A timely victory from first-crop daughter Spinarella has provided Darling View Thoroughbreds with another encouraging advertisement for Splintex just as the Western Australian farm dramatically reduced the stallion’s service fee for the new breeding season. The Dan and Ben Pearce-trained three-year-old broke through first-up at Belmont on Saturday, prevailing narrowly in the Happy 70th Birthday Colin Brown Plate over 1000m after placing in each of her three juvenile appearances. Clint Johnston-Porter used Spinarella’s draw to secure a favourable position before the filly found enough in a tight finish to defeat Manhattan Squeeze and stablemate Properata on the Soft 7 surface. Bred by Gervase Park owners Chris and Andrea Gales, Spinarella races for the Pearce brothers’ wives Danelle and Chloe and joined They’reallsisters among the emerging three-year-old fillies from Splintex’s first crop. The latter has already achieved black-type recognition, while Yamanex, Chixfromthestix, She’s a Splinter and London Rose are among several other daughters regarded as promising representatives for the son of Snitzel. Spinarella’s victory came alongside a significant commercial move from Darling View, with stud manager Brent Atwell announcing that Splintex will stand for $4,400 including GST this season, placing the Group-winning sprinter at an accessible level for Western Australian breeders. The reduction comes after Splintex finished third among Western Australia’s two-year-old sires by earnings last season, his first runners amassing more than $476,000. Darling View also enjoyed further success on Saturday through champion WA sire Playing God when Heaven Specified captured the Ted McAuliffe Handicap over 1400m, giving the farm’s roster an early double. Heaven Specified is raced by Krisman Park owner-breeders Phil and Christine Bruce and is out of the Not A Single Doubt mare I Do De Claire, purchased for $80,000 at the 2014 Magic Millions Yearling Sale. Playing God heads Darling View’s 2026 roster at $49,500, while Gr1 winner Royal Patronage stands his first Western Australian season at $16,500 and Lightsaber is available at $6,600. Yet the most intriguing commercial proposition may now be Splintex, whose sharply reduced fee arrives just as his first crop begins providing breeders with evidence that his progeny can progress from juvenile racing into their three-year-old seasons.
Breeders can access a bargain with Splintex (pic: Steve Hart)
NEWHong Kong Riders Make Their Mark At Shergar Cup
Weekend, 10th August 2026
Making their first appearance as a team at the Shergar Cup, Hong Kong’s riders produced an emphatic advertisement for the depth of riding talent within the jurisdiction as Jerry Chau and Luke Ferraris both celebrated maiden British victories at Ascot. According to scmp.com, led by experienced captain Vincent Ho, the Hong Kong trio finished runner-up in the teams competition after making a striking start to proceedings, with Chau landing the opening Shergar Cup Dash aboard Tuco Salamanca before Ho completed a Hong Kong quinella. Chau, fresh from a season in which he won the Tony Cruz Award as Hong Kong’s leading local rider and finished fifth in the jockeys’ standings, stalked the speed before timing his challenge impressively inside the final 200m. Ferraris followed in the next race with an equally accomplished display aboard Dancing In Paris, overcoming traffic problems after securing an economical position near the rail. The South African-born 24-year-old remained patient when his passage disappeared in the straight, eventually extricating his mount before sweeping to victory and earning the award for ride of the day. Hong Kong Jockey Club head of racing product Greg Carpenter said the performances vindicated a selection policy designed to showcase both established and emerging talent from the jurisdiction. Chau’s progress and Ferraris’ consistency, which produced 35 winners during the latest Hong Kong season, had made them natural candidates to accompany Ho, whose international experience provided the team with leadership. Ferraris described winning at Ascot as one of the highlights of his career and believed the experience demonstrated the standards demanded by Hong Kong racing. “Hong Kong sets you up for everything – if you can ride winners in Hong Kong, I think you can ride winners anywhere in the world,” he said. The competition also included riders of the calibre of Ryan Moore, Christophe Lemaire and Dylan Browne McMonagle, adding substance to Hong Kong’s performance against an unusually strong international line-up. Carpenter believes the city’s involvement added another dimension to the Shergar Cup, while the three jockeys also embraced their promotional responsibilities away from the track. For Ferraris, Chau and Ho, a second-place team finish may ultimately have been secondary to the wider point established at Ascot: Hong Kong’s jockey ranks can travel successfully well beyond Sha Tin and Happy Valley.
