Melbourne Cup barriers announced
The current G1 Melbourne Cup favourite Buckaroo (GB) (Fastnet Rock) has drawn 21 for Tuesday’s Cup. Ciaron Maher has four runners while Buckaroo’s trainer Chris Waller has five.
Buckaroo (GB) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Impressive Geelong Cup winner Onesmoothoperator (USA) (Dialed In {USA}) will jump from barrier 12 as he looks to join the likes of Media Puzzle (USA) (Theatrical {Ire}) and Americain (USA) to do the double, while Bendigo Cup winner Sea King (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will jump from barrier one.
Biggest female representation in Cup ever
With four female jockeys and six female trainers, the 2024 G1 Melbourne Cup will have the highest representation of women in history. The trainers are Shiela Laxon, Gai Waterhouse, Annabel Neasham, Debbie Rogerson, Natalie Young and Oopy MacGillivray.
Hollie Doyle will ride Sea King (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Jamie Kah will ride Okita Soushi (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Winona Costin takes the lightweight ride on Positivity (NZ) (Alamanzor {Fr}) and Rachel King flies home from the Breeders’ Cup meeting to ride The Map (Alpine Eagle).
International jockey given record fine in Golden Eagle
A record $100,000 fine was given to Cieren Fallon after he threaded his way through the field to win the Golden Eagle on Lake Forest (GB) (No Nay Never {USA}). Chief steward Steve Railton labelled Fallon's ride over the final 50 metres as ‘bordering on reckless' after he allowed Lake Forest to shift out sharply into second-placed Lazzat (Fr) (Territories {Ire}). Lazzat’s connections lodged a protest, but Fallon and Lake Forest kept the win.
Cieren Fallon | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Antonio Orani, on Lazzat, was fined $30,000 for ‘careless riding’ when he allowed his mount to shift out at the 75-metre mark into Stefi Magnetica (All Too Hard). “Whether it is in Australia or France or anywhere, there is an expectation to keep the horse straight,” Railton said. Both jockeys were given a one-month ban.
Kah has mixed day
Jockey Jamie Kah had a dramatic Derby Day, winning the Derby on Goldrush Guru (American Pharoah {USA}) and the G2 Damien Oliver on Another Wil (Street Boss {USA}). Before the G2 Wakeful S. her mount Hurry Curry (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) headbutted Kah, breaking her nose, while the horse was scratched from the race.
But while her day ended with the Derby, it began poorly in Race 2, the G3 Vanity S. when her mount Kuroyanagi (Written Tycoon) crossed I Am Velvet (I Am Immortal) causing interference. The stewards gave her a 10-day suspension, and Kah will miss Oaks Day and Champions S. Day.
Fawkner Park shows Sydney preference in Rosehill Gold Cup win
Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald trained import Fawkner Park (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) had the pin pulled on a G1 Caulfield Cup campaign after he struggled with the Melbourne direction, but sent back to Sydney, he showed his preference with a win in Saturday’s Rosehill Gold Cup over 2000 metres.
“Full credit to the team at home, they've worked very hard to get him right. He just wasn't appreciating Melbourne way, for whatever reason. And he's just gradually building confidence since he's come back (to Sydney),” Archibald told racenet.com.au.
Fawkner Park now has nine wins from 20 starts with earnings over $1.7 million.
Around The Nation: Saturday’s highlights
Saturday was busy with 24 meetings across the country and while most eyes were on the Derby and Coolmore at Flemington, and the Golden Eagle at Rosehill, there were a few other special moments around the nation.
Morphettville saw jockey Lachlan Neindorf won four races on Hasseltoff (Toorak Toff), Lomax (Host {Chi}), Beauty Bound (Sebring) and Sir Sway (Sir Prancealot {Ire}).
At Dubbo, 3-year-old filly Magic Forest (Magna Grecia {Ire}) won first up this season to become her sire’s seventh Southern Hemisphere winner. Newcastle’s meeting saw Nathan Doyle trained 3-year-old colt Private Harry (Harry Angel {Ire}) win on debut as did Chris Waller trained 3-year-old gelding Rotagilla (All Too Hard).
Victoria’s Mortlake meeting saw 3-year-old gelding Triomphe (Strasbourg) win on debut for trainer Maddie Raymond, and he became his sire’s fifth winner. Linda Meech rode a treble at the same meeting aboard Nullafiord (Rebel Dane), Chimed (GB) (Frankel {GB}), and Mi Rock Aly (NZ) (El Roca).
