Daily News Wrap

Vicky Leonard is 2025 Lady Of Racing

The Victorian Wakeful Club announced on Saturday that TTR founder Vicky Leonard was the 2025 Lady Of Racing award winner. Leonard also runs the Kick marketing platform and Kick Up For Racing which provides a response to the false claims made about horse racing by anti-racing activists.

Jumps racing trainer wins G2 Auckland Cup

Trainer Raymond Connors upset the major players on Saturday at Ellerslie in winning the G2 Auckland Cup with $17 chance 5-year-old gelding Trav (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}). Connors won the Great Northern Steeplechase at Ellerslie once as a jockey and five times as a trainer. “The Great Northerns are probably still my biggest thrill (at Ellerslie), but this has to be right up there as well,” Connors said.

“It’s awesome to win a big race on a day like this. Champions Day is great to be a part of. I wasn’t surprised to see him get so far back in the running, because that’s the way he races. But the finish that he produced to get up and win the race was amazing. He hasn’t been the easiest horse to train, it’s been a bit of an effort from everyone at home, but this race was our goal and it’s great to pull it off.”

A winner on debut at two, this was Trav’s first stakes win among his six wins from 28 starts with earnings over NZ$460,000. He becomes the 23rd stakes winner for Almanzor (Fr), and is the only winner for Royal Sav (NZ) (Savabeel), who is a winning half-sister to Group 3 winner Prince Oz (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}). Savabeel now has 35 stakes winners as a damsire.

Stakes double for Vinnie at Randwick

Commemorative (I Am Invincible) gave her sire a stakes double at Randwick on Saturday when she won the G3 Wenona Girl Stakes for Godolphin trainer James Cummings. I Am Invincible-sired Listed winner Enriched early on the same card. Godolphin had a big day at Randwick, winning both the juvenile features too.

Ridden by Jason Collett, Commemorative won by 1.72l from Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained 4-year-old mare Outback Miss (Rubick) with John O'Shea and Tom Charlton-trained 5-year-old mare Junqueira (Capitalist) in third.

“Our options are open. I do like to look at the Birthday Card in a couple of weeks, but our options are open with her and it's just pleasing to see her hitting the line so well,” said Cummings.

A winner on debut at two, Commemorative won the Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes last season and now has four wins from 11 starts with earnings over $470,000. Her dam Memorial (Street Cry {Ire}) won twice at two and placed in the G2 Silver Shadow Stakes, and is a half-sister to Group 1 winner and sire Impending, Group 3 winner Forget (Exceed And Excel), and Listed winner Epidemic (Lonhro), with all being out of Group 1 winner Mnemosyne (Encosta De Lago). Memorial's full sister Erato is the dam of G1 Blue Diamond winner Lyre (Lonhro).

G3 Aspiration winner Little Baia adds another for Baker

Trainer Bjorn Baker won another major with 5-year-old mare Little Baia (All Too Hard) in Saturday’s G3 Aspiration at Randwick. Ridden by Rachel King, she won by 0.57l from Chris Waller-trained 4-year-old mare Mare Of Mt Buller (Dundeel {NZ}) with Ciaron Maher-trained 4-year-old mare It’s A Knockout (Dundeel {NZ}) in third.

Little Baia has won six of her 27 starts with earnings over $340,000 and she was a $110,000 purchase by Baker and Clarke Bloodstock from Gilgai Farm’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale draft. This campaign, she has now won three in succession and becomes the 28th stakes winner for All Too Hard.

Her dam, La Passe (Street Sense {USA}) won the G2 Blazer Stakes and the G2 Tristarc Stakes, and has produced two winners so far. Her 2-year-old filly Kirkhoepasse (Ole Kirk) is unraced and her yearling filly by Rebel Dane was sold by Carlaw Park for NZ$120,000 to David Ellis at the recent New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, after being sold as a weanling by Gilgai Farm for $18,000.

G3 Matron Stakes won by Jennilala

Trainer Gavin Bedggood won the G3 Matron Stakes at Flemington with 5-year-old mare Jennilala (Shalaa {Ire}) who was ridden by Craig Newitt and headed second-placed Gerard Moloney-trained 5-year-old mare Charisse (Churchill {Ire}) by 0.5l. In third was Matthew Williams-trained 6-year-old mare Wrote To Arataki (NZ) (Wrote {Ire}).

Jennilala has won five of her 16 starts with earnings over $500,000 and is owned by Tony Ottbre’s Cape Schanck Stud and he purchased her for $70,000 from Arrowfield’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale draft in 2021. Previously a Group 3 winner at three, Jennilala is one of 18 stakes winners for Shalaa (Ire), and is one of three winners for Rosarian (Manhattan Rain), a half-sister to Listed winner Member’s Joy (Hussonet {USA}).

G3 Shaftesbury Avenue won by Is It Me

Daniel Bowman-trained 5-year-old gelding Is It Me (Iffraaj {GB}) thumped the G3 Shaftesbury Avenue Stakes field by 3.75l for jockey Billy Egan at Flemington on Saturday and made it three wins in succession with his first stakes win.

In second was Richard and Chantelle Jolly-trained 5-year-old gelding Klabel (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}) with Stephen Brown-trained 5-year-old mare Lady Jones (Toronado {Ire}) in third. Is It Me has seven wins from 21 starts with earnings over $530,000.