NEWSun Goddess Creates Phoenix Stakes History
Weekend, 10th August 2026
History arrived with considerable authority at the Curragh on Sunday when Sun Goddess became the first filly trained by Aidan O’Brien to capture the Gr1 Phoenix Stakes, providing Ballydoyle with an extraordinary 18th success in the six-furlong juvenile feature, reports racingpost.com. Sent out the 5-4 favourite under Ryan Moore, the daughter of Sioux Nation travelled strongly before taking command approaching the final two furlongs and defeating Folsom Blues by 1¼ lengths, with Velozee filling third. O’Brien had previously won the race 17 times with colts but Sun Goddess broke new ground for the stable while strengthening her position among Europe’s leading juvenile fillies. Moore reported that the strong early pace presented no difficulty and the decisive moment came rapidly when he asked Sun Goddess to quicken. “She's a beautiful filly. She has a lot of gears and a very high cruising pace,” O’Brien said. “Ryan said they went fast and he just said when he started to ask her she motored clear.” Her performance also convinced connections that seven furlongs should be comfortably within reach, opening several possibilities for the remainder of the season including the Moyglare Stud Stakes or Cheveley Park Stakes. Sun Goddess had been separated from another highly regarded Ballydoyle filly, Victorious, at Royal Ascot earlier in the year, with the latter contesting and winning the Queen Mary Stakes while Sun Goddess was sent to the Albany Stakes. O’Brien explained that Victorious had initially been regarded as the quicker of the pair, although Sun Goddess’s development has given the stable an enviable problem when assessing its leading Classic prospects. Victorious may not race again this season after showing some discomfort behind following Royal Ascot, with O’Brien determined not to risk the filly ahead of her three-year-old campaign. Sun Goddess, by contrast, is expected to race again and her Phoenix Stakes performance suggested longer distances should pose no obstacle. “She's got serious class,” O’Brien said. “It's the way she went through the race and when Ryan asked her to start coming, she was literally there in two strides.” With her combination of cruising speed, acceleration and apparent scope to stretch beyond six furlongs, Sun Goddess now occupies a prominent position in ante-post markets for next year’s 1000 Guineas and appears likely to give Ballydoyle further opportunities to add to an already exceptional juvenile record.
NEWRacing SA Balances Prizemoney with Reform
Weekend, 10th August 2026
A combination of targeted prizemoney increases, revised participant funding arrangements and the recruitment of an internationally experienced racing administrator will shape Racing SA’s approach to the new season as the governing body attempts to strengthen its racing program while confronting tighter wagering conditions. Higher-grade metropolitan races will increase to $80,000 under the revised prizemoney structure, while metropolitan races restricted to three-year-olds rise to $70,000 as Racing SA directs additional investment towards areas it believes can improve horse retention and strengthen pathways to interstate features. The Balaklava Cup, Murray Bridge Gold Cup and Sportsbet Finals Day will also benefit from additional funding, while the two-year-old Moorundi Classic has been repositioned from Murray Bridge Cup Day to December and increased to $110,000. Racing SA chairman Rob Rorrison said the strategy was designed to concentrate resources where they could deliver the greatest benefit, particularly through stronger juvenile and three-year-old programs and higher-quality Saturday racing. The increases arrive alongside measures intended to improve the organisation’s financial sustainability amid declining national wagering turnover and rising operating expenses. Country and provincial nomination fees will increase by $5, while metropolitan nominations and races carrying more than $80,000 will rise by $10. The scratching fee where a jockey has been engaged will become $300 plus GST, while a new 1.5 per cent deduction from prizemoney will be directed towards jockey and participant welfare, taking the overall welfare allocation to 2.5 per cent. Chief executive Nick Bawden acknowledged the changes would directly affect participants but said existing funding arrangements no longer adequately reflected the cost of providing racing, infrastructure and industry services. The changes coincide with the arrival of Ian Malpass as Racing SA’s new Racing Operations Manager, adding substantial international expertise to the organisation at a time when its racing program is being reshaped. Malpass spent six years with the Hong Kong Jockey Club as Handicapping and Race Planning Manager, overseeing race programming, handicapping Hong Kong’s horse population and the approval of imported horses. Before moving to Hong Kong he spent eight years with Racing and Wagering WA, progressing from handicapper and judge to chief handicapper and assistant manager of thoroughbred racing, with responsibilities encompassing prizemoney schedules, incentive schemes and administration of the state’s thoroughbred department. His broader experience includes involvement with the Australian Classifications Committee, Asian Racing Federation Handicappers Committee, Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings and Asian Pattern Committee. The appointment gives Racing SA an administrator with extensive practical experience in race programming and handicapping as the body attempts to marry increased investment in its strongest racing products with a funding model intended to remain viable in a more challenging wagering environment.
