,” Holt told racenet.com.au.
Georgia Holt
"She is a smart little racehorse who has always been a big leap ahead of the others we have in the barn. We are into our sixth season, we have wanted to make the move south a few times but it is a huge step. Our team has grown and we won the premiership up here, we are trying to go with quality over quantity at the moment.”
Time To Prophet won two of her first three starts in Townsville, then was fourth last start in the QTIS 2YO Jewel. Holt Racing purchased her for $17,500 from Lyndhurst Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Punters keeping Karedada safe in Qualifier
Punters are keeping Karedada (Wandjina) at $7 for Sunday’s $150,000 Provincial-Midway Championships Qualifier at Wyong despite a poor effort last start. “He never got much of a go,” trainer Angela Davies told Racingnsw.com.au after his last start where he got caught up in traffic and finished eighth.
“He’s only had seven starts and getting up to 1350 is just a natural progression for him. I’ve got no reason to think he won’t handle it, or the 1400 metres of the final if he makes it.” Karedada has won four of his seven starts with earnings over $100,000. He was purchased from Middlebrook Valley Lodge at the 2021 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for $80,000 by R Wilson.
The $1 million Polytrack Provincial-Midway Championships Final will be run at Randwick on April 13.
Sassy attempt at Group 1 for country trainer
New Plymouth trainer Kim Reid is proud of her homebred filly Hi Yo Sass Bomb (NZ) (Complacent) regardless of what happens in Saturday’s G1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ S. “I have always believed in that horse, she is just so tough and gutsy,” Reid told Loveracing.nz.
“I think she deserves to be there and I think she has stepped up a notch since her run in the Cuddle. It is all looking good.” Hi Yo Sass Bomb is the third generation of this family bred by Reid’s family and has four wins from 15 starts with a last start win in the G3 Cuddle S.
Marsh chasing payday in Pearl Final
Trainer Stephen Marsh has two strong runners in Saturday’s Pearl Series Final over 1400 metres at Ellerslie with C’est Moi (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}) and Imperial Empress (NZ) (Satono Aladdin {Jpn}). “She’ll have to carry a bit of weight, but she’s had a go around Ellerslie and went really well, and getting up to 1400m suits,” Marsh told Loveracing.nz about 5-year-old mare C’Est Moi.
Stephen Marsh
3-year-old filly Imperial Empress runs for Go Racing. “She’s shown some real promise in just that three-start career so far. She’s a really nice filly.”
NZ Oaks winner joins Waterhouse/Bott team
Pulchritudinous (Wrote {Ire}) will join the stable of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott after a deal was brokered by bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo in conjunction with the Waterhouse-Bott team. “She’s a filly that we have been following closely based on Rob’s (Waterhouse) form,” Adrian Bott told breednet.com.au.
“Rob has helped us buy a lot of horses out of New Zealand in the tried-horse space, which have been very good to the stable over a long period of time. This is a filly that Rob identified pretty early.”
The 3-year-old filly is set to arrive in Sydney on Easter Monday. “With the timing of the Australian Oaks it might be a bit of a tight turnaround. At this stage we are looking at all of the Group 1 targets for 3-year-olds in that middle distance range. The Australasian Oaks and the South Australian Derby are now worth $1 million each and then there is the Queensland Oaks and Queensland Derby as well.”
Last day for Macau Jockey Club
The final race meeting for the Macau Jockey Club takes place this weekend on March 30. Thoroughbred racing has only a short history at the Taipa Racecourse, beginning in 1989, with a privately owned Jockey Club, run by the late casino magnate Stanley Ho from 1991. After much mismanagement, the government withdrew the Club’s licence in January.
Expatriate Australian trainer Geoff Allendorf has stated that he will remain in Macau to ensure his and other trainers' horses receive the best of care before they are shipped elsewhere. But it leaves trainers like champion trainer Joe Lau with an uncertain future.
Former Macau Jockey Club steward and administrator Michael Beattie, who now runs the Clarence River Jockey Club at Grafton, told Bloodhorse.com, “I regard Joe Lau as one of the best horse trainers I've seen anywhere in the world that I've dealt with. If Joe Lau decides to turn his hand to horse training anywhere else in the world he will, in my mind, undoubtedly be a success.”
Appleby pair ready for Classics
Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby’s 3-year-olds Ancient Wisdom (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and filly Dance Sequence (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) will head to the Classics this season. “Ancient Wisdom won the G1 Futurity on very soft ground and has been held in high regard from very early in his career,” Appleby told TDN Europe.
Charlie Appleby
“It's possible there will be slow ground for the Guineas, and we will take a look at that with the view that a mile and a half will prove his forte. If I waited for York and the ground was soft, there's not much time left until Derby to put things right should they go wrong, and it would be a more ambitious route to take.”
On the filly, Dance Sequence, Appleby said, “We will take her to the Nell Gwyn and then the English Guineas.”
Irish prizemoney not enough, says Murtagh
Leading trainer Johnny Murtagh has told TDN Europe that he can’t survive at current prizemoney levels in Ireland and is constantly looking for horses he can on sell. “Look at the G3 Devoy S. at Naas the other day–that should be a 100-grand race but the winner got €23,600. The G3 Gladness S. at the Curragh was the same–the winner got just over €40,000. That's no good. How can we keep the best horses in Ireland with that sort of prize-money?” Murtagh said.
“We buy an early type who might take us to Royal Ascot, a filly who could win a maiden or get placed in a maiden and then get sold on to America, and then the back-end middle-distance horse who might be good enough for Australia in time. The main thing you're looking for is a horse that you might be able to trade on. Listen, that's the only way you can survive in this business in Ireland. It's terrible when you have to buy horses to sell them. We're becoming a nursery for abroad and that's the problem.”
