Victorian owner-breeder Ralph Zito and his wife Peta, with racing partners, won last Sunday’s Sale Quality with Leodoro – a horse close to their hearts.

Perhaps in 1950 when his father Giuseppe emigrated from a troubled post-war Italy. Son Raffaele followed, with his mother Concetta, in September the following year. “We’ll call you Ralph,” his first Australian teacher told him. These days, ironically, there’s any number of Raff’s and Rafael’s enrolled at primary schools and not necessarily of European extraction.... Read More

Performer on track for Golden Slipper bid

The tall, rangy chestnut, carrying three kilograms more than his four rivals, was not fully wound up and unsuited in a slowly run race before showing great determination to score by a nose from the previously unraced Stratosphere (Snitzel) with another two and a half lengths to Exceltic (Excelebration), another previously unraced colt of real... Read More

First Inglis sale to be conducted at the company’s new venue next week is a genuine ‘first’ unlike its predecessors

The first Inglis-sold yearling, at that venue, was in 1994 at the Melbourne Premier sale. That was a year after Dalgety was acquired by William Inglis and Son. The first at Riverside Stables, at Warwick Farm in Sydney, will of course be at 6pm next Saturday night. Inglis director Jonathan D’Arcy and ‘specialist’ auctioneer and... Read More

Nasaayim (AUS)

O:  Shadwell Stud Australasia Ltd T:  David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig B: Arrowfield Group Pty Ltd S: Inglis Sydney Easter Yearling Sale 2017 V: Arrowfield Stud $650,000 P: Shadwell Stud Australasia Ltd W: 2YO Fillies’ Maiden Plate, Ballarat, 1200m, 30 January   The Lindsay Park-trained and Shadwell-raced filly Nasaayim (Redoute’s Choice) put in... Read More

Siege Of Quebec runs deceptively quick sectionals in his reluctant Rosehill win

Starting $1.50 favourite, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained colt was under strong riding by Brenton Avdulla on passing the 600 metres, much to the dismay of his supporters, before recording a first-up win in the Wilkes Quality (1100m). The Godolphin-owned colt Kennedy (Exceed And Excel) ran a bold race in the lead and when... Read More

Work with horses has taken Chris Rutten from Lord Of The Rings to multiple Karaka Million race success

He doesn’t have to. His extraordinary success with a handful of yearling selections, exclusively from Karaka, in recent years says it all. The Te Horo-based horseman, to now, has never bought more than two or three yearlings per year; never spent ‘big’ money and never looked at a catalogue page before he’s looked at the... Read More