Daily News Wrap

Victoria donates $140,000 on Good Friday

Racing Victoria along with Country Racing Victoria and Southside Racing donated $140,000 to this year’s Good Friday Appeal. “We’re very proud to continue the Victorian thoroughbred racing industry’s long history of supporting the Good Friday Appeal with a sizeable donation of $140,000 made today along with Country Racing Victoria and Southside Racing,” RV chief executive Aaron Morrison told racing.com.

“This cause is close to the heart of all Victorians, and it is important that we recognise and support the incredible work the Royal Children’s Hospital does for our state and community. We value the opportunity to conduct two race meetings on Good Friday that provide an opportunity for the community to gather socially, whilst raising funds for the Appeal.”

Atkins thinks Buffalo can be his first

If David Atkins-trained 2-year-old gelding Buffalo (Written By) wins the G1 Champagne Stakes on Saturday, it will be the first Group 1 victory for them both. “I’ve always had a pretty good opinion of him,” Atkins told racingnsw.com.au.

“I was on the pony watching him when he was only young and he’s one of the best movers you’d see when he’s walking around, he carried himself really well. He’s not an overly tall horse but he’s got plenty of length about him and a long stride on him. He was a bit of a scoundrel, that’s why he was gelded.

“I don’t race 2-year-olds very much but this bloke showed a bit as a yearling, he went out and came back in and showed a bit more and I was happy with what he was doing. He’s given me improvement all the time. He’s a very sound horse which is the main thing with a 2-year-old.”

Sunshine In Paris gets another bad draw

Co-trainer Annabel Neasham hopes Sunshine In Paris (Invader) can overcome another bad draw in this year’s G1 All-Aged Stakes. “Sunshine In Paris has got another bad gate, it just seems the story of her preparation,” Neasham told racing.com.

“She's going to need a bit of luck. We know she is up to these, with the right run. It's an even race, it's just going to take a good ride. And if she can get a bit of luck, she'll be fighting out the finish.

“She looks great. We only managed to win one Group 1 with her last prep, we had a few goes. It's all about luck, good rides, barriers, so I suppose we'll be hoping the fence is off with her (on Saturday). I think she's ready for the 1400 metres. She probably showed that last start, she's looking for a bit further now and she was brilliant first-up in the Canterbury Stakes. She was unlucky, I thought, in that race. She got held up and that was over 1300 metres.”

Briasa to make history

If Briasa (Smart Missile) can complete the G1 TJ Smith and G1 All-Aged Stakes double, he will become the fourth horse in history to do it, following Trapeze Artist in 2018, Bentley Biscuit (Peintre Celebre {USA}) in 2007 and Shamekha (Secret Savings {USA}) in 2005. “You never really know until you run them over the trip (1400 metres), Briasa still has to do it but I think he will,” John Hawkes, who trains in partnership with his sons Michael and Wayne, told racenet.com.au.

“He's only third-up so it's a good time to try him. If he runs it out, terrific, if he doesn't it's not the end of the world.”

Jimmysstar can make it two

Trainer Ciaron Maher thinks Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) can win his second Group 1 in Saturday’s G1 All-Aged Stakes. “He’s a ripper horse and he’s had a fantastic prep,” Maher said on SEN.

“He’s won his first Group 1, he stepped up to weight-for-age and run a slasher (at Moonee Valley) and he’s gone to the TJ and run huge again. He’s just gone to a whole other level. Fourth run in, 1400 metres, a big track looks very nice on paper and Jimmy is in great order.”

Queensland Oaks path for Churchill’s Choice

Trainer Nathan Doyle is plotting a G1 Queensland Oaks campaign for Churchill’s Choice (Churchill {Ire}) who runs in Saturday’s G3 James HB Carr Stakes. “I feel she is a filly that will get 2000 metres no dramas, so we felt that it’s a nice starting point,. Doyle told racingnsw.com.au.

“She gets back and balances up and hits the line strongly, she couldn’t have done anything more than what she did last prep. She shows us she’s got stakes class ability.”

Godolphin’s Zeitung for HB Carr Stakes

Trainer James Cummings has 3-year-old filly Zeitung (Exceed And Excel) for Saturday’s G3 James HB Carr Stakes. “I think she’s ready for it (1,400m) now. I think the preparation for this has been quite nice,” Cummings told godolphin.com.

“She was cut out at a vital stage in the P.J. Bell and she’s not big enough to carry them. In that P.J. Bell, it just felt like …. she can’t carry them, she’s just not that horse. We won’t look back and just be grateful if she can get a nice clean run through them this time. Third-up here, the fresh horse on the scene, she’s quite bright and ready to run a race.”