NEWErnaux Justifies Patience with Randwick Surge
Weekend, 10th August 2026
Patience with a $3 million investment is beginning to look increasingly well rewarded after Ernaux produced the most significant victory of her career with a powerful late finish at Randwick on Saturday, reports racenet.com.au. The Chris Waller-trained four-year-old, purchased by John Stewart’s Resolute Racing for $3 million from Coolmore’s draft at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, was given time to find her feet by Tyler Schiller in the 1200m Benchmark 78 for mares before displaying an explosive change of speed to score by 1½ lengths. A daughter of champion sire I Am Invincible and Gr1-winning mare Booker, Ernaux was the most expensive yearling by her sire ever sold and her imposing frame has required patience as she developed physically. Saturday’s Good 4 surface played to her strengths and Waller admitted there had been a nervous moment as Schiller searched for room approaching the straight. “It was hold your breath stuff at the top of the straight,” Waller said. “Tyler knew what he was doing and knew what he had under him. She really exploded late.” Schiller was similarly impressed by the mare’s acceleration once a passage opened, believing the performance suggested there remained further improvement to come. “She is obviously better on top of the ground but she doesn't have a long sprint, I feel she just has that little sharp dash and it was good that she was able to duck and weave today,” he said. Ernaux tracked Jellicious before peeling off her back and quickly putting the race beyond doubt, completing the 1200m in 1:09.75. The victory pushed her earnings beyond $250,000 and provided another encouraging return for the partnership between Resolute Racing and Coolmore. Her pedigree has always ensured considerable residual value, with Booker, by Written Tycoon, having been bought by Tom Magnier for $1.6 million at the 2020 Inglis Chairman’s Sale. Booker was subsequently sent to Kentucky, producing a Justify colt last spring and is now due to foal to Switzerland. For Ernaux, however, the immediate focus remains on racing and converting an increasingly imposing pedigree and purchase price into performances on the track, with Saturday’s Randwick success providing compelling evidence that her best may still lie ahead.
Gr1-winning dam Booker (pic: Mark Gatt)
Ninja Bursts Into Everest Calculations
Weekend, 10th August 2026
A race-record performance in Sydney's first Stakes contest of the new season has thrust Ninja into The Everest conversation after the four-year-old produced a commanding first-up victory in Saturday's Gr2 Missile Stakes over 1200m at Randwick, reports punters.com.au. Michael Freedman's Farnan gelding arrived with an already impressive record but took another significant step when overcoming early work to race outside leader Way To The Stars before accelerating clear under Tommy Berry and stopping the clock at 1:08.28. Ninja defeated Napoleonic by a little more than a length, while favourite Angel Capital finished strongly into third, and his time immediately encouraged speculation that the emerging sprinter could warrant consideration for the $20 million Gr1 The Everest on October 17. That possibility carries additional intrigue because Ninja is part-owned by John Camilleri, whose Fairway Thoroughbreds controls an Everest slot, potentially removing one of the major hurdles confronting horses seeking selection for the invitation-only race. Freedman was understandably reluctant to map too far ahead immediately after the performance but acknowledged that a horse continuing to improve at Ninja's rate gives connections every reason to consider ambitious spring targets. The gelding's consistency through his three-year-old season included victory in the Gr2 Hobartville Stakes and his return suggested he may have made another physical and professional advance during his break. Berry was particularly impressed by Ninja's ability to relax after his preferred early cover failed to materialise. Rather than become involved in an unnecessary speed battle, the jockey allowed him to find rhythm in second position before conserving his effort until the field climbed the Randwick rise. Once asked to lengthen, Ninja quickly established a winning advantage and maintained it comfortably to the line. The victory gave Berry his third Missile Stakes, joining his earlier successes aboard Sweet Idea and Phobetor and drawing him level with the race's riding record. Betting markets responded by trimming Ninja from $26 to approximately $15 for The Everest, where defending champion Ka Ying Rising remains dominant in early betting. With more than two months remaining before the spring sprint showpiece and Ninja appearing far from fully wound up after the race, the Missile may ultimately be remembered as the afternoon an emerging talent announced himself as a serious player among Australia's elite sprinters.
