A dazzling draw for The Everest
The Everest draw was quite literally a circus on Tuesday night with the grand event held at Randwick surrounded by circus performers.
The draw in order from barrier one: I Am Me (I Am Invincible), Traffic Warden (Street Boss {USA}), Giga Kick (Scissor Kick), Joliestar (Zoustar), Storm Boy (Justify {USA}), Stefi Magnetica (All Too Hard), Growing Empire (Zoustar), Sunshine In Paris (Invader), I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel), Private Eye (Al Maher), Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon), and Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai).
Pride’s opinion on tricky The Everest form line
Trainer Joseph Pride thinks his galloper Private Eye (Al Maher) can improve on his third in 2023 and second in 2022, but the form line across the board is tricky to analyse. “This is a very confusing race, it's impossible to line them up,” Pride told punters.com.au.
Private Eye | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“There are so many different form lines compared to previous years. But I've seen it so often with these big races, when the pressure is on, the tried and true horses who have done it before rise to the top. So, I'm coming back to I Wish I Win, Bella Nipotina and Private Eye - I reckon one of them will win it.”
Berry keen to add The Everest to his collection
It’s been just over a year since jockey Tommy Berry returned from a disqualification that saw him on the sidelines for most of 2023. “It's been a great team effort with my manager Paul Joice, my family and the trainers that have supported me since I got back,” Berry told racingnsw.com.au.
“I felt like I haven’t lost any support and maybe gained some. I feel good and I feel like it’s showing in my riding and the way I prepare and turn up. It’d be nice to have something like that trophy on the mantelpiece at the end of the year to show off all the hard work I have put in. If it’s not meant to be then it’s not but I know I’ll work hard for it going forward, whether I get it this year or not.” He is set to ride Sunshine In Paris (Invader) in The Everest. He has two placings, third on Osborne Bulls (Street Cry {Ire}) in 2018 and a close second on Masked Crusader (Toronado {Ire}) in 2021, from five TAB Everest rides.
Maher rapt with The Everest trio
Trainer Ciaron Maher has gone from never having a runner in The Everest to having three in 2024. “Rapt with him, he's come through his Moonee Valley run in great order, he showed he can match it against the older horses, which is always a test for the younger horses,” Maher told racing.com about 3-year-old colt Growing Empire (Zoustar).
Ciaron Maher | Image courtesy of Inglis
“He's had some preparations in Sydney before, so he's right back into the swing of things. He worked on Friday with Southport (Tycoon) and they both worked quite sharply. If he runs up to form, I'd say he'll be very competitive and if he improves a bit, which I think he will, he's got to be a strong chance. He's as good a colt as we've had through the stable.” Maher also has Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) and I Am Me (I Am Invincible).
I Wish I Win only needs to improve by a head
Co-trainer Peter Moody thinks this year has been better suited to his The Everest runner I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel). “The races were run to suit better this year. He was able to run in the Moir and then he went three weeks into the Manikato as his final lead-in and last year we didn't have those options,” Moody told racing.com.
“He's a horse that likes a 21-day break between races as he gets a few aches and pains when he has a hit-out. So that extra week enables him to get right over the race. Last year, we went off six weeks from the Memsie to The Everest and we failed by a head, so if we can find a head this year, we'll be right in the mix.” I Wish I Win will be ridden by Luke Nolen and is The Everest's current $5.50 favourite.
Caulfield Cup draw does no favours for favourites
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained G1 Caulfield Cup second favourite Eliyass (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) has drawn the outside gate for this Saturday’s renewal. He eased from $6 to $7, while Chris Waller-trained favourite Buckaroo (GB) (Fastnet Rock) stayed at $5 after drawing barrier eight.
“He did a bit of work outside the leader the other day,” Eliyass’s jockey Tim Clark told racenet.com.au of his last start third in the G1 Turnbull S.
“If he can maybe sit behind a couple, he's got a really good turn of foot which we've seen many times in Sydney. It looks a race with good speed with Deny Knowledge, Duke De Sessa, they should spread out, there should be spots for him to slot in. He'll roll forward no matter where he draws and it will all depend on the tempo on where he ends up through the run.”
The dreaded barrier one, which hasn’t seen a winner since 1941, was drawn by Land Legend (Fr) (Galileo {Ire}).
Warp Speed to continue Japan’s good record in Caulfield Cup
Japanese runner Warp Speed (Jpn) (Drefong {USA}) looks to continue his nation’s strong record in the G1 Caulfield Cup, despite drawing barrier 19. “I wouldn't want to see the race pan out as a sit-and-sprint race because he's not going to be suited,” jockey Kosuke Kawakami told racenet.com.au.
“This fellow is a top class stayer in Japan and he feels like that. I would say Admire Rakti or Mer De Glace had a bit more turn of foot but this one is more of a deadset stayer. If it's going to be a staying test this Saturday, then I think he's going to have a great chance.” Japan has won the race with Mer De Glace (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) and Admire Rakti (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}).