A $40,000 purchase by his trainer from Lime Country Thoroughbreds draft at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Is It Me is the third foal of G3 Deauville Prix Minerve-placed Gosh (Ire) (Peintre Celebre {USA}) who has a yearling colt by King’s Legacy and a colt foal by Sejardan. Gosh’s stakes placed dam is a half-sister to G1 Epsom Handicap winner He’s Your Man (Fr) (Cape Cross {Ire}).

Listed Randwick City Stakes goes to import

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained 5-year-old mare Alalcance (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) won Saturday’s Listed Randwick City Stakes over 2000 metres to take her Australian record to two wins from four starts, and will head to the G1 Sydney Cup. She was a winner from four starts in Ireland.

Purchased by McKeever Bloodstock and Waterhouse and Bott Racing for 240,000 gns (AU$517,000) at the 2023 Tattersalls December Mare Sale, she becomes the 106th stakes winner for her sire. Alalcance is out of Albamara (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) who was a winner at two and placed in the Listed Newmarket Princess Royal Stakes. She has produced three other winners and is beautifully bred, being a half-sister to four stakes winners including the dams of G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and dual Group 1-winning young sire Eldar Eldarov (GB).

Triple Missile wins Listed Bunbury Stakes

Trainer Donna Riordan pulled off an upset when 7-year-old gelding Triple Missile (Smart Missile) won the Listed Bunbury Stakes on Saturday. The gelding hadn’t won since June 2022, and took his record to eight wins from 29 starts with earnings over $800,000. It was his first stakes win and he becomes the 26 stakes winner for Smart Missile.

The only stakes winner among five winners for Triple Latte (USA) (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}), his yearling half-brother by Bivouac was sold by Balmoral Park Stud at the recent Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale for $150,000 to Gangemi Racing. His dam is a daughter of Group 2 winner Miss Mary (Arg) (Southern Halo {USA}).

Williams and Pike combine for Bunbury Cup

Trainers Grant and Alana Williams combined with fan favourite jockey William Pike to win Saturday’s Listed Bunbury Cup with Captain Pluto (NZ) (Savabeel). His first stakes win, he took his record to six wins from 25 starts with earnings over $350,000.

Passed in as a yearling, Captain Pluto becomes stakes winner 151 for Savabeel. From the Typhon Tracy family, Captain Pluto is out of unraced mare Miss Bernardini (Bernardini {USA}) who has produced three winners. She has a yearling colt by Shocking.

Miss Bernardini is a half-sister to G2 Tulloch Stakes winner Prince Of War (Royal Academy {USA}), South African Group 2 winner Perana (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), and Listed winner Prince Arthur (Danehill {USA}).

Around the Nation: Saturday’s other mentionable moments

With seventeen race meetings around the nation on Saturday, there were several notable moments. At Flemington, 3-year-old filly Mystic Reign (Toronado {Ire}) stayed unbeaten with her third win. At Murray Bridge, 3-year-old gelding Shady Thinker (So You Think {NZ}) made it two from two.

At Edenhope, jockey Linda Meech rode a quartet of winners led by 3-year-old filly Erminia (Toronado {Ire}). At Penong in SA, jockey Wesley Cave won the first three on the card, and jockey Alan Lai won the last two of the five race card.

I Am Invincible gelding tops Hong Kong International Sale

A gelding by I Am Invincible brought top dollar at the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Hong Kong International Sale when selling for HK$5 million (AU$1 million) to Philip Liu.

Sold as Lot 12, he is a half-brother to Group 1 winner Summer Passage (Snitzel). I Am Invincible's star progeny to race in Hong Kong include Group 2 winner Wishful Thinker and 2024 HKIS graduate Markwin, who has earned HK$3.76 million (AU$760,000).

Second on the buyers' sheet was Lot 5, a gelding by So You Think (NZ) who sold to So Wing Keung for HK$4.6 million (AU$940,000). His dam Andresa (Fastnet Rock) is a full-sister to four-time Group 1 winner Mosheen.

The sale average was HK$3.006 million (AU$625,000) (down 9 per cent), while the gross was HK$45.1 million (AU$9.2 million) (down 2.6 per cent). The median dropped to HK$2.6 million (AU$530,000) (down 18.8 per cent).

Gallery: Top lots at the Hong Kong International Sale, images courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Danny Rolston, executive manager, International Sale/Owners Advisory Services, HKJC, said, “We've put some really nice horses up, we were really selective on the final group that we offered to the market.

“As you would know from the withdrawal list, we took out the horses that weren't suitable for sale right at this point–some of those will be made available for sale at a later stage–but what we did offer here tonight are horses that we have a lot of confidence in. Some of the horses at the lower end of the market this year, we're absolutely positive that there's some great value in hand.

“I think the market has dictated that horses aren't worth the same as what they perhaps were two years ago. We're confident that we've released some really nice horses into the market for our permit holders, and in another 12 months we'll be telling more stories like Markwin and New Future Folks and permit holders have come to the international sale and they've actually got value; they've been able to buy horses that are right here and ready to train, and have a pretty good chance of going and winning a race in their first 12 months and being a chance in their 4-year-old season.”