Godolphin Homebred Soars to Guineas Top Pick
Weekend, 10th August 2026
A debut carrying considerably more expectation than most was converted into a performance of genuine Classic promise at Newmarket on Friday, where Godolphin juvenile Desert Castle swept to an effortless victory and was immediately promoted to the head of betting for next year's 2000 Guineas. The homebred son of Frankel started at 1-2 for the seven-furlong newcomers' maiden on the July Course and justified that confidence emphatically, travelling smoothly for Billy Loughnane before drawing clear to defeat Sommood by three and a half lengths, with Netherstream filling third. Bookmakers reacted sharply by cutting Desert Castle from 33-1 to around 14-1 for the 2000 Guineas, placing him alongside unbeaten Coventry Stakes winner Great Barrier Reef at the top of early markets. His pedigree provides ample encouragement that the performance may represent the beginning rather than the high point of his career, with Desert Castle a brother to Gr1 winner Dream Castle and dual Gr2 scorer With The Moonlight. Charlie Appleby had been encouraged by the colt's work at home but felt there was still considerable rawness evident in his first public appearance, and rather than immediately pursuing one of his more prestigious engagements, the trainer is inclined to give him another opportunity to learn in novice company. Desert Castle already holds entries for September's Champagne Stakes at Doncaster and National Stakes at the Curragh, races that could eventually provide a sterner examination if his progress continues. His victory also maintained Appleby's strong recent record in the Newmarket maiden, giving the Godolphin trainer a fourth success in seven editions. Elsewhere, another potential Guineas candidate strengthened his credentials in Ireland when Aidan O'Brien's Sergei Diaghilev returned to winning form in the Listed Coolmore Stud Churchill Stakes at Gowran Park. The Wootton Bassett colt had disappointed when ninth as favourite for the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot after winning on debut at the Curragh, but the move to a mile brought a significant improvement as he defeated his rivals by three-quarters of a length under Wayne Lordan. His Guineas quote was subsequently halved to around 25-1, adding another name to an emerging Classic picture in which Desert Castle has made the most dramatic early advance.
Cornerstone Dispersal Headlines Inglis Digital
Weekend, 10th August 2026
A complete dispersal from prominent South Australian nursery Cornerstone Stud provides one of the central attractions of the Inglis Digital August Early Online Sale, with 34 lots from the operation forming part of a diverse 412-entry catalogue. Cornerstone is offering its commercial breeding portfolio across broodmares, two-year-olds, yearlings and weanlings, including Stakes-producing mares, relatives of Stakes winners and broodmares carrying pregnancies to stallions including Chaldean, Celestial Legend, Starlust and Storm Boy. The younger stock includes progeny by Bivouac, Chaldean, Pinatubo and Pierro, while Jest Excel shapes as one of the dispersal's most valuable breeding prospects. The Exceed And Excel mare is already the dam of Gr3-winning juvenile Shiki and had a yearling sell for $380,000 this year. Cornerstone's offerings will be sold without reserve apart from shares in stallions Nicconi, Fierce Impact and Rebel Dane. Considerable interest is also expected around unraced three-year-old Ballet's Legacy, a daughter of I Am Invincible whose pedigree makes her an appealing future broodmare. She is a three-quarter sister to Gr1 winner and successful young sire Home Affairs, a half-sister to dual Gr1 winner Russian Revolution and also related to Gr3 winner Turbo Miss. The catalogue further provides investors with five separate five per cent interests in recent Gr1 Queensland Oaks heroine Fireball Miss. Trained by Ciaron Maher, the Bivouac mare entered the Queensland Oaks following victory in the Gr2 The Roses and could target the Gr1 Empire Rose Stakes during the spring, with the 2027 Caulfield Cup identified as a longer-term possibility. The broader sale comprises 144 racehorses, 136 racehorse shares, 87 broodmares, 24 yearlings, 11 unraced horses, five stallion shares, four two-year-olds and one breeding right. Other notable offerings include Frankel mare Achillea, Deep Field mare Ayemgee in foal to Ole Kirk, Stakes-placed juvenile Reasonable Point, metropolitan winner Horizons and Gr2-placed Tinker McPhee, while the catalogue features pregnancies to a wide range of commercial young stallions. Bennett Racing is the largest vendor with 74 entries, alongside support from many leading stables, studs and ownership groups, with final bidding scheduled to commence on Wednesday morning.