“He's been working well and I was quite impressed with a gallop he had with (Cox Plate favourite) Prognosis the other day. That was a really good gallop. We didn't have to do much today because he's pretty fit so it was just to show him around Caulfield. He had a bit of a look around here and there so I was really glad we took him to Caulfield. It's a bit tricky, of course, compared to some of the racecourses in Japan so it was good to give him a look around.”
Pride Of Jenni owners plan a horse airline
Tony Ottobre announced on Tuesday that he plans to buy an airline to transport horses around Australia, and name it JenAir. All of Ottobre and his wife Lynn's horses carry the name ‘Jenni', in honour of their daughter Jennifer who died from a brain tumour in 2015 and this honour would continue with the airline.
“I am seriously looking into it and I've got someone looking at what sort of plane I would need and the costing and everything else,” Ottobre told racenet.com.au.
Ciaron Maher and Tony Ottobre | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I have already got a name for it – JenAir. I want to buy or lease a plane and turn it into a business. What I am looking at is a plane that could carry about 16 horses. They (other owners and trainers) will share the cost when they want to use the plane for their horses. We have got horses going from Melbourne to Sydney and Brisbane to Sydney and everywhere else, really you should be able to put your horse on a flight and you would be there in no time. You potentially take away the discomfort of travelling a long way by road in a float. It's the entrepreneur in me, I just can't help myself.”
Southport Tycoon opts for Sydney S.
Southport Tycoon (Written Tycoon) will bypass the Silver Eagle in preference for Saturday's G3 Sydney S. at Randwick. Connections considered their options on Monday and despite early indications they would head to the Silver Eagle where he was pre-post favourite, have opted for the $2 million contest.
“He is in a very good place… Ciaron says the horse is airborne,” managing owner Nathan Bennett told racing.com. “He worked with Growing Empire the other day and did the same thing that he did to him in the Manikato.”
Melbourne Cup second acceptances
Only 55 horses remain in the G1 Melbourne Cup after second acceptances on Tuesday. Chris Waller remains the trainer with the most runners at 13, while Ciaron Maher has eight.
Kilmore abandoned after rails incident
Tuesday’s meeting at Kilmore in Victoria had to be abandoned after an incident caused damage to the barrier gates and the outside running rail. “The gates were being moved from the 1100 metre mark to where the start position for race three, the 2000 metre, was. There’s been an incident where the barriers have gone through the outside rail and outside fence, and that has resulted in some pretty extensive damage to the barriers themselves as well as the perimeter fencing. We’ve examined the gates with the starters and the fencing to determine if there was any way we could salvage the meeting, however, the gates are damaged beyond what we could fix in the short term,” said chairing chief steward Corie Waller.
“We’ve also had a look at other options to get barriers from other locations, but it was going to take too long.”
Around The Nation: Tuesday’s highlights
With only two races run at Kilmore, both were won by 3-year-olds with Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman trained filly She’s Got Pizzazz (Zoustar) winning the first and Anthony and Sam Freedman trained gelding Sociable (Yes Yes Yes) winning the second. Sociable becomes the 13th winner for The Everest winner Yes Yes Yes.
Two meetings were run in NSW on Tuesday. At Bathurst, 3-year-old filly Anaisa (Dubious) won on debut to become the 11th winner for her sire, and later in the day 3-year-old colt Trapeze Legend (Trapeze Artist) made it two in succession with a win over 1200 metres. At the Tweed River meeting, Matthew Dunn trained 3-year-old filly Cavalry (Hellbent) won at her second start.
Western Australia’s Pinnacles series sees increase in nominations
The nominations for this year’s TABtouch-Pinnacles Series were released yesterday, with encouraging numbers and east coast representation. Runners from Chris Waller, Bjorn Baker, Ciaron Maher, James Cummings, Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald, Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman, Ben, Will and JD Hayes and Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott were all represented in nominations across the five races.
The G1 Swan Draught-Railway Stakes received the biggest spike in nominations with 108, up from 70 last year. The Gold Rush, now in its third year as the final day feature of the Pinnacles, received 118 nominations, up from 112 and 104 in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
The G1 MCA Polytrack-Winterbottom Stakes has attracted 78 nominations and is headlined by last year’s winner Overpass (Vancouver) and multiple Group 1 winner Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai).
Hawkes Bay closed for renovations
HBRI (Hawke’s Bay Racing Inc.) and NZTR (New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing) Management jointly announced on Tuesday that due to continued concerns around the track’s performance, the decision has been made to bring forward a reconstruction of the track and the track will be closed until the works are finished.
HBRI Chairman, Eliot Cooper commented, “While this news will be disappointing for the Hawke’s Bay community and racing enthusiasts, both parties believe that prioritising this project is essential for the long-term future of racing in the region.”
NZTR Chief Operating Officer, Darin Balcombe reiterated this message. “The decision reflects a commitment to addressing the underlying track issues for participants and horses alike.”
Chadwick excited for Group 2 ride
Matthew Chadwick has picked up the ride on Pierre Ng trained Beauty Waves (Ire) (Starspangledbanner) for Sunday’s G2 Premier Bowl. “I’m looking forward to riding him,” Chadwick told scmp.com.