Double for Williams with Country Discovery

Jockey Craig Williams enjoyed a double at the Good Friday meeting at Echuca, winning the $500,000 Country Discovery on 6-year-old gelding Midwest (Zoustar), also winning the Country Oaks on 4-year-old mare Alma Rise (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}). “Credit to Sam and his father Anthony and the team they have around them, they earmarked this race,” Williams told racing.com.

“Racing Victoria set it out so we race on Good Friday with really good money. They (Freedmans) earmarked the race, had him fresh and knew what it took and they had the right horse to deliver and win a $500,000 race.”

Midwest took his record to nine wins from 28 starts with earnings over $1.1 million. Sold by Noorilim Park for $200,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale to William Johnson Bloodstock and Blue Sky Bloodstock (FBAA), Midwest is three times stakes placed including a second last start in the Listed Bob Hoysted Handicap. He is one of four winners out of stakes placed Umgeton (Stratum).

Around the nation: Friday’s highlights

There were six meetings around Australia on Friday. Jockey Damon Budler rode a treble at Canberra led by the Tuggeranong Cup on Good Prize (Prized Icon), as well as 3-year-old gelding Teylu (D’Argento) who were both trained by Gratz Vella. His third winner was on Becky Byrne-trained Jacob Joe (Defcon). At Ascot, 3-year-old filly Brief Romance (Universal Ruler) won on debut who was the first of a treble for jockey Lucy Fiore, who also won on I’m Nipote (Gingerbread Man) and Keggs Later (Slater).

Mornington Guineas to Oaks pathway for Movin Out

Trainer Chris Waller will back up Movin Out (NZ) (Staphanos {Jpn}) in the G1 Australasian Oaks if she does well in Saturday’s Mornington Guineas. “Her primary target is the Australasian Oaks seven days later but just given how keen she was in Sydney, we're keen to run her, ride her conservatively, come back and get her to do everything right,” assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth told racing.com.

“If she runs over the top of them late, great. Ultimately, we want to take the freshness edge out of her, still afford her every possible chance to win on Saturday but the primary focus is the Group 1 in seven days.”

Mornington Cup golden ticket into Caulfield Cup

The Ciaron Maher stable will run four horses in the Mornington Cup which offers the winner a ballot free run in the G1 Caulfield Cup, and one is Berkshire Breeze (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). “We have to remember he was very well placed in the winter … and probably looked better than what he was at the time,” assistant trainer Jack Turnbull told racenet.com.au.

“You just hoped he would keep profiling on that trajectory into being a Group horse … by the time we got to the Caulfield Cup (last year) he … wasn't as conditioned or seasoned enough to keep going. This (campaign) again and going back for the spring, he's going to be conditioned, he's one to keep an eye on because if it's not this year it will be autumn or spring the following.”

Munce runner set to upset the Gollan team

Chris and Corey Munce-trained Payline (Shooting To Win) will run in Saturday’s Listed Ascot Handicap and hopes to upset the favoured Tony Gollan team of five runners. “I knew he’d finish off the race well but we never knew how good he could be until that night,” co-trainer Chris told racingqueensland.com.au about his last start win in The Syndicate.

“The form around him in that race was very good as a lot of them had been running in stakes races. He’s always been a big strong horse but the weather has put us behind the eight ball like a lot of other trainers. He’s only had a jump-out but if he runs well there’s a lot of suitable races coming up like the Doomben 10,000 and some of the other big sprints. If he doesn’t go as well as we hope on Saturday then he can come back a peg or two.”

Stronger day on day 3 of OBS

The third session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in Training Sale might have lacked some of the glitz of the second session which produced six million-dollar juveniles, but more than made up for it with a strong day of results propelling its three-day average well over the record average set at the 2024 auction.

For the session, 144 head sold for US$21,806,500 (AU$34.1 million), for an average of US$151,434 (AU$236,000) and a median of US$80,000 (AU$125,000). Through three of four sessions, 482 horses have grossed US$68,940,000 (AU$107.8 million) for an average of US$143,029 (AU$224,000)–up 9.9 per cent from last year's cumulative record average of US$130,149 (AU$204,000). The three-day median of US$65,000 (AU$102,000) remains just under last year's record figure of US$70,000 (AU$109,600).

A colt by Uncle Mo (USA) was the session's only seven-figure offering, selling for US$1.3 million (AU$2 million) to Ramiro Restrepo's Marquee Bloodstock. The session-topping son of Uncle Mo was the eighth to bring US$1 million (AU$1.57 million) or more at the 2025 Spring sale and all but one of the eight have been colts.

Fasig-Tipton online juvenile sale catalogue released

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 550 entries for its upcoming Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training sale, to be held Monday and Tuesday, May 19-20, at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland.

Recent graduates of the sale include reigning Eclipse Champion Male Sprinter Straight No Chaser (USA), earner of more than US$2.6 million (AU$4 million) to date. Straight No Chaser, whose victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint is featured on the catalogue's front cover, also captured this year's G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint on Saudi Cup night.