West Australian 3-year-old gelding Repossession (Sessions) won the Placid Ark Prelude, and in doing so took his record to two wins from three starts. Chris Parnham rode a treble on Dun With The Blues (Dundeel {NZ}), then added both the stakes races on the card with Bravo Centurion (National Defense {GB}) in the G3 Prince Of Wales S. and Super Smink (Super One) in the G3 Asian Beau S.
Disappointment for two-mile specialist Mahrajaan
Mahrajaan (USA) (Kitten’s Joy {USA}) has been withdrawn from the G1 Melbourne Cup on veterinary advice. “It’s obviously a big disappointment for us and the owners,” co-trainer Shaune Ritchie told Loveracing.nz. “Who doesn’t want to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup? And we know our horse runs a strong two miles, so it’s a tough one to swallow.” He trains with Colm Murray.
“But we’re philosophical and we respect the vets’ decision. At the end of the day, we’re horse lovers first and we want our horse to be safe and healthy.
Mahrajaan (USA) | Image courtesy of Race Images South
“I’ll go in on Monday and they’ll take me through the results of their imaging and the exact reasons for their decision. Apparently they detected a small issue in a sesamoid, which hasn’t been picked up in X-rays we’ve done on the horse in the past. Their imaging is very high-tech and thorough, so it’ll be a good opportunity for me to see all the bells and whistles that they’ve got. It’ll give me a better understanding, so that if we come back next year, we’ll have a bit more information.
“Our owners are all on the same page. The horse has been so good to us, and the last thing we want is for him to be in any danger. We’ve got to respect the fact that if they found something they consider to be heightened risk, he shouldn’t be running in the race.”
Hong Kong Derby winner Massive Sovereign ready for Group 3
Last season’s Hong Kong Derby winner Massive Sovereign (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}) will resume in Sunday’s G3 Sa Sa Ladies Purse at Sha Tin. “(Derby winners) do one or the other. They either continue on the journey that they’re on, or that’s their day in the sun and they end up in Class Two,” jockey Zac Purton told scmp.com. He has ridden Massive Sovereign in all of his four Hong Kong starts.
“This weekend is going to give us a feel of which way he is going to go. What I can say is that he’s flying and he feels amazing in the mornings. His trials have been good.
“He’s given every indication that he’s in really good form. Dennis has done a great job with him. But it’s up to the horse now to show us whether he’s up to it. We’ll find out between now and December. We’ve got six weeks until we know where he’s really at.”
Tattersalls boss speaks out on farm tax changes
Agricultural property has been passed on to heirs tax-free for decades, but the UK government chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced on Wednesday that from April 2026 farms and other business property will fall within inheritance tax. Inheritors will have to pay 20 per cent of the value of the agricultural and business property above £1 million (Au$1.97 million). Reeves said this would raise £1.8 billion (AU$3.5 billion) by 2030 which can be used to improve public services.
“As ever this unique fixture, the largest and most popular of its type in the world, has attracted an extraordinarily diverse collection of buyers from all corners of the world,” said Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony of the records broken at the recent Tattersalls Horses-In-Training Sale.
Edmond Mahony | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
“However, against this backdrop of positivity we can only express concern regarding the government's budget announced on Wednesday. The implications of it will have far reaching effects not only on all businesses in the racing industry but more long term on breeders and trainers who could now be liable for inheritance tax on their assets. The effects of these changes are surely going to have a negative impact on the whole racing and breeding sector in this country.”
Vale Alastair Down
Much-loved racing journalist Alastair Down has died, the Racing Post reported on Friday. He was 68 and recently attended the Showcase Meeting at his beloved Cheltenham for a ceremony to mark the renaming of the press room in his honour.
Alastair Down | Image courtesy of Racingfotos.com
Speaking in an interview with ITV Racing on the day of the ceremony, Down said of that tribute, “It's a cliched way to put it, but it's very moving. By the end of the day I may have had a cup of coffee and a glass of champagne, and I may even shed a tear or two–or a bucket.
“I'm incredibly lucky to be able to write from a slightly different angle. Some people can run four-minute miles. I can't do that, but what I can do is bring events alive and say 'this is what it felt like to watch it and this is what it sounded like'. Because the noise here is just the greatest symphony in sport.”