Ciarrai Abu Set for Australian Career
Weekend, 10th August 2026
A successful farewell at Glorious Goodwood has provided OTI Racing with an intriguing new middle-distance prospect, with Ciarrai Abu scheduled to enter quarantine next month before joining John O'Shea and Tom Charlton in Australia. The progressive three-year-old ended his British campaign on a winning note for trainer Harry Eustace when taking a Goodwood handicap, extending a profile that has gradually strengthened as he has gained experience. Eustace believes the gelding remains difficult to assess because he has yet to reveal the full extent of his ability under pressure, but expects Australian conditions and middle-distance racing to suit him particularly well. His acquisition continues OTI Racing's established policy of sourcing lightly raced European horses capable of improving once transferred to Australia, and Ciarrai Abu will arrive with enough untapped potential to make his early progress closely watched. Eustace's attention meanwhile remains firmly on Britain's major summer sprints through Gr1 Commonwealth Cup winner Time For Sandals, who returned to her best with a close third in the Gr2 King George Stakes at Glorious Goodwood. Less than a length separated her from the winner after another strong performance in the race, encouraging connections to press towards the Gr1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York on August 21. The Flying Five Stakes in Ireland is also likely to feature in her programme. Fast ground remains important to Time For Sandals, and her previous York form offers further encouragement, having finished narrowly second in the Lowther Stakes as a juvenile. Eustace also has Shimmering Sun progressing towards the Lowther after a Listed placing at Naas. The juvenile demonstrated there that six furlongs is likely to suit her better than shorter distances, while her earlier Queen Mary Stakes form has continued to gain substance. For Australian observers, however, the immediate interest rests with Ciarrai Abu, whose Goodwood victory has supplied an ideal conclusion to the European phase of his career. With quarantine scheduled for September and the gelding subsequently transferring into one of Sydney's leading operations, his Australian campaign will begin with the appealing combination of winning form, developing stamina and a profile that suggests his ceiling may not yet have been established.
Attractiveness Gives Inspire its Sydney Breakthrough
Weekend, 10th August 2026
A long-held connection with Sydney racing made Attractiveness' Rosehill victory particularly satisfying for New Zealand syndicator Matthew Corban, whose developing Inspire Racing operation celebrated its first winner in the city through the Richard and Will Freedman-trained mare. The daughter of Hello Youmzain had been the first yearling purchased under the Inspire banner after capturing Corban's attention at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale. Initially expecting her to exceed his budget, Corban was given another opportunity when she failed to meet her reserve and, following discussions with long-time friend Will Freedman, a private agreement was negotiated. The investment has required patience, with the stable maintaining that Attractiveness possessed Stakes ability even while her physical development and race-day maturity lagged behind her natural talent. That assessment is increasingly being vindicated and connections now believe the mare, originally considered a likely 2000m horse, is beginning to shape accordingly. One further Benchmark 78 assignment for fillies and mares at Randwick is planned before a spell, with the Gr3 Epona Stakes over 1900m on Golden Slipper Day emerging as a possible autumn objective. Corban's involvement in ownership preceded the establishment of Inspire Racing and included Carbonados, who won his only New Zealand start for Allan Sharrock before being sold to Lindsay Park and subsequently developing into a seven-time winner. Another successful trade involved Cruiserweight, formerly Opetaia, who was sold to Lindsay Park following an impressive debut victory at New Plymouth. Inspire Racing has expanded rapidly since Corban began purchasing under the banner at the 2023 Ready to Run Sale and now has close to 10 three-year-olds in work in addition to its older horses. The son of former Cambridge Stud manager and current Te Akau bloodstock manager Marcus Corban believes matching individual horses with appropriate trainers is critical to the operation's development. Allan Sharrock remains an important part of the team, while emerging trainers including Sam Bergerson have also received support, and some horses are deliberately sent to Australia where their distance profile or programme makes Sydney a better fit. Corban ultimately wants Inspire represented on New Zealand's biggest stages, particularly Karaka Millions night and Champions Day at Ellerslie, while continuing to support younger trainers and provide owners with the simple reward that first drew him towards syndication: sharing successful racehorses with good people.
