Features
Ascot looks east for royal runners
With their showpiece royal meeting on the horizon, Ascot’s Nick Smith expressed his pleasure at the number and quality of Australian horses heading north in a bid to prize the two Group 1 sprints back Down Under. Next on Smith’s list to entice? The best from Japan. “One of the top priorities is to establish... Read More
More from Stallion Watch
Ten for Blue Point
New winners Blue Point (pictured above) – Rosallion (2 c ex Rosaline by New Approach) became the ninth individual winner for Darley shuttler Blue Point (Shamardal) when he made a successful debut in a six and a half furlong maiden at Newbury. A homebred for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, Rosallion is a half-brother to... Read More
Invincible Caviar
Three deities of the Australian industry, famous for three different reasons, made their mark on Saturday: the former racetrack champion; the super sire, and the outstanding broodmare. To say former–champion is perhaps understating it: We’re dealing with probably the best sprinter of all time, once rated the best horse in the world. Yet Black Caviar’s... Read More
From the Jericho to Happy Valley – give me a reason to go racing
Got a confession to make. Don’t go to the races much any more. The problem is, chiefly, that racing is a great television sport. That is something current and future racing’s administrators will have to grapple with. What’s the attraction or, indeed, the incentive to be on course? Especially now in Australia when, through the... Read More
The chase is on
Saturday’s Captain Cook Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner’s prize of $172,250 saw Savabeel (Zabeel) surge from fifth to second on this season’s premiership but the leader, Proisir (Choisir), who enjoyed an outstanding spring, has a $630,000 margin as the summer part of the season heats up. The riches of the Auckland, Wellington and Waikato carnivals... Read More
26 for Harry Angel
New winners Harry Angel (pictured above) – Darley’s Harry Angel (Dark Angel) sired his 26th individual winner when Flying Spirit (2 c ex Olinda by Nayef) kept on well to take out a nursery over seven furlongs at Lingfield. Trained by Heather Main, the colt justified his place at the head of the market as... Read More