Features

Akkadian (AUS) 3 c Nicconi – Garden Of Eden by Blackfriars

LINK TO RACE VIDEO: https://www.racing.com/videos/2018-09-05/sportsbetballarat-race-1–5918 Akkadian showed potential in seven previous starts without winning, including four times in stakes company, but broke through for a deserved first win at Ballarat on Wednesday. The colt moved up early from his outside barrier (10), racing deep, before challenging on turning for home. He took the lead halfway... Read More

Comin’ Through stakes his Epsom claims

Acting for Filipino clients in the 1990s, Albert O’Cass set up a small stud, Kingmaker Park, at Scone, imported the superbly bred United States performer Bite The Bullet (Spectacular Bid), winner of the Sanford Stakes (Gr 2, 6f), as a foundation stallion and also brought to Australia several well-related American mares.   Comin’ Through is... Read More

Paying tribute to the phenomenon that is Darren Weir

The 48-year-old is arguably the greatest phenomenon in the history of Australian racing, certainly in Victorian racing. “There has not been anyone emerge quite like Darren Weir in my time covering racing. Nobody so dominant, not even the legendary names like Smith and Hayes and Cummings. Definitely not in Victoria,” says Tony Bourke, former chief... Read More

Spring carnival puzzle begins to take shape

Is Withhold a worthy favourite? In short, no. Roger Charlton’s five-year-old was hugely impressive when winning the Northumberland Plate (2m) in June, but he was gifted an easy lead on an artificial surface at Newcastle and he will face a very different test tackling stakes company for the first time at Flemington. Although his brace... Read More

Spring carnival puzzle begins to take shape

Is Withhold a worthy favourite? In short, no. Roger Charlton’s five-year-old was hugely impressive when winning the Northumberland Plate (2m) in June, but he was gifted an easy lead on an artificial surface at Newcastle and he will face a very different test tackling stakes company for the first time at Flemington. Although his brace... Read More

Winx Stakes offers vital clues for Saturday’s feature race at Randwick

However it may not be as daunting as it seems. The inclination is to imagine a plethora of left-field, long-shot outcomes but in the past three years there’s been only two winners at greater than 10/1 at either Caulfield’s Memsie Stakes meeting or Randwick’s Chelmsford Stakes fixture. The trick obviously is somehow determining which of... Read More