Inspire Racing has a quality Sydney winner (pic: Bradley Photographers)
Pletcher Breaks Through 6,000 Wins
Weekend, 10th August 2026
One of the most distinguished training careers in American racing reached another landmark at Saratoga on Saturday when Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher celebrated his 6000th winner, Versailles Road delivering the milestone in the final race of the programme, reports TDN. Pletcher had gone into the meeting with 10 runners and needing only one success to reach the mark, but the achievement was made to wait until the closing 1⅜-mile turf optional claimer, where Versailles Road came from off the pace under Manny Franco to secure victory. The occasion prompted the 59-year-old Texan to reflect on a career that began more than three decades earlier, his first winner having arrived at Gulfstream Park on January 26, 1996, when Majestic Number won a maiden claimer. "It's a hard business to reflect in much, but it's weird how when you get to these milestones that you start thinking about the individual ones and the single ones–they add up," Pletcher said. The wait on Saturday had appeared particularly testing when Bold Leadership was denied by a nose earlier on the card, leaving Pletcher wondering whether his landmark victory might have to come another day. "We felt like we had some live chances with a lot of babies and a very tough Whitney. I was hoping we could get one. It took all day to do it, but thankfully it happened," he said. Saratoga provided an appropriate stage for the achievement given Pletcher's long association with the famous venue, including English Channel breaking his maiden on the same turf course in August 2004 before developing into a champion. Pletcher had openly hoped his 6000th winner would arrive at the Spa and was delighted that Versailles Road ensured it did. The milestone adds another imposing number to a career that has established Pletcher among the defining American trainers of his generation, with his vast catalogue of victories encompassing some of the country's most prestigious races and an enduring presence at the highest level of the sport.
Racing Mourns Owner-Breeder Ottavio Galletta
Weekend, 10th August 2026
A racing journey that stretched from harness champion Don't Retreat to elite thoroughbreds Castelvecchio and Profondo has ended with the passing of prominent Sydney owner-breeder Ottavio Galletta at the age of 82. Galletta emigrated from Calabria to Australia in 1963 and established himself in the construction industry, eventually building a business employing as many as 200 people during the 1970s, the decade in which his enduring involvement with racing began. Remarkably, one of his earliest major horses was Don't Retreat, crowned Australian Harness Horse of the Year in 1976, before Galletta increasingly directed his passion towards thoroughbreds. His familiar white colours with red disc, green sleeves and green cap became a regular sight on Sydney tracks, with Malavio providing an important early chapter. Named after grandchildren Maria, Laura and Ottavio, the Steve Englebrecht-trained galloper won nine races headed by the Gr3 Tramway Handicap at Randwick. Galletta's racing interests subsequently reached another level through his association with trainer Richard Litt. In 2018 he paid $150,000 for Castelvecchio, a colt who announced himself by winning the $2 million Inglis Millennium the following year before developing into one of the finest horses of his generation. Castelvecchio captured the Gr1 Champagne Stakes and Gr1 Rosehill Guineas and also placed in the Sires' Produce Stakes, Spring Champion Stakes and Cox Plate, where he chased home Japanese champion Lys Gracieux. Two years after purchasing Castelvecchio, Galletta made another decisive investment when paying a sale-topping $1.9 million for Profondo. The richly bred colt justified that valuation by winning the Gr1 Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick before progressing to a stallion career. More recently, Galletta enjoyed success with Gosford Guineas winner Caffe Florian, another member of the Litt stable. His contribution extended well beyond the performances recorded beside his name in race books, with Litt paying tribute to a loyal owner whose backing had profoundly influenced both his stable and career. The trainer described the loss of Galletta as that of a great friend as well as an important supporter, recalling the faith shown when entrusting him with horses of the calibre of Castelvecchio and Profondo. Galletta leaves behind wife Wendy and his family, together with a racing legacy built across half a century and crowned by horses whose achievements ensured his colours became part of the fabric of major Sydney racing.