Matthew Chadwick | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
“He was the one to beat last time. [Magic Control] had the first-up form but he was rock-hard fit and he was always going to get a run to suit down the straight. We never went that fast which made it easier for him to latch on and travel well with a light weight, and he was always going to outstay the rest.” Beauty Waves’s regular rider Alexis Badel will ride Helios Express (Toronado {Ire}) in the race.
Godolphin snare Sea The Stars colt for 875,000gns at Tattersalls
Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale piggybacked off last week's bonanza at Book 1 with Godolphin once again flexing its muscle for a 875,000gns (AU$1.8million) Sea The Stars (Ire) colt on a day when all of the key figures were up on last year. The clearance rate stood at an impressive 90 per cent (up 2 per cent on last year) while the turnover climbed 21,596,500gns (AU$44million). The average was up 18 per cent to 103,829gns (AU$210,000) while the median dipped 6 per cent to 65,000gns (AU$132,000).
“The mare is actually catalogued in the December Sale and that will freshen things up,” said Staffordstown's Richard Frisby of the day’s sale-topper. “This colt was accepted for Book 1, but we felt that if we dropped him in here he would be a stand-out, and I think that is what has happened.”
Curlin to stand for US$225,000 at Hill ‘n’ Dale
Two-time Horse of the Year Curlin (USA) remains steady atop the roster at Hill 'n' Dale Farm with a fee of US$225,000 (AU$335,000) LFSN for the 2025 breeding season, the farm announced Monday. The sire of three Eclipse Award Champions last year, he currently has three Grade I winners and five Grade I performers in 2024.
Standing alongside his sire, Good Magic (USA) fee also remains unchanged at US$125,000 (AU$186,000) LFSN, while Charlatan (USA) remains at US$50,000 (AU$74,500) LFSN with a stellar market reception at both the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and Keeneland September. 89 yearlings averaged over US$270,000 (AU$402,000) led by a US$1,500,000 (AU$2.2million) Fasig Tipton yearling, the highest price paid for a yearling by a freshman sire this year.
| Arabian Knight | $30,000 |
| Army Mule | $20,000 |
| Charlatan | $50,000 |
| Curlin | $225,000 |
| Good Magic | $125,000 |
| Kantharos | $12,500 |
| Loggins | $7,500 |
| Maclean's Music | $40,000 |
| Midnight Lute | $10,000 |
| Violence | $30,000 |
Constitution leads Winstar’s roster at US$110,000
Constitution (USA) continues to lead the roster at WinStar Farm and will stand the 2025 season for US$110,000 (AU$164,000) S&N alongside Life is Good (USA) who will stand for US$75,000 (AU$112,000) S&N, the farm announced Monday. The roster will be fortified further by new addition Cogburn (USA), who will make his next start in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint with a stud fee to be announced after the race.
| Audible | $10,000 |
| Cogburn | (TBA) |
| Constitution | $110,000 |
| Country Grammar | $5,000 |
| Global Campaign | $7,500 |
| Heartland | $10,000 |
| Independence Hall | $7,500 |
| Life Is Good | $75,000 |
| Nashville | $15,000 |
| Promises Fulfilled | $5,000 |
| Take Charge Indy | $7,500 |
| Timberlake | $20,000 |
| Tom's d' Etat | $5,000 |
| Two Phil's | $10,000 |
Domestic Product to join Coolmore USA
Domestic Product (USA) (Practical Joke {USA}) who emulated his own sire when winning the GI H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at Saratoga, will retire to Coolmore America's Ashford Stud to stand alongside his sire following his final start in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Saturday, Nov. 2, the farm announced Monday morning.
Ghostzapper to stand in Canada in 2025
Horse of the Year Ghostzapper (USA), a perennial leading sire, will relocate to Frank Stronach's Adena Springs Farm in Aurora, Ontario Canada for what is most likely his final year at stud, Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa announced Monday.
Ghostzapper (USA) | Standing at Adena Springs Farm, image courtesy of Sarah Andrew
“I want to thank Frank Stronach for the privilege of standing Ghostzapper at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa,” said John Sikura. “It has been our honor to stand this outstanding sire and exceptional breed-shaping stallion. His record at stud will influence the breed for generations. At this point in his career, Ghostzapper is deserving to relocate and reunite with Adena who bred, raced and supported him at stud. Mr Stronach has a great affection for the horse and wishes to have him at Adena.”
Adean Springs mares will support the 24-year-old Ghostzapper who will cover a limited book in 2025.
Jim Allen announced as new Epsom manager
Jim Allen has been appointed as the new general manager of Epsom Downs Racecourse, it was announced by the Jockey Club on Monday. He succeeds Tom Sammes, who leaves the Jockey Club at the end of this month.
A racetrack manager from 2006 to 2015, he trained horses across the US and in France between 2016 and 2022, before joining Tapeta Footings as its operations director in 2023 to create new racing surfaces at Belmont Park, Margaux Farm and Santa Anita. He returned to the UK this year to take up the role of operations director at British Champions Series and will begin his new position at Epsom Downs after QIPCO British Champions Day has taken place.
