Facing a challenging task from his outside barrier (nine), jockey Josh Parr elected to use Menari’s pace and as a result, the colt was forced to ‘do it’ at both ends of the race. But the stylish colt was well up to the task, demonstrating his quality with a decisive win in a time of... Read More

A total of 16 horses began their two week quarantine stint in Newmarket yesterday before they fly out to Melbourne, arriving in Australia on 30 September, where they will then complete two weeks post-animal quarantine at the Werribee International Horse Centre. Among the European contingent headed to the spring carnival is Red Cardinal (Montjeu), trained... Read More

The Jim Bolger-trained Verbal Dexterity (2 c Vocalised – Lonrach by Holy Roman Emperor) battled on bravely to win the National Stakes (Gr 1, 7f) in decisive fashion at the Curragh on Sunday on the second day of Irish Champions Weekend. The promising colt raced up with the pace throughout under Kevin Manning but looked... Read More

McGrath, however, insists that Tony Fung and his son Justin are in it for the ‘long haul’ as their breeding and racing interests continue to expand. Only time will, of course, definitively answer the question but Aquis Farm’s impact in 2017 alone, aside from past property and stallion acquisitions, is well measured by the purchase... Read More

One who was barely mentioned until last Saturday was Deploy (Fastnet Rock) but his performance to win the Theo Marks Stakes (Gr 2, 1300m) at Rosehill by four lengths in a track record time of 1:14.92 must surely have highlighted his leading claims. Top-class mare Egg Tart (Sebring) finished strongly to be second but was... Read More

Why is that so certain? Because Racing.com – the media arm of Carpenter’s employer Racing Victoria – more than hinted at it this week. I look forward to any change and hope that it is the precursor to a radical revamp. As it is, the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) is not the world’s greatest... Read More