Castelvecchio was raced by Ottavio Galletta (pic: Arrowfield Stud)
In Abstentia Williams Earns 6th Scobie Breasley
Weekend, 10th August 2026
A remarkable late-season surge has carried Craig Williams to a sixth Scobie Breasley Medal, although one of the most touching elements of Saturday night’s Victorian Racing Awards came from thousands of kilometres away. According to racing.com, Williams is currently in Ukraine on a humanitarian mission and accepted the honour by video link, using the occasion to nominate his father Allan to receive the medal on his behalf. The gesture caught Allan completely by surprise, with the veteran horseman only discovering his role while watching his son being interviewed by master of ceremonies Jason Richardson. “When Richo interviewed him and said, ‘Who’s going to get the award?’, and he said he’d like for me to do it, I was very happy with that, I was really humbled about it,” Allan Williams said. His son then used the occasion to acknowledge the influence his parents and family had exerted throughout a decorated career that has included a Melbourne Cup victory and now six Scobie Breasley Medals. Williams’ latest success was underpinned by an outstanding final month of the 2025/26 season, when he rode 13 metropolitan winners during July to overhaul Jamie Mott in the Melbourne jockeys’ premiership and ultimately defeat him by five votes in the Scobie count. Allan Williams believed the closing stages of the campaign had brought out some of his son’s finest riding. “I thought he did a marvelous job,” he said. “Craig worked really hard and of course, when he realized he could win, he worked even harder, I think, at the finish. I’ve never seen him ride better than over the last month.” The meticulous preparation that has long been a hallmark of Williams’ approach also earned praise from his father, who pointed to the work undertaken away from race day to identify and secure the strongest possible mounts. “The homework that he puts in to secure the best rides, he always does the one percenters, so that’s never changed,” he said. “We’re all proud of what he’s done. He’s got a great CV now, hasn’t he?” Williams is expected back in Melbourne this week and will waste little time returning to familiar surroundings, with the champion jockey scheduled to partner Mr Brightside at Friday’s jumpouts before resuming race riding on Saturday.
Flashing Lights for Alabama Lass
Weekend, 10th August 2026
A more seasoned version of one of New Zealand’s most naturally gifted sprinting mares is poised to return to the races later this month, with Ken and Bev Kelso encouraged by Alabama Lass’s authoritative trial victory at Te Rapa on Saturday, according to racingnews.co.nz. The daughter of Alabama Express controlled her 1050m heat from the outset under Michael McNab before cruising home by 1¼ lengths from Media World, a performance that further strengthened her position as $2.80 favourite for the Gr2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at the same venue on August 22. The four-year-old’s previous campaign promised considerably more than it ultimately delivered, beginning superbly when she chased home the winner in the Gr1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at The Valley before things unravelled with a last placing in the Gr1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) and seventh in the Gr1 Railway (1200m). Her season then ended dramatically at Ellerslie when she appeared likely to win the Gr3 King’s Plate (1200m), only to veer towards the inside rail near the 100m and dislodge Samantha Collett. A subsequent spell appears to have been highly beneficial, with Kelso believing the mare has returned both physically stronger and mentally more settled. “Things went awry in the autumn and she has come back a lot stronger and developed a lot,” he said. “She ran nicely and Micheal (McNab) was rapt with the run, so I am very pleased.” Kelso felt Alabama Lass had become increasingly unsettled after travelling to Melbourne last spring and remained unsure what caused her Manikato performance, but Saturday’s trial provided much more familiar signs. “I thought she was back to her old self, she relaxed nicely and Michael seemed to get on with her,” he said. Provided she comes through the Foxbridge Plate satisfactorily, connections are likely to stretch her to 1400m for the Gr1 Proisir Plate at Ellerslie on September 5, a distance Kelso believes should present few concerns. Alabama Lass has already won the Gr2 Soliloquy Stakes over the Ellerslie 1400m and has also finished runner-up at 1600m, encouraging her trainers that greater maturity may now allow her to operate comfortably beyond sprint trips. “As she has got a little bit stronger, I don’t think the 1400m will be a worry,” Kelso said. Crocetti and First Five share the second line of Foxbridge Plate futures betting at $4.50 behind Alabama Lass.
